Gaza: Ceasefire now!

Amnesty - Israel/OPT: Urgent call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to end unprecedented civilian suffering

 

Amnesty International is issuing an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid for people in Gaza amidst an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

“Over the past two and a half weeks we have witnessed horror unfolding on an unimaginable scale in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. More than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to survive amidst a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and the level of civilian casualties has been unprecedented. Over 6546 people have been killed in Gaza and at least 1,400 in Israel and thousands more have been injured. More than 200 people have been taken hostage by Hamas. Serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, by all parties to the conflict continue unabated. In the face of such unprecedented devastation and suffering, humanity must prevail,” said Agnès Callamard Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Urgent action is needed to protect civilians and prevent further staggering levels of human suffering. We urge all members of the international community to come together to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire by all parties in the conflict.”

Amnesty International joins the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, the UN agencies working in Palestine, and many human rights experts, represented by a long list of UN special procedures, who are also calling for a ceasefire, along with the UN Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Since the horrific attacks in southern Israel on 7 October, in which Hamas and other armed groups killed at least 1,400 people and took over 200 hostages, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities, Israeli forces have launched thousands of air and ground strikes on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 6,546 people, mostly civilians, including at least 2,704 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. More than 17,439  have been injured and over 2,000 bodies are still trapped beneath the rubble while the health sector is on its knees.

The looming ground offensive by Israeli forces into Gaza is likely to have cataclysmic consequences for Gaza’s civilians, as foretold by the ominous threats issued by the Israeli military to civilians remaining in northern Gaza. Civilians in Israel also continue to come under attack from indiscriminate rocket fire from Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.

Niger: Three months after the coup

 

My article for RFI English:

Niger faces multiple crises three months after military coup

Three months after a military junta seized power in Niger, overthrowing democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the country remains increasingly isolated. Rights groups warn Niger's population of 27 million now face a multitude of crises including insecurity, poverty and loss of personal freedoms.

When General Abdourahmane Tiani and his allies in the army seized power on on 26 July, they formed the self-proclaimed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP). 

Condemned in the United States and in Europe, the coup sparked mass protests from supporters in the capital, Niamey, who also calling for troops of former colonial ruler France to leave.

Thus, France is pulling out its 1,500-strong military deployment to the Sahel country.

This has left Niger – supported only by neighbouring juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali, and by Russia – increasingly isolated as it wards off a surge of attacks from Islamists.

While most African partners tried to pressure the junta to restore constitutional order, the military has refused and has remained in power. It now faces enormous challenges.

• Niger's junta finds support in Mali and Russia, but France stands firm

Human rights issues and lack of freedom

NGOs Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say authorities in Niger have arrested dozens of officials from the ousted government and cracked down on critical media and peaceful dissent.

In a report, they call for the immediate release of those held on "politically motivated charges".

Since the coup, ousted president Bazoum has been detained at the presidential palace in Niamey along with his wife and son.

The rights groups say authorities have threatened, harassed, intimidated and arbitrarily arrested journalists and young poeple – while targeting political opponents and others expressing critical views.

"Assault on the right to freedom of expression has put Niger on a dangerous course when it comes to human rights,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The authorities should end arbitrary detentions, uphold human rights, and allow media freedom.”

National and international journalists say they have experienced intimidation, threats of violence, online harassment and surveillance from both government agents and others.

In August the CNSP indefinitely suspended the international news broadcasters Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France 24.

“Niger is at a critical juncture,” said Ousmane Diallo, Sahel researcher at Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa.

“Freedom of expression, dissent, and media freedom are vital for the enjoyment of other rights and holding the government accountable."

Diallo urged the transitional military authorities to act decisively to end the growing threats, harassment against Nigerien journalists, media organisations and critics, and to take effective measures to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights of everyone in the country.

• French troops start leaving Niger after coup leaders order them out
  
  

Risk of economic collapse

Niger is suffering heavy economic sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), while many Western countries have cut off development aid.

Ecowas closed the borders between Niger and its member states on 30 July, suspending commercial and financial transactions, and threatening military action if the CNSP did not release Bazoum and return him to power.

The bloc has also imposed travel bans and asset freezes on the coup leaders as well as the country more generally.

The European Union on Monday took another step towards imposing sanctions on Niger's new military rulers, planning to freeze assets of targeted entities and individuals and hand them travel bans. 

United Nations agencies expressed worries for the consequences on the country's people.

According to a joint World Bank and World Food Programme (WFP) analysis, the projected increase in inflation and negative GDP could see the extreme poverty rate rise to more than 44 percent. This would mean an additional 700,000 people falling into extreme poverty this year.

Rising food insecurity requires the immediate scale-up of assistance to avert long-term repercussions, the WFP added, with 3 million people facing food insecurity.

Few allies

Since the coup and the junta's rupture with France, Niger has drawn condamnations from its main partners. Like neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, it has only one international ally: Russia's president Vladimir Putin.

In August the African Union suspended Niger from its institutions, but held off on a military intervention, instead calling for a peaceful approach for “the return to constitutional order”.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed a desire to cooperate with the military regime when he met with Niger's Foreign Minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, on Wednesday.

After the talks in Iran, Raisi praised what he called "the resistance of the Nigerien people against European hegemonic policies", saying it was evidence of "Africa's refusal of colonialism".

Raisi said Iran was ready to cooperate with Niger, "particularly in economic areas", as he already offered Burkina Faso.

Tehran has been bolstering ties across the African continent in an effort to reduce its isolation and the impact of United States sanctions, with Raisi undertaking a rare Africa tour to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe in July.

In a sign that Niger may be looking for compromise with its West African neighbours, the country's Interior Minister last week unexpectedly told a peace forum in Togo that Niamey would welcome a new partnership with Ecowas. 

New film from Burkina Faso: 'SIRA', by Apolline Traoré

 

Coming soon in West Africa and Europe:

Une jeune femme peule traverse la région subsaharienne du Sahel pour épouser son fiancé, lorsque sa tribu se fait attaquer par une cellule terroriste. Abusée par Yéré, leur chef, et abandonnée au milieu du désert, Sira devra faire preuve d’une force extraordinaire pour survivre, se venger et contrer la terreur islamiste. 

Ce nouveau film de la réalisatrice burkinabée Apolline Traoré, nécessaire et poignant, montre la dure réalité des femmes africaines victimes du terrorisme et la résilience dont elles sont capables. 

Prix du Public Panorama à la Berlinale, ainsi que l’Étalon d’argent au Fespaco.

Sélection du Burkina aux Oscars.

Gaza, latest

 

Gaza needs billions in aid to reverse years of restrictions, UN trade body

The Gaza Strip needs billions of dollars in international economic aid to compensate for years of restrictions that have stifled its economy and curbed its development, according to a report published on Wednesday by the United Nations trade body.

Issued on: 26/10/2023 - 07:11

RFI

In its report on the economic development of the Occupied Palestinian Territory for 2022, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlighted the dire economic conditions in Gaza.

This relates to the situation even prior to Israeli strikes on the enclave in reprisal for the deadly 7 October attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel.

"Donors and the international community need to extend significant economic aid to repair the extensive damage Gaza has experienced under prolonged restrictions and closures and frequent military operations, which has stifled the economy and decimated infrastructure," the report said.

"While donor aid is important to assist the people of Gaza, it should not be viewed as a substitute for ending the restrictions and closures and calling on Israel and all parties to bear their responsibilities under international law," the report added.

Speaking to reporters from the UN's headquarters in Geneva, Richard Kozul-Wright, director of UNCTAD's division on globalisation and development strategies, said it was difficult to assess how much Gaza would actually need until the current conflict ceases.

"But it's going to be in the billions of dollars," he said.

There has also been a steep decline in aid between 2008 and 2022, from $2 billion, or 27 percent of GDP, to $550 million, or less than three percent of GDP, last year.

Nearly half of Gaza's population is unemployed, and more than half lives in poverty, the report said.

Although workers in Gaza have been allowed access to the job market in Israel for the first time in recent years, the number of permits issued is around one percent of employed workers in Gaza, too few to counter poverty.

"Border closures and repeated military operations have set in motion a vicious circle of economic and institutional collapse that has rendered Gaza a case of 'development in reverse,'" the report said.

"The impact is not confined to the short term. Indirect and long-term effects will reverberate through future generations."

(with Reuters)

New Substack post

Gaza on my mind... and all the forgotten conflicts

Writing in the time of multiplied conflicts

MELISSA CHEMAM

25 OCT 2023

-

Senegalese opponent in coma

 

Latest from West Africa:

Senegal's main opposition leader Sonko slips into coma during hunger strike

Issued on: 25/10/2023 - 15:43

By:Melissa Chemam

Ousmane Sonko has slipped into a coma, his lawyers said on Tuesday.

Senegal's main opposition leader has been under arrest since July, and imprisoned in Dakar's hospital.

His health first started deteriorating when he started a hunger strike in August to protest against what he calls harassment by the state.

But Sonko, 49, resumed his hunger strike mid-October to support the opponents to President Macky Sall, and to call for freedom for political prisoners ahead of next year's elections.

His state of health is now "alarming" and "worsening" one of Sonko's lawyers, Ciré Cledor Ly, said.

He entered a deep coma on Monday.

His spokesperson, El Malick Ndiaye, wrote on social media that his supporters have asked the Senegalese authorities to end Sonko's detention, which he described as "unjust".

PASTEF, Sonko's party, which has officially been dissolved by the authorities, launched an "urgent appeal" to the president and to the religious authorities, "to not remain indifferent to this situation" and to use their influence to demand the immediate release of Sonko.

Legal battles

Sonko was jailed in July on charges including fomenting insurrection, criminal association in connection with a terrorist enterprise and undermining state security over incidents dating back to 2021.

• Jailed Senegalese opposition leader Sonko resumes hunger strike

This should render him eligible according to the authorities but a court in his stronghold of Ziguinchor ordered his reinstatement to electoral lists, a decision which paved the way for him to be a presidential candidate.

• Senegalese opposition leader wins legal fight to rejoin electoral list

Sonko and his supporters continue to accuse President Sall of attempting to prevent him from running in the 2024 presidential elections.

Sall, who was elected in 2012 and will not run in the elections, denies the charges.

This weekend, presidential candidates in many parts of Senegal denounced a number of arrests of supporters as they collected political sponsorship, a crucial step in the run up to the February 2024 polls.

• Senegal politicians claim they are being prevented from raising sponsorship for election bids

Words from Césaire

 

Venezuelan Socialist and writer Simón Rodríguez Porras, author of "Why did Chavismo fail?" and editor at Venezuelanvoices.org, reminds us in The New Arab of these words from Césaire...

The Martinican thinker Aimé Césaire in his seminal book Discourse on colonialism, written in 1950, had the penetrating insight that fascism had roots in the very history of European colonialism and imperialism. 

About the European and Christian bourgeois man of his time, he affirmed that:

 "What he cannot forgive Hitler for is not the crime in itself, the crime against man, it is not the humiliation of man as such, it is the crime against the white man, the humiliation of the white man, and the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for the Arabs of Algeria, the coolies of India, and the niggers of Africa".

You can read the whole piece here.

Gaza, Palestine: The right words

 

Queen Rania: There's a 'glaring double standard' in how world treats Palestinians

Gaza - Worrying provocation:

Israel calls on UN chief to resign

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has called on UN secretary-general, António Guterres, to resign after his remarks earlier today saying the “appalling attacks” by Hamas inside Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.

Things got pretty aggressive at the UN security council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York a little earlier, after Guterres called for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza and said that the attacks by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October didn’t happen “in a vacuum” and followed “56 years of suffocating occupation” for the Palestinian people by Israel.

Erdan posted angrily on X/Twitter, demanding that Guterres resign immediately.

>> in response to this:

UN chief alleges law violations in Gaza, angering Israel

United Nations, United States, Oct 24, 2023 (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday alleged violations of international law in Gaza and urged an immediate ceasefire as Israel pounds the Palestinian territory in response to Hamas attacks, with the crisis deeply dividing the Security Council.

   Israel voiced anger over the UN chief's plea before a high-level session of the Security Council, where the Palestinian foreign minister in turn denounced what he described as inaction in the conflict that has killed thousands on both sides, mostly civilians.

   Opening the session, Guterres said there was no excuse for the "appalling" violence by Hamas militants on October 7 but also warned against "collective punishment" of the Palestinians.

   "I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law," Guterres said, without explicitly naming Israel.

   Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks "did not happen in a vacuum" as the Palestinians have been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."

   His remarks infuriated Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen who, pointing his finger at Guterres and raising his voice, recounted graphic accounts of civilians including young children killed in the deadliest single attack in Israeli history.

   "Mr Secretary-General, in what world do you live?" Cohen said.

   Rejecting tying the violence to the occupation, Cohen said Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians "to the last millimeter" with its withdrawal in 2005.

   Israel shortly afterward imposed a blockade of the impoverished territory, in place ever since, after Hamas took power, and it still occupies the West Bank.

   Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign -- writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the UN chief has "expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder."

   

   - 'Epic suffering' -

   

   Hamas militants stormed into Israel on October 7 and attacked largely civilian targets including families and a music festival, killing at least 1,400 people and taking more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

   More than 5,700 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said.

   Guterres, who personally traveled to the crossing between Egypt and Gaza in a push to let in assistance, welcomed the entry of three aid convoys so far through the Rafah crossing.

   But Guterres said it was "a drop of aid in an ocean of need," as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned it would be forced to stop working Wednesday due to lack of fuel.

   "To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire."

   Israel, backed by the United States, has rejected calls to halt the offensive, saying it would only allow Hamas to regroup.

   

   - New draft, new opposition -

   

   The United States last week vetoed a draft resolution on the crisis, saying it did not sufficiently support Israel's right to respond to Hamas.

   Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the Security Council to back a new US-led resolution that "incorporates substantive feedback."

   The draft, seen by AFP, would defend the "inherent right of all states" to self-defense while calling for compliance with international law. It would back "humanitarian pauses" to let in aid but not a full ceasefire.

   "No member of this council -- no nation in this entire body -- could or would tolerate the slaughter of its people," Blinken said.

   Veto-wielding Russia -- accustomed to being on the receiving end at the Security Council over its invasion of Ukraine -- quickly said it would oppose the US draft, which also came under criticism from US regional ally Egypt.

   "We're surprised by new attempts to adopt a resolution that doesn't include any call for a ceasefire to prevent further deterioration of the situation which might lead the region to a dangerous juncture," Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.

   Foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki of the Palestinian Authority, run by Hamas rivals, called inaction by the Security Council "inexcusable," as did Jordan, another US partner.

   "The Security Council must take a clear stance to reassure two billion Arabs and Muslims that international law will be applied," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

   Jordan and Russia are among nations that requested a meeting Thursday of the UN General Assembly, whose resolutions are non-binding, due to the Security Council deadlock.

Gaza - latest

 My article for RFI: 

Hamas releases two more hostages, as UN calls for an 'immediate humanitarian ceasefire

'Two elderly Hamas hostages were airlifted to an Israeli hospital to be reunited with family Tuesday, as the United States demanded Palestinian militants release more than 200 other captives before Gaza ceasefire talks are considered.

Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and their octogenarian husbands were among the hostages seized on 7 October.

Hamas released Cooper and Lifshitz on Monday evening citing "compelling humanitarian" reasons, after mediation by Qatar and Egypt.

Their release comes days after a US mother and daughter were freed.

A military helicopter brought Cooper and Lifshitz to a medical centre in Tel Aviv early on Tuesday.

The women were wheeled into the facility on a stretcher and wheelchair, as relatives gathered nearby.

Lifshitz recounted being bundled onto the back of a motorbike and stolen away to Gaza.

"They loaded me on a motorcycle sideways so I wouldn't fall, with one terrorist holding me from the front and the other from behind," she told Israeli media.

"They crossed the border fence into the Gaza Strip, and at first they held me in the town of Abesan, which is near Be'eri. After that, I don't know where I was taken."

Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.

The militants also took 222 people hostage, among them elderly people and young children, according to the Israeli authorities' latest count. The hostages include dozens of dual nationals and foreigners.

More than 5,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.

'Ceasefire calls'

In response to the worst attack in its 75-year history, Israel launched operation "Swords of Iron", besieging Gaza and firing a near-continuous barrage of strikes to "erase Hamas" from the enclave.

While the Israeli military has claimed success in "eliminating high-ranking commanders" and destroying Hamas infrastructure, humanitarian groups have said that Palestinian civilians are paying too steep a price for the campaign.

Thousands of buildings have been levelled and more than a million people are believed to have been displaced in the besieged territory.

Gaza City resident Ayman Abu Shamalah was among the tens of thousands who heeded an Israeli warning to flee to south Gaza.

Despite the move, his pregnant wife, their three-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli air strike on Rafah in southern Gaza.

"They put my son's shattered body in a blue bag," he said, sobbing.

Across Gaza, water, food and other basic supplies are running out. Only a trickle of aid is being allowed to cross into Gaza from Egypt.

A few dozen trucks carrying food, medicine and water have entered Gaza since a US-brokered deal entered into operation on Saturday.

The United Nations estimates about 100 trucks are needed every day.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called on Monday for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" to relieve the suffering and allow the delivery of aid.

But that suggestion was immediately slapped down by US President Joe Biden, who said any discussions about a ceasefire could only take place if Hamas frees all the hostages.

"We should have those hostages released and then we can talk," Biden said when asked if he would support a "hostages-for-ceasefire" deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday became the latest foreign leader to arrive in Tel Aviv.

He is expected to express "full solidarity" with Israel and to call for the "preservation of the civilian population" in Gaza.

• Macron visits Israel for talks with Netanyahu

'Nowhere else to go' 

Israel has shown little sign of slowing its offensive.

On Tuesday, Gaza's Hamas government said that Israeli air strikes during the night killed at least 140 people.

But the timing of an anticipated full-scale ground offensive remains unclear.

"We are well prepared for the ground operations in the south," chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi told troops.

"The Southern Command has quality operational plans. There are tactical, operative and strategic considerations that have provided additional time," he said.

Chief among those considerations may be the labyrinth of tunnels and strong points that Hamas is believed to have developed to thwart any Israeli invasion.

But there are also fears about how Hamas's allies around the Middle East would respond to a ground war.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War has reported an uptick in attacks on Israeli and US targets from Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

There are daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

At least 41 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally, mostly combatants but also at least four civilians, including a Reuters journalist.

And four people have been killed in Israel, three soldiers and a civilian.

The pace of evacuations has increased on both sides of the border, with the UN saying nearly 20,000 people had fled villages in south Lebanon as the fighting rages.

Israel has also ordered the evacuation of thousands of people from communities near its northern border.

But not everyone has left, with some such as 62-year-old peach farmer Moshe Dadoush, refusing to go.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. But I have to stay here," he said.

"I wouldn't leave for one simple reason: it's here where I grew up. I have nowhere else to go but this country."

 (with AFP)