Ursula von der Leyen brought a new mascot to her annual State of the Union address to the European parliament: the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney.

The leader of a plucky, like-minded liberal democracy, locked in an unsought trade war with its much bigger bully of a neighbour, Carney crossed the Atlantic and attended this flagship event of Europe’s political calendar to demonstrate his country’s shared values and desire to get closer to the EU. He was rewarded with a standing ovation and the first ever offer of an (invented) status of “associate member” of the EU.

The grand-sounding title is more a gesture of political support and reciprocal affection than any sort of binding engagement. The EU doesn’t have associate membership in its founding treaties. It does make association agreements with close countries, some of which eventually join the bloc. It also has partnership, trade and cooperation agreements with more distant friends – it had one with Russia, in happier times.

But using the “m” word in connection with Canada, which fails the geographical test for membership, may create an ambivalent precedent for the many Balkan and eastern European countries that are actually negotiating to join the bloc – and for the UK, which stormed out a decade ago but is now eager to get closer again.

Ukraine railed against any such “associate” status in May, when the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, floated the idea as a stepping stone towards eventual full EU membership. Western Balkan states that have been waiting more than two decades for accession want nothing to do with such a halfway house.

For Canada, though, the honorific title conveys a sense of European solidarity in its struggle with Donald Trump’s US, and a degree of closeness on fundamental values that responds to Carney’s seminal call at Davos in January for an alliance of like-minded “middle powers” to uphold as much as possible of the rules-based international order.

Carney’s presence in Strasbourg, and his applause for EU free trade, tech regulation and defence initiatives, made the EU look more desirable globally than it sometimes appears to angry European electorates tempted to vote for Eurosceptic populists in national elections next year. Von der Leyen must be hoping that a little of the Canadian prime minister’s stardust will rub off on the embattled European integration project, which faces headwinds not only from predatory great powers and hostile big tech but also from recalcitrant governments loth to share power and pool sovereignty in sensitive fields such as defence.

Closer cooperation with Canada and other like-minded powers such as India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand can amplify the EU’s global influence and help build alliances in defence of democracy, open rules-based trade and security of supply for critical raw materials. However, it cannot mitigate the urgent threats that Europe faces from increasingly reckless Russian aggression, nor be a substitute for a vengeful US that under Trump seems hell-bent on disengagement from European security.

Von der Leyen offered three initiatives to address these challenges. She proposed a new EU mechanism, aligned with Nato’s article 4 security consultations, to enable countries to trigger urgent EU consultations if they fall victim to so-called hybrid warfare – cyber-attacks, drone incursions, undersea cable cutting, railway sabotage, energy grid disruption and disinformation campaigns. It was time for a “counter-hybrid playbook”, she said, in which the EU moved beyond just boosting resilience and took a more robust approach to responding to covert warfare.

Whether all member states have the stomach to risk escalation by hitting back at Russia, even if such hybrid attacks start causing casualties, remains to be seen. EU and Nato members that have offensive cyberwarfare capabilities could and should be striking back now to set red lines for Moscow, for instance by putting Russian energy grids or airports out of action as a warning. But these are national measures unlikely to be aired or jointly approved in Nato or EU councils.

European countries have gone beyond sanctions to put Russia’s shadow fleet of rust-bucket oil tankers out of action – impounding them on safety or insurance grounds, as France and the UK have done episodically, and denying them passage through sensitive straits. But each action must be thought through, to achieve a deterrent effect rather than inviting ever bolder defiance by Vladimir Putin that could spiral into a wider war.

Von der Leyen’s other initiative, to be detailed in an updated European security strategy due next month, was to call for a European security council – including Ukraine, the UK and Canada alongside EU powers – to steer the continent’s expanding defence effort. Such a coalition of the willing, as I have advocated, could indeed provide top-level leadership and a crisis-management forum. The challenge will be to give it real levers of power, and avoid it becoming a talking shop.

Von der Leyen’s Canadian caper is welcome because it shows we have friends willing to link their destiny to ours in troubled times. But it is not in itself a solution to the continent’s urgent security problems.

By Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre – Theguardian.com

L’article Opening the EU door for Canada is a harmless gesture. But it won’t fix Europe’s security crisis est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

A residential building and a telecommunications tower were struck overnight, as Iran and the US launched more strikes over the control of Strait of Hormuz.

