Month: September 2023

Ethiopian Civil Society Groups Issue Call for Peace

Posted on by SeeAF

Civil society organizations in Ethiopia on Wednesday called for a peaceful resolution to conflicts in the country that have caused thousands of deaths over the past 12 months.  

Dan Yirga, executive director at the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, said this request was directed to all stakeholders in the country’s peace-building process.

He said that most of the conflicts were started or aggravated because of a long-standing culture of using force to settle tensions. To create a lasting solution for this problem, a nationwide peace convention that includes all members of society needs to create a road map for solving current conflicts and avoiding new ones.

The call by the organizations highlighted the past year’s many clashes, as well as encouraging steps toward peace building.

Over 1,000 political conflicts have been reported over the past year, according to data from the Ethiopian Peace Observatory, a local data collection project run by the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Meseret Ali, from the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia, said fighting had displaced a lot of people from their homes. Civilians have died. Women and children have been raped. In the Benishangul-Gumuz region, elections were bypassed for a sixth time.

Armed opposition in the country’s Oromia and Amhara regions, referendums held for the creation of new regional states, and protests over a schism in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church were some of the conflicts that took place.

The civil society organizations also addressed the government’s common response to these conflicts, such as partial or full internet shutdowns; widespread, unlawful arrests; and restrictions on the rights and freedoms of citizens.

In April, Ethiopian government officials attended peace talks in Tanzania with members of the Oromo Liberation Army, a rebel faction. The talks ended with no agreement reached.
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Myanmar’s Seat Empty as Harris Speaks to ASEAN Leaders

Posted on by SeeUS

A chair with Myanmar’s flag was left empty as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to Southeast Asian leaders during the U.S.-ASEAN summit hosted by outgoing chair Indonesia. VOA’s White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara is traveling with Harris and sends this report from Jakarta.
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Jury to Decide Damages in Trump Defamation Case

Posted on by SeeUS

A U.S. federal judge ruled Wednesday that a jury in an upcoming civil defamation case against former President Donald Trump will have to decide only how much more he owes a longtime New York advice columnist because a jury already decided that he sexually abused her in a luxury department store dressing room in the 1990s.

Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York said the facts behind a federal jury’s decision earlier this year involving E. Jean Carroll’s assault claims against Trump will carry over to the scheduled January defamation case.

In the abuse case, the jury, while rejecting her rape claim against Trump, ordered him to pay Carroll $5 million for abusing and defaming her. Trump, now the leading Republican candidate for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, has appealed the verdict and denies he attacked her.

After Carroll, a one-time college cheerleader and later an advice columnist for Elle magazine, first filed her lawsuit, the former U.S. leader claimed he didn’t know her and that in any event he wouldn’t have been attracted to her because she wasn’t “my type.”

A picture shown at the trial showed them chatting and socializing decades ago at a New York party.

The first trial concerned the sexual assault accusation itself, an incident that allegedly occurred after what Carroll, now 79, said was a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf-Goodman department store in New York when he asked her to help him shop for a gift for a woman.

In Wednesday’s decision, Kaplan wrote, “The jury considered and decided issues that are common to both cases — including whether Mr. Trump falsely accused Ms. Carroll of fabricating her sexual assault charge and, if that were so, that he did it with knowledge that this accusation was false” or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

“The truth or falsity of Mr. Trump’s 2019 statements therefore depends … on whether Ms. Carroll lied about Mr. Trump sexually assaulting her,” Kaplan said. “The jury’s finding that she did not therefore is binding in [the defamation] case and precludes Mr. Trump from contesting the falsity of his 2019 statements.”

Although Carroll’s suit was filed in 2019, the judge in June allowed her lawyers to add the statements Trump made against her at a CNN town hall political event that was broadcast the night after he lost the abuse case in May.

“This woman, I don’t know her. I never met her. I have no idea who she is,” Trump said. “She’s a whack job.”

Carroll lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to the judge, said Carroll looks forward to a trial “limited to damages for the original defamatory statements Donald Trump made.”

Trump lawyer Alina Habba said that his legal team is confident that the jury verdict will be overturned, which would moot the judge’s new decision.

The civil case is one of an array of court challenges Trump is facing in the coming months.

He has been charged in four criminal cases encompassing 91 charges, two involving attempts to overturn his 2020 reelection loss to Democrat Joe Biden, another for his handling of highly classified national security documents after he left office in 2021 and a fourth for allegedly falsifying business records to hide $130,000 in hush money payments to a porn film star ahead of his successful 2016 run for the White House.
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Africa Climate Summit Ends With Call to Reform Global Financing

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The Africa Climate Summit has ended in Kenya with leaders calling on the global community to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fulfill its obligations and keep financial promises to fight climate change.

Speaking on behalf of the other African heads of state present at the Africa Climate Summit, Kenyan President William Ruto said the agreement reached at the conference shows the seriousness of African states to help solve the climate change crisis.

“The Africa Climate Summit is both a demonstration of the unwavering collective commitment of the people of Africa to their vision to make humanity’s first home here in Africa, a land of abundant potential, limitless opportunity, and the possibility of shared prosperity,” he said. “It also showcases our determination to mobilize a global coalition of emergency responders to ensure that the industrialization necessary to drive future economic transformation restores our planet’s vitality and ecological balance.”

The summit, which began Monday and ended Wednesday, focused on green growth in Africa and finding financing solutions to support the programs aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, which affects the continent’s estimated 1.3 billion people.

African leaders underscored they are committed to developing and implementing policies, regulations and incentives to attract local, regional and global investment in the push for green growth.

The Nairobi declaration, leaders said, will serve as the foundation for Africa’s united position in the global climate change initiative.

Kenyan youth leader Raphael Chesori said leaders and delegates at the summit demonstrated their willingness to fight climate change.

“What I have witnessed is a demonstrated effort by the heads of state in Africa and, of course, with the global partners on how they can really have grassroots initiatives in the fight against climate change. And there are also commitments in terms of climate financing and consensual financing, and what also came out is that the non-state actors are also willing to partner with the governments to see that there is participation of the people at the grassroots level,” said Chesori.

Michael Otitoju, a delegate from Nigeria, said Africa has demonstrated it can solve the crisis by relying on its resources and a young population.

“Discussions around energy transition to renewable energy sources I think all of that is giving us hope that Africans can solve our problems with our own resources, with our own human capacity, so I think there is hope for Africans,” he said.

Andrew Monari, a community worker in Kenya, said he learned how vulnerable communities can access the climate change fund to support their mitigation programs.

“I have attended the site meetings in terms of climate change finance. For example, we have concluded one in a hotel today where vulnerable people and minority people affected by climate change have been discussed regarding financing. So, we have a global person who is in charge of the funds and has been telling us how to access the funds,” he said.

According to the United Nations, African countries spend 5%-15% of its GDP to combat climate change despite being the lowest contributor to global warming.

Developed countries have promised to give at least $100 billion annually to fight the impacts of climate change, a fund many say has been hard to come by. At the summit, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said an additional $20 billion is needed to help mitigate Africa’s unpredictable weather patterns.

President Ruto said Africa needs access to global finances to support communities and pay its debts.

