Politics

Kenya to increase police in Haiti after gang attacks

Published

2 months ago

October 12, 2024

President William Ruto announced on Friday that Kenya would send an additional 600 police personnel to Haiti next month in support of an international anti-gang mission. The prime minister of Haiti was visiting Kenya to accelerate the force’s deployment.

A minimum of ten nations have committed to dispatching over 2,900 soldiers to take part in the Multinational Security Support (MSS), which is spearheaded by Kenya.

However, since the U.N.-authorized operation began in June, only roughly 430 people have deployed, with over 400 of them coming from Kenya.
The majority of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, is under the grip of heavily armed gangs, and they are still expanding.

A local mayor claims that last week, members of the Gran Grif gang carried out one of the deadliest attacks in the nation’s recent memory, killing at least 115 people in an agricultural area.

Ruto called the war against gangs “the battle that we can win” and informed reporters that the expedition was aimed at enhancing security in Haiti. He declared that 600 more Kenyan officers had been committed and were undergoing training to be deployed the following month.

The prime minister of Haiti, Garry Conille, stood with Ruto and commended the police response to the massacre that occurred last week.

“The police and the (Kenyan) contingent were able to deploy by road within – really, virtually – hours to make sure that the city in question was quickly protected,” Conille said.

According to the UN, over 700,000 people in Haiti have abandoned their homes, and over five million people—nearly half of the population—are starving.

The term of the MSS was unanimously extended by the U.N. Security Council last month. Russia and China opposed the U.S. effort for a plan to make it a U.N. peacekeeping force, therefore it was removed from the resolution.

After the Security Council approved the MSS mission, Kenya sent about 400 police officers—out of an expected 1,000—to Port-au-Prince in June and July. A few more countries have combined to pledge at least 1,900 more troops.

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.