Iraq

UN Secretary-General Appoints Cornelius Nagbe as International Humanitarian Law Expert on the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 16:10:01 +0000

UN Secretary-General Appoints Cornelius Nagbe as International Humanitarian Law Expert on the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__1043.jpeg

admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 16:10

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Original Publisher

Diaspora – FrontPageAfrica

Original Article

UN Secretary-General Appoints Cornelius Nagbe as International Humanitarian Law…

NEW YORK – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a Liberian national and international law specialist, Mr. Cornelius Nagbe, to the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen, an investigative body of independent experts assisting the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) to implement its mandate, including on sanctions monitoring.

In a letter dated 17 May 2022 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, Mr. Guterres referred to resolution 2624 (2022), adopted on 28 February 2022, by which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen until 28 March 2023, and requested him to take the necessary administrative measures to that effect.

The Secretary-General informed the President of the Security Council that, after consulting with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014), he had accordingly appointed the following experts to the Panel of Experts on Yemen: Mr. Debi Prasad Dash, finance (India), Mr. Cornelius Nagbe, international humanitarian law (Liberia) and Mr. Wolf-Christian Paes, arms (Germany). He also designated Mr. Dash to serve as the coordinator of the Panel.

Mr. Nagbe’s appointment to the Panel of Experts on Yemen follows a competitive process started in January 2022 by the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and culminating in review and clearance of his and the other experts’ candidacies by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014). As the international humanitarian law expert, Mr. Nagbe will contribute to the monitoring of sanctions measures and investigation of alleged sanctions violations or non-compliance as mandated by Security Council resolutions related to Yemen. He will also contribute to the reports of the Panel to the 2140 Sanctions Committee and the Council.

Prior to his appointment to the Panel of Experts on Yemen, Mr. Nagbe worked as a Consultant on Children and Armed Conflict in the South Asia Regional Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). He also recently provided expertise to the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights as an Expert on Compliance with International Humanitarian Law in the Middle East and North Africa. Mr. Nagbe earlier served at UN Headquarters in New York as Human Rights Programme Management Officer in the Counter-Terrorism Centre of the UN Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT). Before that, Mr. Nagbe delivered field assignments in Somalia, Kenya, Iraq, and South Sudan with the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

In his home country Liberia, Mr. Nagbe has served as a strategic communications and outreach manager on democracy and governance projects funded by the World Bank and USAID, including as Communications Coordinator and technical secretariat member of the high-profile Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP); as administrative manager of the office of the House Majority Leader, Legislature of Liberia; as an electoral assistance and information specialist at the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the National Elections Commission (NEC); as information lead for Save the Children; and, as a manager, writer, and consultant in the media and civil society.

Mr. Nagbe holds a Master’s in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University and Master’s in International Relations and Bachelor’s in Mass Communication from University of Liberia.

–Link to UN SG’s letter appointing the Panel: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3974469?ln=en

Diaspora

News

Till debt do us part

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 04:00:01 +0000

Till debt do us part

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__11385.jpg

admin Tue, 02/22/2022 - 04:00

Friday, February 11, 2022

Original Publisher

Searchlight

Original Article

Till debt do us part

The national debt level of a country is a measure of how much the government owes its creditors. Economists are generally divided on the question of how much debt is too much debt, both with respect to the ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) as well as the total dollar amount of the debt. Some economists are concerned that excessive government debt levels can impact economic stability with broader implications for exchange rate stability, external trade, economic growth and unemployment. However, others suggest that if the debt level is manageable, there is little cause for alarm.

In the October 2021 edition of its World Economic Outlook Report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted that the higher a country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is, the higher the risk of that country defaulting on its debt. In one of its studies, the World Bank also suggests that a debt-to-GDP ratio of 77% or more during prolonged periods of time can cause economic slowdowns.

In its 2021 World Economic Outlook Report, the IMF lists Japan as having the world’s highest debt-to-GDP ratio at 256.9%.

Following not far behind are Sudan and Greece, at 209.9% and 206.7% respectively. Of the countries with debt-to-GDP of over 90%, ten are in the Caribbean.

