The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Deadly strikes reported at crowded South Gaza border

    Deadly strikes reported at crowded South Gaza border

    Palestinians said yesterday that supposed safe zones in Gaza are being attacked and deprived of aid, as the death toll mounts and a humanitarian crisis worsens in the besieged enclave.

    Israel has designated the coastal town of al-Mawasi as a safe area, airdropped thousands of leaflets urging residents to flee south to the city of Rafah, and created a grid system that it says is being used to inform civilians of safe areas and evacuation routes.

    But a series of deadly air strikes on Rafah were reported yesterday. One strike in Shaboura refugee camp killed 20 Palestinians and injured dozens more, according to local correspondents.

    Around 80 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have been displaced during the war, according to the UN, with most clustered in the south, where makeshift camps have been installed.

    Khalil Abu Shammala, a media consultant displaced to south Gaza from the north, said Rafah has become overcrowded, increasing the danger from air strikes.

     “They say it is a safe zone but they target specific places where they suspect Hamas members,” he said. “During these bombings, civilians are victims. There is not a single safe place in Gaza.”

    Read Also: Israeli forces encircle main southern Gaza City

    Mr. Abu Shammala also said that communication outages are limiting residents’ ability to make calls or use the internet – including Israel’s online advice on reaching safe areas.

    Amal, an employee of the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity displaced to the south, said: “At night, the Israelis start bombing residential buildings in Rafah, and during the day, they allow the humanitarian aid … we have no idea where it goes. All stores are empty and people are starving.”

    Maha Husseini, who was displaced with her familiy from north to central Gaza, said they would not follow evacuation orders after hearing of attacks on supposed safe areas.

    “We were told it is better to evacuate to Rafah as the Israeli military said it would be safe, but we haven’t evacuated,” she said. “Based on our previous experience for the past two months, we cannot follow the instructions of the Israeli army, every area that they designed as safe was severely bombed and hundreds of people there were killed.

    “There is no safe place in Gaza and we have decided not to be displaced twice.”

    The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported 350 deaths yesterday, taking the total to a reported 17,177 since Israel’s assault on the strip began on 7 October, when deadly Hamas raids killed around 1,200 Israelis. The ministry’s figures are deemed reliable by the UN.

  • Group petitions National Assembly over foreign Ponzi scheme

    Group petitions National Assembly over foreign Ponzi scheme

    A group, Concerned Citizens, has urged the National Assembly to address the pressing issue of foreign companies that exploit Nigerians through Ponzi schemes.

    In a petition addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, it called for a thorough investigation into the activities of a Forex Trading company that operated from Dubai and earned billions of commissions from luring Nigerians to sign up to their services.

    The group urged the National Assembly to enact laws that would make it difficult for foreign financial and Ponzi scheme operators to exploit Nigerians. It said robust legal measures were imperative to protect citizens from further economic harm.

    It noted that over the course of three years, about 250,000 Nigerians who have now formed themselves into the Omegapro Action Nigerian (OPANI) class Action, invested over N200 billion in the purported forex trading company with the expectation of profits, but its operators and sponsors in Nigeria have now disappeared into thin air, leaving in their wake misery, tears and desperation from those who had invested their lives savings.

    The petition, signed by Ope Banwo, reads: “This petition represents the voices of countless investors globally, including those of over 10,000 members of the OPANI CLASS ACTION from Nigeria who collectively have over N200 billion (part of an estimated $100 billion globally) invested in what has now been revealed as a very elaborate Ponzi scheme.

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    “The company and its Dubai resident owners were presented to Nigerians by trusted people as a legitimate Forex Trading company.

    To further allay the fears of many skeptical members of the public, these owners of the company and their agents in Nigeria presented credible respected international figures like Les Brown, Eric Worre, Eric Thomas etc., as respected professionals who have endorsed their company.

    “They also paraded world-class celebrities and footballers, including Ronaldinho,  Vinicius Junior and many others, as their ambassadors.

    “To further seal the deal of credibility, they also showed pictures of several Dubai princes and even videos of the Dubai Sheikh himself and other Dubai princes attending their  events in Dubai as part of the elaborate strategy to sell the Dubai-based Forex business as a legitimate business,” the group said.

    The group called on the National Assembly to engage the Ministry of External Affairs, to diplomatically engage with foreign governments, such as Dubai, to apprehend and bring operators of Ponzi schemes like Omegapro to book for causing substantial financial losses to Nigerian investors.

  • Ex-Sierra-Leone President Koroma invited over failed Nov 26 coup

    Ex-Sierra-Leone President Koroma invited over failed Nov 26 coup

    Former President of Sierra Leone Ernest Koroma has been invited by the country’s police over the November 26th failed coup.

     Information Minister Chernor Bah said in a statement on Thursday that Koroma’ who was president between 2007 and 2018, was invited to report to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department in Freetown within 24 hours.

    Read Also: Sierra-Leone President host Mercy Johnson, husband

    But, Koroma, in a statement, said: “I maintain an open mind and stand ready to support the police investigations to the fullest. Let the rule of law reign supreme in our democracy.”

    He also called on the public to remain calm.

    Some renegade soldiers had attacked a military barracks, a prison and other locations in Sierra Leone last month.

    They freed about 2,200 inmates and killed more than 20 people in what the authorities said afterwards was an attempt to overthrow the government.

    The government said the failed coup was led mostly by the former president’s bodyguards. Koroma condemned the attacks in a statement shortly after they happened.

  • ECOWAS Court commits to ties with Swedish human rights institute

    ECOWAS Court commits to ties with Swedish human rights institute

    Vice President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Gbéri-Bè Ouattara, has reiterated the commitment of the court to its cooperation with Raoul Wallenberg Institute, a Swedish human rights organisation.

    The organisation has a cooperative agreement with the court.

    The court’s Vice President made the pledge while receiving the Programme Officer of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), Mr. Gilford Kimathi, who paid a working visit to the Seat of the Court in Abuja.

    In his welcome remarks, Justice Ouattara expressed appreciation for the visit, recalling the good working relationship developed over the years as well the remarkable impact of the activities implemented under the Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations.

    The vice president, who represented the President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, thanked the RWI for the mutually beneficial cooperation and reaffirmed the court’s commitment to the MoU.

    On his part, Kimathi praised the court for the giant strides made to achieve the objectives of the MOU  and expressed the institute’s willingness to support future programmes and initiatives of the court.

    He said the visit was aimed at discussing and exchanging ideas on advancing the bilateral cooperation between the two organisations.

    Read Also: Coup: ECOWAS Court declines Niger’s request to lift economic sanctions

    Both parties discussed areas of strategic future cooperation particularly as it relates to exchange programmes, capacity building, legal research resources, judicial dialogues, academic networking and organisation of conferences.

    Discussions were also held on possible review of the existing MOU with the court, the future of the institute’s Regional Africa Programme and an intended 2024 conference scheduled to hold in Abuja, Nigeria next year.

    Other participants in the meeting were Hon Justices Dupe Atoki, Sengu M. Koroma and Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves. Also present were Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, Chief Registrar of the Court, Dr. Athanase Atannon, Deputy Chief Registrar, Dr Ousmane Diallo, Director, Research and Documentation, some Registrars of the court, and key staff from the Protocol, Language Services, and Communication Divisions.

  • UN chief Guterres invokes Article 99 of charter over Gaza crisis

    UN chief Guterres invokes Article 99 of charter over Gaza crisis

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday invoked Article 99 of the UN charter for the first time, citing a “severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza,” as the war rages on between Israel and militant group Hamas.

     In a letter to José Javier De la Gasca Lopez Domínguez, the current UN Security Council President, Gutteres said he expects “public order to completely break down due to desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible.”

    The invocation of Article 99 allows the UN secretary-general to bring the attention of the security council to “any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security,” per the UN.

    Read Also: COP28: NNPCL seals LNG, CNG deals for domestic, international market

    Guterres warned of an “even worse” situation unfolding in the besieged territory, including epidemic diseases and an increase in pressure to send displaced civilians to surrounding countries. The letter marks a rare and significant move by the UN chief, who has repeatedly called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas amidst the rising death toll and destruction of Gaza, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has voiced strong support for Guterres, over his unprecedented step.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, “I support Secretary-General Guterres’ letter to the UN. Security Council, invoking Article 99 and appealing for a ceasefire. Gaza’s health system is on its knees and near total collapse. We need peace for health.”

    “Gaza cannot afford to lose any more hospitals… and yet another one is on verge of closing. Kamal Adwan Hospital, in northern Gaza, has reportedly come to a virtual halt, with only 20 patients still getting care,” Ghebreyesus added.

  • Israeli forces encircle main southern Gaza City

    Israeli forces encircle main southern Gaza City

    Israeli forces were encircling southern Gaza’s main city yesterday, battling Hamas militants through streets and buildings in some of the most intense combat of the two-month war.

    The focus of the conflict has shifted into the besieged territory’s south following fierce fighting and bombardment that reduced much of the north to rubble and forced nearly two million people to flee their homes.

    Israeli tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers were seen on Tuesday near southern Gaza’s city of Khan Yunis, forcing already displaced civilians to pack up and flee again, witnesses told AFP.

    “Our forces are now encircling the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip,” Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi said late Tuesday.

    “We have secured many Hamas strongholds in the northern Gaza Strip, and now we are operating against its strongholds in the south.”

    The fighting on Tuesday was “the most intense day since the beginning of the ground operation” in late October, the army’s Southern Command chief Major General Yaron Finkelman said.

    Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group’s October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities, and saw around 240 hostages taken.

    The latest toll from the Hamas-run government media office said 16,248 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, had been killed.

    Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and free 138 hostages still held after scores were freed during a short-lived truce.

    Several Hamas commanders were killed in an air strike near the Indonesia Hospital, the Israeli military said early yesterday on X.

    Sources in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, told AFP their fighters were battling Israeli troops early yesterday in a bid to prevent them from breaking into Khan Yunis and surrounding areas.

    According to the Hamas-run government media office, dozens of people were killed and injured in heavy strikes on areas east of Khan Yunis.

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    Meanwhile, areas in the central and northern Gaza Strip were still coming under bombardment, according to Hamas.

    The Hamas-run health ministry said air strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed six people and injured 14 others.

    Israel had previously told civilians in the north of the densely populated Gaza Strip to seek shelter in the south of the territory, with many fleeing to Khan Yunis believing it would be safer.

    As the war expands, Israel has told people to move even further south, sparking “panic, fear and anxiety”, according to Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

    People were being pushed into an area that is less than one-third of the Gaza Strip, with roads to the south clogged, he said.

  • Taiwan is needed at COP28 in Dubai, says envoy

    Taiwan is needed at COP28 in Dubai, says envoy

    The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) plays a crucial role in addressing the pressing challenges posed by climate change and therefore, COP 28 (28th Conference of the Parties) from November 30 till December 12, in Dubai will be substantially important to facilitate the implementation of UNFCCC.

    Representative of Taiwan Mission in Nigeria Andy Yih-Ping Liu, who stated this in a statement in Lagos, said Taiwan’s involvement in this international forum has been significantly hindered due to political considerations.

    He declared that climate change does not discriminate, and mechanisms to address it such as the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement and COP meetings should not discriminate against Taiwan due to diplomatic or political reasons.

    Like other countries, Liu emphasized that Taiwan should be given equal opportunities to participate meaningfully and constructively in UNFCCC for the benefit of all.

    The statement reads: “Despite its exclusion from the United Nations, Taiwan has consistently demonstrated its responsible membership in the international community by undertaking serious actions to combat climate change. In recognition of the urgent need for global cooperation in tackling this issue, and acknowledging the importance of addressing global warming, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen announced on February 15, 2023 the amendment and renaming of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, to become the Climate Change Response Act, making Taiwan the 18th country in the world to codify the 2050 net-zero emissions goal into law.

    “On July 19, this year, Taiwan hosted the first Pacific Climate Change Forum in Taipei, inviting representatives from the Pacific Island nations and like-minded countries to discuss climate adaptation issues. At the forum, Taiwan signed the first Joint Statement on Combating Climate Change with the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu.

    Read Also: COP28: NNPCL seals LNG, CNG deals for domestic, international market

    “Taiwan has accelerated its efforts to enhance government capacity. On August 22 this year, the Environmental Protection Administration was restructured to become Ministry of Environment. The Climate Change Administration and the Resource Circulation Administration were also established to integrate the handling of environmental issues, including climate change, resource circulation, chemical substance management, environmental quality management, and the strengthening of environmental technology research.

    Likewise, Taiwan officially established the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange in joining the ranks of countries with carbon trading platforms. This initiative aims to create incentives for businesses within its jurisdiction to reduce their carbon emissions. Also, in response to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and supply-chain decarbonisation trends, Taiwan has accelerated efforts to implement carbon pricing and carbon inventory mechanisms.

    “As the global community strives to combat the existential threat from climate change, Taiwan’s unwavering commitment and numerous actions highlight the importance of including all stakeholders, irrespective of political status, to collectively address the challenges ahead. Taiwan’s innovative strategies and willingness to share its expertise and resources further demonstrate commitment to climate action.

    “In this regard, the authorities in Nigeria are urged to commit to supporting Taiwan’s participation in the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) of the UNFCCC, to be held in Dubai from November 30 through December 12 this year.”

  • Erdogan: Israel’s Netanyahu ‘will be tried as war criminal’

    Erdogan: Israel’s Netanyahu ‘will be tried as war criminal’

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel.

    Turkiye, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, has sharply criticised Israel over its campaign in Gaza, launched in response to militant group Hamas’ rampage on October 7. More than 15,500 people have been killed in the Israeli air and ground attacks, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

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    In a speech to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) committee meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said the Western nations supporting Israel were giving it “unconditional support to kill babies” and were complicit in its crimes.

    “Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried,” Erdogan said, in reference to Yugoslav ex-President Slobodan Milosevic who was tried for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes at a tribunal in The Hague.

    “Those who try to skip over the deaths of all those innocent people by using the excuse of Hamas have nothing left to say to humanity,” he added, referring to Western powers, which he said were “blind and deaf”.

  • Sanders, others urge Israel to limit civilian deaths in Gaza

    Sanders, others urge Israel to limit civilian deaths in Gaza

    As a cease-fire ticked down last week and Israel prepared to resume its round-the-clock airstrikes, Sen. Bernie Sanders and a robust group of Democratic senators had a message for their president: they were done “asking nicely” for Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.

     The lawmakers warned President Joe Biden’s national security team that planned U.S. aid to Israel must be met with assurances of concrete steps from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government.

     “The truth is that if asking nicely worked, we wouldn’t be in the position we are today,” Sanders said in a floor speech. It was time for the United States to use its “substantial leverage” with its ally, the Vermont senator said.

     “And we all know what that leverage is,” he said, adding, “the blank-check approach must end.”

     With Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs hanging in the balance, the senators’ tougher line on Israel has gotten the White House’s attention, and that of Israel.

     Lawmakers of both major political parties for decades have embraced the U.S. role as Israel’s top protector, and it’s all but inconceivable that they would vote down the wartime aid.

     The Democratic lawmakers are adamant that’s not their intent, as strong supporters of Israel’s right of self-defence against Hamas.

    Read Also: Israel widens evacuation orders in Southern Gaza after heavy attack

     But just the fact that Democratic lawmakers are making that link signals the fractures in Congress amid the daily scenes of suffering among besieged Palestinian civilians.

     Sanders and the Democratic senators involved say they are firm in their stand that Israel’s military must adopt substantive measures to lessen civilian deaths in Gaza as part of receiving the supplemental’s $14.3 billion in U.S. aid for Israel’s war.

    The United States military has blamed the Houthis, “fully enabled by Iran,” for the attacks on ships in the Red Sea, saying they “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”

    Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed they targetted “two Israeli ships” in the Red Sea, part of a series of attacks against commercial vessels in international waters on Sunday during which the U.S. said one of its destroyers shot down three drones.

  • Russian officials visit Niger Republic to bolster military ties

    Russian officials visit Niger Republic to bolster military ties

    Russian delegation led by the deputy defence minister met with Niger’s military leaders in Niamey yesterday, Nigerien authorities said, with the two countries agreeing to strengthen military cooperation.

    The trip was the first official visit by a member of the Russian government since the coup in Niger on July 26, when the army ousted the civilian government, prompting international condemnation.

    The delegation led by Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was hosted for talks by the head of Niger’s military government, General Abdourahamane Tiani.

    The parties “signed documents to strengthen military cooperation between the Republic of Niger and the Russian Federation,” according to Nigerien authorities.

    Read Also: France’s Niger Republic dilemma

    Russian diplomacy is in a favourable position in Niger after relations soured with former colonial ruler France following the July coup.

    France has begun withdrawing its 1,500 troops from the country following demands by the military rulers who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, a key ally of Paris.

    The Russian delegation on Sunday also visited the military leaders in Mali, Moscow’s main ally in the region, where development projects including work on renewable and nuclear energy were discussed, according to Bamako’s finance minister.

    Alousseni Sanou also spoke about the construction of a railway and tramway network, the creation of a regional airline and mining projects, in a video released by Mali’s presidency.

    The military regimes in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are all battling long-running jihadist insurgencies and have come together to support the creation of an Alliance of Sahel States, setting up closer economic ties and mutual defence assistance.