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by Célia Lebur IKOM, Nigeria (AFP) — For the first time in his life, Victor Obi believes that the only way to win freedom in Cameroon is with a gun. “I don’t want to die, but the only future is our independence, and they will not give it to us,” said the student, whose name has been changed for his own safety. The 25-year-old is camped out in a small Nigerian village just kilometres from his home […]
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson met with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital on Sunday to press for action on the Rohingya crisis, as the country faces mounting pressure to punish troops accused of atrocities against the Muslim minority. Johnson spoke with the embattled Myanmar leader, whose reputation among the international community has plunged over her handling of the crisis, in Naypyidaw while on a four-day tour in Asia. The meeting followed […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP The Philippines has bought 16 new Bell helicopters from Canada for about US$235 million to strengthen its fight against Islamic militants and other domestic insurgencies, defence officials said Wednesday. The two governments announced the deal less than three months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clashed with host President Rodrigo Duterte over Philippine drug war killings, on the sidelines of a Manila summit. The Philippine defence department signed the 12- billion-peso (US$234.8 million) Bell […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar officials have denied a report of five mass graves of Rohingya in a village in crisis-hit Rakhine, a border region gutted by a military crackdown on the Muslim minority. Myanmar troops are accused of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya, nearly 700,000 of whom have fled to Bangladesh since last August. Myanmar denies the allegation, saying it launched a proportionate crackdown on Rohingya rebels, but has blocked reporters and UN […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Myanmar’s government has told the Security Council that this month was “not the right time” for a visit by the top UN body to see first-hand the Rohingya refugee crisis, the council president said Thursday. Kuwait’s Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said Myanmar authorities were not opposed to such a visit, which could take place in March or April. “They just think that this is not the right time for a visit,” Otaibi, […]
by Caroline Nelly Perrot with Kaouther Larbi in Tebourba Agence France Presse TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — A third night of unrest has shaken Tunisia where authorities said Thursday more than 600 people have been arrested this week as anger at austerity measures boils over on the streets. Tunisia is considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring uprisings that began in the North African country in 2011 and spread across the region, toppling autocrats. […]
by Caroline Nelly Perrot and Kaouther Larbi Agence France-Presse TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — More than 200 people have been arrested and dozens of police hurt during clashes in Tunisia, the interior ministry said Wednesday, as anger over austerity measures spilt over into unrest. The North African country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition since a 2011 revolt that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings, but seven years after the revolution tensions over economic […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ridiculed US President Donald Trump on Saturday over what he called the foreign policy “blunder” of trying to raise its recent protests at the UN Security Council. The Security Council “rebuffed the US’ naked attempt to hijack its mandate”, wrote Zarif on Twitter. “Majority emphasised the need to fully implement the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another […]
by Dave Clark Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States added bite to its increasingly public spat with Pakistan over militant safe havens Thursday, suspending hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance. President Donald Trump’s administration has expressed deep frustration at its South Asian ally’s failure to crack down on the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group bases. Pakistan has pushed back strongly at Trump’s intemperate language, raising concerns that to row could undermine […]
by Eric Randolph Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Nine people were killed as fresh unrest hit Iran overnight, state television said Tuesday, while hundreds have been arrested as authorities crack down on the biggest anti-regime demonstrations in years. An attack on a police station in the town of Qahderijan, in the central province of Isfahan, led to six protesters being killed, the state broadcaster reported. At least three other towns near the cultural hub […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump weighed in on protests in Iran Saturday, warning that the country’s people want change and “oppressive regimes cannot endure forever.” Trump posted on Twitter two clips of his speech to the UN General Assembly in September in which he took aim at the Iranian regime, which Washington has held out as its top adversary in the Middle East. “Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing a refugee repatriation deal with Bangladesh, showing the agreement was a mere “public relations stunt,” Human Rights Watch said Monday. The rights group, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said buildings in 40 villages were destroyed in October and November, increasing the total to 354 villages that had been partially or completely razed since last August. Dozens of buildings were burned the […]
