Musings From Abroad

Italy to host Mediterranean, Middle Eastern nations over migration crisis

Published

1 year ago

July 21, 2023

On Sunday, nations from the Mediterranean and the Middle East will gather in Rome to intensify efforts to stop the tide of unauthorized immigrants.

Italy, a leading voice in the group, said in a statement on Friday that the meeting was aimed at supporting countries in Africa in order to reduce the impetus for migrants to reach Europe.

The meeting will also include a plan to build partnerships for projects in sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, and health.

Dubbed the “Mattei plan”, after the post-war founder of Italy’s energy company, Eni, the meeting will reportedly also cover climate change and energy-related topics as Italy tries to undertake an energy cooperation project with Africa.

“The conference aims to govern the migration phenomenon, combat human trafficking and promote economic development according to a new model of cooperation between states,” the statement said.

Tunisia, Turkey, Libya, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and the IMF are all expected to attend, along with the European Union. However, France, a significant Mediterranean power that clashed with Italy over immigration last year, is not expected to attend, and this could possibly weaken any outcomes.

There are concerns that the economic situations in most African and Mediterranean countries exacerbate the migration issue related to people travelling across the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better life in Europe

Last month, a delegation from the European Union, led by Meloni, paid a visit to Tunisia and made a commitment of financial aid if the country agreed to an IMF programme that called for cutting subsidies and reorganizing state-owned businesses.

The movement of people out of Africa has increased steadily during the last two decades. It, however, still lags behind some other continents. According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, Africa makes up about 14% of the world’s migrants, compared to 41% of migrants from Asia and 24% from Europe.

Related Topics:Featured Italy Mediterranean Tunisia

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Musings From Abroad

Seeking to expand ties in Africa, Indonesia’s Prabowo attends D-8 economic meeting in Egypt

Published

21 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to the government, Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, travelled to Egypt on Tuesday to attend meetings of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, a group of eight significant Muslim developing nations.

To enhance collaboration between the nations spanning from Southeast Asia to Africa, the D-8 was formed in 1997 and consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Beginning in January 2026, Indonesia will serve as the group’s chair.

Prabowo said that he would meet with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt.

“Egypt is our close friend, our strategic partner and an important country in the Middle East,” he said before his departure, adding he would also meet the Egyptian business community.

He would go to Malaysia from Egypt and then return to Indonesia.

Since taking office in October, Prabowo has stated that his administration will uphold Indonesia’s long-standing non-alignment foreign policy.

Since winning the presidency earlier this year, he has been to more than 20 nations, including China, the US, Japan, and Russia.

Musings From Abroad

UN warns Sudan rebels may be getting weapons in Chad from UAE cargo planes

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Flight data and satellite photographs reveal that dozens of UAE cargo planes have landed at a small Chad airstrip since Sudan’s civil war began last year, which some U.N. experts and diplomats fear is being used to transport guns into the fight.

At least 86 UAE planes have landed at Amdjarass airfield in eastern Chad since the war started in April 2023.

According to flight data and business records examined by Reuters, three-quarters of them were operated by airlines accused by the U.N. of transporting Emirati weaponry to a Libyan warlord.

The UAE, a key Western partner in the Middle East, insists it sends Sudan aid through Chad, not armaments.

The UAE denied “credible” allegations that it was supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, via the Chad airstrip in January.

Reuters uncovered footage from Amdjarass this year, revealing two pallets loaded with khaki containers, some labelled with the UAE flag, on the tarmac.

Reuters is obscuring the footage’s date and provenance for fear of reprisals.

Three weapons specialists, two of whom were U.N. inspectors, said the containers were unlikely to convey humanitarian material, generally bundled in cardboard boxes coated in plastic and stacked high on pallets due to its lightweight. The footage shows metal containers packed low on pallets.

One U.N. weapons inspector said the contents were “highly probably ammunition or weapons, based on the design and colour of boxes,” but requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

He stated that right-hand pallet cases are long and slender, suggesting weaponry.

Reuters could not independently verify the containers’ contents. The filming date is being withheld to protect the source.

The UAE government told Reuters it has deployed 159 relief planes with more than 10,000 tonnes of food and medical assistance to feed its Amdjarass field hospital.

“We firmly reject the baseless and unfounded claims regarding the provision of arms and military equipment to any warring party since the beginning of the conflict,” the statement said.

To counter Islamist militants, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom has interfered in crises from Yemen to Libya since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The UAE views Muslim Brotherhood and other groups as threats to internal stability.

In Sudan’s army, Islamists affiliated with deposed President Omar al-Bashir have long held power.

Senior RSF official Brigadier General Omar Hamdan rejected foreign help. He told Nairobi media on Nov. 18 that Sudanese firms made its guns and ammunition. The RSF declined to comment on this topic.