Of course, notwithstanding the conventional wisdom of the IMF and World Bank, there are many nuances that should be considered when talking about debt. For instance, Haiti has an enviable debt-to-GDP ratio of 25%. Yet, this has not resulted in economic stability for Haiti, perhaps mainly because of the decades of political and security instability in that country. Moreover, countries such as Guatemala, Chad, the Congo and many others have debt-to-GDP ratios below 50% but have yet to achieve appreciable levels of economic development. Therefore, economic success or lack thereof transcends debt.

The other issue to consider is that not all debt is equal. Some countries are in debt, especially unsustainable debt, due to poor economic management. However, for others, debt is sometimes the result of factors largely beyond their control. For instance, IMF figures suggest that the annual cost of disasters for small states is nearly 2% of GDP. In some instances, the impact of natural disasters on small states can be double their GDP. When added over many decades, it stands to reason that the vulnerability of small states to natural disasters would inflate their debt levels since these states must either borrow to rebuild or borrow to build resilience.

At least every decade, there is a global shock of some kind. In 2007/2008, it was the global financial crisis. Just over a decade before that were the terrorist attacks on the United States (US) and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq which impacted global travel and tourism, energy prices and other sectors. Currently, virtually all states are working to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Another reality of small states is that they tend to be hardest hit by these global events and also take much longer to recover. Therefore, while recovering from one crisis, they are often hit by another. These confluences of events frequently push governments toward incurring debt to shore up social safety nets, maintain employment levels, build infrastructure and generally, prevent a hard economic landing.

Greece is a recent case study of how debt can lead to a sharp and catastrophic economic calamity. However, this is an extreme example. While debt should not be ignored, narrative around it should also be balanced. For small states especially, the key is to focus on manageable debt and transformative debt. Manageable is about being able to repay. Transformative is about using debt to invest in resilient infrastructure, economic diversification and competitiveness, and to enhance the availability and delivery of public goods. The hope is that strategic investments in these areas would ultimately reduce the burden of having to borrow over time.

Joel K Richards is a Vincentian national living and working in Europe in the field of international trade and development.
Email: joelkmrichards@gmail.com

Caribbean

News

Till debt do us part

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 16:20:01 +0000

Till debt do us part

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__10895.jpg

admin Sun, 02/20/2022 - 16:20

Friday, February 11, 2022

Original Publisher

Searchlight

Original Article

Till debt do us part

In its 2021 World Economic Outlook Report, the IMF lists Japan as having the world’s highest debt-to-GDP ratio at 256.9%.

Following not far behind are Sudan and Greece, at 209.9% and 206.7% respectively. Of the countries with debt-to-GDP of over 90%, ten are in the Caribbean.

Joel K Richards is a Vincentian national living and working in Europe in the field of international trade and development.
Email: joelkmrichards@gmail.com

Caribbean

News

Airbnb non-profit makes resettling refugees a core mission

admin — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 01:30:01 +0000

Airbnb non-profit makes resettling refugees a core mission

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__10319.jpg

admin Sat, 12/11/2021 - 01:30

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Original Publisher

Business

Original Article

Airbnb non-profit makes resettling refugees a core mission

Mousa and Rasha Alkhafaji were already anxious when they emigrated from Iraq to the United States in 2017. Even though Mousa Alkhafaji had finally received a Special Immigrant Visa for his work with the United States Armed Forces in Iraq, his...

Caribbean

Business

Emile chants down Babylon

admin — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 11:30:01 +0000

Emile chants down Babylon

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__9416.jpg

admin Sat, 10/09/2021 - 11:30

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Original Publisher

Jamaica Observer

Original Article

Emile chants down Babylon

CANADA-BASED reggae singer/rapper Jonathan Emile is intent on highlighting the happenings in the world and bring about an awareness to societal issues.

He puts it all in his current chart-topping single Babylon is Falling, a collaboration with British reggae singer Maxi Priest.

Babylon is Falling is currently spending its sixth week at the top of the Rebel Vibez Top Ten Canadian Reggae chart.

"The real inspiration for Babylon is Falling came from looking at the misery and violence in the world while having been exposed to roots reggae for so long. The first version of this song was written years ago, when America invaded Iraq and as the years passed, it just became more and more prescient. For decades, the Rastaman and our leaders have been speaking about the need for change and the unsustainability of the exploitation of people and the earth. We've been chanting down Babylon for 400 years. Without positive change, we see decline. I was just inspired to bring this old message, this warning, about reckoning to a new generation - just to carry the torch of roots into the future," Emile told the Jamaica Observer.

