Musings From Abroad

Asylum seekers’ lawyers insist UK/Rwanda migrant deal unlawful

Published

1 year ago

April 24, 2023

Lawyers representing a group of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom on Monday told the Court of Appeal in London that Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda was unlawful.

One of their lawyers, Raza Husain argued that Rwanda was an authoritarian one-party state that did not tolerate opposition and imprisons, tortures, and murders opponents.

“There will only be any form of deterrent effect if a third country to which asylum seekers are removed is one to which they would not wish to go,” Husain said, arguing the government had failed to tread the line between deterring migrants and remaining within Britain’s human rights obligations.

The British government last year revealed plans to send thousands of migrants to the East African country as part of a 120 million pound ($148 million) deal to deter asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel from France in small boats.

A last-minute decision by the European Court of Human Rights, which placed an injunction banning any deportations until the conclusion of legal proceedings in Britain, prevented the first scheduled flight to Rwanda from taking off in June of last year.

The High Court in London decided the program was legal in December, but some human rights organizations and asylum seekers from countries like Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, and Vietnam are challenging that ruling.

But lawyers representing the asylum seekers say the government’s argument that Rwanda is a “safe third country” is flawed.

But the British government lawyers insisted that the deal with Rwanda was “subject to an exacting set of monitoring arrangements”, including by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who has intervened in the appeal.

They said in court filings that evidence about Rwanda’s asylum system was of little relevance as it had no bearing on how asylum seekers would be dealt with under the deal with Britain.

Meanwhile, one of three judges hearing the case, Ian Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice said the issue of the safety of Rwanda would be the core issue.

Last year, a record 45,000 migrants entered Britain in small boats. Finding a solution to the issue of illegal immigration is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top concerns.

Musings From Abroad

US official accuses Russian troops of entering base housing US military in Niger

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a senior United States defence official quoted by Reuters, Russian military soldiers have entered an air base in Niger that is housing American troops. This action comes after the junta in Niger decided to drive out American forces.

The West African nation, which up until a coup last year had been a crucial ally for Washington’s struggle against insurgents who have killed hundreds of people and displaced millions more, had demanded that Washington remove the almost 1,000 American military personnel.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. defence official stated that Russian personnel were using a different hangar at Airbase 101, which is close to Diori Hamani International Airport in the capital city of Niamey, Niger, rather than interacting with American troops.

Russian military action brings U.S. and Russian forces closer at a time when the country’s military and diplomatic rivalry is growing more intense due to the situation in Ukraine. Reuters was the first to report on the move. It also begs the question of what would happen to US installations in the nation after a pullout.

“(The situation) is not great but in the short-term manageable,” the official said.

When questioned about the Reuters article, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the possibility that Russian forces would approach American military assets or pose a threat to American troops.

“The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment,” Austin told a press conference in Honolulu.

“I’m always focused on the safety and protection of our troops … But right now, I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection.”
The Nigerien and Russian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After coups that installed forces anxious to break away from Western governments in power, the United States and its allies were obliged to withdraw their troops from many African nations. Apart from the imminent withdrawal from Niger, American forces have recently departed Chad and been expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Simultaneously, Russia is attempting to reinforce its ties with African countries by portraying itself as a friendlier nation with no colonial past in the region. For instance, Mali has emerged as one of Russia’s closest African friends in recent years, thanks to the deployment of the Wagner Group mercenary force there to combat jihadist insurgents.

Russia has said that ties with the United States are “below zero” due to American financial and military support for Ukraine’s defence against Russian forces on the invader’s territory.

Musings From Abroad

Hamas leader in talks for Gaza ceasefire with Egypt, Qatar

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, spoke with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt’s security services, and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, as negotiations continue for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Palestinian Islamist group stated that a delegation will soon be in Egypt for additional negotiations on a cease-fire in the Gaza conflict.

The statement further stated that during the phone conversation with Egypt’s Kamel, Haniyeh had confirmed the group’s “positive spirit in studying the ceasefire proposal”.

Hamas announced on Saturday that it had received Israel’s most recent stance and would review it before responding.

An unnamed high-ranking Egyptian source was quoted by the Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera News as stating that the Hamas delegation would land in Cairo within the next two days.

The visit by the Hamas delegation may happen within the next two days, according to a Palestinian official close to the mediation quoted by Reuters.

Hamas’ statement added that the negotiations to be held in Cairo aim to “mature a deal that achieves the demands of our people and ends the aggression.”

Hamas also said on Thursday that Haniyeh and the prime minister of Qatar had decided to carry on with the current negotiations to “mature a deal” through mediation by the governments of Qatar and Egypt.

Egypt has redoubled its efforts to force Israel and Hamas to resume their stalled talks to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza.