English Articles

Netanyahu Blames Soros For Widespread Opposition To Deporting African Migrants

Sunday, 04 February 2018 20:45 Written by Aiden Pink

018

4 February 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros of funding the widespread public campaign against the Israeli government’s plan to deport thousands of African migrants and asylum-seekers.

Netanyahu made his remarks during a meeting of ministers from his Likud party, according to Israel’s Channel 10. Netanyahu was reportedly responding to Science Minister Ofir Akunis’s claim that foreign governments were behind the anti-deportation campaigns.

“George Soros is also funding the protests,” Netanyahu responded. He reportedly added that former U.S. president Barack Obama “deported two million infiltrators and they didn’t say anything.”

Soros’s foundations have funded many left-wing not-for-profits that the Israeli government considers anti-Israel, like Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem. Soros, who is Jewish, has been the subject of conspiracy theories that many consider anti-Semitic in his native Hungary as well as the United February 4, 2018 By Aiden Pink

Israel’s government hopes to deport tens of thousands of what it describes as economic migrants or illegal immigrant “infiltrators,” largely originating from repressive regimes like Sudan and Eritrea, to another African country.

A wide-ranging array of Israeli and Diaspora Jewish groups have harshly criticized the plan, including pilots from the national airline El Al, the Anti-Defamation League, the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism and the stars of the popular Israeli sketch comedy show “Eretz Nehederet.”

Netanyahu’s comments about Soros were criticized by Tamar Zandberg, a member of Knesset from the left-wing Meretz party.

“The prime minister’s decision to divert the heat to George Soros should concern all of us,” Zandberg said. “Over the past year, Hungary has seen an anti-Semitic campaign that was called out by the Foreign Ministry and has sparked fear in all Hungarian Jews. Netanyahu’s decision to inflame matters surrounding the anti-Semitic campaign and to connect himself with it is a direct continuation of the Likud’s dangerous ties with extreme right-wing parties in Europe.”

Contact Aiden Pink at or on Twitter, @aidenpink

Source=https://forward.com/fast-forward/393582/netanyahu-blames-soros-for-widespread-opposition-to-deporting-african-migra/

Calais migrants: Five shot in mass brawl

Friday, 02 February 2018 20:52 Written by bbc.com

A migrant receives medical assistance by rescue workers following clashes near the ferry port in Calais, northern France, 01 February 2018. Image copyright EPA Image caption A man gets medical help from rescue workers after clashes in Calais, northern France

At least five migrants have been shot during a mass brawl between Afghans and Eritreans in the French port city of Calais, local officials say.

A 37-year-old Afghan man is suspected of firing shots at a queue for food handouts. Four Eritreans aged between 16 to 18 are in a critical condition.

Hundreds of migrants have converged on the area in an attempt to cross the Channel to the UK.

A sprawling camp known as the "Jungle" was dismantled near Calais in 2016.

Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said the violence had reached a new level and accused gangs that try to smuggle migrants to the UK of instigating the violence.

This is the worst outbreak of violence between migrants in Calais for months, and the use of firearms is a worrying escalation of the tensions, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

How did the violence unfold?

The cause is not yet clear but an initial fight on the city's southern outskirts broke out on Thursday afternoon, where migrants had been queuing for food handouts.

Around 100 Eritreans and some 30 Afghans were caught up in the violence, which lasted almost two hours after the shots were fired.

The four critically injured were shot in the neck, chest, abdomen and spine, AFP news agency reported.

A group of migrants carry sticks during clashes in Calais on 1 February 2018. Image copyright EPA Image caption A group of migrants pictured with sticks during the clashes

A second melee erupted shortly afterwards at an industrial site around 5km (three miles) away, when between 150 and 200 Eritreans armed with iron rods and sticks clashed with about 20 Afghans, the local prefecture said.

Later in the afternoon further violence broke out at a food distribution point in an area of Calais not far from the site of the old "Jungle" camp.

Security forces were sent to the area and there were no reports of incidents during the night.

In total, 22 people were injured, including some with stab wounds, AFP added.

WATCH: Child refugees hope to leave France for UK

Map showing the location of the fighting

Visiting Calais, Mr Collomb added: "There's been an escalation of violence that has become unbearable for both the people of Calais and the migrants".

The government would take control of food distribution, currently done by charities, with those groups working in association with authorities, he said.

Why are the migrants there?

Though the "Jungle" camp was demolished in 2016, hundreds of migrants are still living rough in the nearby woods, hoping to reach the UK. Many are young men.

Media captionViolence broke out near the old "Jungle" camp

Local charities put the number of such migrants living in Calais at around 800, while the authorities say there are between 550 and 600.

Mr Collomb urged migrants not to head to Calais if they wanted to try to get to the UK, saying their attempts from there - often trying to hide themselves in lorries - would be unsuccessful.

What next after the Jungle?

The Calais "Jungle" became the French symbol of the European migrant crisis, and some 7,000 people - most from the Middle East and Africa - were living there before the area was cleared.

Earlier this month, President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May signed a treaty to speed up the processing of migrants in Calais.

Media captionThe migrants living where the Calais Jungle once stood

Mr Macron has said that France will not allow a new migrant camp to be set up in Calais, and French police have been accused of brutality by some activists.

He is expected to unveil a new migrant policy next month, which will include speeding up the application process for asylum seekers and faster removal of those who fail to be accepted.

Charities and some of the president's allies have accused the government of taking a hard line on immigration.

'The interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are one,' President Sisi says after tripartite summit in Addis Ababa

Wednesday, 31 January 2018 05:58 Written by Ahram Online

Egypt's FM Shoukry said that Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa have agreed to resolve all disagreements on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam technical issues within one month

Ahram Online , Monday 29 Jan 2018

Egypt

President Sisi with Sudan's Bashir and Ethiopian PM Desalegn after tripartite summit in Addis Ababa (Snapshot ONTV)

Following a tripartite summit between the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in the Ethiopian capital on Monday to discuss differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renainssance Dam, Egypt's president told reporters, "People should be assured. None of [us three] countries – Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia – will be harmed."

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi added, "Egypt's interests are one with Ethiopia's and also one with Sudan's. We are speaking as one voice."

In a response to a question by reporters on whether the crisis over the dam has been resolved, El-Sisi said, "There is no crisis."

Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir concurred with El-Sisi, saying, "There is no more crisis."

Immediately after the end of the summit, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in press statements that the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed on resolving all disagreements on the technical issues on the Ethiopian dam within one month.

"There are no mediators in the Renaissance Dam negotiations," Shoukry added.

The meeting between El-Sisi, Al-Bashir and Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn, which came on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, aimed at breaking the deadlock in negotiations over disputes on the impact of the GERD on downstream countries.

Ethiopia and Sudan have not accepted the results of a report issued in March 2017 by a European consultancy firm on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries, which concluded that the speed of construction could negatively affect Egypt's water share.

Ethiopia has reportedly rejected a recent proposal by Cairo to involve the World Bank in the stalled technical negotiations.

In response to questions from reporters at the Egyptian TV channel ONTV to the President about the dam issue following the meeting, El-Sisi called on the media not to convey messages that cause the public concern or that insult others.

"We already have mechanisms in place, we have committees on the issue," he said.

El-Sisi explained that "there is a high-level committee including the ministries of foreign affairs and irrigation who are following up on the issue," asking the public to rest assured.

The Egyptian president had met on Saturday with Al-Bashir, and the two leaders agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to deal with all outstanding bilateral issues between the two countries.

El-Sisi has been in Addis Ababa since Saturday to participate in the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which is taking place from 22 to 29 January.

On Saturday, El-Sisi chaired a meeting by the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the AU body in charge of maintaining continental peace and security, which Egypt is heading in January.

Source=http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/288980.aspx

Yemen: UAE-backed separatists 'take control' of Aden

Tuesday, 30 January 2018 18:41 Written by Osama Bin Javaid

Southern separatists backed by the UAE have seized control of a key military base in the coastal city of Aden after a UAE fighter jet bombed the facility, according to a senior Yemeni official.