Emile spoke about working with Maxi Priest on the song's remix.

"I was lucky enough to have a link to Maxi via a contact at Tuff Gong International. Maxi is a legend, and a pioneer. When the collaboration was proposed, I didn't even know it would have been for this song in particular. When I heard that Maxi would be interested in a collaboration, I essentially handed over my unfinished album and said: 'Anything di General wan touch, he can speak on". Maxi chose Babylon is Falling. The rest was just logistical of how and when we would work on the song. We were lucky enough to work on it in January of 2020 before the pandemic hit."

He continued, "Maxi is a fountain of knowledge and experience. The ease and energy he brings whenever he steps into a room it's like an aura. When we were writing together, he brought such a singular focus and energy to the session. I could only hope to be as driven with unlimited energy as him as my career moves on. His creativity and ability to switch flows, divine new melodies and communicate that emotion, is just inspiring. The whole thing was just a masterclass in connecting emotion and feeling into lyrics. We did our writing session in a hotel room in NYC. It's a moment I'll never forget."

Emile said the response to the song has been positive.

"The response has been incredibly positive. I'm grateful for it. We are number one in Toronto, and we also achieved second place in the UK Reggae people's choice for 2021. Anyone who's taken time to truly listen has really appreciated the song - it's all I can ask for. The love received is just something I'll be putting back into the next tunes."

The singer, who is a cancer survivor, explained how his musical career got off the ground.

"I guess you could say music has been a part of my life from my earliest years. My parents made it a point to expose my sisters and I to a wide range of music. Neither of them is a musician, but they realised the cultural, emotional and spiritual role of music. But they also emphasised the academic and literary side of music, underlining the genius in composition and lyricism. I grew up in love with music. It was just a part of life, every family dinner, every gathering and at church service of course."

He continued: "I guess music really started being a central part of my life when I was going through cancer. Over a period of two years, I underwent chemo, radiation and multiple surgeries. During this time, music was also a therapy and a healing. Even though I was just learning to play guitar and write, it helped me express and articulate my deepest emotions, love, thoughts and fears. It allowed me to tap into something bigger than myself. Since then, I have never stopped using it to communicate and to articulate."

Emile was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma which affects the bones. Born in Montreal, Canada, to Jamaican immigrants. He also resided in Jamaica for a short time.

"I'm a Jamaican citizen but I've never lived in Jamaica. I've visited more times that I can remember. Savanna-la-Mar is like a second home to me. That is where my mother is from, that is where my grandmother still lives. Westmoreland is where I've spent weeks and months as a child and an adult. Most of my trips to Jamaica were spent between Montego Bay, Negril and Savanna-la-Mar. It's like a pilgrimage every time I come back. Some of the brightest and most uplifting moments of my life were spent there, playing as youth, healing from cancer, Christmas with family, escaping alone with my wife. It's my Mecca, my Israel - with all respect due," Emile shared.

Emile has collaborated with the likes of Etana and Jamaican producer Melio. He has a collaboration with Jesse Royal which he hopes to release next year.

To date, he has released one EP ( The Lover/Fighter Document in 2009), and three albums, The Lover/Fighter Document (2015), Phantom Pain (2017) and Space-In-Between (2020).

Caribbean

Entertainment

PM Gonsalves calls for fresh initiatives at UN General Assembly

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 16:50:01 +0000

PM Gonsalves calls for fresh initiatives at UN General Assembly

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__6310.jpg

admin Fri, 10/01/2021 - 16:50

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Original Publisher

Searchlight

Original Article

PM Gonsalves calls for fresh initiatives at UN General Assembly

PRIME MINISTER Dr Ralph Gonsalves has encouraged the global community to take a collective new path at the cross-roads in which the world finds itself during this COVID-19 era.

In his address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the weekend,Gonsalves shared his thoughts on a number of topics including climate change, vaccine nationalism, the trends of global communication leading to anti-vax misinformation and political quarrels.