Evidence of the US crime of targeting a wedding ceremony in residential areas of Sirik. The Hormozgan Red Crescent reports that most of those injured were women and children. https://t.co/cHqxc4P3Sh

— جمعیت هلال‌احمر ایران (@Iranian_RCS) September 2, 2026

The city of Kuhestak, located in southern Iran’s Sirik County in Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of multiple overnight attacks by the United States military, with local sources and authorities saying a wedding ceremony was struck.

The Hormozgan governor’s office on Wednesday identified four victims as four-year-old Amir Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi and 43-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri. More than 60 others were wounded, some seriously.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said they were aware of reports of civilian casualties “originated from Iranian state media”.

“The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” he said, in reference to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

But while the operational details behind the strikes remain unclear, numerous videos and images from the area, witness accounts and official reports indicate that multiple projectiles hit Kuhestak, some to deadly effect.

Footage showed that several projectiles struck a telecommunications tower located near the city’s shoreline and destroyed it, with some locals saying they believed drones were among the weapons used. Based on fragments found in Kuhestak, defence experts say it might be a variant of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER, which manufacturer Boeing describes as an advanced precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile with “surgical strike capability”.

Wednesday morning’s footage, taken from some distance from the telecom tower, shows at least one direct hit to the roof of the building where the wedding was taking place.

More videos, released by locals and state media, showed partial destruction and debris inside the building, and electricity going out in the area. Women’s and children’s slippers could be seen scattered around. Several other adjacent residential buildings also sustained damage.

A state television reporter said three US missiles were used in the attack, with one penetrating through the roof and creating a 1.5-metre (5-foot) hole in the ground.

A man identified as Ali Malahi, the owner of the targeted building where his daughter’s wedding was taking place, told state television that people inside were all civilians.

State TV footage from a hospital in the area showed several wounded children and their families receiving medical care.

A young local man wounded in the attack said he and others were heading towards the house when they heard jets flying above, and the bombs caused massive explosions while they were arriving.

“Many young children and women were horribly wounded,” he said from the hospital bed.

A woman with bloodied hands said in a video released by state-linked SNN that she was there at the scene and could confirm that people present at the scene were civilians.

“This house was by no means close to any military site,” she said, adding that it appeared the munitions were directly targeting the building.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the incident was thoroughly documented, as it released several images from the site of the attack and the children who were injured.

It wrote to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, seeking legal action against the perpetrators of the “grave” attack.

Geolocation of a building in a residential area in Kuhestak, Iran, said to have been struck by the US while it was hosting a wedding. The building is 430 feet from a comms tower, which was also struck.

Building: 26.80297, 57.02492
Tower: 26.80231, 57.02377
cc: @GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/QLzMGczb7W

— Thomas Bordeaux (@ThomasBordeaux7) September 1, 2026

Other prominent attacks on civilians

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes in Kuhestak complete the “catalogue of atrocities against the nation of Iran” by the US.

“This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded it in Minab, Lamerd, Qeshm and elsewhere nor from the strikes on military targets that were dressed in deceptive justifications,” spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X.

“More dangerous than the bomb itself is the normalisation of bombing; and more dangerous than silence is the conversion of silence into legitimacy,” he said.

In Minab, also located in Hormozgan province, the deadliest strike of the war in terms of civilian casualties largely destroyed an elementary school packed with children on the first day of the war on February 28. The attack killed about 156 people, mostly schoolchildren, as well as teachers, parents and others.

Despite evidence that its Tomahawk missiles were used in the attack, the US military has refused to release findings from its investigation. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper claimed the school was located “on an active IRGC cruise missile base”.

In the southern Fars province’s city of Lamerd, evidence and witness accounts pointed to a missile strike on a sports hall being used by a women’s volleyball team on the first day of the war, killing 21 people, including four children.

While CENTCOM denied responsibility and accused Iran, investigations by The New York Times, BBC and independent analysts concluded that a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was responsible for the destruction.

The munition was designed to explode midair, scattering thousands of tungsten pellets that could claim casualties and deal damage to buildings and vehicles in a large area.

During over six months of war on Iran, the US and Israel have also struck critical infrastructure like oil and gas facilities, fuel depots, steel and petrochemical factories, airports, ports and bridges, as well as power installations, medical centres and water facilities.

More than 3,500 Iranians have been killed since the start of the war, including more than 50 during the 60-day truce amid renewed fighting in July, according to authorities.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article What do we know about the fatal US bombing of a wedding in Iran’s Sirik?.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

The European Union has praised Spain’s « swift response » to the migrant crisis in Ceuta, following a meeting of the bloc’s interior ministers on Tuesday.

