Musings From Abroad

Despite legal setback, UK vows to continue Rwanda deportation flights

Published

3 years ago

June 16, 2022

The British government has vowed to explore other avenues to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers from the UK to Rwanda after a last-minute legal setback which saw a court judgment grounding the first plane due to take off under a controversial deal with the East African country.

The flight which was suppose to take around 30 illegal migrants, was scheduled to leave on Tuesday night but was put on hold after a ruling by the European Human Rights Court (EHRC), which issued a last-minute injunction to stop the deportation of of migrants on board.

But despite the setback, the Boris Johnson government says there is no going back in the plan to deport the migrants who came to the UK illegally through the English Channel.

UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, while reacting to the last minute injunction that stopped the take off of the flight on Wednesday, said “preparation for the next flight begins now” despite legal rulings that none of the migrants earmarked for deportation could be sent to the East African country.

She insisted that under the deal signed in April between Britain and Rwanda, the UK government is not relentiing in going ahead with the plans to send “migrants who arrive in the UK as stowaways or in small boats to Rwanda”, where their asylum claims will be processed.

As part of the deal which is with £120 million to Rwanda, successfully profiled migrants will stay in the African country, rather than return to Britain.

Johnson’s government has also repeatedly said the plan is a legitimate way to protect lives and thwart the criminal gangs that send migrants on risky journeys across the English Channel and must be carried through after Britain had already paid Rwanda upfront for the deal.

UK courts had last week, refused to ground the first flight but the number due to be aboard was whittled down by appeals and legal challenges.

But the European Court, an international tribunal supported by 46 countries including the UK, ruled late Tuesday that an Iraqi man due to be on the plane shouldn’t fly, saying he faced “a real risk of irreversible harm,” which allowed the final few migrants on the plane to win a reprieve.

A full trial of the legality of the UK government plan is due to be heard in the British courts by the end of July.

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Musings From Abroad

Swiss company Mercuria partners Zambia’s IDC in new metals trading firm

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by Swiss commodities trader, Mercuria, on Thursday, it has established a metals trading arm with Zambia, the second-largest producer of copper in Africa.

The trading unit is jointly owned by Mercuria and an arm of Zambia’s Industrial Development Company (IDC), and its purpose is to allow Zambia to engage directly in the minerals trading market.

The joint venture “envisages the establishment of a vehicle to market and trade Zambian copper by mutual leverage,” according to a statement from Cornwell Muleya, the CEO of IDC.

The southern African nation wants to increase copper output to roughly 3 million metric tonnes within the next ten years, and in 2023, it produced roughly 698,000 tonnes of copper, down from 763,000 metric tonnes the year before.

In June, the Zambian government announced that it would establish a minerals trading unit.

Investors including First Quantum Minerals and Barrick Gold are ramping up production, with output set to receive a further boost once Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines restart activity.

“Our joint venture with IDC marks a significant milestone for Zambia as it positions itself more strategically in the global minerals market,” Kostas Bintas, Mercuria’s global head of metals and minerals, said in the statement.

Musings From Abroad

Blinken to reveal UN Sudan funding additions

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Additional financing for humanitarian aid to Sudan and initiatives to strengthen civil society in the nation, where a conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, will be announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the United Nations on Thursday.

Blinken will make many announcements when he leads a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan on Thursday, which will centre on humanitarian aid and civilian protection, Deputy U.S. Representative to the UN Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday.

According to Price, the announcements would include more money for humanitarian help, initiatives to strengthen civil society, and the return of democracy.

“Sudan, unfortunately, has risked becoming a forgotten conflict,” Price said.

“So part of the reason the secretary … opted to convene a signature event on this very topic is to make sure it remains in the spotlight,” Price said.

For almost 18 months, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s army have been engaged in combat, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis that has forced over 12 million people from their homes and made it difficult for U.N. organisations to provide aid.

A power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces preceded a planned shift to civilian administration, which sparked the conflict in April 2023.

Although the army declined to join this year’s U.S.-mediated peace negotiations in Geneva, the warring parties did pledge to increase assistance access, which prevented any movement towards a ceasefire.

Price stated that before President Joe Biden’s term ends next month, the United States would keep collaborating with allies to enhance humanitarian access in Sudan and eventually end hostilities.

“We are going to leave nothing on the field in our efforts to work with allies, with partners, with the Sudanese stakeholders themselves, on the issues that matter most – humanitarian access, the provision of humanitarian assistance, ultimately, the process by which we can work to get to a cessation of hostilities, which is most urgently needed,” he said.