Day: April 1, 2023

UN experts called for the urgent repatriation Friday of children from northeast Syria as they enter their fifth year of detention. They said children in conflict zones must be protected, not punished. ‘Many children are now entering their fifth year of detention in north-east Syria since they were detained by the de facto authorities following the fall of Baghouz in early 2019,’ said experts. They were talking about camps controlled by the YPG/PKK terror group. ‘It is now time to bring them home,’ they said. Since 2019, more than 25 countries have repatriated their citizens from Syrian detention camps. Western countries have, however, been reluctant to bring home their nationals and family members suspected of joining the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Syria. 56,000 in locked camps The experts said the two largest locked camps for women, girls and young boys – Al-Hol and Roj – still hold around 56,000 individuals, including 37,000 foreign nationals. More than half of the camps’ population are children, 80% under the age of 12 and 30% younger than 5. There are also more than 850 boys deprived of liberty in prisons and other detention and ‘rehabilitation centers’ throughout northeast Syria. ‘The mass detention of children in north-east Syria for what their parents may have done is an egregious violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,’ said experts. The convention prohibits discrimination and punishment of children based on their parents’ status, activities, expressed opinions or beliefs. The children are detained without any legal basis, judicial authorization, review, control, or oversight, violating the rights of the child convention which affirms that no child shall be deprived of liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. ‘Most children have known nothing but conflict and closed camps, where the living conditions amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and pose an imminent risk to their lives, physical and mental integrity, and development,’ said experts. ‘These squalid camps are no place for children to live with dignity,’ lacking access to basic needs such as medical treatment, health services, food, water and education. Deteriorating security ‘The security situation is constantly deteriorating. In the last few months, four children, including three young girls, were murdered in the camp, with absolute impunity,’ said experts. Many imprisoned boys have tuberculosis, are undernourished and have untreated wounds, according to experts. Many boys are violently removed from the camps and placed in detention and ‘rehabilitation’ centers on reaching 12, often in the middle of the night and at gunpoint. ‘These forms of further inhuman treatment against boys are based on gender stereotypes and have dramatic and lasting consequences,’ experts noted. ‘All these children are at extreme risk of sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking, and enslavement. Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to violence and harm.’ They said the children are victims of terrorism and very serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and must be treated with dignity in all contexts, whether armed conflict or terrorism. ‘Safe return to their home countries, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is the only solution and must be prioritized,’ they said. ‘States must urgently repatriate children and their mothers – a solution that we now know is eminently feasible,’ said experts. The YPG is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK terror group. US support for the YPG has long strained relations between Ankara and Washington. The experts include the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and Fionnuala Ní Aolain, UN Special Rapporteur, on protecting and promoting human rights while countering terrorism.

Source: Somali National News Agency

A stampede at a Ramadan food distribution centre in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi has killed at least 11 people, all women and children, according to police and rescue officials. Several people were also injured in Friday’s incident, which happened when hundreds of people panicked and started pushing each other to collect food outside a factory. Some of them fell into a nearby drain, police official Mughees Hashmi said. Residents said a wall also collapsed near the drain, injuring and killing people amid the stampede. Local media reported that eight women and three children died. Hashmi said the factory owner who organised the food distribution centre had not alerted police about the plan. He said local police were unaware of the distribution, otherwise they might have deployed forces. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is from Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi, ordered authorities to investigate what caused the incident. The stampede is the deadliest at Ramadan food distribution points since the start of the Muslim holy month of fasting last week. With the latest incident, the death toll from stampedes at free food centres across the country has risen to at least 21 since last week. Local resident Mohammad Arsalan said he lives near the factory where people had gathered since the morning to collect the free food. He said he did not know what exactly caused the incident, but ‘we heard cries and later learned about this stampede’. Friday’s incident comes a day after authorities ordered the deployment of additional police at the Ramadan food distribution centres to avoid dangerous overcrowding.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has called for peace and orderliness in the ancient city of Ile-Ife and its environs.

Ooni, who spoke through his Second-in-Command, Obalufe of Ifeland, Oba Idowu Adediwura, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ile-Ife.

He said as the royal father of Christians, Muslims and traditionalists and as a leader who championed peaceful coexistence globally, there was no reason why his home should be in turmoil.

He said that as a direct descendant of Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba race who also preached peaceful coexistence, he believed there was no reason why people of different faiths should not live peacefully in tolerance.

He noted that the two major faiths and traditional worshippers had coexisted peaceful in ages past and that there should not be hostilities between them now.

Four persons were reportedly injured when traditional religion worshippers attacked worshippers in a mosque in Ile-Ile on Thursday.

Traditionalists in the town had announced on Wednesday that the “Oro’’ cult would perform some rituals in some parts of Ife between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., advising residents to avoid the areas.

According to one of those in the mosque, Mr Abdulazeez Bashir, Oro adherents broke through the fence and began flogging worshippers with canes, instructing them to leave the ablution area.

“One of them even attacked the Imam, Alhaji Abdullateef Adesiyan while coming into the mosque. He was beaten with a cane and hit on the face with a rod.

“When I discovered that about five persons had been injured, apart from the Imam of the mosque, I had to call the Ife Chief Imam, Alhaji AbdulSemiu AbdulHammed to intimate him with the happenings.

“The situation could have escalated into a big crisis when other Muslims began to gather around, but the traditionalists eventually left. The victims were later taken to a hospital for treatment,’’ Bashir said.

When contacted, Osun Police Command spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident, stating that an investigation into the mosque invasion had been launched.

Oba Ogunwusi promised to renovate the mosque that was affected as well as pay the hospital bill of the Imam of the mosque.

The Chief Imam of Ifeland, Alhaji AbdulHammed, told NAN on Friday that the trouble had been settled.

He confirmed that the traditional religion worshippers assaulted the Imam of Idiomo Mosque, Ilare, Alfa Adesiyan, inside the mosque.

AbdulHammed called for maintenance of fundamental rights of religion, speech and peace among others.

“There is no family throughout Africa that practices one religion.

“There should be freedom for individuals to practice whatever religion they choose without coercion,’’ he said.

The Chief Imam appealed to indigenes to ensure that they maintained peace and orderliness during each festival in the town, stressing that there is no profit in violence.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Uhogua, near Benin, have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create a Polling unit in their camp.

The IDPs in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that this would protect them against thugs and allow them exercise their franchise.

They claimed they were attacked by suspected political thugs at Oronsanye Primary School polling unit where they had gone to vote during the March 18, House of Assembly election in the state.

The IDPs are mainly from Borno and Adamawa States, running from insecurity in the country’s north east region.

Some of them came from Chibok, Biu, Askira Uba and Gwoza.

Suleman Ayuba, one of the IDPs told NAN that, with what happened on March 18, they were already feeling insecure.

“It was obvious that we were the target, because there were two polling units in the primary school, but the attack was carried out in ours.

“Our people were injured, we lost our phones and other valuables, yet till now, nobody in the state have come to sympathise with us after the attack unleashed on us.

“Majority of our people are still receiving treatment in health facilities outside the camp, even money to pay their hospital bills, we don’t have and we are still looking for.”

Similarly, Philemon Emmanuel, another IDPs, called for another election to be conducted for the IDPs who were de-enfranchised during the attack.

According to him, it is not good that many of us were de-enfranchised by political thugs in spite of having our PVCs and candidates we wanted to vote for.

“We are Nigerians, though IDPs for no fault of ours. So politically, we have a right to join other Nigerians in deciding who we want to lead us.

“Government have been carrying out rerun in other places, so they should also consider this camp, in view of what happened at the polling unit during the state assembly election, so that our vote can count.”

Pastor Evelyn Omigie, Assistant Coordinator of the camp said that there was the urgent need for the federal government and INEC to create a polling unit in the camp.

According to her, we need a polling unit in line with the federal government directive, that polling units must be situated in all IDP camps across the country.

“I don’t know why this people should not be allowed to have their own polling unit. If we have one here I think we wouldn’t have experienced what we did during the election.

“Also in spite of what happened, and what we have expended on hospital bills, nobody has come to sympathise with either the victims or management of the camp.”

She called on the federal government to investigate the incident and unravel the perpetrators of the attack on the IDPs’ polling unit.

“We want them arrested, tried in court and jailed for their crime against the IDPs.

“Imagine, all the trauma they went through before. The sound of guns that God delivered them from, resurfaced again that day.

“So the government should try as much as possible to bring the perpetrators to book,” she said.

Omigie also called on the government to support the camp financially so as to be able to treat the IDPs who sustained various degree of injuries and make them healthy again.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government, on Friday expressed its determination to strengthen the capacity of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to build a resilient mechanism towards supporting less privileged Nigerians.

Dr Sani Gwarzo, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Sani Gwarzo, stated this at a one-day capacity building workshop for NGOs and its Social Development workers in Abuja.

Represented by Mr Ahmed Mahmoud, Gwarzo noted NGOs played a critical role towards complementing government efforts in providing the necessary support to members of the society.

“The NGOs, through their activities and partnership with different levels of government are able to facilitate development through the use of advocacy and training they derive their popularity out of the numerous benefits they provide.

“They promote religious tolerance and harmony, educate the masses on government policies as well as monitor the policies and galvanise people through advocacy to participate on issues of considerable benefits to the society,” he said.

He therefore, urged them to develop competent and performance-based policies as well as implement institutional monitoring programmes to ensure better outcomes.

“We should all work harmoniously and focus on mutual benefits by ensuring a win-win strategy, training programmes such as this are necessary to update ourselves on the Ministry’s mandate to better the lot of the vulnerable members of our society.

“It is opportunity to brainstorm on strategies for addressing their concerns, hence the need for partnership as a key to bridging the gaps which organisations experience when they stand alone,” he said.

The permanent secretary said the ministry had partnership with an International NGO, Save the Children Foundation, to monitor as a third-party the federal government Social Investment Programme in states.

On his part, the Director, Social Development of the ministry, Mr Taiwo Bashorun, said the workshop was necessary to upgrading the capacity of the participants for optimal productivity.

Bashorun, therefore, urged the participants to utilise the opportunity and share ideas with a view to achieving the desired goals of the programme.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria