Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Namibia Elects Woman SWAPO Party Head-of-State 

Xinhua | 2024-12-04 09:24

File photo taken on Nov 27, 2024 shows Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (C) interviewed outside a polling station in Windhoek, Namibia. [Photo/Xinhua]

WINDHOEK - Namibia made history on Tuesday by electing the country's first female president, 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah from the ruling South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) party.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in Namibia's 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Chairperson Elsie Nghikembua declared the groundbreaking victory on Tuesday evening, acknowledging the culmination of an election period that began on Nov 27.

However, due to disruptions on the first day of voting, the process was extended in some areas from Nov 29 or 30 to ensure that all eligible voters had the opportunity to participate.

Citizens turned out in large numbers to participate in the highly anticipated polls, with the ECN revealing that nearly 1.45 million eligible voters were registered, with presidential votes amounting to 1,099,582 and National Assembly votes at 1,092,685.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who became the southwestern African nation's fifth president since independence in 1990, won by 57.31 percent, and was followed by her closest rival Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change who amassed 25.50 percent.

In her acceptance speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah said she is happy to be able to "provide the nation with guidance on our developmental agenda and the strengthening of our institution".

"I would also like to thank those who have shown their love of their country by ensuring that peace and stability continue to grow, particularly in the process of our elections," she added.

"As I am accepting these results, I would say once again on behalf of the SWAPO Party, the Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability, you have voted for unity and diversity, natural resources beneficiation, and youth empowerment for sustainable development. And this you will do through economic transformation," she said.

Meanwhile, there are 104 members in Namibia's National Assembly, as per the country's constitution.

In the National Assembly elections held parallel to the presidential elections, President-elect Nandi-Ndaitwah's SWAPO Party won 51 seats, while Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change party got 20 seats.

SWAPO has been Namibia's ruling party since the nation gained independence in 1990. In the 2019 elections, the late President Hage Geingob led SWAPO to victory, securing over 56 percent of the National Assembly voting.

Namibia Elects First Woman President

Damian Zane

BBC News

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been serving as vice-president since February

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, from the governing South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo), has been voted in as Namibia's first female president after last week's disputed election.

The electoral commission said she had won more than 57% of the votes cast, with her closest rival Panduleni Itula getting 26%.

But following logistical problems and a three-day extension to polling in some parts of the country, Itula said on Saturday that his party would not recognise the results alleging electoral malpractice.

As a consequence, most of the opposition parties boycotted the results announcement on Tuesday evening in the capital, Windhoek, The Namibian newspaper reports.

"The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability," the Reuters news agency quotes Nandi-Ndaitwah as saying once the outcome had been announced.

Swapo has been in power in the large but sparsely populated southern African country since independence in 1990.

A party stalwart, Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is currently the vice-president, is a trusted leader having served in high government office for a quarter of a century.

Is Namibia going to elect its first female leader?

Once sworn in she will be joining an exclusive club as at the moment Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan is Africa's only female president.

A trained dentist, Itula, of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), is seen as more charismatic than Nandi-Ndaitwah and managed to dent Swapo's popularity in the last presidential election in 2019, reducing its vote share to 56% from 87% five years earlier.

The IPC has said it will “pursue justice through the courts” and has encouraged people who felt that they had been unable to vote because of mismanagement by the electoral commission to go to the police to make a statement.

Swapo led the struggle for nationhood against apartheid South Africa. Ahead of last Wednesday's general election there had been some speculation that it would suffer the fate of other liberation parties in the region.

South Africa’s African National Congress lost its outright parliamentary majority in May and the Botswana Democratic Party was kicked out of power after nearly six decades following October's election.

Namibia Will Have its First Woman Leader After VP Wins Presidential Election for the Ruling Party

5:39 PM EST, December 3, 2024

WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Namibia elected its first female leader as Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was declared the winner Tuesday of a presidential election last week that was tarnished by technical glitches that caused a three-day extension to allow votes to be cast, and rejected as illegal by opposition parties.

The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won with 57% of the vote, defying predictions that she might be forced into a runoff.

Her ruling SWAPO party also retained its parliamentary majority, although by a very thin margin, and extended its 34-year hold on power since the southern African country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Namibia, a sparsely populated country of around 3 million on the southwestern coast of Africa, has a reputation for being one of the continent’s more stable democracies and the problems around the election have caused consternation.

Last Wednesday’s vote was marred by shortages of ballot papers and other problems that led election officials to extend voting until Saturday. Opposition parties have said the extension is unconstitutional, and some have pledged to join together in a legal appeal to have the election invalidated.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia, which ran the election, rejected opposition calls for a redo of the vote.

It has undermined Nandi-Ndaitwah’s place in history. She is set to become her country’s fifth president since independence and a rare female leader in Africa. She was a member of Namibia’s underground independence movement in the 1970s and received part of her higher education in the then-Soviet Union.

She was promoted to vice president in February after President Hage Geingob died while in office. Nangolo Mbumba, who became president after Geingob’s death, didn’t run in the election.

The ruling SWAPO party won 51 seats in the parliamentary vote, only just passing the 49 it needed to keep its majority and narrowly avoiding becoming another long-ruling party to be rejected in southern Africa this year. It was SWAPO’s worst parliamentary election result.

A mood of change has swept across the region, with parties that led their countries out of white minority or colonial rule in neighboring South Africa and Botswana both losing their long-held political dominance.

South Africa’s African National Congress, which freed the country from the racist system of apartheid, lost its 30-year majority in an election in May and had to form a coalition. Botswana’s ruling party was stunningly removed in a landslide in October after governing for 58 years since independence from Britain.

Mozambique’s long-ruling Frelimo has been accused of rigging an October election and has faced weeks of violent protests against its rule.

SWAPO faced similar challenges as those countries, with frustration at high unemployment and economic hardship, especially among young people, driving a desire for era-ending change.

In a brief speech after the results were announced late Tuesday night, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibians had voted for peace, stability and youth empowerment.

“We are going to do what we promised you during the campaigns. Thank you for your confidence and trust in us,” she said. Nandi-Ndaitwah was also due to address the nation on Wednesday morning.

“SWAPO Wins. Netumbo Wins. Namibia Wins. Now Hard Work,” the ruling party posted on its official account on social media site X.

Some opposition parties boycotted the announcement by the Electoral Commission of Namibia at its results center in the capital, Windhoek. The commission has been roundly criticized for its running of the vote, with many angry Namibians complaining they had to wait hours and sometimes over multiple days for the chance to vote.

Just over 1 million votes were cast out of 1.4 million registered voters, according to the electoral commission.

Panduleni Itula, the leading opposition candidate from the Independent Patriots for Change party, was second in the presidential election with 25% of the vote. His party won the second-largest number of seats in Parliament behind SWAPO.

Itula and his party have led the criticism of the vote and said they will lodge their appeal against the election this week. Other opposition parties said they will join that legal challenge.

Itula has said that thousands of voters may have been prevented from voting as only some polling stations allowed an extension. “This election has violated the very tenets of our Electoral Act. Namibians deserve the right to choose their leaders freely and fairly, not through a rigged process,” he said.

Namibia is a former German colony that came under South African control after World War I and its Black majority was later subjected to some of South Africa’s apartheid policies. SWAPO was at the forefront of the battle for independence from South Africa.

While the country has swaths of desert running through it, it has diamond and uranium resources and untapped oil and gas off its coast that is being explored by international companies and could make it a major producer of both.

Zimbabwe Landmark Ruling On Termination of Pregnancy

3 December 2024

The Herald (Harare)

By Fidelis Munyoro

In a landmark ruling, the High Court has declared a section of the Termination of Pregnancy Act unconstitutional, significantly broadening access to safe and legal abortion for teenage girls and survivors of rape, including marital rape.

The ruling is still subject to confirmation by the Constitutional Court before it comes into effect.

The ruling was built around the constitutional rights of children in the case of teenagers under the age of 18 having a right to abortion as this could only arise from sexual relations that were unlawful in all circumstances, regardless of whether the male was prosecuted.

The extension of the existing right of rape victims to an abortion to women raped in marriage was based on the existing extension of the law that recognised marital rape as a crime.

It arose from a case brought by Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), a legal advocacy group seeking, among other issues, to expand the grounds for access to abortion and post-abortion care for minors and women who are survivors of sexual violence, including those subjected to marital rape.

Central to WLSA's application was a challenge to Section 2(1) of the Termination of Pregnancy Act, which previously restricted legal abortion access for children under the age of 18 and married women who had been raped by their spouses.

Justice Maxwell Munodawafa Takuva, presiding over the matter, ruled in favour of WLSA's application. WLSA brought the action against Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, Parliament, and Attorney-General Mrs Virginia Mabiza, but these did not oppose the application.

In his ruling, Justice Takuva said: "Section 2(1) of the Termination of Pregnancy Act is hereby declared unconstitutional and invalid."

The court acknowledged the pervasive issue of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe, alongside the associated rise in illegal abortions and adolescent maternal deaths.

Justice Takuva emphasised that the application was part of an ongoing judicial effort to protect the rights of children, following earlier landmark rulings, such as the Mudzuri & Anor v Minister of Justice Legal & Parliamentary Affairs & Ors (2016) case on child marriage and the Diana Eunice Kawenda v Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs & Ors (2022) case on the legal age of sexual consent.

The judge noted that Zimbabwe's Constitution, particularly Section 81(1)(e), protected children from sexual exploitation, including any form of sex with minors.

He further stated that teenage pregnancies were a form of abuse that demanded legal protection.

According to the judge, denying pregnant minors the right to a safe abortion infringed on their constitutional rights and violates Section 81(2) of the Constitution, which prioritised the best interests of the child. The ruling also addressed the issue of marital rape, which has been criminalised in Zimbabwe.

The court found that victims of marital rape should have access to safe abortions as a matter of constitutional and human rights.

Justice Takuva said: "Teenage pregnancies and child marriages disrupt education, perpetuate poverty, and violate the dignity of the girl child."

He added that the impact of pregnancy on a minor's dignity is severe and that the law as it stands infringed on their constitutional rights.

The court further clarified that any sexual act with a minor under 18 is unconstitutional, and any pregnancy resulting from such an act must be treated as unlawful under the Termination of Pregnancy Act.

Justice Takuva highlighted that "subjecting children to pregnancies without access to safe abortion is abuse and torture, in violation of Section 53 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe."

The High Court's decision comes in the context of Zimbabwe's broader efforts to strengthen protections for children and women.

In the Diana Eunice Kawenda case, the Constitutional Court raised the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18, declaring any sexual activity with minors illegal.

Justice Takuva referenced this precedent in his ruling, arguing that pregnancies resulting from unlawful sexual acts must be addressed within the framework of reproductive rights.

The case will now be referred to the Constitutional Court for confirmation of the High Court's declaration of invalidity.

This procedural step is necessary to finalise the judgment and enable legislative amendments to the Termination of Pregnancy Act.

WLSA national director Ms Isheanesu Chirisa welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant step forward for women's and girls' rights in Zimbabwe.

She noted that the judgment expanded the legal protections under Section 2(1) of the Termination of Pregnancy Act, allowing minors and victims of marital rape to access safe abortion services.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Chad Orders French Troops' Departure, Triggers Fresh Anti-French Military Sentiment

2 December 2024

Voice of America (Washington, DC)

By Moki Edwin Kindzeka

Yaounde, Cameroon — Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby has defended his decision to break military ties with France, saying at a news conference Sunday that their defense pact no longer meets Chad's security needs.

The decision requires France to withdraw its troops from the central African nation and echoes growing anti-French sentiment with civil society groups who say it is long overdue.

Deby said military ties with France that have existed for close to 65 years are in no way helping to rescue Chad from what he calls growing security challenges, including terrorism and armed conflicts.

In a Sunday broadcast on state TV, Deby said his decision to end cooperation agreements with the French military is part of a promise he made during his May 23 inauguration, ending three years of military transition.

In the message, Deby said he would build reciprocal relations only with friendly nations that respect each other's independence and sovereignty and assist each other in times of crisis. Deby promised to stop ties with countries he said behaved as if Chad had remained their colony.

The central African state first announced that it was ending military ties with France last week. The announcement came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Chad and was told that Chad's military is strong enough to protect civilians and their property, according to government officials.

Last Friday, the French foreign ministry said it had taken note of Chad's decision to end the military agreement with Paris, but gave no further details.

Deby's decision has reignited debates on what civil society and opposition groups call France's overbearing influence provoking tensions in several African countries, especially Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Mamadou Doudet, coordinator of Chad's Patriotic Movement, an opposition political party, said he was part of several dozen civil society organizations and opposition parties that met in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, on Monday to ask Deby to order the departure of over a thousand French troops stationed in Chad.

Doudet said the presence of French troops in Chad is of no use. He said Chad's civil society and opposition find it very difficult to understand why French troops did not assist Chad last month when Boko Haram attacked and killed 40 Chadian soldiers in a military garrison in Lake Chad shared by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.

It is not the first time Chadian civil society and opposition groups sought the expulsion of French troops. In November 2023, the groups said Deby should ensure some 1,000 French troops stationed in Chad and several thousand others expelled from Niger should leave Chad before the end of 2023. Yet, close to 1,000 French troops remain in Chad.

On Monday, the Concertation Group of Chad's Political Actors, or GCAP, condemned Deby's decision to end military cooperation with France.

GCAP spokesperson Max Kemkoye said Chad's military is not strong enough to handle the many security challenges facing the country. He accused Deby of not consulting his government before making the decision, a claim VOA could not independently verify.

Read the original article on VOA.

They Fled War in Sudan. But They Haven’t Been Able to Flee the Hunger

By SAM MEDNICK

10:55 AM EST, December 3, 2024

ADRE, Chad (AP) — For months, Aziza Abrahim fled from one village in Sudan to the next as people were slaughtered. Yet the killing of relatives and her husband’s disappearance aren’t what forced the 23-year-old to leave the country for good. It was hunger, she said.

“We don’t have anything to eat because of the war,” Abrahim said, cradling her 1-year-old daughter under the sheet where she now shelters, days after crossing into Chad.

The war in Sudan has created vast hunger, including famine. It has pushed people off their farms. Food in the markets is sparse, prices have spiked and aid groups say they’re struggling to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access.

Some 24,000 people have been killed and millions displaced during the war that erupted in April 2023, sparked by tensions between the military and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces. Global experts confirmed famine in the Zamzam displacement camp in July. They warn that some 25 million people — more than half of Sudan’s population — are expected to face acute hunger this year.

“People are starving to death at the moment ... It’s man-made. It’s these men with guns and power who deny women and children food,” Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The Associated Press. Warring parties on both sides are blocking assistance and delaying authorization for aid groups, he said.

Between May and September, there were seven malnutrition-related deaths among children in one hospital at a displacement site in Chad run by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. Such deaths can be from disease in hunger-weakened bodies.

In September, MSF was forced to stop caring for 5,000 malnourished children in North Darfur for several weeks, citing repeated, deliberate obstructions and blockades. U.S. President Joe Biden has called on both sides to allow unhindered access and stop killing civilians.

But the fighting shows no signs of slowing. More than 2,600 people were killed across the country in October, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which called it the bloodiest month of the war.

Violence is intensifying around North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, the only capital in the vast western Darfur region that the RSF doesn’t hold. Darfur has experienced some of the war’s worst atrocities, and the International Criminal Court prosecutor has said there are grounds to believe both sides may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

Abrahim escaped her village in West Darfur and sought refuge for more than a year in nearby towns with friends and relatives. Her husband had left home to find work before the war, and she hasn’t heard from him since.

She struggled to eat and feed their daughter. Unable to farm, she cut wood and sold it in Chad, traveling eight hours by donkey there and back every few days, earning enough to buy grain. But after a few months the wood ran out, forcing her to leave for good.

Others who have fled to Chad described food prices spiking three-fold and stocks dwindling in the market. There were no vegetables, just grains and nuts.

Awatif Adam came to Chad in October. Her husband wasn’t making enough transporting people with his donkey cart, and it was too risky to farm, she said. Her 6-year-old twin girls and 3-year-old son lost weight and were always hungry.

“My children were saying all the time, ‘Mom, give us food’,” she said. Their cries drove her to leave.

As more people stream into Chad, aid groups worry about supporting them.

Some 700,000 Sudanese have entered since the war began. Many live in squalid refugee camps or shelter at the border in makeshift displacement sites. And the number of arrivals at the Adre crossing between August and October jumped from 6,100 to 14,800, according to government and U.N. data., though it was not clear whether some people entered multiple times.

Earlier this year, the World Food Program cut rations by roughly half in Chad, citing a lack of funding.

While there’s now enough money to return to full rations until the start of next year, more arrivals will strain the system and more hunger will result if funding doesn’t keep pace, said Ramazani Karabaye, head of the World Food Program’s operations in Adre.

During an AP visit to Adre in October, some people who fled Sudan at the start of the war said they were still struggling.

Khadiga Omer Adam said she doesn’t have enough aid or money to eat regularly, which has complicated breastfeeding her already malnourished daughter, Salma Issa. The 35-year-old gave birth during the war’s initial days, delivering alone in West Darfur. It was too dangerous for a midwife to reach her.

Adam had clutched the baby as she fled through villages, begging for food. More than a year later, she sat on a hospital bed holding a bag of fluid above her daughter, who was fed through a tube in her nose.

“I have confidence in the doctors ... I believe she’ll improve, I don’t think she’ll die,” she said.

The MSF-run clinic in the Aboutengue camp admitted more than 340 cases of severely malnourished children in August and September. Staff fear that number could rise. The arid climate in Chad south of the Sahara Desert means it’s hard to farm, and there’s little food variety, health workers said.

People are fleeing Sudan into difficult conditions, said Dr. Oula Dramane Ouattara, head of MSF’s medical activities in the camp.

”If things go on like this, I’m afraid the situation will get out of control,” he said.

Fighting Resumes in Eastern Congo Despite Ceasefire Between Army and Rebels

FILE - M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

By JUSTIN KABUMBA

6:59 AM EST, December 3, 2024

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group resumed in eastern Congo in yet another ceasefire violation ahead of potential mediation talks, both groups said.

The army said in a statement it inflicted heavy losses on the rebels in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province Monday, including several dead and wounded. An M23 spokesperson said on X the group also was attacked by the army early Tuesday.

M23 is one of a 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

Congo and the United Nations accuse Rwanda of backing M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

Last week, Congo and Rwanda’s foreign ministers agreed on the terms and conditions of the disengagement of Rwandan forces in eastern Congo.

In July, Congo signed a ceasefire with M23, which came into effect in August, but fighting has resumed since. Earlier this month, the United States said it was “gravely concerned” by ceasefire violations by M23 rebels.

The resumption of fighting comes as Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame are set to meet on Dec. 15, according to the state news agency of Angola, which has been mediating the conflict. It would be their first official meeting since last year.

The G20 Has ‘Shock Absorbers’ to Deal with Trump’s Return as US President, South Africa Says

By GERALD IMRAY

8:16 AM EST, December 3, 2024

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Group of 20 has sufficient “shock absorbers” to function effectively if the incoming Donald Trump administration promotes an America First policy at the expense of international cooperation, South Africa’s leader said Tuesday as his country took over the bloc’s presidency.

South Africa assumed the rotational leadership of the group of the world’s leading economies on Sunday from Brazil and will hand it over to the United States at the end of 2025.

Those three countries will work together over the next 12 months as per the G20 protocol.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he would elevate the impact of climate change on developing countries during South Africa’s G20 presidency — the first by an African nation. U.S. President-elect Trump has shown his disdain for international cooperation on climate issues.

“We will seek to get sufficient consensus on decisions that need to be taken by the G20,” Ramaphosa said when asked if the G20 was prepared for a likely Trump America First approach in his second administration, which starts on Jan. 20. “I think there will be sufficient shock absorbers that will be put in place that will enable the G20 to continue to function. ... We are advancing the interests of the people of the world.”

Trump has given an indication that his foreign policy will be combative. He has pledged to impose new tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada, while he also threatened this weekend 100% tariffs against nations in the BRICS bloc of developing nations, which include Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and others.

Trump wrote on social media site X that those countries should expect to “wave goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy” if they pursue a policy of looking to move away from the U.S. dollar for international trade. BRICS countries have said they want to be less dependent on the dollar, but the group has taken little concrete action and analysts say it’s unfeasible given the dollar’s dominance.

Ramaphosa said Tuesday he had reached out to the U.S. president-elect to congratulate him on his election victory and to tempt golf-loving Trump to make a state visit to South Africa to see its “beautiful golf courses.” He said he also hoped Trump would travel for the G20 summit in South Africa in late 2025.

“If he has time, and he is very busy ... President Trump and possibly myself can go and play golf and talk about global matters,” Ramaphosa said. 

Monday, December 02, 2024

Resistance Factions Arrive to Hama to Back Syrian Army: Exclusive

By Al Mayadeen English

2 Dec 2024 23:47

A source from the Resistance factions confirmed to Al Mayadeen that reinforcements from the Syrian Army's allies in the Axis of Resistance have arrived to join the Syrian Army in the fight against the terrorist militants.

A source from the Axis of Resistance's factions told Al Mayadeen that reinforcements from the Syrian Army's allies in the Axis of Resistance have reached the frontlines north and east of Hama, extending to the southern frontlines of Aleppo Governorate.

The source explained on Monday that reinforcements, both in terms of equipment and personnel, will be arriving gradually to support the Syrian Army in countering the terrorist assault currently being waged against Syria.

A source from the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran stated to Al Mayadeen that the recent terrorist attack on Syria has prompted the return of Iranian military advisors to the country. These advisors had previously left when the political process in Syria began to progress years ago.

The source confirmed that the disruption of the political process, along with the use of terrorism against Damascus, made it essential for Iranian military advisors to return to Syria. This move is important given the numerous military support agreements between Syria and Iran that have been reached in recent years.

SDF making moves

A field source from the Syrian Army's allies in the Axis of Resistance in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, told Al Mayadeen that they had detected movements by militants from the Deir Ezzor Military Group, affiliated with the SDF and backed by the US. The militants are reportedly preparing to open a new front against the Syrian army in the seven villages east of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.

The source confirmed that the Syrian army has heightened its combat readiness in the region and will respond decisively and forcefully to any attempt to attack its positions in the Deir Ezzor countryside and eastern Syria.

The source also confirmed that the Syrian Army's allies in the Axis of Resistance are prepared to assist in targeting the movements of the Deir Ezzor Military Council militants and will confront any actions by its members on the Deir Ezzor fronts with firm and decisive force.

This comes as the Syrian army continues to confront terrorist militants. The Syrian Army emphasized Monday its units' readiness and determination to continue their operations and confront terrorist groups to expel them from the north of the country.

A statement issued by the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces on Monday indicated that in 24 hours, operations continued in cooperation with the Russian forces, carrying out focused air, missile, and artillery strikes on terrorist positions, their warehouses, supply lines, and movement corridors in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib.

The statement confirmed that the precise strikes carried out by the Syrian Armed Forces, in cooperation with Russian forces, destroyed five command centers, and seven ammunition and weapon storage sites, some of which contained drones, in 24 hours.

Additionally, more than 400 terrorists, including individuals of various foreign nationalities, were eliminated in the past hours in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib.

The statement also highlighted taking action on several fronts in the countryside of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib to encircle and expel terrorists from areas they had entered, securing them fully, and establishing new positions in preparation for the next offensive. These movements are taking place alongside the continued arrival of further military reinforcements to the conflict zones.

Syrian Army Advances in Aleppo Countryside, as Terror Lines Collapse

By Al Mayadeen English

Sources have also reported the spotting of Ukrainian militants among terrorists in Aleppo.

The lines of terrorist organizations, which took over several towns in Syria, are "dramatically collapsing," in the countrysides of Aleppo and Hama, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported. 

A counteroffensive led by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) on the road linking the towns of Khanaser, in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, to the town of Ithriyah in the northern outskirts of Hama's countryside, is achieving great success. 

The towns, nearly 50 km apart, link the two governorates and the extermination of terrorists in the area will allow for a deeper advance of SAA and allied forces into the southern countryside of Aleppo. 

According to our correspondent, the SAA, early on Tuesday, has begun its advance into the town of al-Safeera, which is 35 km north of al-Khanaser and around 20 km to the southeast of Aleppo City. 

Al Mayadeen's correspondent also reported, citing informed sources in Aleppo, that Ukranian militants have been spotted in the city alongside terrorists. 

The terror offensive launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other insurgent groups, including the Turkish-backed National Army, has been accompanied by accusations of foreign powers providing support, with claims of Ukrainian and Turkish backing fueling the escalation.

Particularly, Ukraine has been accused of providing HTS terrorists with FPV drones and other explosive drones, as well as the know-how to conduct coordinated assaults between ground forces and drone operators. 

Meanwhile, the Syrian government continues to rally regional and international support against the onslaught. Moreover, Resistance factions and other allies continue to provide the Syrian government with personnel and equipment to thwart the goals of terrorists and their backers.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Intend to Deploy Toxic Materials in Aleppo, Idlib

By Al Mayadeen English

2 Dec 2024 22:23

Russia's RIA NOVOSTI agency reported on a dangerous operation that terrorists are planning to execute in Syria using toxic material.

A reliable Syrian source informed RIA Novosti that militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, are preparing to use toxic substances in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

An informed source revealed that militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have transferred several cylinders containing toxic gases from a stronghold of the Turkistan Islamic Party near Jisr al-Shughur to southern Idlib and other areas in western Aleppo.

The terrorists carried out this action using ambulances belonging to the White Helmets organization.

In October, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Western intelligence agencies were preparing a simulation involving the use of toxic substances in Syria’s Idlib province, intending to accuse the Syrian army and Russian military forces stationed in the Russian industrial zone.

Following that, the plan was to launch a campaign aimed at discrediting Damascus and Moscow at the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Subsequently, Captain Oleg Ignasy, Deputy Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, confirmed that the terrorists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were planning to carry out the attack.

In June last year, Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorists transported 20 containers containing unknown, potentially toxic materials from one of the terror group's headquarters on the Western flank of Jisr Al-Shughur in the Idlib southwestern countryside.

British militants in Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the rebranded version of the terrorist Jabhat Al-Nusra, arrived at a refrigeration facility used to store foodstuffs to be used out-of-season, taking tightly sealed metal containers out of the facility after they had been stored there for six months.

Local sources told Russian news agency Sputnik at the time that the nature of the containers, their shape, and their mode of transport all indicate that they are used to store toxic material and potentially poisonous gas.

According to the sources, this same shipment was stored in the storage facility in the winter.

Al Mayadeen Obtains Fatah-Hamas MoU on Civil Affairs in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English

Talks in Cairo led to an agreement detailing the work of a Palestinian committee that will govern civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip.

Al Mayadeen has obtained the final document of an agreement signed between the leading Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, during talks in Cairo, Egypt. 

The document outlined the work of a committee responsible for the governance of civil affairs in the Gaza Strip. According to the agreement, the "Community Support Committee in the Gaza Strip" will be in charge of civil affairs in the besieged territory, under the supervision of the Palestinian government. 

The committee's structure, jurisdiction

As per the document, the committee will be subordinate to the Palestinian political leadership in the West Bank, al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip, meaning that the Gaza Strip will not be cut off from other Palestinian territories in the future. 