Around 72,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish territory in North Africa between 30 and 31 July, Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said. He added that an estimated 70,000 have since been returned to Morocco.

At least 75 people died on the Spanish side of the border, while 11 deaths were reported in Morocco.

Tuesday’s meeting was called after several EU members expressed concern over Spain’s handling of the crisis, with Italy describing images from Ceuta as « shocking » and suspending its Schengen agreement with Spain.

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, said the EU stood in solidarity with Spain and that migration required « a united European response ».

The meeting had been expected to draw some tension, following earlier criticism of Spain from some EU nations.

On Thursday, Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said such « uncontrolled immigration » was a security threat to Europe.

Italy suspended its Schengen zone agreement with Spain on free movement on Friday, but since the two countries do not share a land border, this would only apply, effectively, to flights – which appears simply to mean extra checks for passengers.

The Schengen agreement eliminates border checks and now encompasses more than 450 million people and 29 countries in Europe.

Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.

Italy, along with Denmark and 20 other nations, later sent a letter expressing their concern over the Ceuta migrant crisis.

In response, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had « serious concerns » about some European governments and pointed out that Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area.

While most had shown « support and solidarity », he said other European governments had chosen to attack Spain, « driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest ».

Speaking after the meeting on Tuesday, Grande-Marlaska said the Schengen zone had not been compromised and that he hoped Italy would lift any added controls « as soon as possible ».

Denmark’s immigration minister Morten Bødskov said he was « very satisfied » with Spain’s quick response, but added that the incident showed « it is absolutely crucial that we have control over the EU’s borders ».

Speaking afterwards, EU commissioner Magnus Brunner said the incident had been a « test » of European resilience and border security – which he said it had successfully « passed ».

Brunner added that the EU had offered Spain emergency financial support to strengthen its borders and manage the crisis.

It is unknown exactly what led the tens of thousands of migrants to cross from Morocco into Ceuta in a span of just a few hours last week.

Brunner said it is thought that the influx was fuelled by criminal networks and social media disinformation.

The crossings came after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish exclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Moroccan authorities later said that it had warned Spain the ruling would cause « a problem », but Spain rejected this claim, with a government spokeswoman saying it had no evidence or intelligence « that alerted us to the magnitude of this unprecedented event ».

Spain’s interior minister said he was working « firmly » with Morocco to avoid further « violations » of Spain’s borders and added that any migrants still in Ceuta would be returned to Morocco as soon as possible.

Images from inside Ceuta on Tuesday showed crowds of migrants gathering near the beach to receive food, water and other aid. Some held makeshift banners with the word ‘asylum’ written on them.

Several people were also pictured sleeping on the beach and on streets across the city.

Concerns have been raised over the treatment of the remaining migrants, in particular of unaccompanied minors, with local media reporting some 800 children being held in facilities across the city.

Grande-Marlaska said the rights of all migrants, especially those underage, were being respected during the crisis, with Spain’s government allocating around 25m euros (£21.4m; $28.8m) to assist minors in Ceuta.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article EU commends Spain’s ‘swift response’ to Ceuta migrant crisis est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

PM Bayrou lost the vote, but a deadlock in Parliament means France might struggle to find a replacement who can pass a budget aimed at cutting the deficit.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou has lost a confidence vote of MPs, ending his nine months in office during a period of chaos in the country’s parliament, the National Assembly.

Bayrou, 74, was the fourth prime minister in two years under President Emmanuel Macron, whose second term is office has been overshadowed by political instability.

The outgoing PM’s minority government called for €44bn (£38bn) of budget cuts to tackle France’s mounting public debt. It has now effectively collapsed.

The BBC looks at what led to his removal by MPsand what could happen next.

Ahead of the no-confidence vote, Bayrou spoke on Monday afternoon in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, where he told lawmakers that the economy faced serious risks because of its deep indebtedness. He then fielded questions from parliamentarians, before the vote took place.

Here’s what you need to know:

What could happen next?

For several weeks, lawmakers had made it clear they would vote against Bayrou’s state-slashing budget. Opposition parties from the far left to the far right hold 330 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly – so Monday’s ouster was widely expected.

After Monday’s vote, Bayrou’s government has collapsed. However, he will stay in office until President Emmanuel Macron decides what to do next. Unfortunately for the president, France lacks a consensus figure to replace Bayrou.

Macron is faced with uniquely hard choices – appoint another prime minister in the hope that he or she can pass an unpopular budget, call new elections to try to re-establish a parliamentary majority, or stand down himself, something he has refused to do before his term ends in 2027.

With the arithmetic in Parliament unchanged, picking a new premier risks simply repeating the events from last year when Bayrou succeeded Michel Barnier.

A fiscal conservative, Macron is unlikely to appoint a premier who advocates for higher state spending. But after the government recently tried to cut deals on the right of the political spectrum, some wonder if Macron might try something new.

According to Stefano Palombarini, assistant professor of economics at the University of Paris VIII, “the two previous appointments, Barnier and Bayrou, both failed. He [Macron] lost a lot of credibility in that process, and if he tries a similarly centrist approach, he’d lose even more.”

Palombarini told Al Jazeera that “in this context, it would make the scenario of a relative opening towards the left possible. Some Macronist, Socialist and Green politicians say they’re ready for compromises to form a government that lasts until 2027.”

Does this mean there is a clear political path?

Not really.

According to an opinion poll this month for Le Figaro Magazine by the Verian Group, just 15 percent of the electorate has confidence in Macron, down 6 percentage points since July. However, the president has consistently ruled out resigning from office.

Separate surveys by Ifop, Elabe and Toluna Harris Interactive indicated that 56 to 69 percent of French people want snap parliamentary elections, indicating growing dissatisfaction with current party politics in a country run by minority cabinets since 2022.

For Palombarini, “there’s general political malaise [in France] and also dissatisfaction specifically with Macron. So overall, opinion polls are actually quite stable.” Indeed, the latest polls show no material change in voting intentions over the past year.

This means there is no certainty that a new prime minister would be safe from a similar fate as Bayrou.

What are the origins of this crisis?

At the heart of France’s political paralysis is Macron’s risky decision to call snap parliamentary elections last year. That came after he was re-elected in 2022.

Macron’s gamble in June 2024 was an effort to shore up support for the political centre. But French voters edged towards the extremes, leaving Macron with a weakened minority government and limiting his ability to pass legislation.

The vote resulted in a hung Parliament split between three groups. A left alliance won the most seats, but fell far short of a majority. The far-right National Rally won the most votes, but also doesn’t have a majority. Macron’s centrist coalition lost seats, but still forms a significant third bloc.

This parliamentary shake-up has made France hard to govern. Divisions have shown up most clearly around spending.

How does the budget fit into it?

The immediate reason for Bayrou’s fall is his budget proposal for next year. His unpopular 44-billion-euro ($51bn) deficit-reduction plan, including freezing most welfare spending and scrapping two public holidays, has been widely rejected by parliamentarians.

On August 25, Jordan Bardella, head of the National Rally, said his party would “never vote in favour of a government whose decisions are making the French suffer”. Bayrou in effect has announced “the end of his government”, Bardella said.

The French budget deficit is now nearly 169 billion euros ($198bn), or 5.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), well above the 3 percent limit set by the European Union for countries using the euro.

Bayrou is trying to lower the government’s borrowing to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 and to 2.8 percent by 2029. In turn, that would lower the overall debt-to-GDP ratio to 117.2 percent in 2029, compared with 125.3 percent if no changes are made.

Bayrou recently said young people will be saddled with years of debt payments “for the sake of the comfort of boomers” if France fails to tackle its fiscal pressures. Born in 1951, Bayrou himself qualifies as a baby boomer, the generation born in the years soon after World War II.

But any attempt to curtail social benefits is politically difficult in France, as made clear by conflicts in 2023 over Macron’s decision to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62.

Still, investors worry that France’s persistent deficits will cause ever higher debt ratios and undermine its credit score.

Is more gridlock expected?

A series of street demonstrations known as “Block Everything” is expected this week, followed by union-led hospital and rail strikes in the second half of September.

In 2018 and 2023, France witnessed what became known as the “gilets jaunes”, or yellow vest. anti-government protests against various domestic policies overseen by Macron, who will want to avoid a repeat this time, analysts said.

“Macron’s policies since 2017 have been very unpopular. If there were legislative elections tomorrow, a Macronist government would not get elected,” Palombarini said.

But with the president rejecting the idea that he might resign early, “he is likely to continue to enjoy power of the office for a few more years”, Palombarini added.

Beyond that there are also voices – from the far left this time – calling for Macron’s resignation. That is most unlikely to happen.

Who could replace Bayrou?

Pressure will be on Macron to name a successor from the left. The last two prime ministers were from the right and centre, and a left alliance came out numerically top in the 2024 election.

Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, would be one possibility. The 57-year-old has a group of 66 deputies in the National Assembly.

Two other possibilities from the left are former PM Bernard Cazeneuve, and the veteran ex-minister Pierre Moscovici, currently head of the Cour des Comptes, the official accounting office.

If Macron decides to stick with the centre and right, his first choice would probably be Sebastien Lecornu, 39, the current defence minister who is a member of Macron’s Renaissance party and said to be close to the president.

Another conservative whose name has been mentioned is the current minister of labour and health, Catherine Vautrin.

Two other possibilities from inside government are Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who now leads the Republicans, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.

But with all eyes on the 2027 presidential election, would these heavyweights want the electoral kiss-of-death which is to be Macron’s next PM?

World Opinions – BBC News – Aljazeera

L’article Why has the French PM had to go and what happens next? est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

As they mark six years of exodus in Bangladesh, young refugees demand the tools that would allow them to take charge of their lives and futures.

Six years have now elapsed since the world watched 700,000 Rohingya flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh in search of safety. About half of them were children and young people. What was expected to be a short-term refuge has become another protracted crisis. Those who fled as children have now reached the age of adolescence; those who were teenagers are now adults.

Like most children, they aspire to become doctors, engineers, teachers, sports stars, and artists – a stark contrast to their reality. Living in the world’s biggest refugee camp, surrounded by barbed-wire fences, Rohingya refugees are blocked from accessing formal education, earning an income, and moving freely through or beyond the camp.

In such conditions, what hope they can have to build the kind of future they dream of? There should be scope for them to improve their lives, be it through education or paid work.

Many of the young Rohingya I have met as part of my work at these camps tell me they feel forgotten by the world. They tell me the barriers between them and the life they want for themselves engulf them with a sense of despair. They say their voices go unheard and that they have lost the right to dream. This sense of helplessness has a visceral impact on their mental health.

A 2022 survey of 317 refugee youth and adolescents across 11 camps conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found that 96 percent of the respondents were unemployed and that they constantly feel anxious and stressed.

Amin is a young Rohingya I know well. Six years ago, he was a high-school student in his home country. He planned to go to university and become a lawyer. Then one day, his village was burned down, and his relatives were killed before his eyes. Scared for their lives, he and his family walked for 10 days before crossing the border to reach safety in Bangladesh.

Like many others, Amin assumed he would only be in Bangladesh for a short time. But the vastly different reality has struck him hard. Now, with every passing year, little by little, his aspiration to become a lawyer is drifting away and he feels ever more helpless. He does not even know if he will ever be able to resume his education.

Life for girls and young Rohingya women is even more challenging. They spend most of their time within the four walls of congested bamboo homes. Learning centres, providing limited non-formal education, work as a safe space for women and girls. There they can learn to read and build friendships and bonds with other young people. However, many girls are not allowed by their families to attend. Instead, it’s very common for girls to get married before they turn 18 due to social pressure and safety concerns.

Fifteen-year-old Ayesha told me she misses her life before she fled. Back then, she had the freedom to spend time with her friends in the garden outside their home. Now she says her home is too crowded and she barely has any privacy. She has to spend the entire day at home. It feels like a prison to her.

Sadly, there are thousands of stories like those of Amin and Ayesha. At the age of energy and enthusiasm, young Rohingya spend their days by roadside shops or inside their shelters. With nowhere to channel their energy, they are growing weary and restless.

The recent cuts that reduced food rations to just 27 cents a day have become a bitter cherry on top of their situation. The community, especially the young generation, is even more desperate for employment than before.

“How long are we going to be aid-dependent like this?” one young refugee asked me. “We do not enjoy being totally aid dependent. This is our age of working and earning. This latest ration cut is an indication that it is high time we start earning our own money.”

It is critical that donors and decision-makers listen to these young people. They have the right to determine their own future, and to influence how aid dollars are invested in programmes to support them.

A recent assessment conducted by NRC found that Rohingya youth and adolescents are eager to receive vocational training and build technical knowledge, which will help them earn money to support themselves and their families. Some of this training is available, but much more must be provided, and existing initiatives expanded.

For example, some Rohingya youth are being trained on how to repair solar panels while others are trained in tailoring. Alongside this training, the youth now need opportunities to use their newfound skills to earn a living for themselves. And to do that donors, governments and private institutions must put their hands in their pockets and invest further in these initiatives.

Given the opportunity, these young people will be a huge asset to their community and Bangladesh. But the government and donor community must work to provide the tools. Only that way, can young Rohingya have a real chance to take charge of their own futures.

By Sadia Rahman Communications Officer for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Bangladesh/ ALjazeera

L’article Analysis. Rohingya youth long for a future beyond the barbed wire est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Food aid to Ethiopia has been suspended after the discovery that humanitarian supplies meant for people in need were being stolen.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it is halting food assistance while it rolled out “enhanced safeguards and controls that will ensure humanitarian food assistance reaches targeted, vulnerable people”. It comes a day after the US Agency for International Development (USAid) said it was doing the same, after a “countrywide review” uncovered “a widespread and coordinated campaign” that was diverting food assistance from Ethiopian people.

“We made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place,” said a USAid spokesperson.

More than 20 million people across Ethiopia rely on humanitarian help as civil conflict and the worst drought in four decades grips the country. The US is the largest single donor to the country, supplying aid worth $1.8bn (£1.4bn) in the past fiscal year.

UN and US halt food assistance in the country, where 20 million people rely on aid, in order to investigate ‘diversion’ of supplies

The USAid and the WFP had already suspended food supplies to the northern Tigray region while they investigated reports of stolen aid there. Tigray was the centre of a civil war that ended in November and nearly all of its 6 million people rely on aid.

The humanitarian agencies have not apportioned blame for thefts. However, an internal memo by a group of foreign donors says that Ethiopian government officials are involved.

“Extensive monitoring indicates this diversion of donor-funded food assistance is a coordinated and criminal scheme, which has prevented life-saving food assistance from reaching the most vulnerable,” the document says. “The scheme appears to be orchestrated by federal and regional government of Ethiopia entities, with military units across the country benefiting from humanitarian assistance.”

The document says USAid investigators visited “63 flour mills in seven of Ethiopia’s nine regions” since March where they “witnessed significant diversion” of supplies donated by the US, France, Japan and Ukraine.

Another document posted on USAid’s website in May, and later taken down, detailed instances of US-supplied grain being sold in markets throughout Tigray in March and April. This included enough wheat to feed 134,000 people for a month on sale “in a local grain market and being processed into flour at mills owned by local wholesalers” in the city of Shire, which hosts large numbers of people displaced by the war.

A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Ethiopia’s federal government was using some of the stolen aid to feed Tigrayan fighters demobilised as part of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, two humanitarian workers, who also requested anonymity, said rebel Tigray authorities had regularly taken a proportion of beneficiaries’ aid rations at flour mills during the war as a “tax”.

Ethiopia has vowed to hold an investigation “so the perpetrators of such diversion are held to account”.

The WFP has said its Ethiopia country director, Claude Jibidar, is on leave, amid speculation that he had resigned. In a text message to the Guardian, Jibidar would not confirm if he was returning to his post.

Ethiopia experienced devastating famines and conflicts in the 1970s and 1980s. Aid agencies have long struggled to keep their food donations out of combatants’ hands. During the recent conflict, the government faced UN accusations that it restricted the flow of aid to Tigray and used “starvation as a method of warfare”, while the government accused humanitarian agencies of running arms to the Tigray rebels.

World Opinions + theguardian.com

L’article Food aid suspended in Ethiopia after ‘widespread and coordinated’ thievery est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Fighting has intensified in Khartoum as well as Darfur, despite US sanctions that were imposed due to the collapse of ceasefire talks.

The Sudanese army has called in reinforcements to aid in its fight with its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sparking fear among residents in the capital of Khartoum that the conflict will intensify.

Residents in the southern part of the capital reported seeing the reinforcement troops, alongside a heightened military presence of the RSF, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said on Saturday from Omdurman, a city adjoining Khartoum.

The Sudanese army has been trying to take control of a military base there that belongs to the RSF for the past two days. Residents have been warned to stay as far away as possible from the base, Morgan said.

Fighting has also continued to rage elsewhere in the state of Khartoum as well as Darfur, intensifying despite United States sanctions imposed after the collapse of a US and Saudi-brokered ceasefire late on Thursday.

“Fighter jets are flying overhead in the city of Omdurman. And there’s been air strikes launched by the army on RSF positions in the northern parts of the capital,” Morgan said.

“There have also been sounds of artillery reported in the centre of the capital.”

Journalist Matt Nashed, speaking from neighbouring Egypt, said the army seems to be attempting to launch a much larger offensive in the capital.

“They want to try to recapture some territory it does not control … in Khartoum and the point for this really, is to save face and build some leverage before entering negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces,” he said.

“The second reason would be related to trying to maintain its minimal symbolic support that it still has from constituents within Khartoum,” Nashed added.

A day earlier, shelling rocked greater Khartoum with witnesses reporting “artillery fire” in the eastern part of the state and around the state television building in Omdurman.

On Wednesday, the country experienced the most deadly single attack since the conflict began with at least 18 people killed and a further 106 wounded, Morgan reported, adding that artillery shelling hit a market in Khartoum resulting in civilian deaths.

The persistent fighting, spanning more than seven weeks since the conflict between the duelling generals of the army and the RSF broke out on April 15, has forced volunteers to bury 180 bodies recovered from combat zones without identification, the Sudanese Red Crescent said on Friday.

The ceasefire talks were meant to allow humanitarian actors to operate safely. But the Red Crescent volunteers have found it difficult to move through the streets to pick up the dead due to security constraints.

Additionally, aid groups face other troubles, with the World Food Programme (WFP) reporting this week that nearly 17,000 tons (15,400 tonnes) of food aid have been looted since the start of the conflict.

“The aid that was looted in El Obeid was destined for more than four million people in the western region of Darfur,” Morgan said, referring to one of the WFP’s largest logistics bases in Africa located in North Kordofan state.

“Some of those who we spoke to say that they’re concerned not of being hit by an artillery or an air strike, but that because of the humanitarian situation, they may die of hunger,” she added, referring to the humanitarian crisis.

More than 1,800 people have been killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, and at least 1.6 million displaced within the country or across its borders, the United Nations has said, with many fleeing to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

World Opinions + Agencies

L’article Sudan army brings in reinforcements as it battles RSF in Khartoum est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Syria is back in the influential Arab League, more than a decade after being thrown out for its brutal repression of pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war.

The move is further evidence of a thaw in relations between Damascus and other Arab governments.

Syria’s readmittance was approved at a meeting of League members in Egypt.

It comes ahead of a summit in Saudi Arabia later this month that President Bashar al-Assad may now attend.

In a statement, Syria’s foreign ministry said it had received the League’s decision « with great attention » and called for « greater Arab cooperation and partnership ».

Foreign ministers from 13 of the 22-nation group’s members were present when the decision to readmit Syria was taken.

They stressed the need to end Syria’s civil war and the resulting refugee and drug smuggling crises. Growing poverty and lack of job opportunities saw many turn to the drug trade, the BBC reported last year.

A committee involving Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq will be set up to help Syria achieve those goals.

The Arab League’s secretary general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the move was the start of a process to resolve the crisis in Syria, which would be « gradual ».

He stressed the decision did not mean a resumption of relationships between Arab states and Syria as it was up to each country to decide this individually.

More than 300,000 civilians are thought to have been killed and more than 100,000 detained or disappeared during the civil war, according to UN estimates.

Roughly half of the pre-war population of 21 million has been displaced, either within Syria or as refugees abroad.

Mr Assad began to regain control over the country in 2015, with the help of Russia – forcing its neighbours to think of a future with Mr Assad in place.

Arab moves to restore ties accelerated after the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in February.

Earlier this week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Mr Assad – with some analysts suggesting the visit put extra pressure on Arab nations to bring Syria back into the fold.

It follows visits by foreign ministers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Tunisia.

Syria’s foreign minister has also recently visited several Arab countries as part of a diplomatic push.

The US and UK are among the Western countries that have recently stated they will not restore relations with President Assad’s government.

World Opinions + BBC News

L’article Arab League: Syria reinstated as Assad rehabilitation continues est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Riyadh: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Gulf Cooperation Council and a number of countries praised Saudi Arabia for the Kingdom’s role in evacuating foreign nationals from Sudan.

Secretary-General of the OIC Hissein Brahim Taha praised the efforts made by Saudi Arabia to evacuate nationals of OIC member states, non-member states, as well as diplomats and workers from Sudan, stressing that the Kingdom’s initiative came at the right time.

He extended his thanks to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the evacuation.

Taha renewed his appeal for a cease-fire in Sudan and dialogue to preserve the security and safety of the Sudanese people and state.

GCC Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi praised the diplomatic and logistical role played by the Kingdom.

