Politics

Nigerien opposition presidential candidate, Hama Amadou, has been arrested over child trafficking charges upon returning to the West African country from exile. Amadou was detained on Saturday when he flew back to the Nigerien capital, Niamey, over a year after he fled the country when sought by investigators probing a child trafficking network. “He was arrested on leaving the plane. Police presented him with a warrant issued for his arrest,” said lawmaker, Amadou Salah, adding that he “was led to a car [and taken] to an as yet unknown destination.” Over a dozen supporters of Amadou were also detained on Saturday morning after calling on others to welcome him at the airport, police said.

In the afternoon, clashes erupted as police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of pro-Amadou demonstrators who sought to remove a roadblock near the airport. The protesters responded by throwing stones at police forces. Amadou, a former prime minister and national assembly president, had vowed in September to return to Niger to run in the February presidential election. Last August, he left Niger for France before investigators could question him in a probe in which 30 people, including his wife, have been accused of obtaining newborn babies from neighboring Nigeria to sell them to wealthy couples in Niger.

Ahead of his return, Amadou had rejected the charges, calling on government officials to provide evidence in the case against him. “If a dossier has been put together against me by my opponents, then it is time for me to present myself to the judges so that they say what the truth is,” he said. The developments come as political tensions are running high in Niger due to extensive opposition to the election calendar drawn up by the country’s electoral commission. Opposition groups have also criticized the constitutional court, which validates candidatures and vote results, for its “allegiance” to incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled to be held on February 21, along with legislative polls.

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15.Nov.2015

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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged world leaders on Saturday to prioritize the fight against terrorism as they gathered for a summit in southwestern Turkey, saying the Paris attacks claimed by Islamic State showed the time for words was now over. The worst bloodshed in France since the end of World War Two cast a pall over preparations for the two-day summit of the Group of 20 major economies that begins on Sunday and is due to be attended by heads of state including U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. French President Francois Hollande has pulled out of the meetings but told Erdogan by phone that his foreign and finance ministers would attend, Turkish presidential sources said.

At least 127 people were killed as bombers and gunmen went on a rampage across the French capital overnight, targeting a concert hall, restaurants, bars and a sports stadium. "We are now at a point where words end in the fight against terrorism. We are now at a stage where this should be put at the forefront," Erdogan told reporters ahead of the summit, also due to be attended by leaders from Europe, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and Brazil, among others. Although the G20 usually focuses on economic issues, the fight against terrorism was already expected to be on the agenda. The summit comes two weeks after a suspected bomb attack on a Russian airliner killed 224 people in the Sinai Peninsula. It also comes just over a month after two suspected Islamic State suicide bombers blew themselves up at a peace rally in the Turkish capital Ankara, killing more than 100 people in the worst such attack in the country.

Events such as the attacks in Paris made it crucial for the world's top economies to stand shoulder to shoulder at the summit, China's vice finance minister said. "We must work together, we must enhance our solidarity," Zhu Guangyou told a news conference in the coastal resort of Belek, where leaders began gathering for the summit. Speaking in Vienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was growing consensus among global powers that they had to work together to confront Islamic State. The G20 summit takes place just 500 km (310 miles) from Syria, where a 4-1/2-year conflict has transformed Islamic State militants into a global security threat and spawned Europe's largest migration flows since World War Two. Erdogan condemned the Paris killings and pointed to Turkey's own long battle with domestic security threats, which include its fight with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in its southeast and recent bomb attacks linked to Islamic State.

Ankara sees a growing threat to its security from radical Islamists. Security sources said the Turkish army killed four Islamic State militants when they came under attack from across the Syrian border on Saturday. One official said the frequency of such attacks was on the rise. Turkish officials said Erdogan would push in bilateral meetings with leaders including Obama for more coordinated and decisive action against Islamic State in Syria. But he would also emphasize Turkey's opposition to U.S. support for Kurdish rebels who are fighting the radical Sunni insurgents, they said. Turkey says these rebels have close ties to the PKK, considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union as well as by Ankara. "Terrorism has no nationality or religion. All terrorism is bad, we must leave aside the feeling that our terrorist is bad and your terrorist is good," Erdogan said.

