DAKAR, Senegal: Congo’s Kasai region is the latest deadly hotspot in the vast Central African country that has had violent rebellions for decades. Once again, children are among the most vulnerable victims.
Well over 1 million people have fled the fighting that began a year ago when Congo’s military killed the regional tribal leader of the Kamwina Nsapu militia. More than 3,300 people in the region have died, according to estimates by the Catholic church. The UN has counted more than 80 mass graves.
Across the once-peaceful region, children are forced to take up weapons, either recruited by militias or to defend their homes. Children make up more than half of the displaced people, said Yvon Edoumou, spokesman for the UN humanitarian office in Congo.
“We see families who say they are fleeing because militias were going into their villages, and most of the time we have one mother and two to four young kids, even toddlers and babies in their arms,” Edoumou said. “The men are almost nowhere to be seen. So children are taking a very heavy toll from all this violence.”
Children in the Kasai region are being forced to endure horrific ordeals such as abuse and recruitment into militia groups, the UN children’s agency says, with more than 850,000 left without basic services.
One 12-year-old told the agency he escaped from a militia group where he was a combatant. Now in a UN-backed safe house, he is trying to deal with the trauma.
“I was given things to swallow. Afterwards, they took a machete and hit me three times on the chest. Next they gave me plastic bags to swallow, saying that if I concentrate on something, I can become it,” he said. “After that, they hurt me all over to show that even if I am attacked, I can’t be hurt. In the end, they gave me a knife and stick to go and fight.”
He said he decided to leave “because promises weren’t kept. Also, lots of people had been killed.”
The boy wants to return to his family and go to school but faces the risk of stigma and violent reprisals.
About 440,000 children in the Kasai region could not complete their schooling last year, largely due to the violence and insecurity, UNICEF says. It has launched a campaign to get 150,000 children back into school.
Another boy, 16-year-old Edouard, was taking exams when the fighting reached his hometown. His school is among the 400 that UNICEF says have been attacked.
“There was the noise of gunfire. We had never experienced that in our lives. When we heard it for the first time, we were scared and we ran,” he told the agency. He said he lived in the forest with his family, surviving on leaves and edible roots.
With so many lives affected, the UN and other humanitarian organizations have been trying to gain a footing in the remote and impoverished Kasai region. And security concerns soared after the murder of two UN experts in March.
The biggest needs are water, food and medicine, particularly for children, Edoumou said. But funding is low. A $64.5 million UN request for support is not even halfway funded, he said.
Both Congolese and the international community are watching in dismay as the initial fighting between government forces and militias has shifted and made the region even more precarious.
“It has evolved into fighting between communities who up until months ago had been living together in a peaceful way,” Edoumou said.
Communities, including children, have turned to defending their homes and whatever ethnic rights their area demands, he said.
The UN’s human rights office has warned of ethnic cleansing and urged Congo’s government to prevent further violence in the Kasai region, which has been a stronghold of opposition to President Joseph Kabila’s administration. Security forces have been known to back local leaders seen as loyal to Kabila, while militia groups have supported those believed to back the opposition.
Congo’s long-delayed presidential elections contribute to the tensions. Though voter registration finally began this week for millions in the Kasai region, the electoral commission says the work won’t be completed until next year — defying an agreement with the opposition that called for a vote by the end of 2017.
Children flee, fight amid Congo’s growing Kasai violence
Children flee, fight amid Congo’s growing Kasai violence
France mosque murder suspect had indiscriminate ‘urge to kill’: prosecutor
He told someone online he would “do it in the street,” before considering attacking the mosque
LA GRAND-COMBE, France: A French man accused of stabbing a 22-year-old Malian to death in a mosque appears to have acted alone on an obsessive “urge to kill,” a prosecutor said Friday.
The killing of Aboubakar Cisse in La Grand-Combe on Friday last week prompted President Emmanuel Macron to insist there was no place for religious hate in French society.