He expressed thanks and appreciation to the Saudi leadership, underlining his gratitude for their instructions and direct follow-up on the evacuation process, which went smoothly for the evacuees who safely arrived in Jeddah and had all their needs met ahead of leaving for their home countries.

Albudaiwi also expressed appreciation for the great diplomatic efforts made by the Kingdom and GCC members in resolving the Sudanese crisis by opening channels of communication with the conflicting parties to reach a comprehensive and peaceful solution.

The GCC secretary-general reiterated the call for the conflicting parties in Sudan to stop military operations at the earliest opportunity, exercise maximum restraint, avoid escalation, prioritise the interests of the Sudanese people, and ensure their security and stability.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said in a letter to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan: “I am immensely pleased to convey our sincere thanks and profound gratitude for the kind gesture by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in evacuating 66 foreign nationals including three Bangladeshis on April 22.”

He continued in the letter, a copy of which was provided to Arab News by the Bangladesh Embassy: “We deeply appreciate the great efforts undertaken by Saudi Arabia in rescuing these people from Sudan to Jeddah port.”

The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan also thanked his Saudi counterpart on Monday for the Kingdom’s role in evacuating Emirati nationals from Sudan, WAM, the official news agency, reported.

He thanked Prince Faisal for “helping to evacuate the UAE’s citizens from Sudan and praised the outstanding efforts made by Riyadh in carrying out evacuations in cooperation with various countries.”

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has resulted in ferocious battles that have caused the deaths of hundreds of people.

Several foreign countries have conducted evacuation operations to rescue their citizens and embassy staff.      

Saudi Arabia led the first successful evacuation operation with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces evacuating people, including foreign nationals, diplomats and officials from Port Sudan on Saturday.

The Kingdom has confirmed the safe arrival of 91 Saudi citizens and around 66 nationals from 12 other countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.

Moreover, a Saudi ship transporting 199 evacuees of different nationalities from Sudan arrived at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah on Monday.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib thanked Saudi Arabia’s leadership for evacuating Lebanese citizens from Sudan and for receiving them as guests in Jeddah ahead of their return to their homeland.

World Bank Group President David Malpass also expressed thanks and appreciation to King Salman for the Kingdom’s contribution and support in evacuating the World Bank staff from Sudan to Saudi Arabia.

‎In a letter sent to the king, the World Bank Group president said: “We express our gratitude and appreciation for the generous support provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to our staff in Sudan. Saudi Arabia’s swift action and unwavering support have been truly remarkable.”

He also expressed appreciation for the Kingdom’s embassy and its staff in Khartoum for caring for the World Bank staff and their dependents, which, he said, is greatly appreciated in this time of great need.

World Opinions – Arab News

L’article Saudi Arabia’s efforts in evacuating citizens, foreign nationals from Sudan praised est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Fierce fighting erupts in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in Sudan, dealing a new blow to hopes for the country’s transition to democracy.

Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary force have engaged in fierce fighting in the capital and elsewhere in country, dealing a new blow to hopes for a transition to democracy and raising fears of a wider conflict.

At least 25 people were killed and 183 others were injured in clashes across the country on Saturday, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union told the Reuters news agency. The group was unable to determine if all the casualities were civilians.

The clashes capped months of heightened tensions between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. Those tensions had delayed a deal with political parties to get the country back to its short-lived transition to democracy, which was derailed by an October 2021 military coup.

After a day of heavy fighting, the military ruled out negotiations with the RSF, instead calling for the dismantling of what it called a “rebellious militia”.

The sound of heavy firing could be heard throughout Saturday across the capital, Khartoum, and nearby city Omdurman, where the military and the RSF have amassed tens of thousands of troops since the coup.

Witnesses said fighters from both sides fired from armoured vehicles and from machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks in fighting in densely populated areas. Some tanks were seen in Khartoum. The military said it launched attacks from planes and drones at RSF positions in and around the capital.

Residents described chaotic scenes. “Fire and explosions are everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman. “All are running and seeking shelter.”

“We haven’t seen such battles in Khartoum before,” said Khartoum resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.

Clashes intensify for control of airports

One of the flashpoints was Khartoum International Airport. There was no formal announcement that the airport was closed, but major airlines suspended their flights.

This included Sudan-bound flights from Egypt and Saudi Arabia which turned back after nearly landing at the airport, flight tracking data showed..

World Opinions – Agencies

L’article Army and rival forces clash as power struggle rocks Sudan.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.