The official told Al Jazeera that the fighters are from the Southern Resistance Forces (SRF) - the armed wing of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a political movement demanding secession for southern Yemen.

The fighters seized the base early on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire being brokered by coalition partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE hours earlier.

Source=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/yemen-uae-backed-separatists-take-control-aden-180130160510863.html

Eritrean Women's Demonstration and Conference at the Hague

Monday, 22 January 2018 23:22 Written by Eritrean Women's Organisations

Eritrean Women

Liberal government to announce new ‘responsible enterprise’ watchdog

Wednesday, 17 January 2018 22:35 Written by Bill Curry

Bill Curry

OTTAWA

Published January 16, 2018Updated 22 hours ago

The Liberal government is increasing pressure on Canadian companies to respect human rights abroad with the launch of a new ombudsperson focused on corporate social responsibility.

The office will also be given investigative powers and can recommend federal sanctions, such as the withdrawal of consular services and future support from Export Development Canada. It can also make public, non-binding recommendations to companies such as whether to pay compensation, deliver an apology or cease specific activities that triggered the initial concerns.

International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne will make the announcement Wednesday at the Global Affairs department's headquarters in Ottawa.

The position will be called the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise and Ottawa is billing it as the first of its kind in the world.

The new position is expected to represent a significant expansion of the current counsellor position at Global Affairs, which has played a mediator role in relation to complaints involving Canadian mining, oil and gas companies operating abroad.

According to a senior government official, the new office will have expanded authority to review the operations of Canadian companies in the textiles and garment sector, with the potential for adding other sectors in the future.

In 2013, Loblaw-owned apparel company Joe Fresh faced intense scrutiny of its overseas operations after a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,134 workers and injuring 2,500 others.

Various Canadian mining companies have also faced controversy in recent years over alleged human rights allegations abroad.

The new position will have stronger enforcement powers and greater independence from government, the official said, although further details will be unveiled by the minister.

Liberal MP John McKay, who has worked with advocates for over a decade to improve government oversight of alleged human rights abuses by Canadian companies abroad, said he's pleased the new office is going ahead.

"This is a big step up," he said. "Canadians have felt that something had to be done, that this was unacceptable behaviour on the part of Canadian companies, affecting our international brand but also affecting how Canadians perceive themselves. So it's really a testimony to a lot of hard work by a lot of activists."

The new ombudsperson will work with a committee of multisector advisers, led by human rights professor John Ruggie, that will help the office decide which allegations should be investigated.

Pierre Gratton, president and chief executive officer of the Mining Association of Canada, said the association is supportive of the government's efforts and the fact that the focus will be expanded to other sectors.

Mr. Gratton said the role of a special advisory committee is based on recommendations from his association. He questioned, though, how an investigation by a Canadian ombudsperson might work in practice. The new office will likely face difficult situations abroad that may also involve investigations under way by local police or even allegations that involve local authorities.

"We have always had reservations about how, in practical terms, any kind of extraterritorial investigatory function would work, and we'll continue to have those concerns," he said. "If that's the direction they're going in, we'll have to see how it works, and if it works."

Mr. McKay, who will be attending the government announcement, acknowledged that this will be a challenge for the new office.

"I don't think that this will be entirely easy," he said. "You're operating in countries where the rule of law might be casual. You're also operating in environments where maybe more than one person wants the facts to be buried and it will create its own challenges, I don't doubt that."

Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff said the investigative role of the ombudsperson shows the office will have "real teeth," in contrast to the existing position.

Mr. Yussuff said he expects Canadian unions and non-government organizations will take worker complaints to the ombudsperson for investigations.

"We welcome this decision enthusiastically," he said. "We're hoping it will give some meaning to the human rights commitments we make about how Canadian companies should behave abroad."

Dutch government expels Eritrean Charge d’Affaires. Text of official letter

Wednesday, 17 January 2018 20:21 Written by Martin Plaut

Date: 17/01/2018Author: Martin Plaut 0 Comments

Unofficial translation of letter sent by the Dutch Ministery of Foreign affairs in response to the Dutch parliament motion on closure of the Eritrean embassy
The official document (Dutch) can be found here: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2018/01/17/kamerbrief-met-reactie-op-motie-over-sluiten-eritrese-ambassade

To the Chair of the Second Chamber of the States General

Date: 17 January 2018
Concerning: Motion of Sjoerdsma and Azmani (kst. 22831-132) about closing the Eritrean embassy
Dear Chair,
With this letter, the Cabinet informs your Chamber about the subsequent steps taken in response to the motion of members Sjoerdsma and Azmani (kst. 22831-132) in which the ‘government is requested to close the Eritrean embassy’.
The Cabinet has noted with concern the broadcast of Argos on Saturday 23 December. The broadcast confirms the current picture of the way in which the Eritrean community has to pay the diaspora tax to gain access to consular services from the Eritrean embassy office in The Hague. On 28 December 2017, the Eritrean ambassador in Brussels (co-accredited in the Netherlands) was summoned. In the talks with the ambassador, the great concerns of the Netherlands about the current practices around the collection of the diaspora tax in the Netherlands have again been explicitly conveyed.
Based on this meeting and earlier talks with the Eritrean authorities, the Cabinet concludes that there is no understanding from the Eritrean side about the great political and societal resistance in the Netherlands towards the way in which the diaspora tax is collected, and also that there is no willingness on the Eritrean side to conform to this.
For that reason, partly in light of the continuing indications that intimidation and coercion take place in relation to the collection of the diaspora tax and the resulting societal and political unrest, the Cabinet is obliged to give off a powerful diplomatic signal to the Eritrean authorities. By doing so, the Cabinet wants to make clear that the Netherlands does not accept these undesirable practices.
At the same time, the Cabinet recognises that no judge has as yet recorded proof of wrongful or punishable offenses by the Eritrean embassy office in The Hague. If the Public Prosecutor receives indications of possible punishable offenses, it will investigate these for leads for further criminal investigation and could instigate prosecution.
Considering the above, the Cabinet has decided to declare the chargé d’affaires of the Eritrean embassy office in The Hague persona non grata and has demanded his departure. The Eritrean ambassador was summoned on Tuesday 16 January to receive the note verbale containing this decision.
In the diplomatic world, a declaration of persona non grata counts as a very severe measure. The Netherlands rarely uses this measure and has never before closed an embassy (office) in the Netherlands unilaterally. The Netherlands understands that this measure is highly exceptional, which is intended as a signal to the Eritrean authorities.
The Cabinet has not decided to close the embassy office in The Hague. If the embassy office would be closed, the bilateral relations with Eritrea would be damaged to such an extent that adequate representation, for example in the area of migration, human rights and consular affairs and missions, would be virtually impossible. In addition, it was considered during the decision making process that the Eritrean community in the Netherlands benefits from nearby access to consular services. It would experience great practical hinderance of the closing, in which case the journey to Brussels has to be made for every consular service.
In order to reach a sustainable solution for the circumstances around the collection of the Eritrean diaspora tax, hard diplomatic measures alone will not suffice and it remains, among other things, crucial that police reports about punishable facts are filed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Halbe Zijlstra

Source=https://martinplaut.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/dutch-government-expels-eritrean-charge-daffaires-text-of-official-letter/

Sudan deploys more troops to Eritrea border

Monday, 15 January 2018 10:50 Written by Aljazeera

Sudan deploys more troops to Eritrea border The latest tension was sparked after Sudan signed an agreement to temporarily hand over the Red Sea island of Suakin to Turkey [Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters]

Sudan says it has sent more troops to its eastern border with Eritrea as tension in the Red Sea region continues to rise.

Early this month Khartoum closed its borders with Eritrea and sent troops to its border region of Kassala, following reports that Egypt has deployed troops in Asmara.

"Sudan's national army has sent part of its forces to this area to protect Sudan's security as we have information that some parties are targeting us," Sudanese foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, said after meeting his Ethiopian counterpart Workneh Gebeyehu in Khartoum on Sunday.

Ghandour said that they were not talking "about threats to a country per se" but that they have information that shows there are some who would mean them harm.

