ADDIS ABABA: Africa must not become a “geostrategic battleground” for global powers, as it grapples with several threats to its own peace and security, African Union leaders warned Thursday.
The continent of 1.3 billion people has found itself at the center of a tussle for influence among the major powers, which has redoubled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago.
And just as the AU marked the anniversary of the creation of its forerunner, the Organization of African Unity, on this day in 1963, Ukraine itself announced it wanted to boost ties with Africa.
“In this international context of confrontation of divergent political interests, the will of each side threatens to transform Africa into a geostrategic battleground, thereby creating a new Cold War,” AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said.
“In this zero-sum game, where the gains of others would translate into losses for Africa, we must resist all forms of instrumentalization of our member states,” he added in an address at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Moscow is seeking deeper political, economic and military ties in Africa as well as Asia as Russia becomes increasingly isolated on the international stage over the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is currently on a tour of Africa, on Wednesday urged certain African nations to end their “neutrality” over the war.
In February, 22 AU member states abstained or did not vote on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for Russia withdraw from Ukraine.
Two of them — Eritrea and Mali — voted against the resolution.
And in a statement to mark the pan-African body’s anniversary, Kuleba also announced a Ukrainian diplomatic push on the continent.
“We want to develop a new quality of partnership based on three mutual principles: mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual benefits,” he said, announcing plans to establish new embassies in Africa and hold a Ukraine-Africa summit.
Moscow itself has scheduled a Russia-Africa summit in July, following a trip to several African countries at the start of the year by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
China and the United States too have also despatched their foreign ministers to the continent in rival diplomatic offensives this year.
Beijing has funded major infrastructure development in Africa but denies Western charges it is practicing “debt-trap diplomacy,” while Russia is a key arms exporter and is making forays through mining projects, analysts say.
Faki meanwhile also hailed the successes of the 54-nation AU which succeeded the OAU in 2002: “Independence and victory against apartheid, that of significant economic and scientific progress, sports, arts, the growing international role of Africa and so on.”
However, he also acknowledged “negative factors such as democratic decline through unconstitutional changes of government, with their litany of oppression and gagging of freedoms, insecurity, the spread of terrorism, violent extremism, the uncontrolled circulation of arms, the harmful effects of climate change.”
Despite the difficulties, Faki said, Africa remains “characterised by its greater capacity for resilience,” pointing for example to its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The current head of the African Union, Comoros President Azali Assoumani also denounced “the unconstitutional changes of power” which have multiplied in Africa in recent years.
“Inter and intra-African conflicts but also terrorism persist and consequently the peace, security, democracy and development of our continent are threatened in several of our countries,” he said.
Assoumani spoke of the conflict between rival generals in Sudan which erupted in mid-April and has persisted despite several truce agreements.
“We must convince our brothers in Sudan to favor dialogue so that the fratricidal war raging in this country ends,” he added.
Africa must not become ‘geostrategic battleground’ warns AU
https://arab.news/v76n8
Africa must not become ‘geostrategic battleground’ warns AU
- Continent of 1.3 billion people has found itself at the center of a tussle for influence among the major powers
- Azali Assoumani: ‘We must convince our brothers in Sudan to favor dialogue so that the fratricidal war raging in this country ends’
‘Heartbroken’ Christians in Gaza recall Pope Francis’ nightly calls during Israeli war
- Holy Family Church pays tribute to late pontiff, who died on Monday
- Pope Francis’ phone calls to check on Gaza’s Christian community became routine
LONDON: Christians in the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip have told of their heartbreak following the death of Pope Francis, who had called them “every day” during the Israeli conflict that began in late 2023.
Gaza’s Holy Family Church paid tribute to the late pontiff, who passed away on Monday.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the parish, shared details about the pope’s last phone call with the Catholic community, revealing that he called them on Saturday and said: “Thank you … for all that we made here.”
During an interview with Sky News, Romanelli added that the pope had “asked (for) prayer and gave the blessing for all the people, for the Christian community and for all the citizens in Gaza.”
He added that the late pope “was a very humble servant of the Lord.”
Romanelli said: “All the time he told us, for more than a year-and-a-half (of the Israeli war), and he called every day, every day. He asked to help people, to protect the children.”
Pope Francis called for peace in conflict-ridden areas, including the Middle East and Sudan, throughout his 12-year tenure as head of the Catholic Church.
He called for an investigation into whether Israel had committed genocide in Gaza following the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages during his final public appearance on Easter Sunday.
He said: “I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.
“I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 after enduring a severe bout of double pneumonia.
George Antone, the head of the emergency committee at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, told the Vatican News Service: “We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient and stay strong.”
The pope’s nightly phone calls to check on Gaza’s Christian community had become routine during the conflict. He also made it a point to speak to everyone in the room and not just the priest, Antone said.
He added: “We are heartbroken because of the death of Pope Francis, but we know that he is leaving behind a church that cares for us and that knows us by name, every single one of us.
“He used to tell each one: I am with you, don’t be afraid.”
Israel shares, then deletes, condolences over pope’s death
- The foreign ministry said the pope had made 'statements against Israel' and that the social media post had been published in 'error'
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a far-right coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has not commented on the pope’s death
JERUSALEM: The Israeli government shared and then deleted a social media post offering condolences over the death of Pope Francis, without saying why, though an Israeli newspaper linked the decision to the late pontiff’s criticism of the war in Gaza.
The verified @Israel account had posted on Monday a message on social media platform X that read: “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing,” alongside an image of the pope visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Post quoted officials at the foreign ministry as saying that the pope had made “statements against Israel” and that the social media post had been published in “error.”
The foreign ministry, which social media platform X states on its website is linked to the verified @Israel account, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, suggested last November that the global community should study whether Israel’s military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel’s conduct in its war with Hamas that began in Oct. 2023.
In January the pope also called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “shameful,” prompting criticism from Rome’s chief Jewish rabbi who accused Francis of “selective indignation.”
Israel says accusations of genocide in its Gaza campaign are baseless and that it is solely hunting down Hamas and other armed groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a far-right coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has not commented on the pope’s death.
However, Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday sent a message of condolence to Christians in the Holy Land and around the world, describing Francis as “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion.”
Relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism have improved in recent decades, after centuries of animosity.
Pope Francis was usually careful during his 12-year pontificate about taking sides in conflicts, and he condemned the growth of antisemitic groups, while also speaking by phone with Gaza’s tiny Christian community every evening during the war.
Francis in 2014 visited the Western Wall — the most sacred prayer site in Judaism — and also prayed at a section of a wall built by Israel in the occupied West Bank dividing Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Detained Palestinian activist in Vermont prison says he’s ‘in good hands,’ focused on peacemaking
- “I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said
- The US Justice Department has not said why he’s being detained
VERMONT, USA: A Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was recently arrested during an interview about finalizing his US citizenship says he’s “in good hands” at the Vermont prison where he is being held.
Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, was arrested April 14 in Colchester, Vermont. He met Monday with US Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, a Democrat, who posted it on X.
“I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said in Welch’s video. “This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country.”
Welch’s office said Mahdawi was being detained at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, Vermont. His case is scheduled for a status conference Wednesday. His lawyers have called for his release.
The US Justice Department has not said why he’s being detained. The New York Times reported April 15 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote a memo that says Mahdawi’s activities could “potentially undermine” the Middle East peace process.
“We do not comment on on any ongoing litigation,” the State Department press office said in response to an email seeking comment.
Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify the deportation of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. It gives Rubio power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
An immigration judge ruled April 11 that Khalil can be forced out of the country as a national security risk, after lawyers argued the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. His lawyers plan to appeal.
Mahdawi said that in studying for his citizenship test, he learned “that the freedom of speech and religion and assembly is guaranteed to everyone in the United States, which is part of the foundation of this country.”
Mahdawi said his work “has been centered on peacemaking.”
“My empathy, as I mentioned before, extends beyond the Palestinian people and my empathy extends to the Jews and to the Israelis,” he said. “And my hope and my dream is to see this conflict, if one might say, to see an end to the war, an end to the killing, to see a peaceful resolution between Palestinians and Israelis. How could this be a threat to anybody, except the war machine that is feeding this?”
Welch responded, “It would be good for everybody for us to have peace.”
Mahdawi said, “I want to tell everyone that I feel so loved and so supported. And I am here in good hands. I am centered, I am clear, I am grounded. And I don’t want you to worry about me.”
According to the court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.
As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024.
Man missing after reported shark attack off Israel’s coast
- Shark attacks have not been reported in Israel for decades
- Police spokesman Aryeh Doron said that “several findings have been sent for examination“
HADERA, Israel: Israeli police have been searching for a man reported missing following a suspected shark attack off the country’s Mediterranean coast, the force said on Tuesday.
Shark attacks have not been reported in Israel for decades.
Police spokesman Aryeh Doron said that “several findings have been sent for examination,” without specifying the nature of the recovered evidence.
Search operations continued Tuesday in the southeastern Mediterranean, near the area of the central city of Hadera where the swimmer had disappeared.
“The search area is very large, very complex, especially due to the danger posed by diving near sharks,” said Doron Elmashali, commander of the fire and rescue unit involved in the operation.
He said underwater cameras were being used in the operation.
Emergency organizations Magen David Adom and Zaka on Monday said they had been informed of a man’s disappearance off the coast near Hadera, after witnesses said he had been attacked by a shark.
An AFP journalist at the site saw shark silhouettes with dorsal fins breaking through the water’s surface.
Israeli media have broadcast several videos in recent days showing sharks swimming near bathers, including children. One video appears to show a swimmer being attacked.
Police said Tuesday that a ban on entering the sea along large stretches of the coast would remain in effect.
Shark attacks in the calm waters of the Mediterranean are rare, but shark sightings, particularly off the coast of Hadera, are well documented, as dozens are known to gather near the local power station in winter months.
The plant uses sea water to cool its turbines, then discharges the warm water which is believed to attract sandbar and dusky sharks.
Although these species can grow to several meters in length, they are generally not aggressive toward humans.
The seasonal shark population off Hadera has increased in recent years, likely due to the expansion of the power plant and the implementation of legislation prohibiting their capture.
The Israeli Nature and Parks Authority and the Israeli diving association have issued warnings urging divers drawn by the presence of the sharks not to approach them.
Oman, China discuss strategic relations in political, economic sectors
- China commended Oman’s role ‘in promoting the settlement of regional hotspot issues’
- Two sides discussed their bilateral cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields
LONDON: Oman and China held the 14th round of strategic consultations in Beijing to deepen their political, economic and cultural cooperation this week.
Khalifa Ali Al-Harthy, the undersecretary of the Omani foreign ministry for political affairs, and Liu Bin, the Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, led their respective delegations.
The two sides discussed their bilateral cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields on Monday, exploring ways to enhance strategic relations, the Oman News Agency reported.
Special Envoy Zhai Jun, of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, said that the strategic partnership between Beijing and Muscat had continued to develop steadily, with successful cooperation in various fields.
“China appreciates the important role played by Oman in promoting the settlement of regional hotspot issues and easing regional tensions,” Jun said, according to a statement on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website.
Khalifa met Jun and Zhang Xiaoqiang, executive vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges and vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the ONA reported.
Nasser Mohammed Al-Busaidi, the Omani ambassador to China, and Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Hosni, head of the Asia and Pacific Department at the Foreign Ministry, attended the consultations session.
