Musings From Abroad

Despite court ruling, Kenya’s Ruto insists Haiti mission will continue

Published

10 months ago

January 30, 2024

The Kenyan government plans to continue with plans to lead a United Nations-approved security mission to Haiti, despite a court in Nairobi last week blocking the deployment.

President William Ruto made the position known while speaking to journalists on Tuesday and stressed that Haiti had asked for help months ago, and he expected a request would come shortly that would satisfy the demands of the court.

Ruto, while speaking at the sidelines of the ongoing Italian-Africa summit in Rome, said, “So that mission can go ahead as soon as next week if all the paperwork is done between Kenya and Haiti on the bilateral route that has been suggested by the court.”

The international force, which is expected to be first funded by the United States, is intended to combat the widespread gang violence on the Caribbean island, which claimed almost 5,000 lives last year.

A Kenyan court determined that it would be unlawful to send police abroad unless a “reciprocal arrangement” was in place with the host government, casting doubt on the mission.

When asked if talks were taking on with Haiti to obtain the required request, Ruto said, “Absolutely. Haiti have actually written formally, not today, but several months ago.”

As gang violence increased in 2022, Haiti initially turned to outside assistance, but it was unable to identify a leader prepared to step up, and many foreign governments were reluctant to back the unelected government in the impoverished nation.

With a long history of participating in international peacekeeping missions, Kenya said in July that it was sending 1,000 police personnel, citing its support for a fellow country as justification.

Following the United States’ $200 million pledge to launch the deployment, the Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda, and Jamaica declared their willingness to assist.

“The mission is on course. The mission is a bigger calling to humanity,” Ruto said, stressing that it was a police rather than a military operation.

Musings From Abroad

Nigeria, India to strengthen counterterrorism, maritime security cooperation

Published

1 day ago

November 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

During a state visit to Nigeria on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra, Modi reached an agreement, on behalf of his country, to strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, intelligence, and maritime security.

President Bola Tinubu invited Modi to visit Nigeria, the first Indian prime minister to do so in 17 years.

Tinubu is looking for investments from some of the largest economies in the world.

In addition to discussing economic development, defence, healthcare, and food security, Modi and Tinubu met at the presidential mansion on Sunday after arriving in the capital, Abuja, on Saturday night, according to a joint statement.

The two nations decided to work together to protect maritime trade routes and fight piracy in response to the mounting risks in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, is looking to attract more Indian investment and lower-cost credit lines in order to strengthen its economy and generate employment.

Nigeria announced last year that it had obtained about $14 billion in pledges from Indian businesses, including Jindal Steel and Power, which promised to spend $3 billion in Nigeria’s steel industry, during the G20 conference.

Over 200 Indian businesses are present in Nigeria.

Modi was scheduled to go to Brazil for this year’s G20 conference after Nigeria.

Nigeria and India have a long-standing and cordial bilateral relationship. Nigeria, home to more than 200 million people, and India, home to 1.3 billion people, are both sizable emerging nations with multilingual, multiethnic, and multireligious communities.

Musings From Abroad

Military advisors from Russia arrive Equatorial Guinea

Published

2 days ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Russian military advisors are in Equatorial Guinea training indigenous soldiers.

Anonymous sources cited by Reuters during the week claim that between 100 and 200 Russian instructors are training with elite guards in charge of guarding the President and the first family.

The males had been seen in Malabo, the country’s capital, and Bata, its second city. Reports of Russian forces stationed in the nation initially appeared in August.

Oil-rich Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has maintained close relations with Moscow.

Nguema travelled to Moscow in September to attend the Russian Energy Week International Forum.

Russia has strengthened military connections with African countries, sending advisors and combat soldiers to the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Faced with an Islamist terrorist insurrection, three Sahel countries have turned to Moscow for support, expelling French and American troops.