A French national of Bosnian origin suspected of stabbing Cisse 57 times and then filming his victim writhing in agony surrendered to police in Italy and is awaiting extradition to France.
Cecile Gensac, prosecutor for the nearby southern city of Nimes, said the 20-year-old suspect, named as Olivier Hadzovic, had been “driven by a fierce desire to kill someone and failing that, to commit suicide.”
He told someone online he would “do it in the street,” before considering attacking the mosque. Once inside, he wrote: “He’s black. I’m going to do it.”
He seemed to have “profoundly personal motives,” and the crime was not being treated as “terrorist” as not linked to an “ideological claim,” Gensac added.
Earlier, some 700 people prayed for Cisse at a funeral at the same mosque where he was a helper. Worshippers prayed in front of the coffin covered by a green cloth.
Cisse, who arrived in France as a teenager without papers, was originally from Yaguine in southwestern Mali, where he is due to be buried at a later date.
“This is an absolutely incredible act of hatred in a very peaceful place,” Dominique Sopo, a representative of campaign group SOS Racisme, told AFP.
Hundreds more prayed for the victim at a town just outside Paris.
“With the lack of support in the media and from politicians, we’re really sad and we’re really scared,” said Abdelghani Bentrari, in charge of the mosque in the town of Tremblay.
France has the largest Muslim community in the European Union, and the murder has put Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a hard-line right-winger with a tough stance on immigration, under particular pressure.
He has not visited the scene of the killing in La Grand-Combe and has been criticized for not finding time to meet Cisse’s family.
Speaking to CNews, a broadcaster accused of fostering far-right views, Retailleau this week said it was “difficult” to find Cisse’s family because he was in France without a residence permit.
French lawmakers on Tuesday observed a minute’s silence to honor Cisse and some lawmakers met with his relatives.
According to a source close to the case, Retailleau will meet Cisse’s family in Paris on Monday, when his coffin will be in the capital for another memorial.
Cisse, nicknamed “Bouba,” was born in Mali in 2003.
He crossed the Mediterranean and arrived in the Paris region in 2018, his uncle told AFP. He traveled to the south of France in 2019 because “he did not want to be a burden” for relatives.
In Grand Combe, residents remembered him as a quiet young man who helped clean the mosque and sometimes brought pizza to share despite having little money.
The prosecutor said the suspect came from a family of non-practicing Christians with 11 children. He was “very, very often” on social media, where he had watched violent videos, including of people cutting themselves.
In the video made just after the stabbing, the killer congratulated himself, saying “I did it” and insulted “Allah.”
A witness said that the suspect had described himself as “schizophrenic” after the murder.
A man identified as the suspect’s father told broadcaster BFMTV on Friday his son was “crazy” and apologized to Cisse’s family.
Mourad Battikh, a lawyer representing the victim’s family, said earlier the murder should be reclassified as “a terrorist attack.”
“The Muslim community must be treated in the same way as any other citizens,” he said.
King Charles to attend Canada’s state opening of parliament
- Charles, along with his wife Queen Camilla, will visit Canada from May 26 to May 27
LONDON: Britain’s King Charles will attend Canada’s state opening of parliament in Ottawa, Buckingham Palace said on Friday, in a clear show of support for the former British colony of which he is still head of state.
Charles, along with his wife Queen Camilla, will visit Canada from May 26 to May 27, the palace said.
The monarch’s attendance comes after his recent acknowledgment that he is also the king of Canada, a country that US President Donald Trump has made clear he has designs on.
The visit to Canada would be Charles’ second overseas trip this year, after his visit to Italy where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis before the pontiff’s demise.
German spy agency brands far-right AfD as ‘extremist’, opens way for closer surveillance
- A 1,100-page experts’ report found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organization
- The BfV agency needs such a classification to be able to monitor a political party
BERLIN: Germany’s spy agency on Friday classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “extremist,” enabling it to step up monitoring of the country’s biggest opposition party, which decried the move as a “blow against democracy.”
A 1,100-page experts’ report found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organization, a designation that allows the security services to recruit informants and intercept party communications, and which has revived calls for the party’s ban.
“Central to our assessment is the ethnically and ancestrally defined concept of the people that shapes the AfD, which devalues entire segments of the population in Germany and violates their human dignity,” the BfV domestic intelligence agency said in a statement.
“This concept is reflected in the party’s overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance,” it said, accusing the AfD of stirring up “irrational fears and hostility” toward individuals and groups.
The BfV agency needs such a classification to be able to monitor a political party because it is more legally constrained than other European intelligence services, a reflection of Germany’s experience under both Nazi and Communist rule.
Other organizations classified as extremist in Germany are neo-Nazi groups such as the National Democratic Party (NDP), Islamist groups including Islamic State, and far-left ones such as the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany.
The agency was able to act after the AfD last year lost a court case in which it had challenged its previous classification by the BfV as an entity suspected of extremism.
The move follows other setbacks the far-right across Europe has suffered in recent months as it seeks to translate surging support into power. They include a ban on France’s Marine Le Pen contesting the 2027 presidential election after her embezzlement conviction, and the postponement of Romania’s presidential vote after a far-right candidate won the first round.
“VERY SERIOUS. After France and Romania, another theft of Democracy?” wrote Matteo Salvini, deputy Italian prime minister and leader of far-right party, the League, on X.
The AfD denounced its designation as a politically motivated attempt to discredit and criminalize it.
“The AfD will continue to take legal action against these defamatory attacks that endanger democracy,” co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said in a statement.
A BAN?
German parliament could now attempt to limit or halt public funding for the AfD — but for that authorities would need evidence that the party is explicitly out to undermine or even overthrow German democracy.
Meanwhile, civil servants who belong to an organization classified as “extremist” face possible dismissal, depending on their role within the entity, according to Germany’s interior ministry.
The stigma could also make it harder for the AfD, which currently tops several polls and is Germany’s most successful far-right party since World War Two, to attract members.
The BfV decision comes days before conservative leader Friedrich Merz is due to be sworn in as Germany’s new chancellor and amid a heated debate within his party over how to deal with the AfD in the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament.
The AfD won a record number of seats in the national election in February, coming in second behind Merz’s conservatives, which in theory entitled it to chair several key parliamentary committees.
A prominent Merz ally, Jens Spahn, has called for the AfD to be treated as a regular opposition party to prevent it casting itself as a “victim.”
However, other established parties, and many conservatives have rejected that approach — and could use Friday’s news to justify blocking AfD attempts to lead committees.
“Starting today, no one can make excuses anymore: This is not a democratic party,” said Manuela Schwesig, premier of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), who are about to form a government with the conservatives.
Under the new government, the authorities should review whether to ban the AfD, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil told Bild newspaper.
SPD’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called for a careful evaluation and warned against rushing to outlaw the party.
Created in 2013 to protest the euro zone bailouts, the euroskeptic AfD morphed into an anti-migration party after Germany’s decision to take in a large wave of refugees in 2015.
NATO chief Rutte floats including broader security spending to meet Trump defense target
- Rutte’s proposal could allow the US president to declare a win at a NATO summit in The Hague
- NATO’s current defense spending goal is at least 2 percent of GDP
BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte has proposed alliance members boost defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and commit a further 1.5 percent to broader security-related spending to meet Donald Trump’s demand for a 5 percent target, people familiar with the idea told Reuters.
Rutte’s proposal could allow the US president to declare a win at a NATO summit in The Hague in June while not committing European nations and Canada to a 5 percent pledge on military spending that many see as politically and economically unviable.
NATO’s current defense spending goal is at least 2 percent of GDP, met by 22 of its 32 members. But leaders across NATO say that goal is no longer sufficient, as they see Russia as a much greater threat after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The definition of what would fall into the broader category of defense-related spending would still have to be agreed. Officials said it might include spending to upgrade roads and bridges to support the transport of heavy military vehicles.
Asked whether NATO could confirm that Rutte had made the proposal, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart did not reply directly. She said Rutte had “repeatedly said that increased defense spending is needed in order to meet the capability targets that allies will soon agree and to ensure fairer burden sharing among allies.”
“This will likely involve not only higher investment in defense according to the agreed NATO definitions but also additional investment in related areas like infrastructure and resilience,” Hart said in an email.
“The Secretary General is working in close consultation with allies to prepare decisions on this for our Summit in The Hague,” she said.
India’s new deepwater port announces presence on global maritime map
- Port will triple India’s cargo handling capacity and reduce foreign transshipment dependence
- Critics say project comes at high environmental and human cost
NEW DELHI: India on Friday registered its presence on the global maritime map with the inauguration of its first deepwater multipurpose seaport at Vizhinjam in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the Vizhinjam port, built at a cost of $1.04 billion under a public-private partnership with business conglomerate the Adani Group and the Kerala government holding the majority stake.
Late last year, the port began limited operations and received MSC Turkiye — one of the world’s largest cargo ships with a capacity of more than 24,000 containers — making it the first port in India to handle a vessel of that size.
The port is to be built in four phases by 2028 at a total cost of 180 billion Indian rupees ($2.11 billion). In full-page advertisements in several national and local dailies a day before the inauguration, the Adani Group — considered close to Modi — said the port is only 10 nautical miles from global shipping routes and will have an annual capacity of up to 5 million TEUs (20ft equivalent units).
TEU is a unit of measurement used to quantify the capacity of container ships and terminals. It represents the volume of a standard 20-foot shipping container and is a common way to express the cargo-carrying capacity of vessels and facilities.
“The existing capacity of this transshipment hub will triple in the coming time,” Modi said in his inaugural address.
“So far 75 per cent of the Indian transshipment used to take place outside the country. This used to cause huge revenue loss to the country.
“Now this situation is going to change.
“Now the money of this country will be utilized for the service of the nation. The money which used to go outside will now bring new economic opportunities for the people of Kerala and Vizhinjam.”
India has 13 major ports and 217 non-major ports, but none of them are deepwater multipurpose transshipment ports, which include terminals where cargo containers are shifted from one vessel to another before reaching their final destination. With India until now lacking infrastructure to handle large vessels, close to 75 percent of its transshipment cargo went through external ports like Colombo, Singapore and Jebel Ali, UAE.
Industry bodies see a big opportunity with the opening of the Vizhinjam port.
“It’s a mother port. One of the kinds in the country. It is a fully automated port, and the port can handle any ship, the biggest in the world. It is hardly 10 nautical miles from the international sea route. It’s very conveniently set. It’s a God-given gift to the country,” S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, president of the Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News.
“Cargos originating from this place will cut down the time by almost two weeks, it is also going to save $600 to $1,000 per container in view of the handling charges and various things. This is going to be a big saver. You will save 2,000 to 3,000 crore rupees ($2.5 million to $3.5 million) by way of foreign exchange every year once this port opens fully.”
The Vizhinjam port has been controversial from the beginning and faced protests from fishermen and environmentalists over displacement and harm to coastal and marine life.
Kerala journalist K.A. Shaji made a documentary, “Stolen Shorelines,” highlighting the displacement of fishermen and environmental damage.
He questions the need for the port.
“Actually, there is a big port in Colombo and international movements of freight are through Singapore, Dubai and Colombo, there is no need for the big vessels to come to Vizhinjam, which is in a corner of Kerala and it has to take a deviation from the main route,” Shaji told Arab News.
“I feel in the highly competitive world of international freight movement Vizhinjam can do very little, but environmental and socio-economic costs are very high.”
He said thousands of families have been affected by the port, directly and indirectly.
“Directly more than 450 fishermen’s families have been impacted and indirectly over 4,500 families have been impacted as coastal erosion and change of the direction of the waves by the impact of the project destroyed most of the houses and livelihood.”
