Politics

Haiti’s PM visits US as Kenya’s police take over capital

Published

6 months ago

June 29, 2024

As part of a United Nations-backed effort to combat armed gangs that have taken over the capital, newly deployed Kenyan police officers started patrolling the city on Friday. Haitian Prime Minister, Garry Conille, left Port-au-Prince to travel to Washington and New York.

According to Conille’s office, Justice Minister Carlos Hercule will serve as acting prime minister on Conille’s behalf while he travels alongside Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy, Finance Minister Ketleen Florestal, and Chief of Staff Nesmy Manigat.

“The delegation will have important work meetings with officials from international financial institutions, among others. It will also inspect Haiti’s embassy in Washington,” the office said, without giving further details.

Conille and Jon Finer, the deputy national security advisor, will meet on Monday, according to a spokesman for the US National Security Council. The UN has approved the deployment of an international security force headed by Kenya to assist Haiti’s police in combating armed gangs that have caused a humanitarian crisis in the nation. The U.S. is the power behind this force financially.

The first Kenyan police deployment arrived this week after Haiti’s former government requested the force in 2022. The arrival date of the remaining force, which is scheduled to total over 2,500 officers, is unknown.

Residents in Port-au-Prince expressed hope that the armed Kenyan police in khaki uniforms, complete with bulletproof jackets and helmets, would put an end to the senseless killings and allow commerce to resume as they patrolled the city in black armoured vans.

“We need peace. If the Kenyan police forces are here, it’s so we can return to the lives we used to have. We hope they’ve come to work seriously,” said resident Kloud Dine.

“We need the Kenyans here a while here because the gang members make us suffer too much,” added Louise Baret, a painter. “Enough is enough.”

Gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier rallied armed men in a video posted on social media on Wednesday. He told them to open fire on Kenyan police and threatened to fight to the death, saying, “I don’t care if they are white or black.” He declared, “They’re invaders if they’re not Haitian and they’re on Haitian territory.”

Because of the violence, more than 500,000 people have left their homes, and about half of the population is hungry.

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.