BANGUI: Two people were killed during anti-government protests in the Central African Republic on Friday following a wave of violent clashes across the capital Bangui.
Troops and police fired warning shots in a bid to stop thousands of protesters who had gathered in different parts of Bangui on Friday calling for the interim government to resign, witnesses and military sources told AFP.
They were also demanding the removal of the Burundian contingent of the African peacekeeping forces amid charges it has permitted attacks on Christians.
Meanwhile, UN increased the toll from a deadly attack on a church in Bangui on Wednesday and said 27 people had been kidnapped.
The attack on Notre Dame de Fatima church “has resulted in the deaths of at least 17 displaced people and 27 civilians reportedly abducted by assailants who drove them to an unknown location,” said Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba, spokeswoman for the UN’s refugee agency in Geneva.
“We have no idea where they have taken them.” Among those killed was the priest at the church, where thousands of displaced people had sought refuge, according to police and military sources.
“The attackers, who arrived on pick-up trucks in the early afternoon, threw grenades into the church ground before opening fire on people, using small arms. A priest was killed during the attack while two children and two adults susccumbed to their injuries on Thursday,” said Lejeune-Kaba.
“The church is now completely empty. Many fled without anything, no money, no food, not even a mat to sleep on. Others had bullet wounds that need to be attended to urgently.”
Members of the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels have been blamed for the attack, but Lejeune-Kaba said the authorities “really don’t know” if they were involved.
On Friday, bursts of automatic weapons fire were heard in the central Bangui neighbourhood that is home to the presidential palace, and in the area of the airport on the outskirts of the city.
Violence in the capital “has increased drastically since last weekend”, said Lejeune-Kaba, prompting the authorities to set up many checkpoints on the main roads. No vehicles were circulating on Friday.
The French and African peacekeeping force said on Friday that it would “react with the greatest determination” to any threats against its soldiers or locals in Bangui.
A joint statement from the forces, released via Central African radio, said: “People of Bangui, do not oppose the movement of international forces. Do not build barricades, do not prevent its operations.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned recent attacks, calling on authorities to take “concrete measures to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.”
There are 425,000 internally displaced people across the country, and a further 121,000 refugees in neighboring countries.
Two killed in Bangui amid rise in violence
Two killed in Bangui amid rise in violence
Australia summons Russian ambassador over reports captured soldier killed
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia had been maintaining “a very difficult relationship for many years” with Russia under different governments
SYDNEY: Australia summoned the Russian ambassador over reports a Melbourne man had been killed after being captured by Russia while fighting for Ukraine, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday.
The Australian government had asked Russian authorities to immediately confirm the status of Oscar Jenkins and remained “gravely concerned” over reports that he had been killed, Albanese said during a media conference.
“We’ll await the facts to come out. But if there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, that’s absolutely reprehensible and the Australian government will take the strongest action possible,” Albanese said.
When asked by a reporter if Australia would expel the Russian ambassador or recall its envoy in Moscow, Albanese said his government would determine its response after verifying all reports.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia had been maintaining “a very difficult relationship for many years” with Russia under different governments.
“We will look at the facts when they have been ascertained but I want to be clear all options are on the table,” Wong told ABC Radio on Wednesday. She said the Russian ambassador was summoned by the foreign ministry earlier this week.
Jenkins, a teacher from Melbourne, was serving alongside Ukraine’s military when he was captured by Russia last year as a prisoner of war, Australian media reported. A video taken at the time showed him, dressed in combat uniform, being asked if he was a mercenary, reports said.
Australia is one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West’s support for Ukraine and has been supplying aid, ammunition and defense equipment.
It has banned exports of alumina and aluminum ores, including bauxite, to Russia, and has sanctioned about 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.
UN lays groundwork for Gaza aid surge under ceasefire but still sees challenges
- More than 46,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The United Nations said on Tuesday it was busy preparing to expand humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip under a potential ceasefire but uncertainty around border access and security in the enclave remain obstacles.
Negotiators in Qatar are hammering out final details of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza, with mediators and the warring sides all describing a deal as closer than ever. A truce would include a significant increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, met with Israeli and Palestinian ministers in recent days and spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister on Tuesday about UN engagement in a ceasefire, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“The UN system as a whole is in intense planning and preparation for when a ceasefire comes into play, and how we can increase the aid,” Dujarric said.
Among the unknowns are what border crossings would be open into Gaza under a truce and how secure the enclave would be for aid distribution since many shipments have been targeted by armed gangs and looters during the conflict.
“Obviously, things that will continue to be challenging because we don’t have answers to all those questions,” Dujarric said.
The UN has complained of aid obstacles in Gaza throughout the 15-month-old war. The UN says Israel and lawlessness in the enclave have impeded the entry and distribution of aid in the war zone.
’DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE’
Global food security experts warned in November there is a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent” in northern Gaza. More than 46,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel has said the quantity of aid delivered to Gaza — which it puts at more than a million tons over the past year — has been adequate. But it accuses Hamas of hijacking the assistance before it reaches Palestinians in need. Hamas has denied the allegations and blamed Israel for shortages.
The fate of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA — which the UN says is the backbone of aid operations in Gaza — is also unclear as a law banning its operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities is due to take effect later this month.
Dujarric said the UN and partner organizations are “doing everything possible” to reach Palestinians in need with extremely limited resources.
“However, ongoing hostilities and violent armed looting as well as systematic access restrictions continue to severely constrain our efforts,” he said. “Road damage, unexploded ordinances, fuel shortages and a lack of adequate telecommunications equipment are also hampering our work.”
“It is imperative that vital aid and commercial goods can enter Gaza through all available border crossings without delay, at a scale needed,” he said.
Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has laid much of Gaza to waste, and the territory’s prewar population of 2.3 million people has been displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.
Irregular migration into the European Union fell sharply last year, border agency says
- The agency said that there were just over 239,000 detections of irregular border crossings, the lowest number registered since 2021, when migration was lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic
WARSAW, Poland: The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell significantly in 2024, according to the bloc’s border control agency Frontex, something which it attributed to intensified cooperation against smuggling networks.
The Warsaw-based agency said in a statement that its preliminary data for last year reveal a 38 percent drop in irregular border crossings into the 27-member bloc.
The data refers to the number of detections of irregular border crossing at the external borders of the EU, not the total number of people who tried to cross. In some cases the same erson may cross the border several times in different locations at the external border, Frontex notes.
The agency said that there were just over 239,000 detections of irregular border crossings, the lowest number registered since 2021, when migration was lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency said that despite the overall decrease, challenges persist, including dangerous sea crossings resulting in significant loss of life and the evolving tactics of smuggling networks.
Despite the decrease in irregular arrivals, a sense has taken hold across Europe that there is too much unregulated immigration to the continent.
The issue has dominated political life in Europe since 2015, when more than a million people arrived at once, many fleeing the war in Syria. The issue has boosted far-right parties that strongly oppose accepting large numbers of refugees and migrants — including in places like Austria and Germany.
The decrease in the total number was mainly driven by a 59 percent plunge in arrivals via the Central Mediterranean route due to fewer departures from Tunisia and Libya, Frontex said. It also reported a 78 percent fall in detections on the Western Balkan route following efforts in that region to halt arrivals.
At the same time irregular arrivals were up last year along the EU’s eastern borders with Belarus.
Frontex also said it recorded an 18 percent increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that is increasingly used as an alternative stepping stone to continental Europe.
It said the nearly 47,000 arrivals it recorded there marked the highest figure since it began collecting data in 2009.
“While 2024 saw a significant reduction in irregular border crossings, it also highlighted emerging risks and shifting dynamics,” Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens said.
The Frontex statement noted that authorities have reported increasing violence by smugglers along the Western Balkan route, while growing instability in regions like the Sahel continues to drive migration toward Europe.
Risks from unregulated tanker fleet rising, UN shipping chief says
- There have been a number of incidents involving collisions and shadow fleet vessels breaking down in recent months
LONDON: The safety risks posed by unregulated oil tankers are rising, and the so-called shadow fleet is a threat to both the maritime environment and seafarers, the head of the United Nations’ shipping agency said on Tuesday.
The shadow fleet refers to hundreds of ships used by Russia to move oil, in violation of international restrictions imposed on it over the Ukraine war, as well as by oil exporters such as Iran and Venezuela hit by US sanctions.
At least 65 oil tankers dropped anchor this week at multiple locations, including off the coasts of China and Russia, since the United States announced a new sanctions package on Jan. 10.
“The risk is growing in relation to the environmental impact and the safety of the seafarers as the shadow fleet grows,” Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), told a news conference.
“We see it by different accidents and events that have taken place.”
Dominguez, who could not comment on sanctions, said his biggest concern was with aging tankers, which were “putting people onboard at risk and the environment as well.”
“The more that ships start looking to ... avoid meeting the IMO requirements, the more that we will have situations like we have been experiencing in the last part of 2024.”
There have been a number of incidents involving collisions and shadow fleet vessels breaking down in recent months.
Dominguez said an IMO meeting would follow up in March on a resolution adopted in 2023 aimed at greater scrutiny of ship-to-ship oil transfers in open seas — a frequent risk with shadow fleet tankers which carry out such transfers with little regard for safety. He said he had also met with smaller flag registry countries, which typically provide flagging for shadow fleet tankers.
Commercial ships must be registered, or flagged, with a particular country to ensure they are complying with internationally recognized safety and environmental rules.
Shipping industry sources say many of the smaller flag registries are lax about enforcing compliance and also sanctions regulations.
“Substandard shipping ...has been on the agenda at IMO for many years,” Dominguez said.
Venezuela restricts diplomats from ‘hostile’ European countries
- On Tuesday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil took to Telegram to accuse the three governments of “support for extremist groups” and “interference in the country’s internal affairs”
CARACAS: Venezuela on Tuesday announced restrictions on French, Italian and Dutch diplomats on its soil, citing their governments’ “hostile” response to Nicolas Maduro’s presidential inauguration, widely rejected as a power grab.
In a move branded an “escalation” by the Dutch government, the foreign ministry announced it would limit the number of accredited diplomats to three for each of the countries.
Those remaining would also need “written authorization... to travel more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Plaza Bolivar” in the capital Caracas.
Maduro, 62, is embroiled in a standoff with the West and several Latin American countries over his disputed claim to have won another six year-term in July 28 elections he is widely accused of stealing.
The United States, European Union, G7 and several democratic neighbors have refused to recognize his reelection, and France, Italy and the Netherlands last week loudly condemned Maduro’s administration.
On Tuesday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil took to Telegram to accuse the three governments of “support for extremist groups” and “interference in the country’s internal affairs.”
Within 48 hours, he said, the embassies must each reduce to three their number of accredited diplomats.
Due to the new travel restrictions, any trip outside the capital will now require a government permit. The international airport, Simon Bolivar, which serves Caracas, is 23 kilometers from the Plaza Bolivar.
“Venezuela demands respect for sovereignty and self-determination... especially from those subordinated to the directives of Washington,” wrote Gil.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp replied that this “escalation” by Maduro “will make dialogue all the more complicated.”
In a statement to AFP, he added there would “certainly be a response.”
The opposition says its tally of results from the July vote showed a clear victory for its candidate, 75-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain in September after first taking refuge at the Dutch embassy.
Venezuela’s CNE electoral council, loyal to the regime, had announced victory for Maduro within hours of polls closing. It never provided a detailed vote breakdown.
In a sign of Maduro’s isolation, only two prominent regional leaders — Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan ex-guerrilla Daniel Ortega — attended his inauguration. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his congratulations and China’s Xi Jinping sent a special envoy.
Washington and London promptly issued a bevy of sanctions on Maduro’s regime for staging what the opposition called a coup.
Critics denounced a fresh crackdown on opponents and critics in the lead-up to Friday’s swearing-in ceremony, with several activists and opposition figures detained.
More than 2,400 people were arrested, 28 killed and about 200 injured in protests that erupted after Maduro disputed claim to election victory.
He has since maintained a fragile peace with the help of the security forces and paramilitary “colectivos” — armed civilian volunteers accused of quelling protest through a reign of neighborhood terror.
French President Emmanuel Macron last week insisted “the will of the Venezuelan people must be respected” in a call with Gonzalez Urrutia, recognized by several countries as the legitimate president-elect.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced “another unacceptable act of repression by the Maduro regime” after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained at an anti-Maduro rally on the eve of his inauguration.
And Veldkamp, writing on X, had expressed deep “respect” for Machado and voiced concern about the “increased violent rhetoric of the Maduro regime and reports of recent arrests.”
In office since 2013, the former bus driver and trade unionist has clung to power through a mix of populism and repression, even as the United States imposed punishing sanctions on the key oil sector and the economy imploded.
