Metro

UN shocked as more than 200 killed in renewed ethnic fighting in Sudan’s Darfur

Published

3 years ago

April 28, 2022

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, says the global human rights body is shocked at the wanton killings that have seen more than 200 people dead in the troubled Darfur region in Sudan.

Bachelet who expressed her disappointment in a statement on Wednesday, demanded an “impartial and independent” investigations into the attacks following fighting that erupted in the troubled region between members of the Massalit community and Arab fighters since Friday.

In the statement, the UN human rights chief she was “appalled” at the spike in the ethnic violence which has spread “in and around the West Darfur state capital El Geneina” and has worsened the situation in the “vast, arid and impoverished region long awash with guns.”

“I am appalled. I am in shock. I am concerned that this region continues to see repeated, serious incidents of intercommunal violence, with mass casualties,” she said

“The fighting, which comes as Sudan grapples with the fallout from a coup six months ago led by army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, has seen hospitals attacked, a police station destroyed and a market burnt to the ground,” the UN reported.

An official death toll from the governor of West Darfur state, Khamees Abkar, showed that as at Wednesday, at least 213 people have been killed in three days of violence, with the clashes centred on Krink, a locality of about 500,000 people roughly 1,100 kilometres west of Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

Abkar called the destruction and death a “massive crime”, noting that 201 people were killed and 103 wounded on Sunday alone, in a video published late on Tuesday.

It is the latest in several rounds of recent intercommunal clashes, pitting the Massalit, an ethnic group of largely settled farmers, against semi-nomadic Arab pastoralist groups, heavy fighting initially erupted on Friday when at least eight people were killed in the Krink region, with gunmen attacking Massalit villages in retaliation for the killing of two comrades, the General Co-ordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, an independent aid group, said.

Related Topics:Darfur Featured Sudan United Nations

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Metro

Zambian govt successfully repatriates trafficked toddler from Mozambique

Published

23 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Zambian government has announced the successful repatriation of a one-year-eight-month-old child who was trafficked to Mozambique.

Making the announcement at a media briefing held at the Ministry’s head office in Lusaka on Friday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Angela Kawandami, expressed relief and joy at the child’s return, following the abduction from Lundazi District in October 2023.

Kawandami revealed that the case was reported to Lundazi Police Station on October 28, 2023, and following intense investigation, the child was trailed to a house in a care facility in Tete, Mozambique, before being repatriated.

Kawandami emphasized government’s commitment to protecting children’s rights, citing the Children’s Code Act of 2022 and the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2008 as essential tools in combating child trafficking.

“These laws mandate the state and relevant actors to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of children, especially those at risk of trafficking,” she said.

She further highlighted the role of Zambia’s National Referral Mechanism in ensuring a coordinated, multi-sectoral response to trafficking cases.

“Through effective collaboration between the Ministries of Community Development and Social Services, Home Affairs and Internal Security, the Zambia Police Service’s Anti-Human Trafficking Department, and Interpol, the child was returned safely after a year of continuous efforts,” she narrated.

She urged the public to remain vigilance and report suspected trafficking cases, noting the increasing threat of human trafficking.

Also speaking at the press briefing, the Director for Anti-Human Trafficking in the Ministry of Home Affairs Boris Mulengu, praised the strong cooperation between Zambia and Mozambique, stressing the importance of intergovernmental collaboration in combating trafficking.

Meanwhile, the child’s mother expressed heartfelt gratitude for her child’s safe return, acknowledging the emotional toll the abduction had caused.

She thanked the government and all involved agencies for their unwavering dedication to reuniting her with her child.

Metro

Finland-based Nigerians in panic as authorities search for Simon Ekpa’s sponsors

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Some Nigerians based in Finland have been thrown into panic mode following the arrest and detention of the self-styled Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRIGE), Simon Ekpa, who was arrested on Thursday by Finnish authorities on terror-related charges.

Ekpa was arrested alongside four other individuals by Finnish authorities on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and financing terrorism.

The dissident had made himself infamous by using the social media to promote violent activities in southeastern Nigeria, including attacks and murder of civilians and security personnel.

According to some Nigerians in European country, following the arrest of the separatist leader and the four individuals suspected to be sponsors of his group known as IPOB-AutoPilots, the police have begun a manhunt for other sponsors, thus creating panic in the Nigerian community and those who may have had dealings with the agitator.

Several sources who spoke to journalists, said Nigerians in the European country are afraid of commenting on the arrest of Ekpa over fear of being attacked.

A Nigerian community leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said that the Igbo community in the was gravely affected by the violent acts of the secessionist group.

“Everyone is afraid to speak about Ekpa’s arrest. The key people in Finland and the Igbo community at large are not ready to lend their voices either,” he said.

He added that some persons were being accused of reporting Ekpa to the police and were being threatened.

“A particular person they accused now, they’re after him. This happened before he (Ekpa) was even remanded; what will happen when they imprison him? Everyone is afraid. These people are very deadly.”

Another Nigerian who spoke acknowledged that there was serious tension among Nigerians in the country.

“People don’t want to speak about Ekpa for fear of being hunted by his followers. We believe that they will hunt whoever comes out to talk about their leader. But the Finnish Government is trying to get rid of the situation.”