The parties also agreed that the committee will be comprised of 10 to 15 members, including independent and specialized Palestinian individuals. 

Moreover, the committee will be responsible for governing all civil affairs in the Gaza Strip, while advancing the interests of Palestinian citizens in all fields. 

In detail, the committee's authority will rest with the Palestinian government and the supervisory bodies affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, and it will be granted the necessary powers to carry out its mission.

According to the document obtained by Al Mayadeen, the committee will take up its responsibilities following a meeting that includes all Palestinian political factions, in Cairo, where a final agreement will be signed to appoint its members. 

The committee will also implement the mechanisms previously employed to manage the Gaza Strip's crossings into Israeli-occupied territories, which were in effect prior to October 2023.

Positive talks result in substantial breakthroughs

Earlier, a senior Palestinian official told Al Mayadeen that talks in Cairo have resulted in positive progress. According to the official, the committee to govern the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war will be composed of experts in government and administrative affairs, with members drawn from within Gaza. The official also confirmed that the Palestinian government in Ramallah will oversee the committee’s operations.

Both Hamas and Fatah have agreed that the committee will remain professional and independent, excluding members from either faction, the senior official maintained, highlighting that several Arab countries have offered support to help establish the governing body for Gaza.

Recent talks between Palestinian factions have made significant strides toward unity, paving the way for agreements that could establish a unified governance of Palestinian territories. Multiple countries, including China and Egypt, have been involved in mediating such talks. 

In July, Palestinian factions met in Beijing to discuss efforts to end national division and launch a process for reconciliation between major political parties. 

The meetings saw the participation of 14 Palestinian factions, including Fatah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Al Mayadeen obtained a copy of the Beijing Declaration in which the participants promised to "end the Palestinian national division," and to "unify national efforts to confront the [Israeli] aggression and stop the genocide."

Hezbollah Fires Warning Strike in Response to Israeli Violations

By Al Mayadeen English

2 Dec 2024 18:09

After dozens of Israeli violations against the ceasefire with Lebanon, which took effect on November 27, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon carried out a preliminary defensive response to warn the occupation against any further violations.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced Monday that it carried out a preliminary defensive response to repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement that took effect at dawn on November 27, 2024. 

Hezbollah targeted the Israeli-occupied Ruwaysat al-Alam site in the Kfar Chouba hills, in southern Lebanon.

The Resistance said in its statement that it conducted the operation in response to the violations, "which have included various forms of aggression, such as firing on civilians and conducting airstrikes in different areas of Lebanon—resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and injuries to others—and the continued breach of Lebanese airspace by enemy aircraft, even reaching the capital Beirut." 

Hezbollah said the operation was an "initial defensive and warning response", concluding its statement by saying, "You have been warned".

'Israel's' latest violations on Monday

In the latest set of blatant violations Israeli warplanes launched an aggression on Lebanon, targeting the towns of Haris, Jiba', Wadi Gaza, al-Khraybeh, al-Khiyam, Rashaya al-Fukhar, Yaroun, and the outskirts of the town of Shebaa. 

As a result of these strikes, 10 individuals were martyred, according to preliminary reports, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported. 

In Talousa, four people were martyred and one person was injured, in an Israeli strike. 

Five people were also killed in the town of Haris in southern Lebanon and two others were injured as a result of an Israeli strike that targeted the town. 

Israeli military drones also breached Lebanese airspace, flying over multiple areas, including the capital Beirut, and its southern suburbs. 

Earlier today, the Israeli occupation violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon by targeting southern border villages, as well as areas in the Bekaa Valley.

In its latest breach, the Israeli occupation military carried out Monday a drone strike on a bulldozer operating near a Lebanese Army post in the village of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, north of the Hermel district, wounding a Lebanese soldier.

The Lebanese Army announced on X that an Israeli drone targeted a bulldozer belonging to the army while it was conducting fortification work inside the military post of al-Abbara in the area of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, resulting in moderate injuries to one soldier.

Later, the Lebanese General Directorate of State Security announced that an [Israeli] enemy drone targeted one of its members, Mahdi Khreis, in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The drone struck Corporal Khreis with a guided missile while he was performing his national duty, resulting in his martyrdom, it added, calling the attack "a serious escalation and a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty."

In the South, the Israeli occupation forces fired bursts of machine guns toward homes in the town of al-Naqoura, coinciding with the flight of reconnaissance aircraft over villages in the Tyre district. The occupation forces also launched four artillery shells toward al-Khiam, with one hitting a chalet in the area between Marj'youn Plain and al-Khiam, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

Hezbollah Strikes Back – Resistance Roundup – Day 423

December 2, 2024

Hezbollah responded to Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In its statement, the group cited repeated Israeli violations, “which have included various forms of aggression, such as firing on civilians and conducting airstrikes in different areas of Lebanon”.

The Lebanese movement Hezbollah announced on Monday that it had carried out an initial defensive operation in response to ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect at dawn on November 27, 2024.

Hezbollah stated that it targeted the Israeli-occupied Ruwaysat Al-Alam site in the Kfar Chouba hills in south Lebanon.

In its statement, the group cited repeated Israeli violations, “which have included various forms of aggression, such as firing on civilians and conducting airstrikes in different areas of Lebanon—resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and injuries to others—and the continued breach of Lebanese airspace by enemy aircraft, even reaching the capital Beirut.”

The Resistance described the operation as an “initial defensive and warning response” and concluded with the warning: “You have been warned.”

Earlier in the day, the Israeli military violated the ceasefire agreement by launching attacks on southern border villages and areas in the Bekaa Valley.

One incident involved a drone strike targeting a bulldozer near a Lebanese Army post in the village of Hosh Al-Sayyed Ali, located north of the Hermel district. The Lebanese Army reported on X that the Israeli drone struck the bulldozer during fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military post, injuring a soldier moderately.

Additionally, the Lebanese General Directorate of State Security announced that an Israeli drone attack killed one of its members, Mahdi Khreis. 

The statement condemned the strike as a “serious escalation and a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” explaining that the drone targeted Khreis with a guided missile while he was performing his national duties, resulting in his martyrdom.

In south Lebanon, Israeli forces also fired machine guns at homes in Al-Naqoura, while reconnaissance aircraft flew over villages in the Tyre district. According to the National News Agency (NNA), the Israeli military launched four artillery shells at Al-Khiam, one of which struck a chalet in the area between Marj’youn Plain and Al-Khiam.

Below are the latest statements by the main Resistance force in Gaza, and the Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah. 

The statements were communicated via their Telegram channels and are published here in their original form. 

“Al-Qassam Brigades target enemy sites in the settlements of Nirim and Third Eye with a number of 114mm Rajoom rockets.”

