Workers Have Kept Us Going: Zimbabwe President

02 MAY, 2021 - 00:05 

Leroy Dzenga Senior Reporter for the Zimbabwe Herald

THE nascent economic rebound being witnessed in Zimbabwe, characterised by increasing industrial capacity utilisation and a stable macro-economic environment, is a product of the country’s dedicated and hardworking workforce that is focused on development, President Mnangagwa has said.

Speaking during a virtual address to mark the 2021 Workers Day commemorations at State House in Harare yesterday, the President said workers are the pillar upon which the Zimbabwean economy was emerging stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said Government will continue introducing appropriate policies to protect and improve workers’ standards of living, while allowing for businesses to thrive.

“The implementation of our National Development Strategy 1 is on course, with the country now on the path to sustained socio-economic growth,” said President Mnangagwa.

“This is anchored on increased production and productivity across all sectors of our economy.

“Already, we have begun to witness increases in industrial capacity utilisation, with locally manufactured goods taking up a greater share of shelves in our supermarkets.

“We owe this remarkable growth to the dedicated, hard and honest work of all our workers across sectors.

“I applaud all workers for growing and delivering food onto our tables; mining the minerals, increasing our exports to bring the much-needed foreign currency and producing a wide array of goods and services for the sustainable socio-economic development of our country.”

He implored all workers to scale up production in order to achieve exponential growth, enhance national output and competitiveness.

The President paid tribute to workers for their immense sacrifices during the coronavirus pandemic, saying their dedication has kept the country’s economy on the rails.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdowns has wreaked havoc in most economies across the world, resulting in company closures and mass layoffs of workers.

“This year’s commemorations come at a time when the world and our country grapple with the distressing burden of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In relative terms, we have done very well, although the war is not yet won.

“On behalf of Government and indeed on my own behalf, I want to salute and commend you the workers and your families for your resolve, dedication, determination and commitment to duty and country during these unprecedented Covid-19 times. Your sacrifice and continued endurance has kept the wheels of Zimbabwe’s economy turning.”

President Mnangagwa called on workers to receive Covid-19 vaccines under the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme in order to expedite the country’s return to normalcy.

Government’s priority during the pandemic is to protect and save lives and Zimbabweans should remain vigilant and continue observing all the recommended Covid-19 prevention protocols.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe,” President Mnangagwa said adding that under the Second Republic, Zimbabwe had embarked on a journey to fulfil its potential.

“The gloomy picture of 2017 has been replaced by a genuine sense of optimism; optimism that conditions are now in place for our country to fulfil its potential and for our people to thrive.

“It is this message that were are taking to investors, with the knowledge that their investments will expedite the process of bringing us even closer to fulfilling the dream of our forefathers.”

The President challenged employers to pursue robust ways of addressing the welfare of workers.

Government has continued to improve its workers’ welfare through regular salary increases in line with the recovering economy.

Public sector workers were handed a 25 percent salary increase last month, while a further 50 percent pay bump is set to be effected next month.

“In the spirit of working together, my Government remains committed to putting in place an enabling environment which protects the worker, provides decent work and improves standards of living while allowing businesses to thrive. “In line with the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, Government, employers and workers alike will continue to invest in occupational safety and health at the workplace.

“Over and above this, our laws encourage workers and employers to freely engage and associate.

“This is in line with the Second Republic’s culture of dialogue and deepening the practice of participatory democracy as well as good governance at the workplace,” President Mnangagwa said.

Organised labour, he said, was a crucial bedrock which has shaped the country’s politics and economy since the days of the liberation struggle.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have emerged as major employers and are now a vital cog in the country’s economy.

As such authorities have set up a dedicated SMEs Foreign Currency Auction Market to allow for this sector to thrive, said the President.

The Zimbabwean economy is projected to grow by over 7 percent this year on the back of an improved agriculture season and increased production in the mining sector.

Over 45 percent of goods on supermarket shelves are local products, a testament to improved industrial capacity utilisation which stood at 47 percent, up from 36,4 percent in 2019.

Covid-19 Response Laudable: Minister Mutsvangwa

02 MAY, 2021 - 00:05 

Conrad Mupesa Mashonaland West Bureau of the Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has responded soundly to the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to respect human life in his decisions, ZANU PF Women’s League Secretary for Administration, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa, has said.

Cde Mutsvangwa, who is also Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, was speaking at the ruling party’s Mashonaland West Provincial Co-ordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in Chinhoyi yesterday.

Among other issues, the meeting addressed the party’s restructuring exercise, voter registration, and the thrust to mobilise five million votes in the 2023 elections.

Cde Mutsvangwa said despite sanctions and other setbacks, President Mnangagwa and his administration have contained the pandemic better than countries with superior resources.

“As we mobilise votes towards a resounding win in the 2023 harmonised elections, let’s also speak to our members and convince voters with confidence about the successes of the Second Republic. Through President Mnangagwa, the country responded well to the Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged many countries even though we had a lot of challenges before us.

“In 2019, we faced Cyclone Idai which ravaged some parts of Manicaland killing people, livestock and damaging roads and at least 30 bridges but President Mnangagwa reacted to these challenges and we managed to see good and better roads and bridges being constructed,” she said.

Cde Mutsvangwa, who shared with party cadres how she lost her brother, Mr Daniel Parirenyatwa, to Covid-19, said the introduction of an inter-ministerial task force and availability of vaccines were proof that Zimbabwe is all hands on deck in combating the contagion.

“We have received and also procured vaccines which have gone through proper testing. About 400 000 people have been vaccinated with negligible side effects and people should embrace the vaccination exercise for our economic activities to kick off again as we continue to target herd immunity.”

In his remarks, ZANU PF politburo member Cde Empacus Kanhanga castigated factionalism and regionalism.

“We don’t condone any imposition of candidates and now that we are moving towards restructuring of cells, branches and districts, let positions be awarded on merit. Our President is clear about how elections in the party go,” he said.

The ruling party’s restructuring of cells and branches will take place from May 10 to June 6 this year followed by verification from June 14 to 20, while restructuring and verification of districts will be conducted from June 28 to July 18.

Somalia's Parliament Votes to Cancel Presidential Term Extension

Reuters

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, President of Somalia, attends the London Somalia Conference' at Lancaster House, May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jack Hill/Pool

Somali lawmakers voted unanimously on Saturday to cancel a two-year presidential term extension they had approved last month, after clashes in the capital Mogadishu between factions of the security forces, which are divided over the issue.

In a speech following the vote in the lower house of parliament, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble ordered the army to return to barracks and urged politicians to avoid inciting violence.

The political crisis has raised fears that al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents could exploit a security vacuum if state forces split along clan lines and turn on each other. The group has taken over at least one Somali town in the past week as heavily armed fighters moved from the countryside into the capital city.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's attempt to extend his term has also angered foreign donors, who have backed his government in an attempt to bring stability to Somalia after more than two decades as a failed state following a civil war that began in 1991.

Saturday's lower house vote was broadcast on Somali television and came shortly after Mohamed addressed parliament and said he was directing the prime minister to prepare to hold a delayed parliamentary election.

Roble said in a Twitter post late on Saturday that the government will "soon" prepare the plan for elections, and thanked the president and the parliament.

Mohamed's term expired in February, but without a new crop of lawmakers, parliament was unable to choose a president.

The term extension was approved by the lower house last month but rejected by the Senate, provoking the crisis that has intensified in the past week.

Between 60,000 and 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes following clashes on Sunday that stirred fears of all-out war between heavily armed factions for and against the president.

Rashid Abdi, a Nairobi-based independent analyst, said the parliamentary vote and the president's move towards holding elections appeared to be a good compromise.

"The problem is there is so little trust between the parties and as long as Farmaajo holds the levers of the military and security services, it looks difficult to build confidence in that process," he said, using a popular nickname for the president.

The U.S. State Department, the EU ambassador, and the Turkish foreign ministry praised Saturday's developments.

"We call on the parties to the agreement to meet immediately without preconditions to finalize electoral arrangements and begin implementation in a collaborative and transparent manner," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, adding that the United States stood ready to support the conduct of elections as soon as possible.

BATTLE LINES DRAWN

Opposition lawmaker Abdirahman Odowaa told Reuters "much remains to be done", adding that he wanted Mohamed to formalise what had been agreed.

"The handing over of security and election process to the prime minister should be documented and signed ... (He) has to go to the conference tent and sign ... before all," Odowaa said.

Senator Ilyas Ali Hassan, from another opposition party, Himilo Qaran, said he hoped Roble "will now lead the election and ... do the right thing, so that this country can have a free and fair election".

Abdulahi Ali Hirsi Timaade, information minister of Puntland, one of Somalia's five regional governments, told Reuters he wanted Mohamed to confirm in a letter that he had given Roble responsibility for the elections and security.

Mogadishu shopkeeper Duale Hussein said he feared the opposition had been duped.

"He cleverly did a somersault," Hussein said of the president. "Farmaajo still rules everything ... Roble is just his remote control."

It was not immediately clear whether security forces loyal to the opposition would withdraw from fortified positions in the capital following Saturday's vote and Roble's order, having refused to do so earlier this week. read more

Somalia's armed forces include members of clan militias who have often battled each other for power and resources.

Mohamed is Darod, one of Somalia's major clans. Most of the opposition leaders and Somali military in the capital are Hawiye, another large clan.

As Somalia's Unrest Continues, US Says It's 'Prepared to Consider All Available Tools'

Clashes have erupted between forces for and against Somalia's president.

By Morgan Winsor

April 27, 2021, 8:16 AM

LONDON -- As rival factions in Somalia's military clash over the president's extended stay in power, the United States stands ready "to consider all available tools," according to U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price.

"The United States is gravely concerned by the violent clashes yesterday in Mogadishu. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and to resolve their differences peacefully," Price said in a statement on Monday evening. "Dialogue and consensus are the only ways to resolve the electoral impasse, and we urge parties to resume negotiations at once to arrive at an agreed way forward for immediate elections. As the Secretary has stated previously, the United States is prepared to consider all available tools, including sanctions and visa restrictions, to respond to efforts to undermine peace and stability in Somalia."

The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Somalia and is advising Americans not to travel to the volatile Horn of Africa nation, citing "COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping and piracy." Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu posted a security alert for all Americans in Somalia on Monday, urging them to "review your personal security plans, have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance, and make contingency plans to leave."

"An ongoing political impasse in Somalia led to a significant outbreak of violence in Mogadishu between government and opposition-affiliated forces on April 25, 2021. This violence included the use of heavy weapons, including explosives," the embassy said. "Violence such as this may occur without any ability to provide advance warning to U.S. citizens."

Gunfire rang out in Somalia's capital on Sunday as fighting erupted between units of the country's security forces that are for and against Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, who signed a law on April 13 extending his and his cabinet's mandates for two years, stoking opposition at home and abroad. Mogadishu residents were seen fleeing from their homes as mutinous soldiers, many still in uniform, stationed themselves at key intersections in the capital with truck-mounted machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles.

Somalia, ravaged by decades of clan-based civil war as well as a yearslong insurgency at the hands of al Qaeda-linked terrorist group al Shabaab, was slated to hold a presidential election in early February but the vote has been delayed due to disputes between political stakeholders on the electoral process. The African Union's Peace and Security Council is expected to send a special envoy to Mogadishu to oversee the efforts to resolve the stalemate.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) said it has "repeatedly warned that the extension of mandates would lead to a political crisis and undermine peace, stability and security in Somalia."

"We urge all sides to exercise maximum restraint, resume dialogue, and avoid unilateral actions that may lead to a further escalation," UNSOM said in a statement Tuesday. "We are alarmed especially by the emerging fragmentation of the Somali National Army (SNA) along clan lines, which detracts from its primary task of combating Al Shabab and protecting the Somali population. Use of security forces for pursuit of political objectives is unacceptable."

The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu said the security situation there "has deteriorated in the last few months."

"March saw the highest number of improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Mogadishu since September 2019," the embassy said in its alert Monday. "Mogadishu has experienced one suicide vehicle-borne IED each month in 2021 compared to six for the entirety of 2020. This apparent increased capacity to conduct suicide terrorist operations, against a backdrop of political uncertainty, has the potential to affect Somalia’s security situation with no warning."

Somalia's Ministry of Internal Security said its forces on Sunday "foiled several attempted attacks against the public and shut down the organized militia who entered the Capital." The ministry warned "against the politicalization of our security agencies."

Both former Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Abdirahman Abdishakur, a Somali presidential candidate and opposition leader, have accused Farmajo's forces of attacking their homes in Mogadishu on Sunday. The Ministry of Internal Security said it was "deeply concerned by the grave accusations."

"All our Former Heads of State are highly protected by the National Guard and as such, any threats to them and their families remain a matter of huge concern to the Federal Government of Somalia," the ministry said in a statement Sunday.

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has called for a cease-fire and an emergency meeting of various sectors of society to discuss the country's security.

"I call on the security forces to ensure the safety of the citizens, not to get involved in politics, and to refrain from any actions that could destabilize the country," Roble said in a statement Tuesday.

Biden to Uphold Western Sahara Recognition for Sake of Israel

Saturday, 01 May 2021 11:08 AM

A Moroccan soldier on a hilltop in Western Sahara. (Photo by AFP)

US President Joe Biden has reportedly decided to uphold the Trump administration’s controversial decision to recognize Morocco’s alleged  sovereignty over Western Sahara.

The recognition came as part of a deal with the despotic North African country to normalize relations with the Israeli regime.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita during a Friday phone call that the Biden administration would not, “for the time being,” reverse his predecessor’s pro-Israeli move in the waning days of his presidency, US-based Axios news website reported, citing “two sources familiar with the call.”

“The secretary welcomed Morocco’s steps to improve relations with Israel and noted the Morocco-Israel relationship will bring long-term benefits for both countries,” according to a readout of the call released by the State Department.

Responding to inquires about the issue during a Friday press briefing, State Department deputy spokesperson Jaline Porter tried to dodge the issue.

“When it comes to Western Sahara, we are consulting privately with parties on how to best halt the violence there… We would also talk about having the goal to achieve a lasting settlement,” she said. 

Trump’s recognition of Western Sahara as part of Morocco reversed decades of Washington’s policy regarding the disputed territory. It was part of a wider agreement with Rabat’s ruler that included the renewal of diplomatic ties between the Israeli and the Moroccan regimes that triggered massive protests in Palestine and Morocco.

The US thus became the only Western country to recognize Morocco's alleged sovereignty over Western Sahara, which was annexed by the Rabat regime in 1975 after the former colonial government of Spain surrendered control.

The report further revealed that 10 days ago Biden's Middle East advisor Brett McGurk “spoke to Bourita and gave the impression that there would be no change in the US policy on Western Sahara.” 

It report said both Morocco and Israel had become concerned that the Biden administration may reverse Trump’s contentious decision, solely intended to press more Arab dictatorships to recognize Israel.

Last December, Morocco became the fourth US-backed Arab kingdom to strike a deal aimed at establishing ties with Israel. The others were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

The move sparked protests across the North African country, opposing the deal and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause while condemning the Israeli regime’s persisting atrocities against Palestine’s native population.

Later, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to Tel Aviv in a “warm and friendly” phone conversation, agreeing to continue contacts in order to advance the normalization agreement.

Trump’s controversial decision, which contradicts UN resolutions on the issue, has been challenged by US lawmakers.

In February, half the US Senate signed a bipartisan letter led by Republican Jim Inhofe and senior Democrat Patrick Leahy calling on Biden to reverse Trump’s “illegitimate” decision.

“The abrupt decision by the previous administration on December 11, 2020, to officially recognize the Kingdom of Morocco’s illegitimate claims of sovereignty over Western Sahara was short-sighted, undermined decades of consistent US policy, and alienated a significant number of African nations,” the senators wrote.

“The Sahrawi people deserve the right to freely choose their own destiny. We hope that we can count on you to be a partner in this effort,” they added.

US National Security Adviser: Washington Will Keep Working for Return to JCPOA

Sunday, 02 May 2021 4:54 PM  

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan (right) sits along with President Joe Biden in a meeting. (AP file photo)

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that American diplomats will keep working “to try to arrive at a mutual return to the JCPOA, which is the Iran nuclear deal, on a compliance-for-compliance basis.”

Sullivan made the remarks in an interview on Sunday after Iran’s lead negotiator said the third round of negotiations in Vienna to fully restore the 2015 nuclear agreement has concluded with some “maturity” and “clarity” while there remains a lengthy and bumpy road ahead.

Sullivan also acknowledged that Washington and Tehran are not close to an agreement to revive US participation in the nuclear pact, which was reached between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union in 2015.

"There is no deal now," Sullivan told ABC News.

The US official said nothing had been agreed upon amid ongoing negotiations in Austria.

"There's still fair distance to travel to close the remaining gaps, and those gaps are over what sanctions the United States and other countries will roll back," he said.

"They are over what nuclear restrictions Iran will accept on its program to ensure that they can never get a nuclear weapon,” he said, repeating baseless US claim that Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon. Iran’s top leadership has always maintained that the country’s nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. 

In recent days, expert negotiations were held within three working groups in Vienna that were formed to resolve technical issues hampering a full restoration of the nuclear agreement, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Bilateral and multilateral meetings were also held to exchange views and coordinate efforts aimed at reaching a consensus on the path forward.

The JCPOA was reached to lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for certain restrictions and robust inspections on the country’s nuclear work.

Former Republican President Donald Trump in May 2018 unilaterally pulled the US out from the historic nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, describing the deal as the worst ever negotiated.

The Trump administration also reinstated the sanctions that had been lifted against Iran under the deal.

US President Joe Biden, who was vice president when the deal was reached back in 2015, had said during his campaign for presidency, that he would return the US to the deal if elected, but his administration has so far failed to take meaningful action on the pledge.

Tehran says Washington, in order to rejoin the deal, must first compensate for its past mistakes by removing all the sanctions that Trump imposed on Iran following withdrawal from the accord.

The US, however, says the ball is in Iran’s court, and that Tehran should first stop the retaliatory commitment reductions under Article 36 of the JCPOA before the sanctions are lifted.

Palestine PM Calls on Europe to Pressure Israel to Allow Jerusalem al-Quds Elections

Sunday, 02 May 2021 7:13 PM  

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called on the European Union (EU) to pressure Israel to allow the long-awaited Palestinian legislative elections to be held in Jerusalem al-Quds.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday postponed the planned vote, the first Palestinian elections in 15 years, amid a dispute over voting in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds and divisions in his Fatah party.

The delay drew immediate criticism from many Palestinians and from would-be voters. No Palestinian under 34 has taken part in national elections.

The decision was also criticized by the Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of its political bureau, insisting that the move lacked any credible justification.

Haniyeh also said that the polls were a necessity in tackling the threats to the Palestinian cause, such as the so-called deal of the century, and Israel's annexation plans.

On Sunday, Shtayyeh stressed that the legislative elections were just postponed, and not canceled. He also called on the EU to pressure Israel to allow the Palestinian vote to be held in Jerusalem al-Quds, Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported.

He also called on the EU to pressure the regime to allow Palestinians there to both cast their votes and run as electoral candidates.

Shtayyeh’s remarks were made during a meeting with the EU representative to Palestine, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, in the premier’s office in Ramallah. 

The comments came as Israeli authorities have made many efforts to either cancel or postpone the Palestinian elections. 

Fatah split into three factions in the run-up to the elections — an official list of candidates backed by Abbas; a faction led by Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti; and another slate sponsored by former Fatah security official Mohammad Dahlan, who currently resides in Abu Dhabi.

Hundreds of Palestinians staged rallies in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip to protest Abbas’ decision to postpone the parliamentary elections.

The participants chanted slogans in condemnation of the delay and reaffirmed their right to hold democratic elections. 

Israeli forces have escalated an arrest campaign targeting key Hamas figures in the West Bank in recent months, detaining Mustafa al-Shanar, Adnan Asfour, Khalid al-Hajj, Omar al-Hanbali, Jamal al-Tawil, and Khatam al-Qafisheh, among others.

Syria’s President Assad Grants Amnesty for Certain Crimes

Sunday, 02 May 2021 5:57 PM

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (file photo by Reuters)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a legislative decree, authorizing the release of prisoners including those convicted for misdemeanors as well as minors facing certain charges.

The amnesty, issued on Sunday for crimes committed before May 2, 2021, includes those who have escaped military service and those facing temporary criminal penalties, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.

However, SANA did not say how many prisoners would benefit from the amnesty.

According to AFP, the decree also includes crimes related to the terrorism act of 2012, including “conspiracy” to commit a “terrorist” act, but suspects on the death row for terrorist acts would not be included.

The foreign-sponsored crisis in Syria erupted in 2011. It has so far claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

Throughout the war, some foreign countries such as the US and Israel, have repeatedly attacked Syria, in acts regarded by Damascus as clear support for the terrorists wreaking havoc in the Arab country.

Under Assad’s decree, drug traffickers, smugglers and those convicted for tax evasion as well as army deserters who turn themselves in within three months if they are in the country or within six months if they are abroad could also benefit.

Assad has issued similar amnesties in recent years as well.

Meanwhile, Syria has announced that it will hold its presidential election on May 26. 

According to opinion polls, Assad has a good chance of re-election given his government’s successful fight against foreign-sponsored terrorists since the conflict began.

Iran to Use Funds Held in Iraq to Buy Russian COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Minister

Sunday, 02 May 2021 10:18 AM 

Iran’s Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian (L) attends a press conference with Iraqi Electricity Minister Majid Mahdi Hantoush in Tehran on May 2, 2021. (Photo by Iran Press news agency)

Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian says Iran will use its funds blocked in neighboring Iraq to purchase vaccines from Russia against the COVID-19 disease.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with visiting Iraqi Electricity Minister Majid Mahdi Hantoush in Tehran on Sunday, Ardakanian said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered that the money needed for buying COVID-19 vaccines be provided from funds held in different parts of the world.

"According to an agreement between Iran and Russia, part of Iraq’s debt to Iran will be spent on purchasing Russian vaccines," the minister said. 

Ardakanian said necessary arrangements with Baghdad and Moscow have been made and "we expect that the first payments will be made in the coming days.”

Iran has billions of dollars in a Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) account which processes Iraq’s payments for imports of natural gas and electricity from Iran.

However, the funds have been frozen because of the US sanctions on Iran which restrict the use of the dollar for transactions involving Tehran.

The inhumane US sanctions have seriously hampered the Islamic Republic’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected 2,516,157 Iranians and killed 72,090 others.

Iranian Red Crescent imports largest vaccine cargo

On Sunday, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) announced that it has imported the largest consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from China.

“This consignment of one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine arrived today at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport,” said IRCS Secretary-General Mohammad Hassan Ghosian Moghaddam.

Other than importing reliable foreign vaccines, Iran has developed its own vaccines which are currently in the last phases of human trials.

Leader Rebukes Foreign Minister Zarif over Leaked Remarks on Foreign Policy

Sunday, 02 May 2021 8:39 PM 

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei addresses the Iranian nation in live televised speech, Tehran, May 2, 2021. (via Khamenei.ir)

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rebukes Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the latter’s “wrongful” remarks about Iran’s foreign policy, the Quds Force of the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the force’s martyred commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a live televised speech on Sunday in reference to a leaked audio file featuring allegations by Zarif about some occasions in which the country’s foreign policy had been “sacrificed” in favor of the force’s activities.

The Leader voiced regret and surprise at the comments, calling the IRGC’s Quds Force “the biggest effective factor that prevents [enactment of] a passive diplomacy in the West Asia region.”

Therefore, “one should not talk in a way that causes foreigner’s remarks to occur to the mind,” Ayatollah Khamenei advised.

The Westerners oppose Iran’s leading an active foreign policy, and rather prefer that the country falls back under the dominion of its former Western-backed tyrannical rule of the Pahlavi regime, the Leader highlighted.

“This force carries out the policy of the Islamic Republic. The Western countries persistently want the foreign policy of Iran to come under their flag. They have been wanting this for years. Iran was under the Western domination both in later years of the Qajar dynasty and under the Pahlavi rule. The [Islamic] Revolution freed Iran of their dominion and now they are trying to restore that dominion,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

It is because of this opposition that the West frowns on any indication of such active foreign policy such as the Islamic Republic’s expanding its ties with China, Russia, and also its neighbors, the Leader stated.

The Leader said, “I know many cases in which when high-ranking officials of neighboring countries wanted to visit Iran, the Americans were opposed. We cannot step back in the face of their demand. We must act forcefully.”

Still referring to Zarif’s comments, Ayatollah Khamenei said some remarks “are repetition of the US [officials’] remarks. Suppose that Americans have been angry with Iran’s [regional] influence for many years. They were angry with Martyr Soleimani for this reason and this is why they martyred him.”

“We must not say something that would bring to mind the idea that we are repeating their remarks, both about the Quds Force and about Martyr Soleimani himself,” the Leader emphasized.

General Solaimeni was martyred along with his companions in a United States’ drone strike against Baghdad early last year.

During his lifetime, General Soleimani won reputation as the region’s most popular and decisive anti-terror commander. He was martyred while paying an official visit to the Iraqi capital.

Foreign Ministry’s remit

"A country’s plans include military, scientific, cultural and diplomatic plans, and their totality makes up a country’s policy. It’s meaningless for one sector to negate the other and this is a big error, which must not be committed by the officials of the Islamic Republic,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei said nowhere in the world the foreign ministry sets a country’s foreign policy outlines, but there are higher authorities that set the main lines of a country’s foreign policy and the foreign ministry just carries out those policies.

In the Islamic Republic, the foreign policy is determined at the Supreme National Security Council in the presence of the country’s authorities, and the Foreign Ministry should implement it using its own methods, the Leader remarked. He underscored, “We must not talk in a way as if we do not accept the country’s policies and in doing so, make our enemies happy.”

Upcoming presidential elections

Meanwhile, the Leader called for the massive participation of the Iranian people in the forthcoming presidential election, warning against efforts made to dissuade people from participating in high numbers in the polls.

Ayatollah Khamenei identified such remarks as the ones that were made by the top diplomat as counterproductive discourse that discouraged a high electoral turnout. Such talk reflected previous statements made by enemies of the Islamic Republic, especially those statements, which were made to undermine the Quds Force and General Soleimani, the Leader said.

“When people take part in elections [in multitudes], no power can harm the country. Therefore, anybody who takes part in the election, makes an effort for [determining] the country’s fate and its future,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

The Leader also warned against efforts made to discourage people by casting doubts on various aspects of elections, including the governing bodies and especially the Constitutional Council.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that despite some efforts made in a number of past elections to influence the voting process and the poll results, none of those efforts were important enough to affect the final result of the polls.

The Leader added that those who want to run for the election must believe in the basic principles of the Islamic establishment and do not cast doubt on them.

Ayatollah Khamenei also advised hopefuls running for the election to avoid of giving promises they cannot keep.

At the beginning of his Sunday speech, the Leader first elaborated on the spiritual status of Imam Ali, the first infallible Shia Imam, whose martyrdom anniversary is just a few days away, noting that the most important characteristics of the Imam included strict justice, courage, wisdom, as well as taking care of the oppressed people who are usually wronged by the society.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that those who proclaim to be true followers of Imam Ali must get as close as possible to his spiritual characteristics, especially his zeal to administer justice.

The Leader noted that Imam Ali was martyred while praying at mosque, noting that there have been many people in our time, in the Islamic Republic, who also followed suit with their Imam and sought martyrdom.

Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned General Soleimani as one of the true followers of Imam Ali, saying that when enemies threatened to kill him, he reacted by saying “they are threatening me with something that I am seeking so ardently.”

The Leader also talked about the National Teachers’ Day, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, who was martyred by Forqan Group soon after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The Leader noted that Motahhari, as one of the main thinkers of the Islamic Revolution, spent his time on studying all schools of thought, and tried to give answers to questions posed by his young audience, both at the university and at the seminary of Qom.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the most important task of teachers is to transfer their trove of knowledge to the next generations and also pay attention that they must safeguard the thought and ideas of their young audience.

“Therefore, we can say that teachers are the officers of the country’s progressive forces,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that teachers are now playing a more prominent role, because there have been few junctures in history when “our young people have been exposed to such relentless cultural invasion.”

The Leader emphasized that teachers, along with workers, enjoy a lofty and important status in the society and the society and people should recognize this, adding that in addition to recognizing their lofty status, efforts must be made to solve the livelihood problems with which teachers are facing, especially under conditions created by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Reflecting on the Workers’ Day, the Leader noted that workers enjoy a lofty status in Islam, which prompted the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) to kiss their hand.

“One of the most important roles in an independent economy is played by workers... because an independent economy depends on domestic production, which in turn depends on workers,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader noted that the Islamic Republic’s enemies did their best to pit workers against the Islamic establishment, but they never stopped backing the Islamic Republic and played their prominent role in this regard.

The Leader added that one of the most important ways to support the country’s domestic production is to support the labor force.

“We must note that supporting workers is actually supporting the national wealth, because if workers are supported, they promote national wealth, which will make any country proud,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader noted that special attention should be also paid not only to the livelihood and economic problems of workers but also to their professional training.

“The issue of job security is a form of labor support, meaning that workers should not be concerned that they would lose their job ... and they should enjoy job security and know that their employment is guaranteed.”

Provision of housing for workers and establishing equitable relationship between the labor force, employers and government was another point on which the Leader laid special emphasis.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that various administrations should take advantage of all available potentialities to create new jobs, both because of its economic outcomes and social effects, including boosting vibrancy of people in the society.

Ayatollah Khamenei also warned against efforts made to shut down Iranian factories, noting that those who shut down a factory for their own personal benefits, are knowingly or knowingly doing an act of treason against the country’s independence and production.

He exhorted executive officials and relevant ministries to take necessary action to deal with those who want to shut down production units and factories on any grounds.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the best way to thwart sanctions imposed on Iran by Western countries, especially the United States, is to boost domestic production in true sense of the word, noting that this will first render sanctions inefficient and then will make enemies to remove sanctions.

SADC Escalates Mozambique Intervention

27 APR, 2021 - 11:04 

There have been heightened concerns over growing terrorist activities in Mozambique especially after the insurgent attacks on Palma – a coastal town in Cabo Delgado Province – on March 24.

Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter

The SADC region is escalating operational modalities for decisive intervention in war-torn Mozambique with Ministers meeting in Maputo tomorrow to map the way forward.

The SADC Extraordinary Ministerial Committee of the organ meeting comes on the back of a Double Troika Summit, which was also attended by President Mnangagwa, earlier this month agreed on a regional intervention to quell the Islamic State insurgents which have ravaged Cabo Delgado.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Fredrick Shava is leading the Zimbabwean delegation in Maputo and is accompanied by service chiefs from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

In a statement on their Twitter handle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said Minister Shava is currently getting a brief from Zimbabwe embassy officials in Maputo on the situation obtaining on the ground.

Speaking after returning from Mozambique for the Double Troika Summit early this month, President Mnangagwa said it was now the responsibility of defence and security chiefs to implement the resolution.

“First, we had the Troika itself, which sat and adopted the recommendations of the Ministers of Defence and Security which, in the main, included the need to have SADC take responsibility in dealing with the threat in Cabo Delgado, in the sense that SADC, through its Force Intervention Brigade — our SADC force — should be resuscitated and capacitated immediately so that it can intervene,” he said.

“Yes, what is happening now is that the defence and security chiefs have the responsibility of implementing the decisions of the Double Troika,” said President Mnangagwa.

Africans Must Strive to Change Current Global Order

26 APR, 2021 - 00:04 

Ranga Mataire Writing Black for the Zimbabwe Herald

It would be a tragedy if the current generations of Africans depart this world without contributing something towards the radical transformation of the current maladjusted world order that favours those countries that once colonised us or campaigned for our continued subjugation.

Let’s take a step back and refresh our memory on something very worrisome that recently happened at the United Nations (UN).

A resolution for that called for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was recently tabled at the UN. More than 193 countries voted. 

Of the 193 countries that voted, 106 voted in favour of the resolution and 44 European countries abstained. Guess which countries voted NO? There were 14 and included Germany, UK, Australia, United States, Canada, Netherlands and France voted NO.

Their NO vote carried the day as some of the major European powers including the US are part of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), that have veto powers. 

This NO vote was not a major news item at any of the multinational news agencies and neither did it get any prominent space in any news outlet in Africa. This is not surprising because the West still controls what we consume as news.

This recent ominous occurrence at the UN informs us that far from being free and independent, countries in the South are still hamstrung by the power and influence of a few Western countries keen to maintain the current world order that privileges them.

This ominous occurrence also teaches us that far from being the paragons of democracy, freedom of expression, fair and just society and advocates for equality — the West is still stuck and wants to maintain an order that perpetually makes us hewers of wood and drawers of water.

I am aware that some Africans are quick to dismiss the need for a radical transformation of the current world order as a remote futile endeavour. This is precisely how the same powerful Western nations have made us to believe by creating confusion amongst ourselves in not seeing the bigger picture.

The advent of new information technology has made it worse for Africans who are daily saturated with information overload of all kinds, most of it useless and ephemeral. 

Even prominent academic griots that one expects to lead the way in illuminating hidden and devious acts meant to render us perpetual zombies, have also been bamboozled by this information overdose packed innocently as information and knowledge.

The race is now about who gets the more likes, who breaks the news, who gets more sympathy from Western embassies, who gets to be breastfed more from the same Western excretions that have fouled the world in Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and Sudan?

We have become more confused by this information overdose that we are now confusing spending much time on social media platforms with acquiring deeper knowledge about issues. Some would argue that we must sort out our domestic matters first. I understand and appreciate this perspective, but it misses more fundamental and broader issues that affect a person in Tamandayi.

How is it that the same countries that constantly out other countries on human rights and freedom are the same countries that voted against a global call against racism and discrimination? 

What is it that they so brazenly want to protect? It’s simple, a call for global action against racism and discrimination is a call for a radical transformation of the current global order as we know it.

This is something supporters of local opposition that pander to Western interests need to know. There is barefaced hypocrisy we must constantly call out against.

I sincerely believe it is the duty of every African to strive in contributing in whatever way in changing the current world order that renders perpetual racial subordinates to the hegemonic white world.

We talk about achieving political independence, but we remain in chains in so far as the current economic order is concerned.

Head of Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation at the University of Free State in South Africa, Professor Tim Murithi makes very interesting points on the current situation and what Africa or Africans need to do.

In a 2017 research paper titled: Africa and the Remaking of the Global Order, Prof Murithi argues that Africans need to address geopolitical insecurity as well as the continent’s historical exclusion from the design of the international system.

Professor Tim Murithi

Prof Murithi states that for African solidarity against exclusion to succeed we need an understanding of global order predicated on the notions of the maintenance of peace and security, with emphasis on the institution that has asserted its mandate to lead on this issue — the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

In his view, Africa and all progressive forces of the world need to interrogate the need for a geopolitical paradigm shift in terms of the existing order and call for the dismantling of the UNSC and the wider UN system because it has failed to address contemporary crisis.

“Furthermore, the nefarious activities of the Permanent Members of the UNSC, such as carpet bombing of Syria, have transformed this body into a net producer of instability, and it would be more appropriate to rebrand the institution as the “UN Insecurity Council”

Indeed, the current global order is to say the least at breaking point in its exclusion of people of the South. The UN system and the Security Council as evidence by the recent NO vote against racism and discrimination has failed. Some of the powerful members of the UNSC have demonstrated a propensity to utilise the UN as a prophylactic to achieve their nefarious ends.

The illegal Iraq invasion by the US and the UK was the clearest demonstration of this propensity to pervert international rule of law.

The US and the UK amassed a coalition of the coerced and mounted their invasion in direct contravention of the UN Charter, specifically Article 39 and its injunction against interstate aggression. The invasion of Iraq was a notable nail in the coffin of the UN Charter and a clear indication of the undemocratic character of the international system.

Our writing of these issues are not rooted in hate. We write these issues to show that we are not zombies. We write these issues very conscious of the unfinished business of the need to reform the UN. We write about these issues to rally Africans in realising that what unites us is much more fundamental and enduring than the domestic matters that divide us.

Deby’s Death to Affect Sahel Region, International Allies

23 APR, 2021 - 00:04 

Deby’s death to affect Sahel region, international allies

President Idriss Deby seen in this file photo with his son, four-star General Mahamat, who has been installed as Chad’s interim leader.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. – The sudden death this week of Chad’s longtime President Idriss Deby has thrown the country, as well as its neighbours and international partners, into disarray.

The 68-year-old died after succumbing to wounds sustained while commanding troops fighting off advancing rebels who go by the name Front for Change and Concord in Chad, or FACT, according to Chad’s military.

Over the course of Deby’s three-decade hold on power, Chad has remained one of the poorest countries in Africa, but it has also come to be seen as a military linchpin in the escalating fight against armed groups in Central and West Africa.

While there are few reliable figures about the size of the Chadian armed forces (estimates put it in the tens of thousands), Chad has built a reputation for possessing the most powerful military in the G5 Sahel, an alliance also comprised of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger that was created to tackle armed groups operating in the region.

Earlier this year, Chad committed 1 200 troops to the epicentre of the violence: the border zone between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The deployment demonstrated Chad’s willingness and ability to commit troops beyond its own borders, something the other G5 Sahel countries have struggled to do.

Yesterday, the Burkinabe newspaper Sidwaya reported that Chadian troops with “pick-ups, tanks and personnel carriers” had been spotted leaving the Burkinabe section of the tri-border region, apparently to return to Chad. Similar reports in the days before Deby’s death had also said Chadian military units deployed abroad were being brought back to help defend N’Djamena from FACT.

“France and the United States depended on Deby’s leadership and his military might to advance their regional security objectives,” said Judd Devermont, the director of the Africa programme for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a US think-tank.

“The domestic and security tumult in Chad may draw some troops away from the missions in Mali and the Liptako-Gourma tri-border region, depriving France of its most effective partner,” he added.

Wasting no time, the military installed Deby’s 37-year-old son Mahamat Idriss Deby, a four-star general who previously commanded the elite guard under the presidency and was also a deputy commander of the Chadian forces in Mali, as Chad’s interim president. This despite the fact that, constitutionally, the leader of the national assembly should have assumed the role.

Mahamat Deby, also known as Mahamat “Kaka”, will now lead the country for the next 18 months as the head of a transitional military council.

FACT members rejected Mahamat Deby’s swift appointment, saying “Chad is no monarchy”, and threatened to continue their advance towards N’Djamena. 

Some political opposition parties have called the formation of the military council an “institutional coup”, while others said the dynastic overtones of the succession could be enough to stoke stronger calls for a change in leadership and set in motion a period of instability and violence – with domestic and regional ramifications.

“It’s important for [our] security efforts to take into account the passing of the Chadian president, not just for Chad itself, but also for the other countries of the G5 Sahel and countries like the Central African Republic (CAR) and Nigeria,” said Ousseni Tamboura, communications minister of Burkina Faso.

“It’s urgent we consider the security and the political future of Chad to help it overcome this difficult test,” he added.

Alex Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, with a focus on the Sahel conflict, said the meaning of Deby’s death “depends on what happens now in Chad”.

“If the next ruler replicates Deby’s model, maybe the status quo can continue in Chad and with Chadian deployments,” he said.

Chad has been a key ally in the West’s military strategy in the region on two fronts: against al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the western portion of the Sahel, and against Boko Haram in the Chad Basin.

What has made Chad attractive to Western countries is its geography, military force and friendly leadership.

It is of particular interest to France, the former colonial power in the region, where it still maintains numerous business interests. France’s military effort in the Sahel region, the 5 100-strong Operation Barkhane, is headquartered in N’Djamena.

As such, the front pages of French newspapers Le Monde, Liberation and Le Figaro all ran with the story of Deby’s death on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs released a statement which said, “Chad is losing a friend of France and a reliable partner who has worked tirelessly for the security of his country and the stability of the Sahel.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian yesterday justified the military takeover in the wake of Deby’s death, underlining the importance of stability at this stage.

“There are exceptional circumstances,” said Le Drian, who is expected to accompany French President Emmanuel Macron to Chad today for Deby’s funeral and talks with the new military rulers.

But whatever happens within Chad in the months ahead is sure to be felt far beyond its borders. –Al Jazeera.

Wisconsin Cop Who Shot Jacob Blake Had Service Weapon Stolen

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The white police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin last summer was suspended for three days this year because his service weapon was stolen just weeks after the shooting that left the Black man partially paralyzed.

Officials waited seven months to investigate and the weapon is still missing, WISN-TV reported.

Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey reported on Sept. 15 that his Glock 17 service weapon had been stolen that day, apparently from inside his girlfriend’s car, Kenosha Police Lt. Joseph Nosalik told the TV station. That was a loaner weapon Sheskey was given after the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigators seized the one used to shoot Blake on Aug. 23.

The investigation into the theft did not begin until April, seven months after it happened, and three months after Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that he was not seeking criminal charges against Sheskey in the Blake shooting.

The Kenosha police chief, Daniel Miskinis, had all the information about the theft but waited to see what the charging decision would be, Nosalik told WISN-TV. After Sheskey returned to work on March 31, Nosalik said the chief told him to begin the investigation into the gun theft.

Sheskey told investigators he regularly left the weapon in his girlfriend’s locked vehicle, according to a memo from Nosalik to Kenosha Police senior management, WISN reported. Sheskey said he had secure locations for firearms at his Kenosha home, but that he moved after receiving death threats and “did not have an opportunity to provide a safe location inside the home in which he was now living in,” Nosalik wrote.

“Sheskey did say that he believed that the night the firearm was stolen, the glovebox had been locked, as this had become a common practice,” the memo said. But his girlfriend was “unsure if she locked the vehicle after leaving,” an officer wrote in the Racine police report on the theft.

Nosalik recommended on April 14 that Sheskey be suspended without pay for the policy violation. Sheskey accepted the three-day suspension on April 15.

“I did not get the feeling that this was a lackadaisical officer sitting in my office thinking that this was no big deal,” Nosalik said. “To him it was a very big deal.”

Sheskey shot Blake seven times after he and two other Kenosha officers tried to arrest Blake on an outstanding warrant. A pocketknife fell from Blake’s pants during a scuffle. He said he picked it up before heading to a vehicle to drive away with two of his children in the back seat. He said he was prepared to surrender once he put the knife in the vehicle. Sheskey told investigators that he feared for his own safety.

The shooting happened three months after George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges.

May Day Protesters Demand More Job Protections Amid Pandemic

By NICHOLAS GARRIGA, NINIEK KARMINI and JOHN LEICESTER

Communists party supporters gather with red flags to mark Labour Day, also knows as May Day near Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

PARIS (AP) — Workers and union leaders dusted off bullhorns and flags that had stayed furled during coronavirus lockdowns for slimmed down but still boisterous — and at times violent — May Day marches on Saturday, demanding more labor protections amid a pandemic that has turned economies and workplaces upside down.

In countries that mark May 1 as International Labor Day, the annual celebration of workers’ rights produced a rare sight during the pandemic: large and closely packed crowds, with marchers striding shoulder-to-shoulder with clenched fists behind banners.

In Turkey and the Philippines, police prevented the May Day protests, enforcing virus lockdowns and making hundreds of arrests. In France, some marchers battled with riot police.

For labor leaders, the day was a test of their ability to mobilize workers in the face of the profound economic disruptions.

In France, thousands took to the streets with union banners and flags, hemmed in by and sometimes scuffling with riot police. The face masks worn by many marchers were a reminder of how much life has changed since the last traditional May Day celebrations — in 2019, before the spreading coronavirus wrecked lives and livelihoods and eroded civil liberties, often including the right to demonstrate.

Riot police clashed with some demonstrators in Paris and the southern city of Lyon, while burning roadblocks threw clouds of smoke into the Paris air. Police charged crowds to catch suspected troublemakers and fired small amounts of tear gas. Police in Paris said they made 34 arrests. Authorities also reported five arrests and 27 police officers injured in Lyon. But most of the dozens of marches across France passed off without incident.

Some demonstrations, constricted by coronavirus restrictions, were markedly less well-attended than those before the pandemic. Russia saw just a fraction of its usual May Day activities amid a coronavirus ban on gatherings. The Russian Communist Party drew only a few hundred people to lay wreaths in Moscow. For a second straight year in Italy, May Day passed without the usual large marches and rock concerts.

But in France, Germany other places where rallies were allowed, workers vented their concerns over jobs and protections. In Bosnia, coal miner Turni Kadric said he and his colleagues are “barely surviving.”

In Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, thousands voiced anger at a new jobs law that critics fear will reduce severance pay, lessen restrictions for foreign workers and increase outsourcing as the nation seeks to attract more investment. Protesters in the capital of Jakarta laid mock graves on the street to symbolize hopelessness and marches were being held in some 200 cities.

In the Philippine capital of Manila, where a monthlong coronavirus lockdown has been extended by two weeks amid a surge in infections, police prevented hundreds of workers from demonstrating at a public plaza, protest leader Renato Reyes said. But protesters did gather briefly at a busy Manila boulevard, demanding pandemic cash aid, wage subsidies and COVID-19 vaccines amid rising unemployment and hunger.

“Workers were largely left to fend for themselves while being locked down,” labor leader Josua Mata said.

In Turkey, a few labor leaders were allowed to lay wreaths in Istanbul’s Taksim Square but riot police stopped many others from reaching the plaza. The Istanbul governor’s office said 212 people were taken into custody for breaching coronavirus restrictions. Turks are barred from leaving home, except to collect essential food and medicine, under a lockdown until May 17 that aims to halt a surge in infections.

In Germany, where previous May Day demonstrations have often turned violent, police deployed thousands of officers and warned that rallies would be halted if marchers failed to follow coronavirus restrictions. Protests in Berlin called for lower rents, higher wages and voiced other concerns. Also marching were far-right coronavirus deniers and opponents of anti-virus measures.

Later Saturday, one of the bigger leftist rallies in Berlin turned violent with protesters throwing bottles and rocks at police and burning garbage containers and wooden pallets on the streets, news agency dpa reported. An unknown number of officers and protesters were injured and several demonstrators were detained.

In Italy, police faced off against a few hundred demonstrators in the northern city of Turin. In Rome, Italy’s head of state paid tribute to workers and health care workers.

“Particularly heavy has been the impact from the crisis on female labor and on the access of young people to jobs,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella said.

Across the Atlantic in Brazil, thousands of demonstrators backing President Jair Bolsonaro’s anti-lockdown stance rallied at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana beach — one of several such gatherings across the country.

Bolsonaro’s office said he flew in a helicopter over a similar rally in the capital, Brasilia, where some demonstrators carried banners urging him to call in the military. There were also protests in Brasilia and other cities against Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic. Brazil has seen over 400,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, a toll second only to the United States.

___

Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia, and Leicester from Le Pecq, France. AP journalists around the world contributed.

Black Freedmen Struggle for Recognition as Tribal Citizens

By SEAN MURPHY

LeEtta Osborne-Sampson is pictured outside her home Monday, April 26, 2021, in Oklahoma City. Sampson-Osborn, a Seminole Freedman who has a tribal identification card and serves on the tribe's governing council, said when she went to the Indian Health Services clinic to get a vaccination in February, a worker at the clinic told her the Seminole Nation doesn't recognize Freedmen for health services. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — As the U.S. faces a reckoning over its history of racism, some Native American tribal nations that once owned slaves also are grappling with their own mistreatment of Black people.

When Native American tribes were forced from their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma in the 1800s — known as the Trail of Tears — thousands of Black slaves owned by tribal members also were removed and forced to provide manual labor along the way. Once in Oklahoma, slaves often toiled on plantation-style farms or were servants in tribal members’ homes.

Nearly 200 years later, many of the thousands of descendants of those Black slaves, known as Freedmen, are still fighting to be recognized by the tribes that once owned their ancestors. The fight has continued since the killing of George Floyd last year by a Minneapolis police officer spurred a reexamination of the vestiges of slavery in the U.S.

CHEROKEE NATION FREEDMEN

The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations were referred to historically as the Five Civilized Tribes, or Five Tribes, by European settlers because they often assimilated into the settlers’ culture, adopting their style of dress and religion, and even owning slaves. Each tribe also has a unique history with Freedmen, whose rights were ultimately spelled out in separate treaties with the U.S.

Today, the Cherokee Nation is the only tribe that fully recognizes the Freedmen as full citizens, a decision that came in 2017 following years of legal wrangling.

“I think that we are a better tribe for having not only embraced the federal court decision but embraced the concept of equality,” said Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., a longtime supporter of citizenship rights for the Freedmen.

The Cherokee Nation, among the largest Native American tribes, has about 5,800 Freedmen citizens who have traced an ancestor on the tribe’s original Freedmen rolls in the late 19th century.

When the federal government sought to break up tribal reservations into individual allotments after the Civil War, they created two separate tribal rolls — one for members with American Indian blood and one for Freedmen. In many cases, tribal citizens who appeared Black were placed on the Freedmen rolls, even if they had blood ties to the tribe.

Of the Five Tribes, only the Chickasaw Nation never agreed to adopt the Freedmen as citizens, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.

SEMINOLE NATION CONTROVERSY

The Wewoka-based Seminole Nation in particular faces fierce criticism after several Black tribal citizens were denied COVID-19 vaccines at a federally operated American Indian health clinic.

LeEtta Sampson-Osborn, a Seminole Freedman who has a tribal identification card and serves on the tribe’s governing council, said she sought a vaccine in February at a clinic operated by the Indian Health Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She said a worker told her the Seminole Nation doesn’t recognize Freedmen for health services. When she asked for additional explanation, the worker called over a tribal police officer, she said.

“So, I left,” said Osborne-Sampson. “Even the worst person would try to help when there’s a pandemic all over the world, but they don’t care about the Freedmen. I feel like they want us to die.”

Three other Seminole Freedmen shared similar experiences with The Associated Press about the same clinic.

The Seminole Nation says the decision about whether to provide vaccines to Seminole Freedmen rests with the IHS, not the tribe.

“To be clear, the Seminole Nation does not operate the Wewoka Indian Health Services clinic, has absolutely no policy oversight and was in no way involved with administering COVID-19 vaccines,” Seminole Nation Chief Greg Chilcoat said in a statement.

The agency said in a statement that it was reviewing eligibility of Seminole Freedmen and will be working with the tribe to determine what services IHS will provide.

FIGHTING FOR CITIZENSHIP

Seminole Freedmen say they are unable to receive services other tribal citizens get, including health care, tribal license plates and housing subsidies. The Seminole Freedmen have been fighting for years to be recognized as full tribal citizens in legal battles that underscore the systemic racism that Freedmen from all Oklahoma-based tribes say they have experienced from tribal governments and their members.

Many Seminole Freedmen are descendants of freed Black slaves who joined the Seminoles in Florida during their wars against the U.S. government.

“We fought in three wars with them to get where we’re at, and now they’ve turned against us,” said Anthony Conley, who also said he was denied a vaccine at the clinic.

Conley said he believes racism and an unwillingness of tribal citizens to share tribal funds is at the core of the tribe’s decision to exclude Freedmen from full citizenship, a claim that Chilcoat disputes.

TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY

The Muscogee (Creek) and Choctaw nations have cited tribal sovereignty as reasons for their opposition to citizenship for Freedmen. When Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California last year attempted to force the tribes to reconcile the Freedmen issue by inserting language into a housing bill, Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said the U.S. government is responsible for the Freedmen’s plight, not the Choctaw Nation.

“There is no more fundamental element of tribal self-governance than the authority of a Tribe like the Choctaw Nation to determine our own citizenship,” Batton wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Ultimately, it might be a decision for the federal courts to make. Osborne-Sampson said she and other Freedmen are consulting with an attorney on how to proceed.

Mourners Hold Protester Funerals in Chad’s Tense Capital

By KRISTA LARSON

Mourners lower the coffin of one of the victims of protest who was killed this week during his funeral at a cemetery in N'Djamena, Chad, Saturday, May 1, 2021. Hundreds of chanting mourners carrying Chadian flags gathered Saturday to bury victims who were shot dead earlier this week amid demonstrations against the country's new military government .(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Hundreds of chanting mourners carrying Chadian flags gathered Saturday to bury some victims who shot dead this week during demonstrations against the country’s new military government, the first change in leadership in this central African nation in more than three decades.

The outpouring of grief in the capital of N’Djamena came as authorities put down another anti-government demonstration in southern Chad and as the country’s new prime minister urged calm amid calls for more protests.

The crowds of mourners arrived by minibus and motorcycle taxis under a scorching sun at midday, as military and police vehicles lined the road to the cemetery’s entrance. Family members wailed as Yannick Djikoloum’s flag-draped casket was lowered into the ground.

“The history of great men is written in blood. The victory of the Chadian people is in hand,” read a sign held by one mourner.

The 20-year-old was one of at least six people who died Tuesday when demonstrations began before dawn in the largest unrest to hit N’Djamena since the military announced a week earlier that rebels had killed President Idriss Deby Itno on a distant battlefield.

The fear of further crackdowns kept demonstrators home in N’Djamena on Saturday, though a protest was swiftly put down in the southern town of Sarh.

On Tuesday, security forces were accused of shooting at the crowds who took to the streets to protest that the military put Deby’s 37-year-old son, Mahamat, in charge after his death. Under Chad’s constitution, power should have been handed over to the president of National Assembly.

The U.N. human rights office expressed alarm at Tuesday’s violence, saying it was “deeply disturbed by the apparently disproportionate use of force — including the use of live ammunition — by defense and security forces.”

Meanwhile, the interim government’s prime minister urged unity on Saturday after civil society groups called for protests to continue.

“We must join forces to guarantee peace and restore calm,” Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke said, urging people to support the interim government.

The specter of more anti-government protests is just one of the threats now facing the transitional military council in power. The rebels blamed for killing Deby also have continued to battle the Chadian military 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital.

The armed group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad has threatened to attack the capital and depose Deby’s son. A march on N’Djamena, though, became less likely after former colonizer France lent its support publicly to the new administration.

The French have a large military base in Chad, and the rebels already have accused France of providing intelligence on rebel positions to the Chadian army.

France’s acceptance of Mahamat Idriss Deby comes after Chad became a vital partner in the fight against Islamic extremism during his father’s tenure. Chadian forces have played a critical role in the fight against Islamic extremism, particularly in northern Mali, and the French government described Deby as a “courageous friend” following his death.

Somalia Lawmakers Reverse President’s Extended Stay in Power

By HASSAN BARISE

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed looks on during a parliamentary session, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, May 1, 2021. The controversial two-year term extension for Somalia’s president has evaporated after intense public pressure as the lower house of parliament has approved his request to instead support efforts to organize the country’s long-delayed national election. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The controversial two-year term extension for Somalia’s president evaporated Saturday after intense public pressure, as the lower house of parliament approved his request to instead support efforts to organize the country’s long-delayed national election.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed asked the lawmakers to retreat from their decision last month to extend his time in office. The extension had been blasted by the Senate as illegal and opposed by soldiers who took up key positions in the capital and clashed with other security forces.

The extraordinary scene of soldiers firing at each other in the streets of Mogadishu brought back fears for many Somalis that the Horn of Africa nation could collapse back into chaos after years of trying to rebuild. Alarmed, the international community worried that the al-Shabab extremist group would take advantage.

Saturday’s actions mean a return to talks on how to carry out the election that has been delayed since early February, when some Somalis believe the president’s term ended.

Mohamed asked lawmakers to back the agreement the federal government reached with regional states last September on a way forward for the vote. He asked Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to lead the election preparations and the related security measures.

“I also ask the opposition leaders to play their role in pacifying the country and Mogadishu, in particular, for the sake of the people, country and religion,” the president said.

Somalia’s leader also for the first time publicly expressed his condolences to those who died or were displaced during the clashes in Mogadishu. The United Nations has said several tens of thousands fled their homes.

Some in the opposition had hoped that the president would resign. Mohamed left the future unclear, not saying whether he would run for a second term.

It is unknown how long it will take for the election to be organized.

Opposition leaders, however, did not appear to be satisfied with Saturday’s events.

“(The president) can never be trusted as he flip-flops between his own words in unpredictable or reasonable ways,” said Abdirahman Abdishakur, one of the opposition candidates.

Despite the prime minister’s call for all security forces to return to their barracks, the soldiers backing the opposition remained on the streets of the capital Saturday. Mogadishu was quiet, but tense.

And some of the displaced hesitated to go home.

“Would you bring your wife and children in the middle of those opposing forces, right in front of and around your house?” asked Mohamed Abdulle Farah, who had fled the Hodan district of the capital.

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Corrects that the extension decision was made last month in April, not this month.

Over 800 Migrants Rescued at Sea Head to Italy

By FRANCES D'EMILIO

In this photo taken Thursday, April 29, 2021 migrants look at the sea from aboard the Ocean Viking during its navigation in the Mediterranean Sea. SOS Mediterranee said Saturday May 1, 2021 the Ocean Viking was sailing toward a Sicilian port with 236 migrants who were rescued days earlier in the Mediterranean from human traffickers' boats, while separately, Italy's coast guard and border police vessels brought 532 migrants rescued during the night to a tiny Italian island. (Flavio Gasperini/SOS Mediterranee via AP)

ROME (AP) — Two Italian ports faced an influx of hundreds of migrants on Saturday, as a charity ship sailed toward a Sicilian port with 236 people rescued in the Mediterranean from traffickers’ boats, while Italian coast guard and border police brought 532 others to a tiny island.

The maritime rescue group SOS Mediterranee said a ship it operates, Ocean Viking, pulled the migrants to safety four days ago from two rubber dinghies. Upon instructions from Italian authorities, the Ocean Viking was sailing to Augusta, Sicily, with its passengers, who it said included 119 unaccompanied minors.

SOS Mediterranee said some passengers told rescuers they were beaten by smugglers based in Libya and forced to embark on the unseaworthy dinghies despite high waves.

On Italy’s southern island of Lampedusa, which is closer to North Africa than to the Italian mainland, Mayor Salvatore Martello said migrants from four boats that needed rescue stepped ashore overnight. They were brought to safety by Italian coast guard and customs police boats.

Separately, an Italian navy vessel rescued 49 migrants, Italian state TV reported.

Still in the central Mediterranean Sea on Saturday was another charity boat, Sea-Watch 4, which with 308 people aboard who had been rescued in four separate operations from trafficker-launched vessels, Sea-Watch said in a statement. The first rescue, of 44 people, took place on Thursday, it said.

Sea-Watch 4 has requested a port to disembark the migrants from both Italy and Malta.

“The fact that we, as a civil rescue ship, saved so many people from distress at sea in such a short time again demonstrates the fundamental rescue gap European states have created at the world’s most dangerous maritime border,” said Hannah Wallace Bowman, the head of mission for Sea-Watch 4.

Warmer weather in the spring often increases the number of vessels launched toward Europe by Libya-based migrant traffickers.

Last month, SOS Mediterranean personnel and a merchant ship spotted several bodies from a shipwrecked dinghy, believed to have been carrying 130 migrants. People on the boat had appealed for help in the waters off Libya, but no coast guard vessels from Libya, Italy or Malta came to their aid, the group said. No survivors were found.

Humanitarian groups have been urging European Union nations to resume the deployment of military vessels on rescue patrols in the Mediterranean. After hundreds of thousands of rescued migrants, many of them ineligible for asylum, were brought to Italy by ships from the coast guard, navy, border police and other nations, large-scale rescue operations in the sea north of Libya were ended.

Italy has been equipping and training the Libyan coast guard to rescue migrants in their search-and-rescue area and to discourage traffickers.

Human rights groups and U.N. agencies have denounced inhumane treatment at Libyan detention centers, where migrants rescued or intercepted by the Libyan coast guard are taken. They say migrants endure beatings, rapes and insufficient rations.

On Friday, the United Nation’s child welfare agency said a total of 125 Europe-bound children were among those intercepted at sea earlier in the week by Libyan authorities off the Mediterranean coast. UNICEF said most of those rescued were sent to overcrowded detention centers with no or limited access to water.

“Europe can no longer remain passive in the face of recurring shipwrecks while consciously upholding a system of unspeakable abuse by supporting forced returns to Libya,” SOS Medditerean said.

The risk migrants run of perishing at sea is high. UNICEF says at least 350 people, including children and women, have drowned or gone missing in the Mediterranean since January.

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, as of Friday, 9,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year .

Both Italian and Maltese governments in recent years have claimed that private charity boats effectively facilitate trafficking by rescuing migrants at sea. At times, rescue vessels, including commercials ones, have been kept waiting for long stretches before a safe port was assigned.

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Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

Kenya Eases Curfew, Other Virus Measures After Cases Decline

By TOM ODULA

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta loosened infection-control measures Saturday after the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country dropped from an early spring surge.

Kenyatta announced in his May Day speech that a nightly curfew was being moved to 10 p.m. following a 72% reduction in new cases. On March 26, the president ordered the year-long curfew to start two hours earlier, at 8 p.m., due to a spike in COVID-19 deaths in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, three urban counties surrounding it and Nakuru, a major transit city.

He also had prohibited travel in and out of the five areas but said Saturday the ban on movement was lifted. Kenyatta said the government also is allowing church services to resume at one-third capacity and restaurants to serve food on their premises instead of only preparing takeout orders.

Sports events will resume under regulations to be issued by the Ministry of Health, he said.

The 8 p.m. curfew had caused a public outcry. Many Kenyans living in the capital leave work at 5 P. M. and it takes them more than three hours to get home due to traffic and a lack of reliable public transportation. Industry associations complained that small business were shutting down as a result of the shorter operating hours.

Kenya’s 7-day rolling average of new confirmed cases more than doubled in March, from 1.02 new cases per 100,000 people on March 11 to 2.29 new cases per 100,000 people on March 25, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country’s mortality rate quadrupled during the same period, going from a 7-day rolling average of 0.01 deaths per 100,000 people to 0.04 deaths per 100,000.

Kenya, with a population of 53 million, has reported a total of 159,318 confirmed cases and more than 2,700 deaths in the pandemic.

Kenyatta gave his May Day speech during a low-key function at the State House. For the second year running, he did not announce an a minimum wage increase.