“We demand a fair playing ground for our countries to access the investment needed to unlock the potential and translate it into opportunities. We further demand to adjust multilateral development finance architecture to liberate our economies from odious debt and onerous barriers to necessary financial resources,” he said.

African leaders emphasize that for the continent to undergo economic transformation, it needs to increase renewable generation capacity. They also say Africa needs access to technology and trade mechanisms that enable products from the continent to compete on fair and equitable terms.
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Indonesian Officials Harass White House Pool Reporter After Harris-Widodo Meeting

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Indonesian security officials on Wednesday attempted to block a White House pool reporter from covering the summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in Jakarta.

Indonesian security officials surrounded Patsy Widakuswara, an Indonesian American and VOA’s White House bureau chief, who was acting as the pool reporter for U.S. print and radio media covering the event.

As the press pool was ushered out of a meeting between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, VOA’s Widakuswara called out two questions — to Harris about whether the U.S. is close to reaching a deal on Indonesian nickel, and, in Indonesian, to Widodo about whether he was disappointed that U.S. President Joe Biden was not present at the summit.

Indonesian officials then physically blocked Widakuswara, as officials from the vice president’s office tried to reason with the Indonesian authorities.

“It was tense, but I didn’t feel anxious or panicked or anything like that, because I knew that I was just doing my job,” Widakuswara told VOA. ”And I also knew that the VP’s office would stand by me. I just stood my ground.” 

Outside, Widakuswara was surrounded by Indonesian security officials, who told her to leave because she shouted and that she was banned from entering any other events, the reporter said. She also described the incident in a series of posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“There are moments where shouting is just not appropriate. This was not one of them,” she said.

According to Widakuswara, one official said in Indonesian, “Until Armageddon comes, I will not allow her in.”

As a pool reporter, Widakuswara was among a limited number of journalists selected to cover the event and share their observations with the rest of the media corps who were not in attendance. Widakuswara said she was worried that if Indonesian officials did not budge, she would not be able to send pool reports to fellow reporters.

But U.S. officials came to Widakuswara’s defense.

“It is a source of pride for us as American diplomats and civil servants to stand up for the freedom of the press overseas, and as part of that, for access for the traveling White House press corps,” Dean Lieberman, deputy national security adviser to the vice president, told VOA in a statement.

U.S. officials continued to press the Indonesians to let Widakuswara in, saying Harris would not enter the summit room until the entire press pool, including Widakuswara, was allowed inside.

“That person is absolutely critical to be in there because they’re not just representing their own organization, they’re representing many news organizations,” Steve Herman, VOA’s chief national correspondent and former White House bureau chief, said about the role of pool reporters.

After Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, approached the brewing standoff, the Indonesian officials finally let Widakuswara into the room where the U.S.-ASEAN summit was taking place.

“Securing sufficient press access remains a top priority for the Vice President whenever and wherever we travel. We may not always answer shouted questions, but a free and independent press is a core tenet of our democracy, and we carry that with us wherever we go,” Lieberman added in the statement.

Josh Rogin, a columnist at The Washington Post, witnessed the incident, which he said wasn’t a good look for Jakarta.

“The entire point of the U.S.-ASEAN summit is to celebrate shared values, and if the host isn’t standing up for those values and representing those values, it kind of undermines the entire endeavor,” Rogin told VOA.

Other reporters turned to social media to voice their support for Widakuswara.

“It is a relief to see this current administration understanding and defending the pool reporting system, compared to some situations that occurred in previous administrations,” added Herman, a White House Correspondents’ Association member.

In a statement to VOA, Rosan Roeslani, Indonesian ambassador to the United States, said, “We regret the incident involving Ms. Patsy Widakuswara and understand the concerns raised, while emphasizing our commitment to press freedom.”

He added that the event in question was a photo spray, not a press conference, and that “shouting and loud voices raised security concerns.” 

Widakuswara disputed this characterization. “There have been sprays of Widodo and Biden bilats where we were all shouting questions, and no one was reprimanded,” she said. “As American journalists, we have the right to question leaders when we see them.”

In his statement, Roeslani said, “We remain dedicated to upholding press freedom and will work on clarifying and adhering to event-specific protocols to prevent future misunderstandings or disruptions.”

Didier Saugy, executive director of the National Press Club in Washington, said the incident was unacceptable.

“Everybody should have the freedom to ask questions,” he told VOA.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department did not immediately reply to VOA’s requests for comment.

Widakuswara said she was grateful for the support of the vice president’s team and the U.S. Embassy staff.

Born and raised in Indonesia, Widakuswara got her start as a journalist in the Southeast Asian country.

Returning to her hometown on board Air Force Two with Harris to cover the summit “was a proud immigrant moment for me,” Widakuswara, who now has U.S. citizenship, told VOA. “I’m very proud of my Indonesian heritage.”

Out of 180 countries, Indonesia ranks 108 in terms of press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders. Press freedom in the country has increasingly come under attack in recent years.

“While I am and will always be a proud Indonesian as much as I am a proud American, I know which tradition of freedom of the press I prefer,” Widakuswara wrote in a social media post.

The incident put a slight damper on the trip for Widakuswara, she told VOA.

“It does sadden me that this is the way that Indonesia treats its press,” she said. “And I also don’t like being the story. I don’t think any reporter likes being the story.”
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France Struggles to Reshape Relations in Africa

Posted on by SeeEU

After hitting several resets, restoring historic treasures to former colonies, downsizing its military presence and striking new ties elsewhere on the continent, France’s Africa strategy seems at an impasse, some experts say.

Coups in half a dozen former French colonies in West and Central Africa over three years — including two, in Niger and Gabon, in just over a month — are sparking fresh soul searching about what went wrong and how, if possible, to put longstanding relations and interests back on track. 

Yet many suggest Paris can no longer call the shots, as some African governments cut ties altogether and carve new ones with foreign rivals, including Russia. 

“French influence in the Sahel has collapsed,” wrote France’s influential Le Monde newspaper this past week. “Elsewhere on the continent, it is on the defensive, and nothing Paris says can restore it.” 

That assessment comes as the paper and other media report that discussions between Paris and Niger’s military are under way about the withdrawal of some military elements from the African country.

Until now, French authorities have refused to recognize the military junta that seized power in Niger in late July, dismissing calls for its ambassador and 1,500 French troops stationed there to depart. 

The power grab in Niamey followed a now-familiar playbook. Not so long ago, Niger, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, cooperated closely with Paris in a broader Sahel alliance fighting a jihadist insurgency. All three since have seen civilian leaders toppled by their militaries, followed by protests, sprinkled with Russian flags and slogans calling for the ouster of French forces and diplomats. 

The latest coup last week in oil-rich Gabon — once a staunch and long-standing ally of Paris — has taken a different path. Unlike in Niger, there have been no planeloads of French expatriates returning home or massive anti-French rallies. Although Paris suspended military cooperation — even though it has 400 troops in Gabon — it offered a muted reaction to the toppling of long-term leader Ali Bongo by his reported cousin, following disputed presidential elections. 

Junta leader Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema has restored the transmission of French broadcasters France 24 and Radio France International, cut under Bongo — while the three Sahel coup countries, Burkina Faso, Mail and Niger,  continue to keep those news organizations off the air. 

Listening to Africans? 

Berges Miette, an Africa research associate at Sciences-Po Bordeaux University in France, Miette takes the long view of simmering anti-French sentiment. In the late 1980s, he says, France continued to support some hardline regimes that held onto power, despite a wave of political uprisings. 

African youth, Miette says, have now “stopped dreaming,” pinning their hopes instead on heading to Europe. 

While so far staying silent on Gabon, French President Emmanuel Macron has decried an “epidemic of putsches” in the Sahel. Two other coups — in Guinea and Chad — have also taken place since 2020, with a mixed response from France. The French have maintained ties with Chad, a strong military ally in the Sahel, drawing accusations of having a double standard. 

In a lengthy interview in Le Monde, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna defended France’s Africa strategy. She differentiated the ousting of Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, with the situation in Chad, where she said Paris counted on N’Djamena’s military government delivering on its promise to restore civilian rule. 

“One cannot see our relations with the continent through the single prism” of the Sahel crises, Colonna added. “It’s not 3,000 or 5,000 people demonstrating in a stadium in Niamey … that can resume our relations with 1.5 million Africans.”

France’s position, she said, “is to listen to Africans, not to decide in their place.” 

For a while, Macron — born after France’s last colony in Africa, Djibouti, gained its independence — seemed the right man for the job. 

“I am of a generation that doesn’t tell Africans what to do,” he told cheering students in Burkina Faso, shortly after his election six years ago. 

Macron pledged to return looted colonial-era artifacts, although only a fraction has been shipped back, and sought new ties elsewhere, including with Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia and Angola. Like his recent predecessors, he maintained that the tangle of post-colonial business and political ties dubbed Francafrique was long dead. 

In February, Macron promised to draw down French forces in Africa and create a new “security partnership,” with bases on the continent transformed depending on African needs, and jointly managed with African staff. 

A coherent policy

Skeptics say Macron hasn’t always walked his talk. They point to many enduring trappings of French influence — from thousands of troops still stationed in Africa to a raft of longstanding mining concessions benefitting French companies, and the CFA franc, requiring West and Central African members to deposit half their foreign exchange reserves with the French treasury. 

Anti-French sentiment is on the rise in more stable countries, like Senegal, due to a youthful population untethered to the past, but very aware of the challenges of getting visas to France. 

Critics point to what they consider a series of French missteps, too, in the Sahel. Despite early wins, France’s decade-long counterterrorism operation there lost local trust, they say, and finally was shuttered last year amid a spreading Islamist insurgency. Even as France promotes democracy, skeptics describe a tacit acceptance of some authoritarian governments like Chad. 

“France needs to have a coherent policy,” says Sciences-Po researcher Miette, who argues anti-French sentiment is not the real threat to Paris, but rather “a profound questioning of France’s Africa policy.”

He counts among those who believe it is not too late for Paris to hit the reset button yet again. With other authoritarian regimes potentially at risk of falling — in Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea — the sooner, the better. 

“France has everything to win in changing its Africa policy,” Miette says. “It needs to go beyond talk and be concrete.” 
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Myanmar’s Seat Is Empty as VP Harris Speaks to ASEAN Leaders 

Posted on by SeeUS

A chair with Myanmar’s flag was left empty as Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Southeast Asian leaders during the U.S.-ASEAN, or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, summit in Jakarta hosted by outgoing chair Indonesia.

“The United States will continue to press the regime to end the horrific violence to release all those unjustly detained and to reestablish Myanmar’s path to inclusive democracy,” Harris said at the opening of the summit Wednesday.

“And we will continue to support ASEAN’s five-point consensus,” she added, referring to the group’s 2021 demands on the crisis triggered by the February 2021 military coup, which include immediate cessation of violence and constructive dialogue facilitated by ASEAN.

Last year, ASEAN agreed to bar Myanmar’s ruling generals from meetings until they make progress to address the crisis. An empty Myanmar chair has been held as a symbol to urge the country to return to democracy.

The group announced earlier this week they are barring Myanmar from its turn as chair in 2026, as they blame the ongoing bloodshed on the country’s junta. The Philippines will take ASEAN’s helm instead.

ASEAN’s statement demonstrates that the group is more united on Myanmar than some people thought, said Aaron Connelly, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“It makes clear that the bloc blames the military for the violence, sustains a de facto suspension of the junta’s leaders from ASEAN meetings, and forces the junta to give up its turn chairing the organization until the violence stops,” he told VOA.

Myanmar’s turn at chairing ASEAN was last skipped in 2006 as the United States and European Union demanded that the military-ruled country move toward democracy and release pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Enduring commitment

As some Republican presidential candidates’ display of isolationism toward regional conflicts triggers anxiety among some ASEAN members about U.S. staying power, Vice President Harris reaffirmed Washington’s “enduring commitment” to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

“The defense and deterrence commitments of the United States and our security presence in the Indo-Pacific help protect our homeland and ensure regional stability,” she said. “It is therefore in our vital interest to promote a region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure and resilient.”

As part of the administration’s effort to ensure safe sea traffic, last month Washington signed a deal with the Pacific Island state of Palau that would allow U.S. Coast Guard ships to operate on that nation’s behalf in its exclusive economic zone without a Palauan officer present.

Harris also welcomed the presence of Timor-Leste in its capacity as ASEAN observer, and she pledged U.S. support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN accession process.

Heightened tensions

Harris’ visit comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region, as China released a 2023 territorial map that has drawn the ire of India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

A White House official told VOA that throughout her engagements in Jakarta, the vice president will make clear that the U.S. rejects what the official described as China’s unlawful maritime claims and provocative actions.

“She will express continued support for ASEAN’s efforts to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea, consistent with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the rights of third parties,” the official said.

During the China-ASEAN summit held the same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang appeared to try to calm ruffled feathers, saying it is important to avoid a “new Cold War” when dealing with conflicts and that countries need to “appropriately handle differences and disputes.”

In the same meeting, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stressed the need for Beijing and Washington to continue talking with each other and to strive for greater trust and cooperation. He warned that sharpened geopolitical rivalries could easily stoke existing flashpoints in the region, endangering ASEAN’s decades-long peace, prosperity and stability.

On Thursday, Harris will attend the East Asia Summit, which brings together ASEAN and its partners — the United States, China, Russia, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. She will depart immediately after the summit and is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Friday, as President Joe Biden heads to the G20 summit in New Delhi, India.
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Zelenskyy’s New Defense Minister Known as Skilled, Tough Negotiator

Posted on by SeeEU

At a critical moment in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered a changing of the guard, naming Rustem Umerov as the country’s new defense minister. 

On Wednesday, 338 of the 360 members of the Ukrainian parliament endorsed Umerov, a Crimean Tatar businessman, and a former parliamentarian. Observers see the replacement as part of Zelenskyy’s efforts to address corruption in his administration as the Ukrainian military strives to retake southern Ukraine and areas near the Crimean Peninsula.

A long-time financial supporter of the Crimean Tatar community and father of three, Umerov, a practicing Muslim, became a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament with the Holos party in 2014, championing a reformist and progressive agenda. 

Even before Russia’s full-scale invasion, he played a pivotal role in negotiations with Moscow. 

“He was part of the delegation that negotiated with Russia prior to the conflict. He played a key role in the grain deal due to his connections in Turkey, and our sources indicate his involvement in negotiations to secure the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children,” said Sevgil Musaeva, editor of the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.

In an interview with Euronews in April 2022, Umerov was resolute, affirming that Ukraine would not compromise on territorial issues. “We want our partners to understand that the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine are a red line for us. Nevertheless, we are ready to hear any possible solutions that do not endanger our territory, our independence, and our dignity,” Umerov said in the interview.

Umerov brings with him a strong resumé as a skilled negotiator and has played a prominent role in efforts to return Crimea to Ukrainian control.

He serves as a co-chairman of the Crimean Platform, an international coordinating mechanism that seeks to negotiate the reversal of Russia’s 2014 unilateral annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. He is a member of the group responsible for developing the Strategy for the De-occupation and Reintegration of Crimea and Sevastopol, initiated by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine in 2020.

Umerov has also led efforts to exchange political prisoners from Crimea and, as a member of parliament, helped shape legislation to provide social support to political prisoners and their families. 

“He is involved in a number of negotiations about the release of prisoners, as well as difficult negotiations about supplies of humanitarian support, weapons,” Tamila Tasheva, a prominent member of the Crimean Tatar community and the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, told VOA, citing Umerov’s strong communication skills and negotiating experience with Persian Gulf countries and Turkey.

In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda in October 2022, Umerov underscored his longstanding commitment to human rights, going back to when Ukraine was under pro-Russian governments before the Maidan Revolution of 2014. 

“I was born in Uzbekistan, but I returned to Ukraine, where I engaged in activities related to European and NATO initiatives when they weren’t popular,” Umerov told the newspaper.

Why now?

The change was necessary at a time when Ukrainians have grown wary of corruption scandals at the Defense Ministry, according to political analyst and director at Think Tank Politics, Mykola Davydiuk. In addition to being a problem for Ukraine, “it was a bad message to our foreign partners,” Davydiuk told VOA.

Rumors of Reznikov’s impending replacement had been circulating for a year. In February 2023, Fox News quoted David Arakhamia, Ukraine’s parliament majority leader as suggesting that Oleksiy Reznikov might be replaced, although the president chose not to act at the time, allowing then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov to remain in his position.

The decision to let Reznikov stay at the time came despite a shakeup at the Defense Ministry that included the resignations of Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov and Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko in late January of the same year amid allegations of fraud and a coverup involving the purchase military food rations and equipment at inflated prices. 

The Defense Ministry denied any involvement in corrupt practices.

Last month, Ukrainian investigative reporter Mykhailo Tkach from Ukrainska Pravda exposed another scandal related to military procurement.

Reznikov himself does not face any charges in the corruption scandals. 

But the more recent revelation sparked new outrage among Ukrainians and sent a negative signal to Western partners about retaining Reznikov in his role, according to Davydiuk, who points to several other reasons for the timing of Reznikov’s removal.

“The start of the new political season, some unofficial push for replacement from the western partners, and preparation for the visit U.N. General Assembly to New York at the end of this month,” Davydiuk said, are other reasons, at a time when President Zelenskyy needs to address the corruption allegations, regain his credibility, and restore his positive image in the eyes of Western partners.

As Ukraine slowly retakes territory and sets its eyes on reclaiming Crimea, the job of ensuring victory is now on the shoulders of Umerov.
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South African Businesses Look to China for Electricity Crisis Help

Posted on by SeeAF

China pledged to help South Africa with its crippling energy crisis during the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg. At the same time, South Africa said it wants to correct a trade imbalance with China and export more finished products — but manufacturing in South Africa is currently hampered by the unreliable power grid. Kate Bartlett spoke to business owners in Johannesburg about the challenges they face. Video editor: Zaheer Cassim
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Gabon Civilians Celebrate as Coup Leader Frees Political Prisoners

Posted on by SeeAF

Gabon civilians are celebrating the military junta’s liberation Tuesday of several political prisoners jailed for years without trial by ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Coup leader Brice Nguema also received his first ever foreign delegation led by Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera, dispatched by central African leaders to negotiate a return to civilian rule after suspending Gabon from their regional bloc.

Gabon’s military junta says it has freed several people held without trial by the government of ousted President Ali Bongo. Included in the release was Jean-Remy Yama, leader of the Coalition of Gabon State Workers Trade Unions, who was detained in February 2022.

Yama was accused of embezzlement and abuse of confidence, a charge trade union leaders in Gabon describe as unfounded. Gabon’s trade unions say Yama was a vocal critic of  Bongo’s refusal to improve conditions of state workers in the oil producing nation.

Renaud Allogho Akoue, former director general of Gabon’s National Social Insurance and Health Fund, who was arrested in December 2019 and given a 10 year jail sentence for misappropriating public funds, was released, as was Léandre Nzué, former mayor of Gabon’s capital, Libreville.

Sixty-two-year-old Nzué, who is a former politburo member of Bongo’s Gabon’s Democratic Party, told Gabon’s national television Tuesday the military junta has saved him from the mental and psychological torture he was going through at the Libreville Central Prison.

He said he is very thankful to Gabon’s military and junta leader Brice Oligui Nguema for ordering his release from the central prison in Libreville, where he was incarcerated for three years illegally without trial. He said he is ready to work with Nguema for a return to democracy, normal life and the development of Gabon.

Gabon state TV showed images of scores of people, including opposition supporters, celebrating the liberation of the prisoners.

Nzué has always claimed he wanted Bongo to serve Gabon, accusing him instead of serving his family. Bongo accused Nzué of stealing public funds.

During his swearing-in as interim president on Monday, coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema promised amnesty for people he described as prisoners of conscience. He did not give the number of such prisoners, but Gabon’s opposition says there are many.

Nguema also promised to facilitate the return of all Gabon citizens exiled abroad.

Arsele Moro Ngui is a researcher and political analyst at Omar Bongo University in Gabon’s capital, Libreville. He spoke via a messaging app from Libreville.

He said the liberation of three prisoners is a promise made by Nguema and civilians expect the military leader to liberate many other political prisoners who are languishing in detention centers. He said Nguema, who has made Gabon to regain its freedom, should now consider the return of exiles as the military leader promised during his swearing-in on Monday.

On Tuesday, Central African Republic President Faustin Touadera was the first foreign president to visit Gabon after last week’s coup. Toudera, who was appointed by the 12-member Economic Community of Central African States – ECCAS — to mediate Gabon’s transition to constitutional order, held closed-door talks the with junta leader in Libreville.

No statements were made after the meeting. ECCAS on Monday suspended Gabon from the regional bloc and promised further sanctions should Gabon fail to hand over to civilian rule.

Nguema during his swearing in on Monday said he was committed to handing over power to civilians by organizing free, transparent and credible elections. But he did not say when. The military junta has also announced an imminent appointment of a transitional government of what it calls experienced and seasoned people.

ECCAS says Toudera will meet Bongo to be updated on his state of health and the well-being of the ousted president’s family. 
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Spanish Soccer Star Hermoso Accuses Rubiales of Sexual Assault

Posted on by SeeEU

Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso has formally accused Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, of sexual assault for an unwanted kiss after the Women’s World Cup final, the national prosecutor’s office announced Wednesday.

In late August, FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, issued Rubiales a 90-day suspension “pending the disciplinary proceedings opened” against him. The entire World Cup-winning team has refused to compete until Rubiales is ousted. Spanish politicians and some of the nation’s most famous soccer clubs and players have also denounced his conduct.

Rubiales, who says he has no plans to step down, maintains that the kiss was consensual and that he is the victim of a libelous political crusade.

Rafael del Amo, vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federal, and two other federation officials have resigned in protest. On Tuesday, Jorge Vilda was fired as coach of the women’s soccer team.

Some information is from The Associated Press.
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 Ukrainian Drone Operator Revolutionizes Use of Civilian Drones

Posted on by SeeEU

Yuriy Fedorenko got his call sign Achilles for bravery and independence. Before the war, he was working full time as a Kyiv city council deputy; today, he is fighting against Russian forces in Donbas as commander of an attack drone squadron. Anna Kosstutschenko has his story. VOA footage by Pavel Suhodolskiy
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Blinken in Ukraine for Two-Day Visit Amid Russian Airstrikes

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Kyiv on an unannounced two-day visit, his fourth to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.  

Blinken is expected to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hear their assessment of their needs for the ongoing counteroffensive against Russia and the coming winter.  

 “We’ve seen good progress on the counteroffensive (inaudible). We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the long term to make sure that it has a strong deterrent, strong defense capacity so that, in the future, aggressions like this don’t happen again,” Blinken said ahead of his talks Wednesday.

Blinken is likely to announce a new package of U.S. assistance worth more than $1 billion, a senior State Department official told reporters on the trip.

Several hours before his arrival, Russia carried out airstrikes on Kyiv and the southern region of Odesa. No casualties were reported in the capital city, but Ukrainian officials say a civilian was killed and port infrastructure damaged in the south.

The State Department says Blinken intends to demonstrate ironclad U.S. support for Ukraine, and to coordinate with leaders there ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, where Washington will lead the push for continued support for Kyiv.

President Zelenskyy tweeted that he has been meeting with his top staff to make plans for winter, and in his words, “anything the terrorist Russian state might do.” 

Russia has accused the United States of prolonging the war by supporting Ukraine, amid reports that Moscow faces a serious shortage of weapons and ammunition.

A senior State Department official traveling with Blinken was asked by reporters about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming days in Vladivostok to ask for weapons and ammunition.   

The official told reporters: “It speaks to Russian desperation that they have to go scrounging for stuff in Pyongyang, you know, and that Putin has to fly half all the way  across his country to meet another autocrat.”

The State Department official compared that with the coalition that supports Ukraine, at some 50 countries around the world.
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Security Tight in Nigeria as Appeals Court is to Rule on President’s Disputed Election Victory

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An appeals court in Nigeria was to rule Wednesday on whether President Bola Tinubu’s election victory in February was legitimate — a highly anticipated decision that has put Africa’s most populous country on edge.

The election results were challenged by the opposition, which claimed that Tinubu, who has now been in office for 100 days, was not qualified to run because he, among other things, allegedly did not have a required high school certificate or a college or university diploma.

Security was tight in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, where five judges at the Court of Appeal were to hand down their ruling. Under the law, the tribunal is empowered to either uphold Tinubu’s election win, declare someone else the winner, annul the vote or order a new election. Its decision can be appealed before Nigeria’s Supreme Court.

The opposition has hinted at possible protests if the court rules in favor of Tinubu.

Analysts say Wednesday’s ruling will be significant for this country of more than 210 million people. If the February presidential election is annulled, it would be a first in Nigeria’s history. If upheld, the ruling would boost the role of the election commission, which the opposition claims violated the law. It could also open a path for the body to decide on its own when and how election results are announced in the future.

Under the law, a presidential election can be annulled only on evidence that the national electoral body did not follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.

On Tuesday, police in Abuja issued a statement warning citizens “to be cautious in their actions and statements,” saying security forces would not “condone activities capable of inciting violence or causing a descent into anarchy.”

The 71-year-old Tinubu won the election with less than 50% of the vote, also a first in Nigeria’s history. The election results are being contested by three opposition candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president who came in second, and Peter Obi of the Labor Party, who finished third.

Both opposition candidates filed separate petitions arguing that Tinubu was not qualified to become president and claiming the electoral commission did not follow due process in announcing the winner. The delays in uploading and announcing election results could have given room for the ballots to be tampered with, critics say.

The opposition has also alleged that Tinubu was indicted for drug trafficking in the United States, that he is a citizen of Guinea which disqualifies him to run in presidential elections in Nigeria, and that his academic qualifications were forged.

Tinubu has denied all the allegations. Since taking office, he has introduced measures that he said would reform the ailing economy but that have over the past months further squeezed millions of poor and hungry Nigerians.

On Tuesday, Nigeria Labor Congress workers launched a two-day “warning strike” to protest the growing cost of living due to the removal of gas subsidies, threatening to “shut down” Africa’s largest economy if their demands for improved welfare are not met.

It was their second strike in over a month.

Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, all presidential elections but one have been contested in court. None has been overturned.
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Britain to Designate Wagner as Terror Group

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Britain said Wednesday it will declare Russia’s Wagner mercenary group a terrorist organization.

The government said it would introduce an order in parliament that if approved would make it illegal to be a member of or support the group.  The order would also allow the government to seize Wagner’s assets.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Wagner “has been involved in looting, torture and barbarous murders. Its operations in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa are a threat to global security.”

Wagner was involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and in June its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin carried out a brief rebellion against the Russian military. 

Prigozhin was reported killed in a plane crash last month.

Britain had previously sanctioned Wagner and Prigozhin.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters
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Lawyers Claim Cable TV, Phone Companies also Responsible in Maui Fires

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After a visit to a warehouse where Hawaiian Electric Company is housing power poles and electrical equipment that may be key to the investigation of last month’s devastating fires on Maui, lawyers for Lahaina residents and business owners told a court Tuesday that cable TV and telephone companies share responsibility for the disaster because they allegedly overloaded and destabilized some of the poles.

The lawyers said the cables were attached in a way that put too much tension on the poles, causing them to lean and break in the winds on Aug. 8 when flames burned down much of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and destroying more than 2,000 structures.

LippSmith LLP has filed a proposed class action against Hawaii’s electric utility and Maui County in state court in Hawaii. Attorney Graham LippSmith is now asking the court to add multiple telecommunications companies and public and private landowners to the original suit.

“In a disaster of this magnitude, it takes some time for all the potentially responsible parties to come into focus and be brought into court. Our investigation thus far shows a constellation of many serious failures that together led to this horrible tragedy,” MaryBeth LippSmith, co-founder of the Hawaii- and California-based firm, said in an interview Tuesday.

Pacific Gas & Electric in California filed for bankruptcy in 2019 due to a succession of harrowing wildfires ignited by its long-neglected electrical grid in Northern California.

But LippSmith rejected the suggestion the firm is seeking extra defendants in the event that Hawaiian Electric declares bankruptcy. Rather it’s trying to get at the root of multiple failures in order to prevent this kind of tragedy in the future, she said. The lawsuit seeks damages and injunctive relief, including a court order to force the defendants to address fire risk.

When LippSmith’s team visited the warehouse, together with officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, they said they saw a pole that had snapped at the base and fallen to the ground, damaging the cross-arms of a neighboring pole.

Because sections of poles had been cut up, apparently with a chainsaw, they could not tell if one pole or several had snapped, and they said they were not allowed close enough to identify pole numbers.

The cables had also been stripped off the poles and Hawaiian Electric only brought its own equipment to the warehouse, they said. The sterile display bears little relation to the equipment after the fire, so the attorneys and their fire investigators viewed pre-fire photos of the poles. They said those showed no slack in the cable TV and telephone lines that ran between the poles, mid-height. That over-tensioning and the uneven distribution of weight caused the poles to lean downhill, they claim.

Charter Communications, which owns cable provider Spectrum, declined to comment.

The proposed amended complaint still holds the power utilities responsible for the wildfires. It accuses them of failing to shut off power preemptively despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions, failing to replace old wooden poles too weak to withstand 105 mile per hours winds as required by a 2002 national standard, briefly recharging the lines on Aug. 8 in parts of Lahaina and blocking evacuation routes while crews serviced downed lines.

The complaint also seeks to hold other parties responsible. It says when old wooden power poles fell, they landed on highly flammable vegetation that had not been maintained by private and state landowners and both “ignited the fire and fueled its cataclysmic spread.” It says the county should have properly maintained vegetation, aggressively reduced nonnative plants, and sounded sirens to warn people of the approaching fire.

Hawaiian Electric acknowledged last week that its power lines started a fire on the morning of Aug. 8, but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and then leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out nearby and become the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.

Hawaiian Electric is a for-profit, investor-owned, publicly traded utility that serves 95% of Hawaii’s electric customers. It faces a spate of new lawsuits that seek to hold it responsible.

In response to a request for comment, a utility spokesperson said Tuesday the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, named as a defendant, said the same.

“We are awaiting guidance from our legal counsel before addressing,” a Maui County spokesperson said when asked for comment.

Maui County is blaming the utility for failing to shut off power. John Fiske, an attorney at a California firm that’s representing the county, has said the ultimate responsibility rests with Hawaiian Electric to properly keep up its equipment, and make sure lines are not live when they’re downed or could be downed.

 
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Biden Heads to G20 Summit; Putin, Xi Not Expected to Attend

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President Joe Biden heads to the G20 summit in India with big goals and high hopes that the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations can work together on major global issues, the White House said Tuesday – amid speculation over his health after first lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 the day before.

“He has no symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden also tested negative on Tuesday morning and would be tested on a schedule determined by his doctor. She did not say, when asked, what the plan would be if he were to test positive before his Thursday departure for New Delhi.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration will be focused on issues like climate change, debt restructuring and the war in Ukraine. The gathering starts Saturday in the Indian capital.

“We hope this G20 summit will show that the world’s major economies can work together even in challenging times,” Sullivan said. “So as we head into New Delhi, our focus is going to be on delivering for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people from climate to technology, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can actually – as I said before – deliver.”

Analysts say the absence of two key leaders – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – will impact proceedings, especially around the biggest challenge facing its host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The great drama of this summit in Delhi is whether or not the countries can get a fully consensus communique, which they did last year at the last (summit) in Bali, which included paragraphs in which Russia agreed, as the communique said, that it had committed aggression in Ukraine,” said professor John Kirton, who heads the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto. He spoke to VOA on Zoom.

“Whether or not Mr. Modi can pull off a full consensus communique the way President Joko Widodo of Indonesia did last year, we’ll have to wait and see. But I think it’s good news that Putin yet again has decided to skip the summit, as he did Bali last year. And it even looks like Xi Jinping of China might not show up. That will make it a lot easier for all of the other countries to take action.”

Biden recently said he was “disappointed” that the powerful Chinese leader was not planning to attend.

Nevertheless, he said, “I’m going to get to see him.”

Sullivan, on Tuesday, did not say when such a meeting might happen.

And analysts say they hope that New Delhi and Beijing can see past their disagreement over a new Chinese map that India disputes.

“Geopolitical tensions were certainly there well before India’s G20 year,” said Stephanie Segal, a senior fellow of the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The fact that they are heightened, and that there’s a focus on them going into this leaders summit is not ideal. My hope and expectation would be again, the framing of this summit on economic issues, that they can manage to put the border dispute in a separate category.”

She said she hopes the delegations can see beyond their differences and focus on reforming multilateral institutions like the World Bank, a move analysts say would have wide-ranging effects.

“What those reforms, if they actually go through, would accomplish is putting a greater focus on what we call global public goods – so things like climate, pandemic preparedness, fragility, food insecurity,” she said. “And the reforms would allow these institutions including the World Bank to provide additional financing to both emerging market and low income countries and financing at far more preferential terms.”
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Sudanese Orphans in Chad Traumatized by Darfur Atrocities

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At a refugee encampment in eastern Chad, Sudanese children say Janjaweed militias in Darfur have made them orphans in recent months. As media and rights organizations continue to report atrocities, reporter Henry Wilkins speaks to the children who are left to fend for themselves in a foreign country with little help.
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UN: Humanitarian Situation in Eastern DRC ‘Alarming’

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A senior U.N. official said Tuesday that the humanitarian situation has severely deteriorated in the eastern Congo, where 8 million people need assistance in three provinces and sexual violence has become endemic.

“What we saw and heard was shocking, heartbreaking and sobering,” Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy in the U.N. Department of Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters. “We have seen that in the past 18 months, the situation in eastern Congo has deteriorated to an alarming extent.”

Wosornu is just back from the region, following a mission with officials from several U.N. agencies and NGOs.

She said 8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, where scores of armed groups terrorize villages. Overall, more than 26 million Congolese across the country need food assistance. In a country with huge numbers of displaced persons, an additional million people have been forcibly displaced since the start of this year.

“This is not business as usual. This is an acute crisis on top of an already super-sized one,” said Gabriella Waaijman, humanitarian director for Save the Children Global, who was also part of the mission. “And behind every one of these staggeringly large numbers are individuals enduring immense levels of suffering.”

This year, humanitarians have been able to assist about 1.4 million people in Congo but are hampered by insecurity, a lack of access on poor roads and a huge funding shortfall. The United Nations has appealed for $2.3 billion but received only $764 million so far, with just a few months left in the year.

Wosornu said sexual violence is being perpetrated “on a massive and distressing scale.”

“In the first six months of 2023 alone, more than 35,000 survivors have sought access to services for gender-based violence across the three provinces alone,” she said, adding that the real number is likely higher as survivors often do not report sexual crimes.

The U.N. has warned that such violations may amount to atrocity crimes.

Women and girls are at particular risk from armed men when they search for food, water and firewood in areas around camps for the displaced. They are also often forced to engage in what the U.N. calls “survival sex,” including inside the camps for internally displaced people.

Wosornu said the stories she heard from victims and their families in eastern Congo were “absolutely horrific.”

“Transactional sex at 20 cents is what is being perpetrated in the camps,” she said, adding that the U.N. and its partners are working on prevention and offering psychosocial and medical support to women who have been raped.

Unfortunately, funding for gender-based violence is often the least funded in emergencies, Wosornu said, at around 5%. While protection programs only receive about 10% of donor funds.
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Ex-Proud Boys Leader Sentenced to 22 Years for Role in January 6 attack

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Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the former head of the far-right Proud Boys, was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison for his involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the longest penalty imposed so far for the deadly riot.

Tarrio’s sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington came after four of his lieutenants last week received prison sentences of 10 to 18 years. The five were convicted in May of plotting the assault on the Capitol in order to block Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election and to keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

The attack injured nearly 140 police officers guarding the Capitol and was blamed for the deaths of five people. More than 1,100 Trump supporters have been charged in connection with the assault, with hundreds of others still being sought by the FBI.

Before Tuesday, the longest sentence imposed on a January 6 defendant was 18 years, which two people received: Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers militia, in May, and Ethan Nordean, another Proud Boys leader, last week.

Although Tarrio was not at the Capitol during the bloody melee, prosecutors say he was the architect and “primary organizer” of the plot, directing the attack from outside Washington and later boasting about it.

“Make no mistake … we did this,” Tarrio wrote in an online message to a close-knit group of top Proud Boys leaders.

Tarrio and his four co-defendants – Nordean, Joe Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola – were tried together earlier this year for seditious conspiracy and other serious charges. All but Pezzola were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, a rare Civil War-era offense that carries a maximum of 20 years.

Last week, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were sentenced to 18, 17 and 15 years, respectively, substantially less than what prosecutors were seeking. Pezzola, who dodged the seditious conspiracy charge but was convicted of other charges, received 10 years.

The Justice Department had recommended 33 years for Tarrio, saying the “naturally charismatic leader” and “savvy propagandist” had used his influence as chairman of the group “to organize and execute the conspiracy to forcibly stop the peaceful democratic transfer of power.”

“To Tarrio, January 6 was an act of revolution,” prosecutors wrote, seeking to add a “terrorism enhancement” to his sentence.

Seeking leniency, Tarrio’s lawyers denied he contacted or directed the Proud Boys on January 6. They also cited Rhodes’ 18-year sentence to argue for no more than 15 years.

In an emotional address to the court, Tarrio apologized to his family, law enforcement and lawmakers “for January 6,” saying there was “no place for political violence” in the country.

“I pray for unity for this entire country,” he said.

But Kelly, who presided over the Proud Boys trial and sentencing, wasn’t persuaded by Tarrio’s apology or effort to distance himself from the January 6 attack.

“I don’t have any indication that [Tarrio] is remorseful for the actual things he was convicted of, which is seditious conspiracy and a conspiracy to obstruct the election,” Kelly said before he sentenced Tarrio.

The attack of January 6, he said, disrupted the country’s long-standing tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.

What happened on January 6 “was extremely serious and a disgrace,” Kelly said, noting Tarrio’s leadership role in the plot.
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Putin Declines to Renew Black Sea Grain Initiative

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Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ended without an agreement to restart a deal under which Russia provided safe passage to ships moving grain across the Black Sea, including ships leaving from Ukrainian ports.

The deal, struck last year, was meant to safeguard the supply of agricultural commodities from Ukraine and Russia to global markets, where they account for a large percentage of the supply of wheat, corn, sunflower oil and other staple foods. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, including attacks on its Black Sea ports, making the region hazardous for shipping.

While it was in place, starting in July 2022, the deal allowed more than 1,000 vessels carrying 32.9 million metric tons of grain to transit the Black Sea safely. Russia announced this July that it would not renew the arrangement, causing an immediate halt to grain shipments.

Cutting off shipments from Ukraine threatens to worsen a global food crisis that has seen the price of staple foodstuffs soar, making it difficult for people in many developing countries to feed themselves, and straining the aid budgets of global relief agencies.

Putin’s demands

Speaking at a press conference in the Russian city of Sochi, where he and Erdogan met on Monday, Putin said Russia would only return to the deal if the West fulfilled what he said were its obligations under the agreement, including a promise to lift any sanctions on the export of Russian food and fertilizers. He said that sanctions remain in place that are keeping Russian agricultural exports from making it to global markets.

The large number of economic penalties imposed on Russia by Western countries because of its invasion of Ukraine do not include sanctions on food and fertilizer exports. However, other sanctions, including the severing of Russian banks from the global payments system and a refusal to allow Western companies to insure Russian ships, have sharply curtailed grain exports.

Putin has described this situation as a Western violation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

“We are not against this deal. We are ready to immediately return to it as soon as the promises made to us are fulfilled. That’s all,” Putin said. “So far, no obligations toward Russia have been fulfilled.”

The U.S. and other Western countries deny Putin’s claim that they have failed to live up to the terms of the deal. When Russia announced its decision to back out in July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement that read, in part, “Despite Russia’s claims, the U.N. has facilitated record Russian exports of food, coordinating with the private sector and with the U.S., E.U., and U.K. to clarify any concerns raised by Russia. As we have consistently made clear, no G7 sanctions are in place on Russian food and fertilizer exports. Russia unfortunately does not contribute to the World Food Program, and its exports focus on higher income countries, not the world’s poorest.”

Erdogan optimistic

Erdogan, who helped broker the original deal in 2022, said he still believes it is possible to restart the agreement.

“We believe that we will reach a solution that will meet the expectations in a short time,” he told reporters at the news conference on Monday.

The Turkish leader also called on Ukraine to moderate its approach to the agreement.

“Ukraine needs to especially soften its approaches in order for it to be possible for joint steps to be taken with Russia,” Erdogan said.

He did not specify the kind of changes in Ukraine’s approach he was recommending.

Also on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed Erdogan’s comments, saying that Kyiv is willing to talk but would not bow to what he described as Russian blackmail.

He told reporters that if Ukraine makes concessions to Russia now, the Kremlin will only demand further concessions in the future.

Argument over impact

Both Russia and the Western countries demanding a restart of the grain deal use data from the U.N.-affiliated Black Sea Grain Initiative-Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul to support their version of the deal’s importance.

Russian officials dispute Western claims that Putin is weaponizing food and disproportionately affecting poor countries, arguing that the United Nations’ own data shows that 80% of grain exports that shipped while the deal was in place went to the world’s high-income and upper-middle-income nations. Western officials point to data from the same source, showing that 57% of the grain went to developing countries.

The discrepancy is largely explained by the fact that the U.N. classifies China as both a developing nation and an upper-middle-income nation. Grain shipments to China accounted for 24% of the shipments allowed under the deal.

Relief agencies clear

Among aid organizations around the world, there is little dispute that the impact of the suspension of the deal will be extremely negative for the global poor, both by pushing prices paid by end-consumers higher in the near term and by reducing supply in the longer term.

An analysis by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute, published after Russia withdrew from the deal, warned that in addition to making existing grain more expensive to ship and thus more costly for global consumers, the high transportation costs will reduce farmers’ income, making them likely to plant less grain in the future.

“The reduced production also poses risks for global markets. With global grain stocks at low levels and little rebuilding this current year, prices will remain volatile and responsive to potential production shortfalls,” the group found. “Thus, a diminished Ukraine leaves a smaller buffer if major global producers fall short.”
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Russia’s Shifting Public Opinion on the War in Ukraine

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Vladimir Putin’s Russia has sharply constricted the space for free expression in recent years, but some independent pollsters who fled the country have not abandoned their work.

They are still trying to track Russian public opinion on key topics, including the war in Ukraine, providing a rare window into how the Russian public views the war’s dramatic turns over the last 18 months.

Voice of America’s Russian Service contacted one of these researchers — Elena Koneva — about how she and her team approach their work phoning people in Russia and asking for their opinions.

“Analysts have learned to deal with and avoid authoritarian pressure,” said Koneva, founder of independent research agency ExtremeScan.

“For example, when we ask people about support for the war, we give the option to evade the answer: ‘Do you support, do not support, find it difficult to answer or do not want to answer this question?’ The new position — ‘I don’t want to answer this question’ — is almost a protest.”

She said researchers believe that people who disagree with the war often answer this way. One participant said, “Thank you for the opportunity not to testify against myself.”

Galina Zapryanova, senior regional editor for the Gallup World Poll, told VOA that polling in Russia ” has indeed become more challenging since 2022, but it is not impossible.”

In a written response to questions, she said that despite the self-censorship, pollsters “can usually have higher confidence in the reliability of poll findings that show some fluctuation over time.”

“Even if the baseline result may be affected by self-censorship … shifts in the trend over time show that people are willing to report changes in opinion,” she wrote. “Trended data can also be very informative about the direction of changes in public opinion even if the magnitude is exaggerated.”

At first glance, the Koneva group’s most recent polls from Russia continue to show broad public support for the war.

Sixteen months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the majority of respondents still support the war, and only 20% say they are against.

Overall, researchers say they have tracked just a 9% fall in support for the war last year.

The number of respondents who say Russia should “cease hostilities while maintaining the occupied territories” has more than doubled since last summer, from 11% to 28%.

Core supporters

Koneva said her research group has focused on examining the opinions of the core audience that supports Russia’s war in Ukraine.

She said after people express general support for the war, researchers use more questions to better understand how they view the war and its impact on their lives.

“For example, a person says, ‘I support,’ but then researchers will follow up with questions to determine if they are ready to go to war, ready to donate to the Russian army or expect benefits from a possible victory,” Koneva explained.

Because researchers have watched as censorship and repression grow, they see people’s answers on two levels: those who generally declare support, and those who follow up that declaration with real support for specific political decisions.

As a result, researchers estimate that the core group of war supporters numbers around 30% to 35% of the total number of survey respondents.

These are the convinced supporters of the war. If researchers exclude this group and also exclude the 20% of Russians who admit they oppose the war, that leaves about half of the country’s population who researchers say support the war only at the “declarative level.”

‘Declarative supporters’

Koneva said researchers found that people in this group, the largest single segment of the population, have contradictory attitudes toward the war, consisting of narratives from both sides of the conflict.

Oleg Zhuravlev, a researcher at the Public Sociology Laboratory, another independent research center operating remotely, has done more in-depth interviews with this group of Russians to understand how their opinions have shifted from the first days of the war to now.

He said for many people in this group, opinions changed in June 2022 when many realized the conflict was becoming protracted and not the fast military operation initially promised.

“The feeling of the inevitability of war from the life of Russians, the feeling that the war is now with us, and we are with this life, caused the emergence of new meanings of war,” Zhuravlev said.

“So, many of our informants began to reason as follows: Maybe this war is immoral, but it was inevitable, which means that it remains to wish good luck to our side in this conflict,” he said.

Koneva saw similar patterns in her data among this group as their opinions shifted.

“After the inspiration of some and the anger of others, it is clear that the war is real, and it is for a long time. Fatigue and apathy set in,” she said, as people adjusted to panic-buying, high inflation and unemployment, and the departure of foreign businesses.

Some 38% of respondents reported the war “has reduced their options or ruined their plans.” Among them, 14% of respondents reported a job loss, 36% a decrease in income and 56% reported spending more savings on food.

What events affect public opinion?

Throughout the war, researchers have been trying to understand what factors would reduce public support in Russia.

Koneva said initially, when Russians heard about the damage and losses suffered by Ukrainians, Russian people looked more critically at the reason the Ukrainians were suffering.

“But Russian propaganda finds an “antidote” to any truth,” Koneva said. “In the minds of most Russians, the horror of the town of Bucha [where Russian forces carried out mass killings of civilians] has been supplanted by incredible disinformation about the staging of terrible events.”

Koneva said that in June 2023, respondents were asked to send “virtual telegrams to ordinary Ukrainian citizens.”

The most popular responses, a third of all telegrams, were expressions of sympathy, support and “calls to be patient until Russia releases them,” and a “reminder of the brotherhood of the two peoples.”

Koneva also studied how public opinion shifted after Moscow announced a mobilization campaign in September 2022 that resulted in the conscription of certain people.

Even then, the support rate decreased by only a few percentage points, from 58% to 52%. But it recovered to 57% after three weeks in mid-October 2022.

And when it comes to Russian war casualties, Koneva said the losses have been successfully covered up by the country’s strict censorship measures.

“The Russians do not understand the real numbers of losses. … The media gives only authorized information, and the [country at large] ‘absorbs’ losses,” she explained.

Koneva said public opinion in Russia increasingly seems resigned to a longer-term war.
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Militant Attacks Trigger Mass Exodus of Teachers in Northeastern Kenya

Posted on by SeeAF

An education crisis is once again looming in Kenya as hundreds of nonlocal teachers demand transfers from the predominantly Muslim region in the country’s northeast after a series of deadly attacks by al-Shabab militants. Schools reopened August 28, but most students have not yet resumed classes. Ahmed Hussein reports from Wajir County, Kenya.
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Militants in Burkina Faso Kill More Than 50 Fighters

Posted on by SeeAF

Jihadi insurgents in Burkina Faso’s Yatenga province killed 36 volunteer fighters and 17 soldiers, the country’s army confirmed Tuesday. The massacre is among the worst strategic defeats since interim President Ibrahim Traore wrested power from the previous junta a year ago. 

“This act of extreme cowardice will not go unpunished. Every effort is being made to disable the remaining terrorist elements on the run,” the army said in a statement, adding that several dozen rebels already have been killed. 

Since 2015, Burkina Faso’s army has been fighting extremist groups in its desert north. Some of those groups hold ties to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. Understaffed and at times outgunned, the impoverished West African nation has had to rely on a network of ragtag volunteers that watchdog groups have accused of killing civilians, including children. 

The jihadi insurgents have killed thousands and displaced upward of 2 million people as they move closer to Ouagadougou, the nation’s capital. Civilians under terrorist rule are barred from traveling and accessing vital goods and services. 

Conflict analysts say that half of the country lives in lawlessness.

“This violence, coupled with the geographic spread of extremist activities effectively surrounding Ouagadougou, puts Burkina Faso more than ever at the brink of collapse,” a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said. 

Two military coups last year promised to restore order and national sovereignty, but the crisis continues to spiral. Since the first coup in January 2022, extremist killings have nearly tripled, according to the Africa Center report, when compared to the year and a half before the coup.

In late January, President Traore struck down an accord allowing the French military to battle insurgents on Burkina Faso’s soil. Now, he may want to enlist Russia’s support. Last week, he met with a Russian delegation to discuss potential military cooperation. 

Some information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report. 
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