NATO-member Turkey opened its air bases in July to the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, but critics say it woke up late to the threat. Following January's attacks in Paris by gunmen on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the wife of one of the gunmen fled through Turkey to IS-controlled Syria. Turkey stepped up its fight against Islamic State in July, but the campaign has largely seen air strikes and military action against PKK fighters in Turkey and northern Iraq. On Friday night Turkish jets pounded PKK targets in northern Iraq, where the group's headquarters are located. Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition HDP, said the Paris attacks were a result of the world's failure to deal with Islamic State (ISIL). "The world, including Turkey, has not undertaken an effective, coordinated effort against ISIL. Just the opposite, everyone used ISIL, or elements within it, for their own interests," he said at an event in Istanbul.

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15.Nov.2015

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Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for attacks that killed 127 people in Paris, saying it sent fighters strapped with suicide bombing belts and carrying machine guns to various locations in the heart of the capital. The attacks were designed to show France would remain a top target for the jihadist group as long as the country continued its current policies, the group said in a statement. Gunmen and bombers killed at least 127 people in Friday's attacks. Islamic State earlier on Saturday distributed an undated video threatening to attack France if bombings of its fighters continued.

The group's foreign media arm, Al-Hayat Media Centre, made threats through several militants who called on French Muslims to carry out attacks. "As long as you keep bombing you will not live in peace. You will even fear traveling to the market," said one of the militants, identified as Abu Maryam the Frenchman. French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday the attacks in Paris were "an act of war" organized from abroad by Islamic State with internal help.

The location of the Islamic State fighters in the video was not clear and it was not possible to determine when it was filmed, but the message was unmistakable. The militants, who appeared to be French citizens, sat cross-legged in a group wearing fatigues and holding weapons in what appeared to be a wooded area. The video showed the militants burning passports. "Indeed you have been ordered to fight the infidel wherever you find him – what are you waiting for? There are weapons and cars available and targets ready to be hit," said Abu Maryam. Another militant, identified as Abu Salman the Frenchman, said: "Even poison is available, so poison the water and food of at least one of the enemies of Allah." "Terrorize them and do not allow them to sleep due to fear and horror," he added.

Foreign fighters who join Islamic State, the group which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria, are seen as especially dangerous because Western passports enable them to live in and travel to Western countries undetected. "Faced with war, the country must take appropriate action," Hollande said, without saying what that meant. Hollande said he would address parliament on Monday in an extraordinary meeting and the country would observe three days of official mourning for the victims of Friday's attacks.

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14.Nov.2015

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The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, has urged Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers to work hand-in-glove so that objectives of the Emergence Vision would be attained. While opening the November Ordinary Session of the 2015 legislative year during a plenary session yesterday, November 12, 2015, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril also enjoined MPs to be disciplined and focus on efforts to develop the country.

Even though more than 25 MPs were absent from the hemicycle for various reasons, the rest of the MPs were visibly happy meeting once more after a four-month recess. This session is to discuss the draft 2016 Finance Law which will fix the legislative and financial framework of the economic and social development of the country. Besides the President of the Senate, Marcel Niat Njifenji, diplomats and other State dignitaries attending, the government bench was full with Prime Minister and Head of Government, Philemon Yang flanked by cabinet ministers, including the new ones who joined government after the October 2, 2015 cabinet reshuffle.

After congratulating the Prime Minister and the new team, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril reminded them of President Paul Biya’s saying that serving the country as minister is not only an honour, but a heavy responsibility, especially in the context of numerous challenges and sociopolitical and economic stakes. “Prominent among these are projects launched for the Emergency Plan and the organisation of the 2016 and 2019 tournaments of the African Cup of Nations which are amongst the priorities of government,” he stated.

After a minute of silence in memory of the deceased MP, Hon. Viche Taga, as well as pilgrims who died during the Mina stampede on September 12, 2015 in Saudi Arabia, fallen soldiers and civilian victims in the fight against Boko Haram, the Speaker drew a desolate picture of the effect of the Boko Haram menace on food security in the Far North Region. Thus, he was full of praise and gratitude for the generosity of the presidential couple who recently donated food items worth over FCFA 2.2 billion. Multifarious assistance from friendly nations and civil society organisations was also acknowledged while vigilance and education was recommended to halt the use of girls by Boko Haram in suicide attacks.

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13.Nov.2015

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The United Nations (UN)’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the recent deadly terrorist attacks that killed over 40 people in Lebanon, saying the perpetrators must be “brought to justice.” According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, 43 people were killed and nearly 240 people wounded when two large explosions, claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, rocked a security post in the Borj al-Barajneh area in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Thursday. Ban “is deeply saddened at the reported high numbers of fatalities and injured, and extends his condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people and government of Lebanon,” said a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson on Thursday. 

The UN chief described the fatal bomb attacks as “despicable,” calling for the perpetrators to be “swiftly brought to justice.” He further reiterated the world body’s support for Lebanese institutions, including the armed forces and security services, in their efforts to protect the country, and underlined the need for all Lebanese parties to work together and preserve security and stability. Earlier in the day, UN Special Representative in Lebanon Sigrid Kaag also denounced “the heinous” assaults, saying, “Lebanon’s unity, stability and security need to be supported and shielded at all times.” Lebanon declared a day of national mourning on Friday following the terror attacks, which have drawn widespread condemnations from the country’s senior officials as well as different countries, including Iran, France and the United States.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah slammed the attacks as a “crime,” and vowed to continue its battle with terrorist groups. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah resistance fighters have been carrying out operations against the terrorist groups of al-Nusra Front and Daesh in the Lebanese town of Arsal on the border with Syria. Hezbollah fighters have also been assisting the Syrian army in the latter’s fight against the Takfiri militants in Syria.

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13.Nov.2015

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The 36 ministers and junior ministers in President Muhammadu Buhari’s pioneer government spent the first day at work on Thursday, November 12, 2015 after they swore the oath of allegiance and were assigned formal roles in a swearing-in ceremony Buhari chaired in the capital Abuja on Wednsday, November 11, 2015. The new government finally got to work 166 days after President Buhari took over office on May 29, 2015 following his victory against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria’s March 2015 presidential election.

Buhari during the ceremony reportedly described the appointments as a "milestone" and indicated it had taken so long to decide because of the need to put "round pegs in round holes" with the right people for the job. "I have been conscious of the need not to repeat the mistakes of the past," he is quoted as saying. He added the ministers had been chosen on the basis of their abilities and performance. Buhari who has been seeking to streamline government and cut endemic corruption, slashed the number of ministers from 36 to 24, making some nominees only junior ministers.

Prominent cabinet ministers in the government include, Kemi Adeosun, former investment banker and accountant who is the Finance Minister, Ibe Kachikwu, head of the State-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the junior Minister of Petroleum and will assist President Buhari in overseeing the day-to-day running of the sector. Retired Brigadier-General Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali, is the Minister of Defence.

Former army chief Abdulrahman Dambazau was appointed Interior Minister. Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola is the Minister of Works and Housing, while the former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi is Minister of Transport. Reacting to the new government, Mike Ejiofor, a security consultant and former director of Nigeria’s spy agency, the Department of State Services, said, “We have waited this long, but there seems not to be something new. “We will want the ministers to hit the ground running,” The Wall Street Journal quoted.

The appointment of the new government is said to be in compliance with Nigeria’s constitution which demands the appointment of a minister from each of Nigeria’s 36 States.

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13.Nov.2015

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