“We are convened at this 76th Session of the United Nations’ General Assembly at a time of severe health, socio-economic, political, climatic, and security challenges, globally, though unevenly, not in equal measure,” he opened his address on Saturday, September 25, referring to the “tailspin” in which the pandemic has thrown the world.

“A major shift has occurred in the global condition; a parallelogram of unruly and complex forces has been unleashed; a new paradigm has emerged; outmoded approaches are becoming, or have become, irrelevant; fresh initiatives and directions are required; and transformational leadership is needed, now more than ever,” he advised.

He spoke about the global community working together to defeat COVID-19 and return to normalcy, opening the economies, and calling upon the “metaphoric lions and lionesses” to converse meaningfully and resolve their differences “in the interest of all”.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has put the global community at the critical, proverbial cross-roads. What is to be done?” he asked.

“First, let us recognise, and internalise, the novel, historic juncture at which we are, and accept generally, the sage poetic advice that two roads diverge in the woods; and we ought to take the one least travelled by; and that will make all the difference,” the Prime Minister said, adding that it is the only choice humanity has.

“In tackling the pandemic itself, the old ways have tended to predominate, even as the sunlit rays of a possible new path have emerged. Thus, for example, globally, we have witnessed unacceptable vaccine nationalism; the politicisation of the roll-out of the vaccines; and the roll-out of vaccines for the rich first and the poor afterwards,” albeit mitigated by efforts of global institutions such as the World Health Organisation, the COVAX facility, and the World Bank.

“It is true, too, though relatively late in the day, that some rich countries in the North Atlantic (USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom) have delivered or agreed to deliver, freely, from their surpluses, vaccines to some less developed countries; we are very grateful,” he said, adding, “Still, though, some of these countries may be so slow in their promised deliveries that they may end up, embarrassingly, with expired doses of the vaccines running into several millions.”

India was one of the countries which came to the assistance of SVG by providing Covishield AstraZeneca vaccines, but Gonsalves informed that at least one country is failing to recognise it.

The order of the old ways pre-COVID, he submitted, has been shown in the actions of global communications.

“These entities, enveloped in mega profits and profiteering, own and control the various Internet platforms, with little or no public regulation, and have ignored or abandoned any real sense of responsibility for the anti-vax misinformation and disinformation which occupy cyberspace. As a consequence, real people die in their multitudes across the world. Surely, this irresponsibility must stop!” he maintained.

He posited that certain long standing political quarrels should end, citing the refusal of Israel and “its International backers” to accept an Independent Palestine, “the economic blockade” of Cuba by the United States of America (USA), and “unjust”, “harsh” economic sanctions against Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The Prime Minister spoke out against the “old- fashioned” and “hegemonic responses” that translate to the exclusion of Taiwan from the United Nations and its agencies.

“Surely, the world will benefit from Taiwan’s inclusion in global bodes such as the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and INTERPOL,” he argued.

Gonsalves highlighted the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that human and economic costs are staggering. However, adding that the “sacred principles of non-intervention and non-interference ought not to be blind, perpetually or at all, to unacceptable and egregious excesses against humanity.”

The Prime Minister then turned to speak about the “looming ecological disaster” that is climate change.

“Science, the real world, and the Paris Accord have pointed to alternative pathways for humanity but the political will and requisite resources from the major emitters to address the grave challenge of climate change have not gone much beyond pious mouthings and marginal tinkering,” he contended.

He expressed hope and fear in the same breath as regards the Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow set for November 2021.

In the Caribbean’s particular case, the Prime Minister listed other financial issues that he said needed global attention.

He focused on the reform of the UN Security Council, noting, “it is evident to all reasonable persons that the stranglehold of “the Permanent Five” on the Security Council ought to be appropriately loosened or broken in these times which are so different than in 1945.”

SVG has been sitting as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the past two years, during which time it had an integral role in establishing “an institutional nexus known as the A3 plus One (the three non-permanent members from Africa plus St. Vincent and the Grenadines), as a distinctive voice for Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America,” Gonsalves pointed out.

Caribbean

News

Gasoline prices increase by up to RD$9.50 per gallon

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 22:10:01 +0000

Gasoline prices increase by up to RD$9.50 per gallon

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__8419.jpg

admin Sat, 02/27/2021 - 22:10

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Original Publisher

Economy – Dominican Today

Original Article

Gasoline prices increase by up to RD$9.50 per gallon

LPG will keep the same price
Increase one day before President addresses the nation

Most fuel prices registered increases of over RD$6.00/Gal., according to the publication of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Mipymes (MICM) through its Twitter account.

Following the announcement, premium gasoline will be dispatched to the public at RD$242.10 per gallon, for an increase of RD$9.00. Regular gasoline will be sold at RD$228.50, registering an increase of RD$9.50 per gallon.

Meanwhile, a gallon of optimum diesel will be available at RD$197.50, marking an increase of RD$7.20/Gal., while regular diesel will be sold at RD$181.60, after registering an increase of RD$6.20.

The MICM publication specifies that both LPG and natural gas will be marketed at the same price of the work week just concluded.

Prices of other fuels:

Avtur will be sold at RD$142.70 per gallon Up RD$6.40.

Kerosene will be sold at RD$168.90 per gallon Up RD$7.00.

Fuel Oil #6 will be sold at RD$125.10 per gallon Up RD$2.00.

Fuel Oil 1%S will be sold at RD$142.80 per gallon Up RD$2.80.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will be sold at RD$128.10/gl: maintains its price. Natural gas RD$28.97 per cubic meter maintains its price.

The crisis in Texas affects the DR market.

The MICM explains that international oil prices have increased significantly this week, with the average WTI crude rising by 3.7% this week alone, bringing together a nearly 15% increase in February alone. The WTI and its derivatives (refined products) mainly increased abruptly due to the ice storm and cold spell affecting the United States’ southern region from which the Dominican Republic is supplied and used as a price reference.

This has caused the closure of essential refineries, affecting production by about 40%, higher than the drops caused by the pandemic last year. This storm has placed crude oil at maximum prices of more than one year before the start of the pandemic. Both the unexpected storm, as well as the consolidation of the production cuts of the OPEC + alliance, and economic stimuli from the governments of the large economies, as well as the progress of vaccinations around the world, continue to affect the increase in the global demand for fuels. Consequently, this series of events, some unfortunate and unexpected such as the storm, contribute, on the one hand, to the increase in the demand for fuels projected worldwide.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that crude oil and gasoline inventories in the United States increased, but diesel and fuel oil inventories decreased. The IEA also maintains the position that oil consumption can recover this year 60% of the volume lost due to the COVID-19 crisis.

On the other hand, the implementation of the reductions agreed by OPEC+ members to guarantee the stabilization of crude oil prices at considerable levels is also being maintained, except for Iraq, which has increased its production despite the OPEC+ agreements. OPEC and its allies meet next week (monthly meeting agreed by the organization) and could find supply management to the oil market easier this year, as US shale producers are not yet rushing to accelerate production to $60.

Crude oil prices remain on an upward trend punctuated by the ice storm. Still, more long term by OPEC+ cut decisions, coupled with Saudi Arabia’s voluntary decision to unilaterally reduce production by 1 million barrels per day announced last month, and hopes for a resurgence in demand between now and the summer thanks to pandemic vaccines being applied around the world, as well as the economic stimulus from governments seeking to energize their economies. On the positive side, there is hope that OPEC+ at its meeting next week will relax the cuts maintained, as current crude oil prices are within the organization’s targets to be reached.

Caribbean

Business

Meet man who won Sh225m Kemsa deal while in Iraq

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:10:01 +0000

Meet man who won Sh225m Kemsa deal while in Iraq

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__1639.jpg

admin Wed, 02/24/2021 - 11:10

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Original Publisher

Nairobi News

Original Article

Meet man who won Sh225m Kemsa deal while in Iraq

A parliamentary committee was yesterday informed that a Kenyan working in the Middle East won a Sh225 million tender to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa). Meldian Enterprise Ltd director Joel Ndegwa told the National Assembly Public Investments Committee that he was in Iraq when he saw an opportunity to supply suits, gloves, masks, goggles and shoes to Kemsa. Mr Ndegwa said he is employed by an aid organisation called IMMAP as an information officer. He added that he would be abroad for four weeks before jetting into the country for a week on work-related matters. Called his wife According to Mr Ndegwa, he saw the opportunity in December 2019 while in Iraq and called his wife Lydia Kariuki who is co-director of the company to start making arrangements for the tender. Mr Ndegwa said his wife owns 70 per cent of the company’s shares. “Based on what was happening in Iraq and other countries, I knew it would it get to Kenya. I did my research on who was supplying what and at what price,” he said. “I talked to my wife and we sent our employee Margaret Murage to Kemsa. She was directed to the procurement department.” He added that Ms Murage went to Kemsa offices on a Friday and had already been awarded the tender to supply 30,000 PPE by Tuesday of the following week. Mr Ndegwa told the lawmakers that he has been paid Sh117 million by Kemsa to date. “No bidding was needed. It was a direct procurement,” he told the Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir-led team. After winning the tender, Mr Ndegwa said he faced another problem since he did not have money. The PPE were needed as quickly as possible as it was an emergency. He told the committee that he borrowed from friends and took loans from Isortery and Elem, two companies operating on Mombasa and Ngong roads in Nairobi respectively. Did not import PPE Mr Ndegwa said he did not import the PPE but bought them from the two companies. The lawmakers, however, demanded to know from Mr Ndegwa how he was able to tell by December 2019 that coronavirus would hit Kenya in March the following year, thereby positioning himself to supply the kits to Kemsa. “The committee is talking to a prophet who knew that Covid-19 was going to hit Kenya and immediately sent Ms Murage to Kemsa to get the tender,” Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang told Mr Ndegwa sarcastically. “Your worker just walked into Kemsa offices and found tenders being given. She also got one.” Mr Ndegwa said he is a smart businessman who takes chances. “I knew it was going to hit Kenya. I saw it, based on where I was. I saw an opportunity. What is wrong with that?” he asked. “If I had connections, I would have received all my money.” Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris said Mr Ndegwa may not have supplied anything to Kemsa. “How could a man in Iraq connect with firms in Kenya and work with Kemsa?” she asked.

Iraq
Kenya

Africa

News

UN report finds Trump ally violated Libya arms embargo: US media

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 11:50:01 +0000

UN report finds Trump ally violated Libya arms embargo: US media

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__232.jpg

admin Sat, 02/20/2021 - 11:50

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Original Publisher

Africa – Capital News

Original Article

UN report finds Trump ally violated Libya arms embargo: US media

Washington, United States, Feb 20 – Private security contractor and ally of former US President Trump Erik Prince violated a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, UN investigators have found in a report detailed by US media on Friday.

The confidential report to the Security Council, obtained by the New York Times and the Washington Post, said that Prince deployed a force of foreign mercenaries and weapons to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has fought to overthrow the UN-backed Libyan government, in 2019.

The $80 million operation included plans to form a hit squad to track and kill Libyan commanders opposed to Haftar — including some who were also European Union citizens, the New York Times said.

Prince, a former Navy SEAL and the brother of Trump’s education secretary Betsy Devos, drew infamy as the head of the Blackwater private security firm, whose contractors were accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.

Four who were convicted were pardoned by Trump last year.

The accusation exposes Prince to possible UN sanctions, including a travel ban, the Times said.

Prince did not cooperate with the UN inquiry and his lawyer declined to comment to the New York Times, it added.

An AFP request for comment to the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, for which Prince is a board member and deputy chairman, went unanswered.

Oil-rich Libya has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed uprising led to the toppling and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The country has in recent years been split between a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and an eastern-based administration, backed by Haftar, who has faced charges of war crimes.

Then-President Trump in 2019 praised the strongman for his role in “fighting terrorism” in Libya.

A new interim executive for the country was chosen on February 5 by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Switzerland, comprising 75 participants selected by the UN to represent a broad cross-section of society.

Haftar has pledged his support for the initiative.

Africa

News

APC Won’t Implode After PMB’s Exit – Sen Adamu

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 07:30:01 +0000

APC Won’t Implode After PMB’s Exit – Sen Adamu

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__2928.jpg

admin Fri, 02/19/2021 - 07:30

Friday, February 19, 2021

Original Publisher

POLITICS – Leadership Newspaper

Original Article

APC Won’t Implode After PMB’s Exit – Sen Adamu

APC had been in the hands of the caretaker for a while now. Are you content with the way it is being managed?

Yes, I am most content with the way the party is being run. The structures were dissolved sometime in June last year and they were given six months to organise a convention but that was not to be. They were given more time to reorganise and one of this is the registration of members and revalidating their membership for people like me, who have been in the party for long. Their mandate also included reconciling members that have issues. The exercise is still ongoing until June this year before it will end. I am satisfied with what the caretaker committee is doing. There is nothing new if we express different opinions, no matter how highly placed they are because APC is a party driven by people and there is no way you can avoid issues from time to time. We disagree to agree and also agree to disagree. It’s not new in politics. People should not create the impression that our party is made up of angels, we are not. We are ordinary human beings. I have not seen anything that will cause me worry in the party. We respect ourselves and some of the discontent tunes we hear from time to time is nothing strange. It will get worse now that we are approaching the calendar in this country, where a party will spend two years on campaigns and two years on governance. We have just gone over the 2years of governance and we have started the two years of campaigns. During this period, we will have crises and the political atmosphere will be heated. By God’s grace, we will overcome our identifiable problems.

Most people believe the APC revolved around the president and that after his eight years, the party might implode or disintegrate once he leaves. Do you share this view?

President Buhari is the leader of the party and president of Nigeria. Nobody should doubt the fact that his exit at the end of his tenure is bound to give us some worry and food for thought. We will ensure that there is no instability as a result of his exit. We are working in earnest to ensure that there will be no implosion after his exit. There is nothing strange in anybody thinking that way because President Buhari is the leader of the party. He is well respected and accepted in the party. That is the extent of his acceptability in the party. Buhari does not interfere in the affairs of the party, he just waits until reports are given to him before he passes judgement or gives an opinion and allows the party leadership to implement. Buhari by nature is not a dictator and that is why he doesn’t interfere or exert his authority over the party. There is something mystical about Buhari. It is something that one can’t explain. In some places, his fellowship is mythical. Even when he ruled as a military man and some of the policies introduced by his government sounded harsh, yet the people still loved him. The president’s fight against corruption has also endeared him to so many people. The poor man is always behind anybody fighting corruption. Yes, he has made a public declaration that he does not intend to extend his tenure beyond the constitutional provision. He made that public pronouncement at the party’s national working committee meeting, stating that he is under oath to preserve, protect and defend the Nigerian constitution. The President said this to avoid the trouble of bootlickers, who will want to convince him on tenure extension. That is why the party is beginning to prepare so that another person will emerge in 2023. The President may also help us to be part of the decision to get whoever will be his successor.

Nigerians are worried that there might be war if the South and West insist on herdsmen vacating their forest. How would you react to this?

Every country has prophets of doom and Nigeria has its share of these prophets of doom. God will help us to see that we work so hard in order to shame these prophets of doom.

Most frightening is the way some people, who are in positions of authority and spit out words that threaten the unity of the country. Yes, there are problems with herdsmen and it has now been roped around an ethnic group in Nigeria yet, one of the leaders of this country made some statement about herdsmen that disappointed me. Herdsmen are Nigerians too and of course; the constitution says that anybody whose maternal and paternal grandparents were Nigerian’s from the year of amalgamation in 1914 are Nigerians. So, people are being mischievous by imputing that herdsmen are not indigenes. I dare ask, how many traders do business in their States of origin? How many people do we have in Kano, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Yola and Borno doing business or any other profession that are indigenes? They have huge investments in states that are not their own and we tolerate them. Why can’t they reciprocate?

What is the way out?

Africa

Politics

Iraq

UN Secretary-General Appoints Cornelius Nagbe as International Humanitarian Law Expert on the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen

Till debt do us part

Till debt do us part

Airbnb non-profit makes resettling refugees a core mission

Emile chants down Babylon

PM Gonsalves calls for fresh initiatives at UN General Assembly

Gasoline prices increase by up to RD$9.50 per gallon

LPG will keep the same priceIncrease one day before President addresses the nation

Meet man who won Sh225m Kemsa deal while in Iraq

UN report finds Trump ally violated Libya arms embargo: US media

APC Won’t Implode After PMB’s Exit – Sen Adamu

LPG will keep the same price
Increase one day before President addresses the nation