Hezbollah

“In response to the repeated violations committed by the Israeli enemy against the ceasefire agreement, which officially went into effect at dawn on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, and given the various forms these violations have taken—including firing on civilians, conducting airstrikes in different areas of Lebanon resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and injuries to others, and the continued breach of Lebanese airspace by Israeli warplanes, reaching as far as the capital, Beirut—and since attempts to address these violations with the concerned parties have proven unsuccessful, the Islamic Resistance carried out a preliminary defensive warning response on the evening of Monday. 

“The operation targeted the Ruweisat Al-Alam site, which belongs to the Israeli enemy’s military in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Who is Palestinian Authority President Successor Rawhi Fattouh – Profile

December 2, 2024

Palestinian Authority President Successor Rawhi Fattouh. (Photo: via WAFA)

By Robert Inlakesh

Unlike what happened following Yasser Arafat’s death, it appears somewhat unlikely that a Presidential election would be held within the allotted span of time that is mandated by the PA’s Constitution.

The President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, has selected a successor to run an interim administration in the event of his death or he is forced to step down from the role he occupies due to health reasons. The man he has picked for the job is Rawhi Fattouh.

Rawhi Ahmed Muhammad Fattouh, otherwise known as Abu Wissam, was born on August 23, 1949, and spent the earliest years of his life in the Rafah refugee camp near the southernmost city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. 

However, his family originated from the village of Barqa, located north of Gaza, which was ethnically cleansed by Israel in their infamous “Operation Barak” in 1948.

Fattouh attended a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during primary school, before later attending another school in the Egyptian city of al-Arish where his family had moved.

Eventually, after the initiation of the 1967 war – in which Israel launched a surprise attack on Egypt and illegally occupied the Sinai Peninsula – his family then moved once again to the city of Zarqa, in Jordan, where he would complete his high-school diploma.

The future Palestinian Authority official studied English Literature and graduated in 1979 from the University of Damascus in Syria, he would much later go on to complete a Masters degree in political science in 2002.

He began his involvement with the Fatah Party, led by Yasser Arafat, only a year after moving to Jordan, in 1968, and joined the group’s mainstream armed wing known as al-Asifah. He later moved with Fatah’s forces and received training in Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

Fattouh’s political career started with Fatah’s Syria Region branch, for which he served as a Secretary of the Organization, as well as heading Fatah Student Movement branches in Syria. 

He eventually became a member of the Executive Body of the Union of Palestinian Students and in 1989 was elected as a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council at the Fifth General Conference.

In 1996, Fattouh was first elected as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) for the Rafah Governorate District, in 2003 he became the PA’s Minister of Agriculture and in 2004, the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

In 2004 he also became the President of the Palestinian Authority for the period of 60 days, as he was selected by Yasser Arafat to fill his position for this interim period in the event of his death. He was succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas, who was then elected as PA President.

PA President Abbas has now made the same decision and made Rawhi Fattouh his successor in the event of his death or he bows out of the position due to illness.

However, unlike what happened following Yasser Arafat’s death, it appears somewhat unlikely that a Presidential election would be held within the allotted span of time that is mandated by the PA’s Constitution.

There has not been a Palestinian Authority Presidential election in nearly 20 years, as Mahmoud Abbas had chosen to block all previous attempts to go to new elections. This decision has been argued to have come due to Israel blocking the PA’s ability to allow for ballots to exist in East Jerusalem, despite experts arguing that this is no longer an issue that cannot be solved.

During his 20-year rule, Mahmoud Abbas has assumed de facto control of the judiciary, security, intelligence, and just about all elements of the Palestinian Authority, receiving US, EU, and Israeli backing throughout his term to maintain the status quo. This has created what has been argued to be a quasi-dictatorship which has been set up and maintains limited control over areas A and B in the occupied West Bank.

While Fattouh will be a name change, he will also struggle to remedy the popular view in the West Bank that the PA is a corrupt institution, especially due to the fact that in the late 2000’s he was found to have been smuggling thousands of mobile phones into the territory from Jordan, using his Israeli granted “VIP pass”. 

Even if Fattouh manages to improve the image of the PA, he will be caught in the middle of a power struggle between various elements of the PA’s ruling Fatah Party, who will be vying for political power and/or moves to be taken towards reform.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

Drone Strikes by Mali’s Military Regime Kill 8 Tuareg Leaders in the Country’s North

By BABA AHMED

9:29 PM EST, December 1, 2024

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Drone strikes by Mali’s military regime killed eight Tuareg rebel leaders in the town of Tinzaouatine in the north of the country, a rebel spokesman said Sunday. It was the first time since the start of the rebellion in 2012 that so many Taureg leaders have been killed in a single attack.

“Several synchronized drone strikes martyred some Azawad leader on December 1, 2024 in Tinzaouatine, near the Algerian border,” spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said in a statement.

Azawad is the term used by the separatists for northern Mali. The statement from the separatists lists the names of eight Tuareg chiefs, the best known of whom is Fahad Ag Al Mahmoud, Secretary General of the Gatia, a Tuareg armed group.

Later Sunday evening, the General Staff of the Malian armed forces confirmed the deaths of the rebel leaders, whom it described as terrorists, “in a special operation.” The military statement was broadcast on Malian national television channel ORTM.

“Clearly this is a major loss to northern Malian groups since among the victims there are key leaders who have been influential in their communities,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank. “However, it will further intensify the anti sentiment toward Bamako, and the setback doesn’t mean the fight is over.

He said “the junta has demonstrated with these airstrikes that it is not afraid to use the air assets (drones) it acquired anytime it can.”

The attack by Mali’s military regime comes a day after the armed groups in the north announced they were merging into a single political-military entity, now called the Azawad Liberation Front. The new group’s mission is “the total liberation of Azawad and the formation of the Azawad Authority”, said Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the groups, in a press release dated Nov. 30.

Islamic Rebels Kill at Least 10 People and Abduct Others in Attack in Eastern Congo, Authorities Say

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE

12:20 PM EST, December 2, 2024

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 10 people were killed and an unspecified number of others were abducted in eastern Congo by extremist rebels linked to the Islamic State group, a military spokesperson said Monday.

The rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces, an IS-affiliate in the region, attacked the area of Batangi-Mbau the North Kivu province on Sunday night, according to the spokesperson, Mak Hazukay. Several houses were burned down in the attack, he added.

“We call on the population to be vigilant and we assure them that we will drive the enemy out of our territory,” Hazukay said.

Eastern Congo has struggled with armed violence for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings.

The violence has sent nearly 7 million people fleeing their homes.

In recent years, attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces have intensified and spread towards Goma, eastern Congo’s main city, as well as neighboring Ituri province. Rights groups and the United Nations have accused the ADF of killing hundreds of people and abducting even more, including a significant number of children.

Earlier this month, the ADF killed at least 13 people in another village in North Kivu.

Left Behind in Kenya, Children of British Soldiers Struggle to Find Their Identity

By DESMOND TIRO

12:00 AM EST, December 1, 2024

NANYUKI, Kenya (AP) — Margaret Wandia became pregnant after a week-long relationship with a British soldier training near her community in Kenya. They met while she worked at a bar in her early 20s. She knew little about him. He left her with a biracial child.

Now that son is 26, and he is part of an effort by a Kenyan lawyer to take a number of such children to Britain. The goal is to confront authorities over hundreds of such cases reported over the years, and to find the fathers and seek their support.

It is a long shot after years of attempts by human rights groups to hold the British military and its personnel accountable for their actions during weeks of training in Kenya — including alleged rapes — and the children they leave behind.

The countries’ $44 million defense cooperation agreement was renewed in 2021. It allows up to 10,000 British forces to train for eight weeks in Kenya every year. Kenya’s biracial children are part of broader concerns about the British mission, notably the persistent allegations of rape of local girls and women.

Like many biracial children in largely conservative Kenya, Wandia’s son, Louise Gitonga, said he has felt excluded by society and left out of education and employment opportunities for being “too white.”

“I have an identity crisis that has driven me to alcoholism,” the unemployed Gitonga told The Associated Press at his home in the central town of Nanyuki. “Everywhere I pass, people call me a white man. Others call me an albino. These names cause me a great deal of pain and hurt.”

His mother recalled taking him to boarding school and being asked to pay higher fees for her white child. She later married a local farmer, Paul Wachira, who acknowledged the challenges of raising a biracial child.

“At times, I had to hide him from the rest of the family during gatherings to avoid many questions, as he looked very different from his siblings,” Wachira said.

Kenyan lawyer Kelvin Kubai represents 10 such children of visiting British forces. He asserted that not all of their parents’ relationships were consensual. In collaboration with a British law firm he declined to name, he hopes to take some of the children to Britain next year and go to court.

“You know, such children do not know the circumstances under which they were born,” Kubai said.

He hopes they’ll obtain citizenship. According to British law, children born to British citizens are eligible for British citizenship and care of both parents if they are below 18. Seven of the children Kubai represents are under 18. For those older than 18, the trip is a quest for identity and support.

Kubai is also raising money — $4,600 so far — to conduct DNA testing to help find the children’s fathers.

The identity crisis affects children born to white fathers. Kubai said he has yet to come across children of Black British fathers. “They would not be easy to spot and not face discrimination,” he said.

A British High Commission spokesperson in a statement to the AP said it and the British military training mission in Kenya “cooperate fully with local child support authorities where there are claims relating to paternity.” Those authorities didn’t respond to questions.

But Kenyan mothers and civil society groups have long said British authorities have been little or no help.

Jenerica Namoru, 29, has a 5-year-old after dating a British man with the training mission. The man’s name appears on the birth certificate as the father after he consented and shared his documentation for the process.

Namoru said the man initially accepted the child and communicated with her but refused to send financial support. She sought help at the British Army Training Unit Kenya offices. She said they wouldn’t listen.

“At times, they even blocked me from entering the gate,” she said. She’s now being represented by Kubai.

Biracial children in the area around the British training site date back to the 1960s when Kenya was under British rule. Those born decades ago are also part of current efforts to seek justice and support.

David Mwangi Macharia, 68, bears the nickname “British” due to his light skin color. He said his mother had a relationship with a British soldier. He works as a night guard and part-time mason after dropping out of primary school due to being ridiculed and discriminated against.

“(Kenyans) always think that I cannot do menial jobs despite the fact that I am not educated,” Macharia said. He has even found it difficult to get along with his darker-skinned siblings.

Attempts to hold visiting British forces accountable have long gained little traction, Kenyans say.

Marion Mutugi, a commissioner with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, said the relationships between British soldiers and local women range from consensual to transactional to forced.

The commission says it has documented over 200 rape cases involving British troops between 1983 and 2003, and it continues to collect data.

Britain’s defense ministry dismissed the rape cases as “not genuine,” and an investigation by the Royal Military Police in 2007 did not lead to compensation or justice for the victims, the KNCHR said in a report to Kenya’s parliament protesting a past renewal of the countries’ defense agreement.

“(Authorities) also interfere with investigations by compromising the local community. The human rights defenders on the ground are threatened and intimidated by both the BATUK and the Kenyan forces and Kenyan officials to ensure that justice is not reached,” Mutugi said.

“Our take at the commission was that they wanted to put a Band-Aid on a wound instead of lacerating, dealing with it and operating on it,” the commissioner added.

The British High Commission has said it was looking into the allegations. Kenyan authorities have never responded to the allegations.

The most well-known case is that of Agnes Wanjiru, was killed in 2012 after an evening in the company of British soldiers. An inquest in 2019 concluded that Wanjiru was murdered by British soldiers but no suspect has been charged. A public hearing by the Kenyan parliament’s defense committee, which started in May, has revived investigations.

Kubai said he hopes to provide Kenyan children of British soldiers a much-needed sense of identity.

“What we are bringing in the UK court is not just the issue of rape, it is the issue of these children who happen to be prisoners of an identity they did not chose for themselves,” he said.

___

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

Belgian Court Rules Against State in a Landmark Case Addressing its Colonial Past

By RAF CASERT

10:48 AM EST, December 2, 2024

BRUSSELS (AP) — A Brussels appeals court ruled on Monday that the Belgian state committed a crime against humanity in the case of five mixed-race women who were taken away from their Black mothers in infancy in a landmark case addressing the nation’s colonial past in Africa.

The five women fought a legal battle over some some six years to make Belgium recognize responsibility for the suffering of thousands of mixed-race children. Known as “métis,” the children were snatched away from families and placed in religious institutions and homes by Belgian authorities that ruled Congo from 1908 to 1960.

A lower court had first dismissed their challenge in 2021 but they appealed.

“It is deliverance for my mother now that she finally has closure,” said Monique Fernandes, the daughter of Monique Bintu Bingi, one of the five plaintiffs. “She finally has it recognized as crime against humanity,” Fernandes told The Associated Press.

The initial ruling had said that the policy, even if unacceptable, was not “part of a generalized or systematic policy, deliberately destructive, which characterizes a crime against humanity” and had to be seen within its context of European colonialism.

Monday’s decision also orders the state to pay damages of some 50,000 euros to each of the plaintiffs and Fernandes said it would help cover all the costs involved. “We did not want to go for a moral symbolic euro since it would amount to some sort of insult after everything my mother went through,” she said.

The five women, who are now in their 70s and 80s, filed their lawsuit in 2020 amid growing demands for Belgium to reassess its colonial past in Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

In the wake of protests against racial inequality in the United States, several statues of former King Leopold II, who is blamed for the deaths of millions of Africans during Belgium’s colonial rule, have been vandalized in Belgium, and some have been removed.

In 2019, the Belgian government apologized for the state’s role in taking thousands of babies from their African mothers. And for the first time in the country’s history, a reigning king expressed regret four years ago for the violence carried out by the former colonial power.

Lawyers said the five plaintiffs were all between the ages of 2 and 4 when they were taken away at the request of the Belgian colonial administration, in cooperation with local Catholic Church authorities.

According to legal documents, in all five cases the fathers did not exercise parental authority, and the Belgian administration threatened the girls’ Congolese families with reprisals if they refused to let them go.

According to the lawyers, the Belgian state’s strategy was aimed at preventing interracial unions and isolating métis children, known as the “children of shame,” to make sure they would not claim a link with Belgium later in their lives.

“The story always was: look, we have done so much good in Congo. But there is also such a dark history,” said Fernandes.

___

Associated Press writer Sam Petrequin in London contributed to this report.

Panic Among Spectators at Soccer Game Kills at Least 56 in the West African Nation of Guinea

4:02 PM EST, December 2, 2024

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Chaos erupted at a soccer game in Guinea after fans protested a referee’s call and thousands of panicked spectators tried to flee the stadium, leaving at least 56 people dead in the West African nation, officials and witnesses said Monday.

Amid the confusion, security forces used tear gas, local news website Media Guinea reported. Many of the dead were crushed as they tried to escape through the stadium gates, a journalist covering the game for a local sports website told The Associated Press.

“The gates, that’s where the stampede happened,” said Cissé Lancine, who got away by climbing over one of the stadium walls. “I was saved because I did not rush towards the exit.”

The world’s latest sports crowd disaster unfurled Sunday in the second-largest city in a military-run nation where information is sparse and government-controlled at the best of times. It was not immediately clear how much the death toll could grow.

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on a stampede at a soccer match in Guinea that killed dozens of people.

Lancine said between 20,000 and 30,000 people were present at the Third of April stadium to watch the local Labe and Nzerekore teams compete in the final of the first national tournament honoring military leader Mamadi Doumbouya.

Checkpoints were set up Monday throughout Nzerekore, a city of about 200,000 that was at a standstill as soldiers guarded the hospital where victims were being treated. Most shops were closed.

Video, apparently from the scene, showed shouting fans protesting the refereeing. People ran as they tried to escape the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence.

“Supporters threw stones. This is why the security services used tear gas,” reported Media Guinea, which also wrote that several of the dead were children and some of the injured were in critical condition.

The footage showed people lying on the floor of a hospital as members of a crowd helped the wounded.

Enock Loua, a resident of Nzerekore, learned over the phone that his niece Aline Olivier had been killed.

“We have a hard time realizing what happened to us, it is as if the sky has fallen on our heads,” Loua told The Associated Press.

Authorities are trying to establish who was responsible, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on national television.

The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition said the tournament was organized to drum up support for Doumbouya’s “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions.

Doumbouya, who ousted then-President Alpha Conde in 2021, has been eyeing a possible run for the presidential election, for which the date has not been set. The transition charter put in place by his own regime does not allow him to run.

Guinea is one of a number of West African countries — including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule.

Doumbouya said he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised.

Guinea’s leader announced three days of national mourning starting on Tuesday, in a presidential decree read on national television.

Sunday, December 01, 2024

Yemen Strikes US Destroyer, Three Army Ships, in Top-tier Military Operations

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Yemeni Military Media

1 Dec 2024 20:52

The Yemeni Armed Forces' drone and missile forces jointly strike US Army assets in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, in support of Palestine and in defense of Yemen.

In support of the Palestinian people and its Resistance, in response to the Israeli crimes in the gaza Strip, and in retaliation to the American-British aggression on Yemen, the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced on Sunday the targeting of one US destroyer and three US supply ships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden. 

Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree confirmed in a statement that the Stena Impeccable, Maersk Saratoga, and Liberty Grace ships, belonging to the US Army, as well as an American destroyer, were targeted in a top-tier military operation carried out by the YAF's missile and drone forces. 

According to the statement, 16 ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and one drone were used to carry out the multifaceted operation, achieving precise hits, in both the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 

Saree further affirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces will continue executing their military operations at an escalating pace in the declared naval operational area against the Israeli and American enemies, further reiterating that they would not cease until the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted. 

Earlier, the missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces also carried out an operation targeting a vital site in the occupied Yafa region using a hypersonic missile of the Palestine 2 type, YAF spokesperson Saree announced on Sunday, confirming its success. 

‘Humanitarian Duty’ – Ansarallah Announces New Operation Targeting Tel Aviv

December 1, 2024

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for Yemen's Ansarallah. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Ansarallah movement, affiliated with the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced on Sunday that it had launched a ballistic missile targeting a “vital site” in central Israel.  

Ansarallah military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the hypersonic missile successfully struck its intended target. 

According to the statement, the operation was carried out “in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and its fighters, and in response to the crimes committed by the Israeli enemy against our brothers in the Gaza Strip”.

Saree warned of continued missile and drone attacks unless Israel halts its offensive in Gaza and lifts the ongoing siege.  

“The Yemeni Armed Forces, in light of the continued crimes of the enemy in the Gaza Strip, will escalate their military operations using missiles and drones as part of their religious, moral, and humanitarian duty to support the fighters in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” the statement said.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli public broadcaster KAN claimed that a missile fired from Yemen had been intercepted by air defense systems.

The Israeli Army Radio also reported that four Israelis were slightly injured as they ran to shelters after sirens sounded in a number of areas in central Israel.

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,382 Palestinians have been killed, and 105,142 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

 The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Georgia’s Special Forces Push Protesters Away from Parliamentary Building in Tbilisi

Members of the law enforcement have demanded that the protesters disperse, sometimes using water cannons

© Mikhail Egikov/TASS

TBILISI, December 2. /TASS/. Special purpose units from Georgia’s Interior Ministry have been clearing the square in front of the parliamentary building in downtown Tbilisi, a TASS correspondent reported.

Members of the law enforcement have demanded that the protesters disperse, sometimes using water cannons.

Another anti-government rally was taking place in front of the Georgian parliament. Several thousand people took to the streets, demanding the government’s resignation and new parliamentary elections. The number of protesters has considerably diminished compared to previous days. A similar protest rally was held in Batumi.

A new wave of anti-government rallies began in Georgia on November 28, triggered by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze saying that the ruling Georgian Dream — Democratic Georgia party had decided to postpone any talk about launching EU accession negotiations until late 2028 and decline any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to blackmail Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament.

Kobakhidze’s statement was followed by protests in downtown Tbilisi. Protest rallies in front of the parliamentary building grew into clashes with the police who used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Protesters in Tbilisi Tossing Stones at Riot Police

The police are using pepper spays against the demonstrators

© Mikhail Yegikov/TASS

TBILISI, December 1. /TASS/. Protesters in downtown Tbilisi are tossing stones at riot police guarding the parliamentary building, a TASS correspondent reported from the site.

The police are using pepper spays against the demonstrators.

Another anti-government rally is being held near the parliamentary building in Tbilisi. Several thousand people have blocked traffic along Rustaveli Avenue in front of the building. They are demanding the government resignation and rerun parliamentary elections. According to the TASS correspondent, the rally is being attended by less people than in previous days.

Another wave of protests was sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement on November 28 when he said that the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party had decided to postpone any talk about launching accession negotiations until late 2028 and decline any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to blackmail Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament.