US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that they would never pressure Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, saying the US and France stand as united as ever with their NATO allies against Moscow’s invasion. VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
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Month: December 2022
Somalia Says Around 40 al-Shabab Fighters Killed in Clashes
Somali forces killed about 40 al-Shabab fighters in the Middle Shabelle region, the government said Thursday, the latest clashes in a monthslong offensive that aims to weaken the grip of the Islamist militant group.
Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida franchise that is seeking to impose its interpretation of Islamic law across the country, frequently stages deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.
On Sunday, al-Shabab stormed a heavily guarded hotel near the president’s residence in Mogadishu, killing nine people.
The government, supported by clan militias and African Union troops, says it has killed more than 600 members of al-Shabab and recaptured 68 settlements over the last three months, as part of concerted efforts to end the militants’ control over large portions of the Horn of Africa country.
Al-Shabab’s restrictions on deliveries of international aid have compounded the impact of the worst drought in four decades, officials say, leaving Somalia on the brink of famine.
Different sides often give conflicting accounts of clashes.
“The security forces and our international allies killed around 40 al-Shabab fighters and wounded several others,” Somalia’s Information Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry described it as a planned operation in a forest near the village of Ali Foldhere in Middle Shabelle on Wednesday night, but al-Shabab and one clan fighter said the fighting arose from an attack by the militants.
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Rights Group Alleges Russia Supplied Weapons Used in Airstrike on Myanmar School
Russian-made helicopters and weapons were used in an airstrike in September that left 12 people dead — half of them children — at a Myanmar school, according to a human rights group that monitors violations in the Southeast Asian country.
Russia, which has diplomatic ties with Myanmar, denies the accusation.
The group, Myanmar Witness, made its allegations in a recent report detailing what it says happened at the Let Yet Kone school located on the compound of a Buddhist monastery in Let Yet Kone village in Tabayin township. The report says Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters were used in the attack that lasted several hours, along with Russian-made S-5 rockets.
“The remnants allegedly found at the location in Tabayin were confirmed to be S-5 rockets by our arms team,” Myanmar Witness said in an email to VOA.
According to Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the military junta, the troops were flown to the village after the government received word that fighters from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and a local anti-coup group known as the People’s Defense Forces were moving weapons into the village.
The junta accuses the KIA of supporting groups that oppose the military government. The KIA is seeking autonomy for the Kachin ethnic group.
There has been no response from the KIA or the People’s Defense Forces.
VOA spoke to villagers who say no weapons were in the area.
Children were victims
One of the children killed was 14-year-old Zin Ko Oo. In an interview with VOA, his father said the teenager did not want to go to school “because it was unsafe for students at school, and he feared soldiers would come to the school and shoot them.”
The father declined to be named for fear of retribution.
The school had an enrollment of around 300 elementary and middle school students. Locals told VOA that parents and volunteer teachers set up the school in secret after a February 2021 coup saw the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered a civil disobedience movement, known as CDM, around the country.
On September 16, the day the two army helicopters attacked the school, Zin Ko Oo was attending class. When the helicopter gunships opened fire with machine guns and heavy weapons, he ran to a classroom where his niece and nephew sought shelter, his father told VOA.
“He helped to hide them under a wooden cot and covered them with his body and hands, but he was hit on the back of his head and legs by the bullets that came through the school’s roof.”
The grieving father said four small children were also struck in the hail of bullets and their bodies shredded. The father said he was told the four youngsters died on the spot, but Zin Ko Oo was brought to Ye-U hospital, 11 kilometers away from the village, where he later died.
The soldiers put the remains of the four children in garbage bags and took the bodies to their military post, Zin Ko Oo’s father said. From there, he said, the bodies were taken to a hospital for cremation.
“The military also did not allow the parents to see the bodies or have their children’s ashes back after the Ye-U hospital cremated them,” the father said. The father also said he was told the parents did not know the bodies would be cremated.
Zin Ko Oo’s father also told VOA he was the only parent who had a chance to view his son’s body at the hospital. The father said he was able to do so only because he begged a military officer on duty to let him see his son one last time. Zin Ko Oo had already died by the time his father saw him.
“I asked a doctor to allow me to take my son’s body, but they refused because they were afraid of the army,” Zin Ko Oo’s father said, adding, “They finally gave me his ashes.”
Zin Ko Oo’s father said no one from the People’s Defense Forces had been in their village or the school as the regime’s spokesperson, Zaw Min Tun, alleged at a press briefing in the Myanmar capital, Naypyidaw, on September 20. The military spokesperson also accused the government’s opponents of using the villagers as human shields.
Running scared
“We have never ever seen this kind of brutal attack targeting a school and us. We were civilians and did not have any weapons. We were so terrified and running as much as we could,” Zin Ko Oo’s father said, in describing the attack.
After the helicopters fired rockets and machine guns, the junta soldiers who were inside the helicopters raided the village.
Zin Ko Oo’s father told VOA his house and truck were burned by the soldiers. He said he lived five houses away from the west side of the monastery, where classes were in session. He said soldiers set fire to some of the motorcycles in a repair shop he owns.
Myanmar Witness stated, “The attack on Let Yet Kone school is part of an emerging trend that shows the Myanmar military’s pattern of increasing recklessness towards the safety of children, especially around schools.”
The Let Yet Kone school is in Sagaing, one of seven regions in the country.
There are thought to be 27 community schools, 4,000 students and 380 CDM teachers in Sagaing region, according to Myanmar Witness. The junta has outlawed such schools, arresting teachers as well as support staff.
“Another spot report was done on a school where a teacher was beheaded and fingers [were] mutilated so that one was definitely a killing with a message against CDM/NUG supported schools,” Myanmar Witness wrote in its email to VOA. The NUG refers to members of Myanmar’s exiled National Unity Government. It was established in opposition to the junta.
Separately, a group established in 2018 by the U.N. Human Rights Council said the school attack in Let Yet Kone village might be considered a war crime, with commanders criminally liable.
According to a September 27 statement by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), “Armed attacks that target civilians are prohibited by international laws of war and can be punished as war crimes or crimes against humanity.”
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Messi Fans from Asia Cheer on Argentina at World Cup
On their way to Argentina’s decisive game against Poland, Mohit Daga and Aayush Verma approached the stadium carrying a massive painting of their heroes Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona with the World Cup trophy.
Daga had spent 17 days painting it. It weighed 5 kilograms (11 pounds). An offering. Anything for Messi, whom he described as a “god.”
“He is the epitome of everything. He is the source of inspiration and happiness,” said Daga, who is from Kolkata, India. “He brings happiness to our life.”
Argentina is finding a legion of passionate superfans from India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries at the World Cup in Qatar.
Thousands have traveled to the Gulf nation specifically to see Messi and his team with their own eyes, while many others are among migrant workers that make up about 90% of the emirate’s population of 3 million.
Other fans cheered from afar. In Indonesia, social media showed hundreds of people celebrating Argentina’s team’s 2-0 win over Poland after watching the game on large screens. They paraded on motorbikes waving flags after Argentina secured progress to the knockout stages. A newsreader wore an Argentina shirt during a broadcast.
Smitha Issac, originally from India, now living in Qatar, was attending the game with her family, including two sons who were “too excited” to see Messi.
“He is something like Messiah,” Isaac said. “We are expecting that he will just make something like magic today.”
Outside Stadium 974 shortly before kickoff on Wednesday, Argentina fans were still scrambling for any spare tickets to see the game. Demand far outstripped supply for the 44,000-capacity stadium.
Mohammed Haque from Bangladesh, now living in Australia, was one of the lucky ticket holders. He waved a large Argentina flag as he walked toward the flood-lit stadium made of shipping containers, approaching it like a holy shrine.
“It’s unbelievable,” Haque said of seeing Messi for the first time.
“I’ve actually been preparing for the last two or three weeks for this. I had a sleepless night last night.”
Argentina has had a big following in Bangladesh since the days of Maradona, one of the greatest to play the game, and an icon to fans around the world.
“Diego Maradona, he was exceptional. And from then I just loved this country and especially the soccer every time,” Haque said. “Then later, [Gabriel] Batistuta, [Hernan] Crespo, every Argentine player, and now Messi is the legend.”
Bangladesh, India and Pakistan — where cricket is king — have never played a World Cup. So, when the tournament comes along, many soccer fans typically root for Argentina or Brazil, soccer powerhouses admired for their attacking style of play and a long line of international stars, including Messi, Maradona and Pele.
Fans who had traveled from Argentina to support their team in Qatar were delighted with the support from non-Argentines.
“We love to see other countries showing their love for Messi and Maradona,” said Mauricio Neraj from Mendoza, Argentina. He posed for pictures next to the painting of Messi and Maradona by Daga outside the stadium.
Argentina’s soccer federation praised the support from Bangladeshis on social media on Thursday.
“Thank you for supporting our team. You are as crazy as we are!” the federation said in a Twitter post with photos showing Bangladeshi fans wearing Argentina’s sky blue and white jersey.
Some of the South Asian fans in Qatar said they were deeply hurt by speculation on social media and in some Western media before the tournament that they were hired actors, paid by Qatar to fill the stadiums. The World Cup organizing committee rejected the reports as false.
“It is coming from the bottom of our hearts. It is not coming from any outside forcing or anything like that,” said Binoy John, and Indian worker in Qatar who has been an Argentina fan since childhood when he saw Maradona lead Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup. “All the fans are true fans. There is nothing like fake fans out here.”
Argentina has a following among Arab soccer fans, too. Messi devotion brought Ahmed Qassim Nasher from Yemen to see his favorite player as Argentina advanced.
“Football is a festival, joy, celebrations. It connects people from different nationalities, different languages, and different ethnicities,” Nasher said. “You will find Arabs and non-Arabs coming to cheer for Messi. It’s common sense that he will have the best audience and fans, because he is the best player throughout history.”
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Pakistan Questions Anti-Terror Pledges by Afghanistan’s Taliban
Pakistan warned Thursday that cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan “is both alarming and dangerous” for regional peace, calling on the neighboring country’s ruling Taliban to honor their anti-terror pledges.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah issued the warning amid a new wave of deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, mostly security forces.
Outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed credit for plotting much of the violence. Leaders and commanders of the group, an offshoot and ally of the Afghan Taliban, have largely taken refuge in Afghanistan.
“If the TTP is claiming responsibility for terrorist activities in Pakistan, it should be a matter of serious concern for the government of Afghanistan because their soil is being used for terrorism,” Sanaullah told reporters in Islamabad.
“[The Taliban] have given assurances to the world that they would not allow the use of Afghanistan’s soil by terrorist outfits, and they should deliver on their pledges.”
The Afghan Taliban deny they allow TTP or any other group to use Afghan territory for plotting cross-border terrorist attacks, promising they will try for treason anyone found guilty of such crimes.
Suicide bombing
Sanaullah spoke a day after TTP claimed credit for a suicide bombing of a truck transporting policeman on their way to protect medical workers administering polio vaccines in southwestern Baluchistan province.
The blast in the provincial capital, Quetta, killed at least four people and wounded more than two dozen, mostly policemen.
TTP is listed as a global terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations. It has carried out hundreds of suicide attacks and other terrorist strikes in Pakistan, killing tens of thousands of people since 2007 when the group emerged in volatile districts along the Afghan border.
Pakistan sustained years of counterterrorism military operations, which forced TTP members to flee to Afghanistan and establish sanctuaries there. But the return to power in Kabul of the Taliban in August 2021 has emboldened TTP members, and they enjoy greater operational freedom on the other side of the border, Pakistani officials maintain.
Sanaullah noted up to 7,000 combatants linked to the Pakistani Taliban and their families are currently sheltering on Afghan soil, saying the government is ready to talk with them to facilitate their repatriation if they agree to surrender and hand over their weapons in compliance with Pakistani laws.
TTP announces end to unilateral “cease-fire”
On Wednesday, the TTP said it was ending a unilateral “cease-fire” with the government and resuming attacks across Pakistan in retaliation for the government’s military operations against the group.
Pakistani officials rejected the claims as “lame excuses” and said the operations were launched to prevent TTP fighters from regrouping or reorganizing in the country.
The militant truce stemmed from several rounds of talks the Taliban government in Afghanistan recently brokered and hosted between Pakistani and TTP representatives.
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Congolese Army Says Rebels Massacred 50 Civilians in Eastern Town
Democratic Republic of Congo’s armed forces on Thursday said M23 rebels and their allies killed 50 civilians in a massacre in the eastern town of Kishishe this week, which the M23 denied.
Congo’s army and the M23, a Tutsi-led militia, have been locked in fighting for months in the country’s restive east, with each accusing the other of initiating attacks.
“The M23 Movement rejects the baseless allegations made against it in Kishishe,” the group’s political spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said in a statement. “The M23 reminds the international and national community that it has never targeted civilian populations.”
The United Nations and a U.S. diplomat said they also had information about civilian killings on Tuesday in Kishishe, North Kivu province, but did not give details. Both called for an investigation.
“We are deeply saddened by the massacre of civilians in Kishishe, which could constitute a war crime,” Stephanie Miley, charge d’affaires for the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa, said on Twitter.
Reports of abuse
A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations had received reports of human rights abuses committed during clashes between the M23 and local militias in Kishishe, which included a high number of civilian casualties.
Congo and U.N. experts say neighboring Rwanda supports the M23, which Rwanda has consistently denied. The two countries took part in talks last week in Angola aimed at finding solutions to the conflict.
One of their agreements was that an East African Community (EAC) regional force would intervene against the M23 if it did not stop fighting and withdraw from its positions.
Thousands protest
The EAC started sending troops into eastern Congo earlier this year to help fight various armed groups. A South Sudan army spokesman on Thursday said a battalion of 700 South Sudan troops would be sent to join the regional force.
Earlier on Thursday, thousands of people took to the streets of Goma and Bukavu, the two main cities in Congo’s east, to protest the deterioration of the security situation.
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Ukraine to Yemen, UN Seeks Record $51.5 Billion for ‘Shockingly High’ Aid Needs
The United Nations and partners on Thursday appealed for a record $51.5 billion in aid money for 2023, with tens of millions of additional people expected to need assistance, testing the humanitarian response system “to its limits.”
The appeal represents a 25% increase from 2022 and is more than five times the amount sought a decade ago.
The U.N. Global Humanitarian Overview estimates that an extra 65 million people will need help next year, bringing the total to 339 million in 68 countries.
That represents more than 4% of the people on the planet or about the population of the United States.
“Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year’s extreme events are spilling into 2023,” said U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, citing the war in Ukraine and drought in the Horn of Africa.
“For people on the brink, this appeal is a lifeline.”
More than 100 million people have been driven from their homes as conflict and climate change fuel a displacement crisis.
Nine months of war between Russia and Ukraine have disrupted food exports and about 45 million people in 37 countries are currently facing starvation, the report said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major setbacks in child vaccination programs and thwarted efforts to end extreme poverty, fueling other diseases such as cholera, Griffiths said at the launch Thursday.
For the first time ever, 10 countries have individual appeals of more than $1 billion — Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
But donor funding is already under strain with the multiple crises, forcing aid workers to make tough decisions on priorities.
The United Nations faces the biggest funding gap ever, with its unmet funding at 53% in 2022, based on data through to mid-November.
“The humanitarian response system is being tested to its limits,” Griffiths said.
Unlike in other parts of the U.N. where fees depend on countries’ economic size, humanitarian funding is voluntary and relies overwhelmingly on Western donations.
The United States is by far the biggest donor, giving upwards of $14 billion so far this year, followed by Germany and the European Commission while other major economies like China and India have given less than $10 million each.
In remarks at the same U.N. event, EU ambassador Thomas Wagner said it was imperative to expand and diversify the donor base which he described as “disturbingly narrow.”
your ad hereEU Calls for Special Russia Aggression Tribunal May Be Tough to Realize
A new European Union proposal for an international tribunal to try Russian aggression in Ukraine has received mixed reviews — prompting a thumbs up from Kyiv and rights advocates but doubts from experts about its feasibility and whether it will receive broad-based acceptance.
“Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of aggression against a sovereign state,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Wednesday, laying out arguments for establishing a new, United Nations-backed court. “We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialized court.”
The United Nations-backed International Criminal Court — also known as the ICC — in the Netherlands is already looking into alleged Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, as well as possible Ukrainian atrocities. Russia has denied committing war crimes and accused the international community of ignoring abuses by Ukrainian forces.
Special U.N.-backed tribunals aren’t new. The body proposed by von der Leyen, if ever realized, would focus on Russian aggression in Ukraine.
First lady points to thousands of crimes
The Ukrainian government has been quick to support the idea. Visiting a London exhibition this week on alleged Russian war crimes, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska called for justice.
She said more than 40,000 Russian crimes had been registered in Ukraine. Look at the photos at the exhibition, she told her audience, and abstract ideas of war in Ukraine will become real.
Moscow has dismissed the idea of a new war crimes tribunal as having no legitimacy. Experts suggest it would be challenging to establish one.
“My reading of what Ursula von der Leyen said is that the EU doesn’t take for granted that there would be overwhelming international support — and that it recognizes there has to be a sort of campaign to win support for the idea,” said Anthony Dworkin, a policy fellow specializing in human rights and justice at the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.
Proposal needs support from developing nations
Brussels will especially need backing from developing countries in Africa and elsewhere, said Dworkin.
“I think it’s very important that that should be done, rather than European countries kind of short-circuiting the attempt to win international legitimacy for the idea by just setting it up themselves,” he said.
Even if it’s up and running, such a tribunal could face obstacles if, for example, Russian President Vladimir Putin or other Russian officials face war crimes charges yet are still welcome to visit some nations. That was the case with Sudan’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir, who traveled to multiple countries despite ICC arrest warrants.
Charges against high-level Russian officials may also complicate any future Western efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“A court is supposed to be politically independent,” said Dworkin. “And therefore, you wouldn’t for instance expect — if there is a kind of negotiation at the end of the conflict — that the charges would be somehow dropped as part of the negotiation. The charges will persist.”
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Russian-American Science Conference Held in US Despite War in Ukraine
The Russian-American Science Association’s annual conference was held November 18-20 in Los Angeles, California. The event had a different tone this year because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian
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South Africa’s President Could Face Impeachment Inquiry
A report by an independent panel appointed by South Africa’s parliament contends that President Cyril Ramaphosa violated his oath of office, which could lead to an impeachment inquiry. The panel finds the president has to answer for the theft of at least a half-million dollars from his game farm that may not have been declared in his taxes.
Following the release of the report, Ramaphosa maintained his innocence and said in a statement he categorically denies violating his oath in any way.
The panel’s report stated that while it did not have all the answers, nor the authority to pursue them, it recommended an impeachment inquiry should proceed to get to the truth.
It noted there are many questions left unanswered, including where the money stolen from the farm had come from and the exact amount in question.
A former spy boss, Arthur Fraser, first brought the issue to light, claiming that between $4 million and $8 million was stolen from a sofa in the president’s farmhouse where it was hidden.
Fraser claimed the money was collected by Ramaphosa’s adviser Bejani Chauke for both him and the president during several trips he made to Middle Eastern and African countries, and it was not declared to authorities.
Ramaphosa, meanwhile, said it was from the sale of 20 buffalo to a Sudanese businessman known as Mr. Hazim who paid $580,000 for them on Christmas Day in 2019. The president said he was not at the farm at the time of the sale.
Ramaphosa said he was in Addis Ababa when he heard about the robbery on February 10, 2020. There are conflicting reports on whether the actual robbery took place on February 9 or February 10.
The panel questioned why no other information about the businessman was made available. And it noted that News24 journalist Kyle Cowan reported that despite “extensive searches, utilizing various databases and online tools, News24 was not able to immediately verify Hazim’s identity.”
One of the political parties that submitted evidence to the panel against the president, the Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, welcomed the report.
“There was no purchase of any buffalos, and this is exposed by the fact that two years later, those buffalos are still chilling at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm,” said Leigh-Ann Mathys, an EFF member.
This is something the panel raised, along with the fact the theft of the money from the game farm was not reported to the police but instead was handled by the head of Presidential Protection Services Major-General Wally Rhoode.
It is alleged that once found, several suspects were paid almost $9,000 each to keep quiet about the money.
There are also allegations the suspects were interrogated and tortured.
Political analyst Sanusha Naidoo of the Institute for Global Dialogue said Ramaphosa was hoping to be reelected at the African National Congress, or ANC, elective conference later this month, aiming for a second term as the country’s president.
“Going into 2022 elective conference, he was favored. And so, what happens to the elective? What are we going to do? The impact that this is going to have in the short term on our investment ratings, on our rand,” Naidoo said.
By late afternoon Thursday, the rand had weakened substantially and was trading at about R17.73 to the U.S. dollar.
Naidoo said this scandal is a massive blow to the country, as the president had campaigned globally for investments in South Africa.
“One of the things that has been critical in his gaining these kinds of investment pledges is the road map that he was going to put forward in terms of how this was going to be utilized in a productive, transparent and coherent way in order to stimulate the growth,” Naidoo said.
Another analyst, Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, also weighed in: “The reality of the matter is that his political image has been dented. So, under normal circumstances one would expect him to voluntarily exit the stage as it were, in terms of the elective conference because even if he were to win, that will compromise not just himself as a politician but the ANC as an organization.”
As for the quality of the report, constitutional law expert and University of Cape Town professor Pierre de Vos said while it’s not perfect, it has merit.
“Regardless of the technicalities, the report makes quite a convincing argument that there is a case to answer,” de Vos said.
The South African Revenue Service is also looking into the allegations.
your ad hereGuterres Praises Ethiopia Cease-fire
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised Ethiopia’s Tigray cease-fire during his first visit to the country since the war broke out two years ago. He said the U.N. is upscaling aid to meet “dramatic humanitarian needs.”
Speaking alongside African Union Commissioner Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Thursday, Guterres called on the international community to support Ethiopia following the signing of the cease-fire with Tigray last month.
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance says it will cost $20 billion to rebuild damage done to infrastructure during the two-year conflict. But donors, including the United States and the European Union, are yet to resume support that was cut out of concern for human rights abuses.
“We appeal to the international community to support Ethiopia in its development,” Guterres said. “There is not a better way to consolidate peace than developing the country, creating the conditions for the people to see the peace dividends, people to see how peace contributes to improvement of the living conditions of the citizens of the country. And we will be in the first line of advocating for international support for the development of Ethiopia in this crucial moment of the history of the country.”
While in Addis Ababa, Guterres held a joint meeting with the AU’s Faki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Guterres said the conflict in Ethiopia had resulted in “more causalities” than the war in Ukraine and that implementation of the cease-fire was vital.
“This is an opportunity that Ethiopia cannot miss, that Africa cannot miss, and that the world cannot miss. There were more casualties in the conflict in Ethiopia than in the conflict in Ukraine,” Guterres said. “People sometimes forget that this has been a dramatic conflict. And what was achieved thanks to the mediation of the African Union is remarkable. And it is the obligation of everybody, everywhere in the world to do everything possible to support the African Union and to support the parties, to make sure that we reach a final peace settlement.”
Under the terms of an implementation accord, the AU was due to deploy a monitoring team to Tigray by November 22. But diplomatic sources told VOA the team is yet to reach the northern region.
The Tigray rebels have agreed to disarm their fighting force alongside the withdrawal of Eritrean and other nonfederal forces from Tigray, but diplomats say Eritrean troops are still present. Aid has started to reach the region, where 5.4 million people need humanitarian support.
Disarmament was due to be completed within 30 days of the cease-fire that was agreed on November 2.
Ethiopia’s government said Thursday that a committee tasked with organizing the disarming of Tigray’s fighters had convened in the city of Shire, adding that the committee’s work had been “delayed due to technical factors.”
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India Dismisses Chinese Objections to India-US Military Drills Near Border
India has dismissed Beijing’s objections to U.S.-India military exercises being held close to India’s disputed border with China.
The drills between Indian and U.S. soldiers began in mid-November and are due to conclude Friday. Part of annual exercises held by the two sides, this year’s maneuvers are taking place in the Himalayan mountains in Auli in Uttarakhand state, about 100 kilometers from the border area, known as the Line of Actual Control.
China said on Wednesday that the joint exercises “violated the spirit of relevant agreements” between Beijing and New Delhi. “It does not serve the mutual trust between China and India. China has expressed concerns to the Indian side over the military exercise,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing.
Responding to China’s comments, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said Thursday that “India exercises with whomsoever it chooses to, and it does not give a veto to third countries on this issue.”
Bagchi said the exercises had nothing to do with the agreements China had referred to. “But since these were raised, the Chinese side needs to reflect upon and think upon its own breach of these agreements,” according to Bagchi.
Tensions between India and China have escalated since a bloody border clash in 2020 killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in the Ladakh area. As a result, both sides continue to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets along the disputed border and are rapidly building infrastructure in the Himalayan mountains.
Following several rounds of talks between the military commanders of the two countries, soldiers have pulled back from some so-called “friction points” along the border where they were posted close to each other, but heavy deployments continue at other points that are of strategic significance to both sides.
The U.S. Department of Defense said in a report this week that China “warned” U.S. officials not to interfere in its relations with India following the border skirmishes. “The PRC (People’s Republic of China) seeks to prevent border tensions from causing India to partner more closely with the United States,” stated the report on “Military and Security Developments involving China” that was submitted to U.S. lawmakers.
This year’s drills in Auli were the 18th edition of joint exercises known as “Yudh Abhyas” or “War Practice” that are held alternately in the U.S. and India with the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics and techniques. Last year’s exercises were held in Alaska.
Before the drills commenced, India’s Ministry of Defense said the exercises will focus on surveillance, mountain-warfare skills, casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions.
The exercises are part of deepening military cooperation between New Delhi and Washington, driven by mutual concerns over Beijing’s growing assertiveness. India is part of the Quad alliance, with the U.S, Australia and Japan, that aims to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyan Jaishankar, has reiterated on several forums that New Delhi’s relationship with Beijing cannot be normal without peace in the border areas.
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Afghans Show Mixed Feelings About US More Than a Year After Withdrawal
Despite its chaotic military and diplomatic withdrawal from Afghanistan over a year ago, U.S. global leadership approval has seen a slight uptick among some Afghans, a new survey conducted inside the country says.
Approval of U.S. leadership among all Afghans is measured at 18%, slightly more than the 14% measured last year, while U.S. popularity is sharply different among different ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
“The U.S. remains popular among Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic community; 53% are still supportive of U.S. leadership,” Gallup said in a statement about its latest survey in the country.
The Shia Hazaras are an ethnic and religious minority in Afghanistan making up 10 to 12% of the country’s estimated 36 million people.
Gallup says its surveyors interviewed 1,000 men and women from 21 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces this year.
Among Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, the U.S. remains widely unpopular with only an 8% approval rate, while among Tajiks, the second largest ethnic group, it’s reported at 23%.
Most Taliban leaders are Pashtuns who fought against the United States in Afghanistan from 2002 until U.S. and Taliban representatives signed a peace agreement in February 2020.
Despite its complex history of engagement in Afghanistan, the U.S. remains more popular in the South Asian country than China and Russia, whose leadership approval rates are equally ranked at 14% in the survey.
The U.S. spent about $2 trillion on the Afghan war for over two decades. More than 150,000 people lost their lives in the war, including at least 2,400 U.S. military personnel.
A majority of Americans, 69%, said the U.S. mostly failed in achieving its goals in Afghanistan, according to an August 2022 Pew survey.
Loss of hope
The drastic changes Afghanistan has seen over the last year seem to have disappointed an overwhelming majority of ordinary Afghans, according to the Gallup survey.
Nearly all Afghans, 98%, rated their living conditions as “suffering” under the new regime and only 11% said they have hopes for better opportunities for the next generation.
Afghans are also increasingly concerned about a sharp deterioration in women’s rights.
“A record-low 22% of Afghans say women in their country are treated with respect and dignity — down from the previous low of 31% in 2021,” reads a Gallup statement.
“The one positive we did see was in relation to the safety that Afghans feel within their communities. The percentage of Afghans who feel safe walking alone at night in their communities increased from 22% to 52%,” said Julie Ray, a Gallup analyst.
The Taliban’s return to power has crippled the Afghan economy, pushing 90% of the population into poverty, the United Nations has reported.
“Taliban’s rules of the 90s and currently can be encapsulated in one word: suffering,” Malaiz Daud, senior research fellow with the European Foundation for South Asian studies, told VOA.
“They lack the management, organizational and resource mobilization skills to run a polity designed to look after an entire country.”
Taliban officials, however, redirect all criticisms of economic paralysis to the West saying financial sanctions, assets freeze and a cessation of development assistance have pushed the country to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote from Gallup analyst Julie Ray.
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Spain Investigating Letter Bombs Sent to Prime Minister, Ukraine Embassy
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Thursday a letter bomb sent to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was act of terror and pledged to ensure that those responsible receive the maximum punishment.
Authorities in Spain say the bomb was one of several that went to various addresses around the Spanish capital, including that of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and intercepted. The one that arrived at the Ukrainian embassy exploded Wednesday, injuring an employee.
Speaking on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Romania, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the letter bomb was a very serious matter, and they were carefully following it.
He said, “This is an attack against the diplomatic establishment that is defended by international law,” and he had ordered all foreign diplomatic Ukrainian establishments to immediately increase security measures.
Kuleba pledged to “defend each Ukrainian not only in Ukraine, but also abroad with all available means.”
Spanish officials said packages also arrived Thursday at Spain’s defense ministry and the Torrejon de Ardoz air base. Another package arrived Wednesday at Instalaza, a company that makes grenade launchers Spain has sent to Ukraine.
The investigation into who sent the packages is continuing.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Mixed Feelings About US in Afghanistan More Than a Year After Withdrawal
Despite its chaotic military and diplomatic withdrawal from Afghanistan over a year ago, U.S. global leadership approval has seen a slight uptick among some Afghans, a new survey conducted inside the country says.
Approval of U.S. leadership among all Afghans is measured at 18%, slightly more than the 14% measured last year, while U.S. popularity is sharply different among different ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
“The U.S. remains popular among Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic community; 53% are still supportive of U.S. leadership,” Gallup said in a statement about its latest survey in the country.
The Shia Hazaras are an ethnic and religious minority in Afghanistan making up 10 to 12% of the country’s estimated 36 million people.
Gallup says its surveyors interviewed 1,000 men and women from 21 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces this year.
Among Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, the U.S. remains widely unpopular with only an 8% approval rate, while among Tajiks, the second largest ethnic group, it’s reported at 23%
Most Taliban leaders are Pashtuns who fought against the United States in Afghanistan from 2002 until U.S. and Taliban representatives signed a peace agreement in February 2020.
Despite its complex history of engagement in Afghanistan, the U.S. remains more popular in the South Asian country than China and Russia, whose leadership approval rates are equally ranked at 14% in the survey.
The U.S. spent about $2 trillion on the Afghan war for over two decades. More than 150,000 people lost their lives in the war, including at least 2,400 U.S. military personnel.
A majority of Americans, 69%, said the U.S. mostly failed in achieving its goals in Afghanistan, according to an August 2022 Pew survey.
Loss of hope
The drastic changes Afghanistan has seen over the last year seem to have disappointed an overwhelming majority of ordinary Afghans, according to the Gallup survey.
Nearly all Afghans, 98%, rated their living conditions as “suffering” under the new regime and only 11% said they have hopes for better opportunities for the next generation.
Afghans are also increasingly concerned about a sharp deterioration in women’s rights.
“A record-low 22% of Afghans say women in their country are treated with respect and dignity — down from the previous low of 31% in 2021,” reads a Gallup statement.
“The one positive we did see was in relation to the safety that Afghans feel within their communities. The percentage of Afghans who feel safe walking alone at night in their communities increased from 22% to 52%,” said Khorshied Nusratty, a Gallup spokeswoman.
The Taliban’s return to power has crippled the Afghan economy, pushing 90% of the population into poverty, the United Nations has reported.
“Taliban’s rules of the 90s and currently can be encapsulated in one word: suffering,” Malaiz Daud, senior research fellow with the European Foundation for South Asian studies, told VOA.
“They lack the management, organizational and resource mobilization skills to run a polity designed to look after an entire country.”
Taliban officials, however, redirect all criticisms of economic paralysis to the West saying financial sanctions, assets freeze and a cessation of development assistance have pushed the country to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
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Taliban Defend Ban on VOA, RFE/RL Broadcasts in Afghanistan
The Islamist Taliban government has defended banning FM radio broadcasts from two U.S.-funded news media, including the Voice of America, in Afghanistan, alleging they were offending local laws.
The ban on VOA and Azadi Radio, an Afghan extension of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL, went into effect Thursday, a day after the Taliban’s ministry of information and culture said it had received complaints about programing content but shared no specifics.
It is unclear whether the ban will apply to other international broadcasters that have used the same system for FM broadcasts in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan has press laws and any network found repeatedly contravening these laws will have their privilege of reporting from and broadcasting within Afghanistan taken away,” Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban foreign ministry spokesman, said in his written comments to VOA.
“VOA and Azadi Radio failed to adhere to these laws, were found as repeat offenders, failed to show professionalism and were therefore shut down,” Balkhi asserted.
The two U.S. government-funded news organizations operate with journalistic independence and aim to provide comprehensive, balanced coverage.
VOA’s Afghan services broadcast 12 hours a day on 15 FM channels and two medium wave (MW) channels, with programming split between Pashto and Dari, reaching millions of listeners across improvised Afghanistan, where radio remains a primary source of information.
The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021, just days before American and NATO troops concluded their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war with the then-insurgent Islamist group.
The Taliban have since implemented their harsh interpretation of Islamic law to govern the conflict-ridding country, restricting rights and freedoms.
The restrictions and financial hardships have forced dozens of private television channels, radio stations and print media reportedly to cease operation in Afghanistan, with thousands of journalists losing jobs. Hundreds of Afghan media personnel also have fled the country, fearing Taliban persecution.
France-based global media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, has reported that the country has lost 40% of its media outlets and 60% of its journalists since the Taliban takeover.
Dari and Pashto radio programs of VOA started broadcasting to Afghanistan in the1980s when the South Asian nation was being occupied by Soviet forces.
The local language broadcasts are widely respected as credible and reliable.
VOA also reaches a large Afghan audience via digital media. In March the Taliban stopped VOA’s Ashna TV news shows, which had been broadcast on Afghan National Television, Tolo News and Lamar for a decade, VOA Pashto reported.
Amnesty International said Thursday on Twitter that the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan “has resulted in sweeping changes to the lives of all Afghans, but even more for women and girls. They face dire restrictions on their rights in their daily lives.”
Since taking over the country, the Taliban have barred women from undergoing long road trips without a male relative, have ordered women to cover their faces in public and have prevented teenage girls from returning to secondary schools.
Akmal Dawi contributed to this report.
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