Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- January 7, 2025
- 129 views
FRANCE’S PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, LAMBASTS AFRICAN LEADERS, SAYS THEY’RE UNGRATEFUL
FRANCE’S PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, LAMBASTS AFRICAN LEADERS, SAYS THEY’RE UNGRATEFUL Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has criticized African leaders for what he called their “ungratefulness” He made this statement when discussing regional developments. According to him, “We actually had a two-way relationship that was founded on security. On the one hand, we have been fighting terrorism since 2013. We were correct; I believe someone neglected to express gratitude. It will arrive with time, so don’t worry. “I say this for all African heads of state who have not had the guts to stand up to public opinion, even though I know too well that being unappreciative is a disease that cannot be spread to men.” “My heart goes out to all of our soldiers, some of whom have given their lives and fought for years, and without the French army in the region, none of them would be a sovereign nation today.” “We made the correct decision. Due to coup de’tats, we departed. Sovereign states requested our presence and wanted France to accompany them. “France no longer belonged there if it wasn’t for the coup d’etats and the people’s declaration that their goals were no longer combating terrorism.” Recall that the Niger Republic drove French forces out of the nation in December 2023. This came about following a military coup. Niger’s new military rulers made a drastic policy shift and demanded that the French leave after President Emmanuel Macron publicly supported Bazoum, who is still being held in his presidential mansion, and publicly denounced the coup. Relations with France became even more strained in November 2024 when Niger Republic authorities banned the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (Acted), a French aid organization, from doing business there. In recent years, Chad, Senegal, Mali, and other African nations have also requested that French troops withdraw from their nations.
- Foreign Affairs
- January 7, 2025
- 70 views
TRUMP FILES MOTION TO DELAY SENTENCING ON HUSH MONEY
TRUMP FILES MOTION TO DELAY SENTENCING ON HUSH MONEY United States President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team has filed a motion to delay the sentencing in his hush money trial, which is scheduled for January 10. The motion argues that the sentencing is unlawful, citing a recent Supreme Court decision on immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other legal precedents. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, on Monday, described the case in a statement to CBS News. He added that Trump’s return to the White House requires “an immediate end to the political weaponisation of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts.” “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” Cheun said. Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment made to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was intended to silence Daniels’ allegations of an affair with Trump in 2006, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Punch
- Foreign Affairs
- January 6, 2025
- 61 views
WEST AFRICA’S SEASON OF FAREWELL AND QUESTION MARK BY CHIDI AMUTA
WEST AFRICA’S SEASON OF FAREWELLS AND QUESTION MARK, BY CHIDI AMUTA Frances’s major military base in Cote d’Ivoire is billed to close down at the end of this month. The long -standing base, Port Bouet, is to be rid of its French troop occupants and is to be renamed General Quattara Thomas d’Aquinn base after an indigenous military figure. No one knows whether the French were pushed or are voluntarily fleeing. The latter possibility makes more sense in the context of recent developments in relations between Paris and its many West African client states. Prior to now, the string of French speaking West African countries : Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad- had severed military and even diplomatic links with France. It is the culmination of lingering colonial economic encumbrances and France’s own domestic political and economic contradictions. In the aftermath of these departures, a vortex of diplomatic and strategic waves have been unleashed. Jihadist military pressure from the northern parts of the Sahel have increased , leading to avoidable mounting casualties especially in Burkina Faso. Domestic political pressure has increased the demand for democratic rule as defined by new economic hardships occasioned by the bungling of the presiding military authorities. New national security arrangements masterminded by an increased presence of Russian troops in the region have crept in as well. New economic and diplomatic imperatives have been inaugurated as the military regimes struggle to adapt to new diplomatic and international realities. Initially, the impulse of non-French West African countries led by Nigeria was to impose sanctions on the countries that fell under military coups. The UN concurred as a reflex. Threats to air links and border closures however did little to discourage the new military juntas. The willingness of black markets and other rogue financial arrangements insulated the new military regimes from the more adverse effects of regional sanctions. One of the far reaching responses of the more daring military regimes has been to threaten the cohesion of ECOWAS, the regional economic integration bloc. An initial threat by ECOWAS to use military force to enforce compliance collapsed due to an obvious lack of military capacity and the cash poverty of most of the bloc’s member countries. In the intervening period, the military juntas have waxed stronger and become more a daring heart to the survival of ECOWAS itself. At the present moment, the three leading states-Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have threatened to pull their countries out of ECOWAS. It is not just a threat but one backed by a deadline of end of January 2025. Nothing has happened so far that indicates a determination to save the 50-year old regional bloc. Many argue that there is little or nothing in the achievements of ECOWAS that deserves to be saved. West African economies have hardly grown, leaving little or nothing to integrate. The free movement of persons in and across the region has mostly translated into the freedom of impoverished “others” to travel into and out of Nigeria in search of opportunities that are hardly there. Otherwise, the free movement of persons has meant the free movement of jihadist insurgents and their black market arms or the migration of scraggy livestock across badly manned borders For Nigeria, the near total evacuation of French military, diplomatic and economic presence from West Africa poses huge foreign policy challenges. First, the imminent loss of ECOWAS is a major historical setback. Our clout as a regional leader is on its way home. The gains made in the days of ECOMOG and the restoration of peace and democracy in Liberia and Sierra Leone are about to be consigned to the dustbin of history. It must concern President Tinubu that this historic diplomatic setback will be happening…
- Foreign Affairs
- January 2, 2025
- 137 views
CATHOLIC PRIEST JAILED 11 YEARS FOR CRITICIZING GOVERNMENT
CATHOLIC PRIEST JAILED 11 YEARS FOR CRITICIZING GOVERNMENT A Catholic priest in Belarus was convicted on Monday of high treason for criticising the government and sentenced to 11 years in prison. This marks the first instance of politically motivated charges against Catholic clergy since Belarus gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Rev Akalatovich’s conviction comes amid an escalating crackdown on dissent by Belarusian authorities in the lead-up to the presidential election on January 26, which is virtually guaranteed to secure a seventh term for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Viasna Human Rights Centre reported that Akalatovich, aged 64, has denied the treason charges. The group has identified him as one of 1,265 political prisoners in the country. “For the first time since the fall of the Communist regime, a Catholic priest in Belarus has been convicted on criminal charges typically levelled against political prisoners,” said Viasna’s representative, Pavel Sapelka. “The severe sentence aims to intimidate and silence hundreds of other priests ahead of January’s presidential election.” Akalatovich, who has been in custody since November 2023, was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery shortly before his arrest. The priest, from Valozhyn in western Belarus, has been critical of the government in his sermons and has been held incommunicado, with prison officials rejecting warm clothing and food sent to him. He is among numerous clergy—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—who have been jailed, silenced, or forced into exile for opposing the 2020 election that granted Lukashenko a sixth term. The widely disputed vote, denounced by the opposition and the West as fraudulent, sparked mass protests, which were met with a brutal crackdown resulting in over 65,000 arrests and thousands of instances of police violence. While approximately 80% of the population identifies as Orthodox Christians, just under 14% are Catholic, and 2% are Protestant. Lukashenko, who has held power in Belarus for nearly 30 years and describes himself as an “Orthodox atheist,” has berated dissenting clergy during the 2020 protests, urging them to focus on their duties rather than instigating unrest. Lukashenko counts as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, permitting Russia to use Belarusian territory to deploy troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and to station some tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. [
- Foreign Affairs
- December 30, 2024
- 75 views
177 KILLED IN SOUTH KOREAN PLANE CRASH AS POPE FRANCIS MOURNS
177 KILLED IN SOUTH KOREAN PLANE CRASH AS POPE FRANCIS MOURNS A Jeju Air passenger plane with 181 persons aboard burst into flames on the ground early Sunday morning in South Korea. According to BBC, the Transport Ministry has identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet returning from Bangkok in Thailand, with two Thai nationals on board. About 177 persons have so far been confirmed dead, with the death toll expected to rise, officials said. The plane had skid off the runway before ramming into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. Rescue workers are still searching for bodies strewn across the airport as thick, black smoke billows from the wreckage. Chief of Muan fire station, Lee Jeong-hyeon, said the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted witnesses as saying they saw sparks and heard an explosion before the crash. Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was staying near to the airport, tells Yonhap he saw a spark on the right wing shortly before the crash. Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane failed to land initially and circled back to try again. Yong-cheol said he saw “black smoke billowing into the sky” after hearing a “loud explosion”. “I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light,” another witness named Cho added. “Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.” Meanwhile, Pope Francis has expressed his condolences to those who lost loved ones in the crash. On Sunday noon, after praying the Angelus from the window of his study, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, before more than 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said that “my thoughts are directed to the numerous families of South Korea who are today in mourning after the dramatic plane crash.” “I join in the prayer for the survivors and the dead,” added the supreme pontiff, according to a statement from the Holy See’s press office. A report on the Bishop of Rome’s statements about the tragedy, was published on the digital site of the Vatican New, says that the Pope was dismayed by the deaths of at least 177 people after the fire of the aircraft, which belonged to Jeju Airlines. On the flight, from Bangkok, Thailand, 181 people were traveling, including 175 passengers and six crew members, and only two of them have been rescued alive so far, according to a report from the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
- Foreign Affairs
- December 30, 2024
- 90 views
FORMER US PRESIDENT, JIMMY CARTER, DIES AT 100 YEARS
FORMER US PRESIDENT, JIMMY CARTER, DIES AT 100 YEARS Jimmy Carter, a former president of the United States of America, USA, has died at 100 years. The 39th president of the US and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient passed away in Plains, Georgia on Sunday. His death was announced in a terse statement from the Carter Center. Carter had been in hospice care at his home in Plains since February. His wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, had died November 19 at age 96 and Carter attended her memorial services in a wheelchair. Jimmy Carter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a member of a Georgia farming family and served as a state senator and governor before defeating incumbent Gerald Ford in a close 1976 presidential election. He served one term, from January 1977 to January 1981.
- Foreign Affairs
- December 29, 2024
- 80 views
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER – REUTERS
, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER – REUTERS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo prostate removal surgery on Sunday after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, his office said. The 75-year-old leader underwent a test at Hadassah Hospital on Wednesday, where he was “diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “As a result, the prime minister will undergo prostate removal surgery,” it said. In March, Netanyahu underwent a hernia surgery, while in July last year, doctors implanted a pacemaker after a medical scare. Earlier this month, Netanyahu took the stand in his long-running trial for alleged corruption. This week, Israel’s attorney general ordered police to open an investigation into Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the corruption trial.
- Foreign Affairs
- December 29, 2024
- 98 views
PUTIN APOLOGIZES FOR AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES CRASH WITHOUT ADMITTING RESPONSIBILITY
PUTIN APOLOGIZES FOR AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES CRASH, WITHOUT ADMITTING RESPONSIBILITY Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has apologized for the fact that an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after entering Russian airspace in Grozny, Chechnya on Wednesday, but did not say that Russia was responsible. Putin said Saturday that Russia’s air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny, according to the Kremlin. Unable to reach the airport, the aircraft diverted east, eventually crashing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people on board. It is unconfirmed what was behind the incident, but a US official told CNN on Thursday that early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the passenger jet. In his comments, Putin did not say that Russian air defenses hit the plane. The Kremlin said that the plane “repeatedly attempted to land at the airport in Grozny” but at the same time, the areas of “Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.” Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case in relation to the disaster, the statement said. In a statement on Friday, Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Russian media has “lied about the cause of the crash,” adding that Moscow “forced the damaged jet to cross the sea, most likely in an attempt to conceal evidence of their crime.
- Foreign Affairs
- December 28, 2024
- 79 views
BORDER COMMUNITIES SAY NO FOREIGN BASE IN SOKOTO, COUNTER NIGER’S MILITARY LEADER
BORDER COMMUNITIES SAY NO FOREIGN BASE IN SOKOTO COUNTER NIGER’S MILITARY LEADER Some border communities have refuted claims by the Nigerien Junta leader, Abdurrahman Tchani, that there was a forest called ‘Gaba’, where foreign military established their base in Sokoto state. Our reporter who visited some of the border communities discovered that such forest didn’t exist anywhere in the state. Leaders and some of the residents who spoke also denied presence of any foreign military base in their communities. Sokoto shares border with the Niger Republic through five local government areas which includes Illela, Gada, Tangaza, Gudu and Sabon Birni. Historically, some major communities in the country formed part of the defunct Sokoto Caliphate. The Sarkin Arewan Araba, Alhaji Abubakar Yusufu, a border community in Illela LGA which is less than two meters away from Konni in Niger Republic said there was no a village or forest called Gaba in his domain. He also debunked the allegation of foreign base establsihed in the area, likening the allegation to a tea joint discussion tantamount of severing the existing relationship between them and their immediate neighbours in Niger Republic. “There is no such forest in Araba district or Illela local government and we don’t see any foreigner in our villages, it is a tea joint discussion. Instead, it is the Nigerien military operatives that have been coming into our area every night. “They come and work with our vigilantes in maintaining peace in our surrounding communities,” he said The district head, however, cautioned the Nigerian leader against making baseless allegation capable of severing both countries’ historic ties. Another resident of Araba, Malam Muhammadu Danladi, opined that the allegation was meant to smear the image of our country. “It is a lie, there is not presence of foreigners in our community. It is just a mere allegation which is unfounded,” he said He, however, decried what he called a targeted harassment on Nigerians by the Nigerien security operatives in the last six months. “Their security operatives at the border areas have been harassing our people, seizing their goods for just no cause. But their people are enjoying free access into our country. They have been coming to buy goods and leave and nobody is harassing them. We want our government to do something about this,” he said Corroborating this, Muhammad, a commercial motorcyclist who take passengers and goods to Konni, also denied noticing presence of foreigners in their communities, just as he lamented the inhuman treatment allegedly being meted on them by the Nigerien security operatives. It was similar denial at Tabanni Siddi in Gada LGA as residents said neither Gaba forest nor foreign base was established in the community and even its environs.
- Foreign Affairs
- December 28, 2024
- 38 views
FG DENIES ANY PLAN FOR FRENCH MILITARY BASE IN NIGERIA
FG DENIES ANY PLAN FOR FRENCH MILITARY BASE IN NIGERIA The Nigerian government has refuted allegations made by General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of state in Niger Republic, claiming that Nigeria is collaborating with France to establish a military base in its northern region to monitor Niger, Chad, and other neighbouring countries.Speaking during an interview with BBC Hausa, the National Security Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Nuhu Ribadu, dismissed the accusations as baseless and untrue.“Nigeria has never had any agenda to permit foreign countries to come into our territory and set up military bases,” Ribadu stated.Ribadu said the revelation made by Tiani came as a shock and surprise to them.He clarified that Nigeria remains committed to fostering peaceful relations with Niger and would not support or engage in any actions that could destabilize the region.In the five-minute interview, Ribadu reiterated Nigeria’s dedication to regional stability and cooperation.He urged for a focus on constructive dialogue rather than unfounded accusations.The claims by General Tiani come amid heightened security tensions, with accusations that France is planning to establish a terrorist operational centre in Gaba, a forested area in Sokoto State, Nigeria, following the recent coup in Niger.Nigeria has played a central role in efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve the crisis peacefully.Ribadu said, “Nigeria has no issues with instability or unrest with our neighbouring countries. We coexist peacefully with Cameroon, Chad, and Benin Republic. How, then, can someone claim we are having problems with the Niger Republic?When asked about General Tiani’s allegation that France is financing the Nigerian government to establish a military base in the North for a potential invasion of Niger at will, Ribadu reiterated that such claims are unfounded and lack credibility.Ribadu said, “Where did this come from? How could anyone claim that Nigeria would allow a foreign country to establish a military base here to cause havoc or instability for the people of Niger?“Where would this happen? Nigeria has never had any agenda to permit foreign countries to come into our territory and set up military bases.”“The British, who colonised Nigeria, have never attempted to bring their military into the country to establish a base,” he added.“America has tried their best to establish a military base in Nigeria, but the Nigerian government declined their request. After our refusal, they went to Niger, and the Nigerien government accepted their proposal. However, the Nigerien government later realised their mistake and expelled them.”He continued, “France, on the other hand, ensures that they establish military bases in almost all the countries they colonised. But Nigeria has never agreed to such arrangements with them to establish a military base in our country.“We never agreed with them to launch anything, even for a day, let alone something that would disrupt peace or cause havoc in Niger. Where would this occur? However, we would never do such a thing.”“But now, if Niger’s military is fighting with France, they cannot force us to join their fight. Nigeria is not at war with any country, and we have never fought any country in the world. Nigeria will never engage in warfare, and we will never allow any external forces to disrupt the peace and harmony of neighbouring countries,” Ribadu said.Ribadu stated that the Niger junta leader mentioned some places in Nigeria, indicating a deep knowledge of the country.He named specific locations, and we are calling on journalists and residents of those communities to investigate for Allah’s sake.“Please verify if there are any foreign visitors in these areas, let alone connections to France,” he said.“We want to assure the people of Niger that the Nigerian government will never allow any harm to come to them.“We have been combating terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, IPOB, and militants in the…