"This is why we are anticipating whatever danger can come from there," Ghandour said.

The meeting took place amid deteriorating relations between Sudan and Ethiopia on one side and Egypt and Eritrea on the other. Khartoum has also recalled its ambassador in Cairo following the reports of Egyptian troops presence in Eritrea.

The latest tension was sparked after Sudan signed an agreement to temporarily hand over the Red Sea island of Suakin to Turkey.

Ankara and Khartoum said Turkey would rebuild the ruined, sparsely populated Ottoman island to increase tourism and create a transit point for pilgrims crossing the Red Sea to Islam's holiest city of Mecca. Turkey is also set to build a naval dock on the island.

Egyptian media criticised the agreement and alleged Turkey would build a military base on the island.

Ties between Turkey and Egypt have been frosty for some time.

Ankara strongly condemned Egypt's military coup in 2013, which overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Political tension between the Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia has been rising for years over the use of the water of the Nile River and Ethiopia's decision to build the continent's biggest hydroelectric dam on the river.

Egypt has been at odds with Sudan and Ethiopia over the $4.8bn dam project, with Cairo fearing that its position downstream may affect its access to water from the Nile River basin, which will feed the dam.

Cairo accuses Sudan of supporting the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, while Khartoum accuses Egypt of supporting rebels in Sudan.

Meanwhile, Eritrea has fought two border wars with Ethiopia - which has had a decades-long dispute with Egypt over the Nile River water. The border wars left more than 80,000 people dead and the two East African countries are technically still at war.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera News

Sudan Announces Arrangements to Face Possible Egyptian-Eritrean Threats

Friday, 12 January 2018 12:29 Written by Ahmed Younis and Asharq Al-Awsat

Friday, 12 January, 2018 - 07:00

A

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi at the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, January 9, 2018. (AP)

Khartoum, Cairo - Ahmed Younis and Asharq Al-Awsat

Sudan announced on Thursday arrangements to confront what it called potential threats from Egypt and Eritrea near its borders with the latter.

Cairo meanwhile avoided responding immediately to the claim, declaring through its Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid that the Egyptian position on Sudan has been “expressed by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on several occasions.”

Ibrahim Mahmoud, assistant to the Sudanese president and his deputy in the ruling National Congress Party, said that the authorities received security information about possible threats, which may come from Egypt and Eritrea in the Eritrean area of Sawa.

Mahmoud explained that the meeting of the leadership of the ruling party, which began Wednesday evening and concluded early Thursday, directed the continuation of security arrangements on the eastern border of the country, to face potential threats from the two countries.

Cairo, in turn, avoided escalation with Khartoum. Contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat, the official spokesmen of the Egyptian Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the Sudanese accusations.

In a press conference with his Tanzanian counterpart on Thursday, Shoukry said that Egypt “has always the hope that relations with Sudan will be satisfactory to take into account the aspirations and interests of the two peoples in accordance with previous agreements.”

“This requires efforts and policies of openness... This has always been the aspiration of Egypt”, he stated.

A well-informed Egyptian political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt wanted to “soothe the atmosphere with Sudan at this time, and hopes that Sudan will not be the tool of a regional force that wants to pressure Egypt and poison the current situation.”

Sudan had closed its eastern border with Eritrea and deployed thousands of troops near the joint border after President Omar al-Bashir announced a state of emergency in the states of Kassala and North Kordofan on December 30.

The official statements at the time said that the closure of the border, and the transfer of troops to the east of the country, aimed at fighting smugglers and traffickers.

However, Mahmoud revealed for the first time on Thursday that they received “security information about possible threats, which may come from Egypt and Eritrea.”

Earlier this week, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi received his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki, to discuss bilateral relations and coordination of efforts on all issues related to the situation in the Horn of Africa.

According to observers who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, Egypt, through extensive cooperation with Eritrea, is seeking greater influence in the Horn of Africa, which is strategically important for its national security, with the growing Turkish and Qatari presence there, and the current tensions with Ethiopia and Sudan.

Source=https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1141101/sudan-announces-arrangements-face-possible-egyptian-eritrean-threats