Musings From Abroad

Claims of witch-hunt as 4 million Bengalis risk losing India citizenship

India has published a list which effectively strips some four million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship

Published

6 years ago

July 30, 2018

Africa News Watch

India has published a list which effectively strips some four million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, when Bangladesh was created.

India says the process is to root out hordes of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But it has sparked fears of a witch hunt against ethnic minorities in Assam. Fearing violence, officials say that no-one will face immediate deportation.

However, they say that a lengthy appeal process will be available to all – even if it means millions of families will live in limbo until they get a final decision on their legal status.

But this did not reassure Hasitun Nissa, who spoke to the BBC’s Joe Miller days before the list was published. She has never known a home outside the floodplains of Assam.

It’s where the 47-year-old schoolteacher spent her childhood, where she studied, where she got married and where she had her four children.

But she said she expected to be stripped of her Indian citizenship, and feared her land rights, voting rights and freedom would be in peril.

She’s not alone. Around four million Bengalis – a linguistic minority in Assam – have now fallen foul of the long, bureaucratic process.

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Musings From Abroad

Brazilian meatpacker JBS invests $2.5 billion in Nigeria, builds six facilities

Published

7 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Brazilian meatpacker JBS says it has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government for a $2.5 billion investment plan that will include the construction of six new plants in the African nation.

Three of the plants would deal in poultry, two in beef, and one in pork, according to a statement from JBS.

In accordance with the memorandum of understanding, JBS stated that it would develop a five-year investment plan in Nigeria, which would include budget estimates, feasibility studies, and an action plan for the development of the local supply chain.

The Nigerian government would then guarantee the sanitary, regulatory, and economic conditions required for the project’s viability, JBS continued.

Musings From Abroad

China’s Xi meets with Morocco’s Crown Prince

Published

8 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Morocco’s official media reports that Chinese President, Xi Jinping, visited Morocco briefly on Thursday.

According to Morocco’s MAP, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan welcomed Xi in Casablanca. The visit demonstrated the close ties of camaraderie, collaboration, and solidarity between the Moroccan and Chinese peoples, it said.

China’s official broadcaster, CCTV, said that Xi and Hassan had a “cordial conversation” at the airport after being received by the Crown Prince and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

After attending the G20 Summit in Brazil, Xi paid the visit.

In recent years, China has increased its investments in Morocco’s rail and infrastructure. Morocco is desirable for Chinese electric car battery manufacturers because of its proximity to Europe, free trade agreements with important EU and US markets, and an established automotive sector.

Morocco was chosen by Chinese EV battery company Gotion High Tech in June to establish Africa’s first gigafactory, which will cost $1.3 billion in total.