Musings From Abroad

African refugees complain of racism as US welcomes Ukrainians with open arms

Published

1 year ago

April 3, 2022

Scores of African refugees have complained of the racism and inhuman treatment they get from the United States as the US prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country.

The refugees, on Saturday, cried out over the way they are treated by US officials including forced deportation, torture, rape, arbitrary arrest and other forms of abuses.

The African asylum seekers who protested the inhuman treatment they get from US officials on Saturday, said though they do not begrudge the US for swiftly “granting humanitarian protections and easy passage to Ukrainians escaping Russia’s devastating invasion of their homeland,” the same treatment should be accorded to other immigrants.

Spokesman for the group, Wilfred Tebah, a Cameroonian who fled the Central African country after escaping from a detention camp, said he could not help but wonder what would happen if the millions fleeing that Eastern Europe nation were of African descent.

Teblah, a leading member of the Cameroon American Council, an advocacy group organizing the protests, said:

“They do not care about a Black man. The difference is really clear. They know what is happening over there, and they have decided to close their eyes and ears,” he said, referring to the situation of Africans who seek refuge in the US.

He also made reference to the frosty reception African and Middle Eastern refugees have faced in western Europe compared with how those nations have enthusiastically embraced displaced Ukrainians.

“We’ll continue to beg, to plead.
We are in danger. I want to emphasize it. And only the Temporary Protected Status for Cameroon and other black refugees will help us be taken out of that danger. It is very necessary,” he said.

In late March, President Joe Biden had made a series of announcements welcoming 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, granting Temporary Protected Status to another 30,000 already in the U.S. and halting Ukrainian deportations.

Related Topics:Africans Featured Racism Refugees United States of America

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Musings From Abroad

Angola, Portugal sign 13-point pact spanning finance, law, others

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Angola and Portugal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding including 13 different agreements that cut across financial, legal and other critical areas.

The Angolan President, João Lourenço, who received his Portuguese counterpart, António Costa on Monday, revealed that the country was enthusiastic about partnering with its erstwhile colonialist.

“I have to say that we sensed a great willingness to collaborate on the part of the Portuguese justice system, with whom we were able to exchange not only information but also the alignment of Angola’s anti-corruption strategy and to say that in principle everything that was asked of the Portuguese authorities so that we could find the right correspondent”, president Lourenço said.

The Portuguese president announced a rise in its financial commitment to Angola which is a top oil producer in Africa.

“To support the Angolan government’s ambition and strategic approach to diversifying the country’s economy, we have significantly increased the credit line from one thousand five hundred to two billion euros”, announced Costa.

The new agreement will run till 2027. The economies of Angola and Portugal are deeply intertwined, and the two countries share a language and cultural heritage.

According to consular statistics, approximately 100,000 Portuguese nationals work in Angola, with approximately 10,000 Portuguese firms operating in a variety of sectors such as construction, engineering, hospitality, law, and financial services.

Musings From Abroad

Israeli PM, Netanyahu demands investigation over killing of soldiers in Egypt

Published

2 days ago

June 5, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an explanation from Egyptian authorities following the reported killing of three Israeli soldiers by a member of the Egyptian security services.

He told his cabinet in televised remarks that “Israel relayed a clear message to the Egyptian government. We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough.

“We will refresh procedures and methods of operations and also the measures to reduce to a minimum the smuggling and to ensure tragic terrorist attacks like this do not happen again.”

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack near Egypt’s border by a gunman wearing an Egyptian police uniform— the first deadly exchange along the border shared by the two countries in more than a decade.

According to the Israeli military, two soldiers were killed by an Egyptian policeman while securing a military post near the Egyptian border early Saturday. According to the report, the Egyptian officer and a third Israeli soldier were killed in a clash on Israeli territory hours later.

Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, while addressing journalists, said: “From that moment a terrorist event was declared, leading to sweeps of the area.”

He also revealed that “a drone was sent up and 1.5 kilometres inside Israel a suspicious person was identified.”

Egypt’s relationship with Israel is complicated and has evolved significantly over time. Despite having fought four wars, the two countries now work closely together, primarily on security issues.