UK ‘betrayal’ after aid cut to east Africa

UK ‘betrayal’ after aid cut to east Africa
Young boys drag and roll containers of water towards the village of Ntabasi, amidst a drought, in Samburu East, Kenya, on Oct, 14, 2022. (AP Photo)
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Updated 24 May 2023
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UK ‘betrayal’ after aid cut to east Africa

UK ‘betrayal’ after aid cut to east Africa
  • Minister announces annual package of £143m compared to last year’s £156m
  • Almost 72m people require aid in region devastated by drought, conflict

LONDON: The UK is cutting humanitarian aid to east Africa in a “betrayal” of tens of millions of people, charity officials have warned.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s international development minister, announced an aid package of £143 million ($176 million) for the region. The figure represents a reduction of £13 million compared to the amount allocated last year.

Mitchell’s announcement, which took place at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, comes as east Africa faces a series of growing humanitarian crises, including drought, conflict and inflation.

Katy Chakrabortty, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam, said: “The UK’s announcement that it will cut funding … is a betrayal of tens of millions of people in the region facing life-threatening food insecurity.

“As co-chair of the pledging conference, the UK is guilty of a gross dereliction of duties. In place of global leadership, we have furtive penny pinching.”

Some countries in east Africa are particularly affected by humanitarian crises. In Somalia, more than 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes this year, with data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Norwegian Refugee Council showing that the country reported record levels of displacement.

The Sudan conflict is a focus of UK aid, with Mitchell saying: “Our funding could not come at a more critical moment, and it is clear that we must act now and do all we can to save lives.”

Across east Africa, almost 72 million people will require humanitarian aid this year as a result of successive failed rainy seasons, conflict and a series of floods, the UN has warned.

Lis Wallace, UK policy and advocacy director at the One Campaign, said: “This wholly inadequate (UK) response exposes the human cost of the government’s decision to reduce its support to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said this year’s east Africa aid package includes £48 million for Somalia, £42 million for Ethiopia, £21.7 million for Sudan, and smaller amounts for South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.


UN approves Haiti force after year of pleas

UN approves Haiti force after year of pleas
Updated 23 sec ago
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UN approves Haiti force after year of pleas

UN approves Haiti force after year of pleas
  • The Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation has been in turmoil, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence

The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a Kenyan-led mission aiming to bring stability to Haiti, a year after leaders in the violence-ravaged Caribbean nation first pleaded for help.

The Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation has been in turmoil, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence, and the economy and public health system also in tatters.Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been calling since late 2022 for international support to back the police force, but much of the global community had been jaded by the failure of earlier interventions in Haiti.

Monday’s resolution passed with 13 votes in favor, with China and Russia abstaining. It was hailed by Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus as bringing a “glimmer of hope for people who have been suffering the consequences of a difficult political, socio-economic, security and humanitarian situation for too long.”

A breakthrough in plans for the force came in July, when Kenya volunteered to lead it and send 1,000 personnel.

“We must not fail the people of Haiti,” Kenyan President William Ruto declared in a statement Tuesday, saying they had “borne the brunt of colonial plunder and repression.”

“This mandate is not only about peace and security, but also about the rebuilding of Haiti — its politics, its economic development, and social stability,” Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said separately.

The resolution calls for the deployment of a “multinational security support mission” — not officially a UN force — with a “lead country” coordinating with the Haitian government.

The mission is initially approved for one year, with a review after nine months.

The force aims to provide “operational support to the Haitian National Police, including building its capacity through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations,” the resolution says.

The mission will also aim to create conditions to hold elections, which have not taken place in Haiti since 2016.

Guterres in a recent report said that the security situation in Haiti has only grown worse, with gang members both more numerous and better armed than the police.

Nearly 2,800 homicides were recorded in Haiti between October 2022 and June 2023, with 80 minors among the dead, the UN report said.

The US has been advocating a multinational force. On Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his department would continue working with Congress to provide $100 million in foreign assistance, and that the Pentagon is prepared to provide up to $100 million in enabling support.

But President Joe Biden has made clear he will not put American troops in harm’s way.

On Monday, the White House voiced its “gratitude” to Kenya for taking on leadership of the force, and to nations such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua for adding manpower.

“It is now crucial that we focus on making progress in mobilizing the international support necessary to deploy this mission,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

For the resolution to pass, China had to choose not to apply its veto. Haiti is one of a dwindling number of nations that recognizes Taiwan, which Beijing claims and has been seeking to isolate on the international stage.

China, in the run-up to the Security Council meeting, voiced doubts and pointed a finger at the United States, highlighting the role of weapons from Florida in aggravating the violence.

Under pressure from Beijing, the resolution expands an embargo on light weapons and ammunition.


Niger says 29 soldiers killed in attack, rejects Algerian mediation

Niger says 29 soldiers killed in attack, rejects Algerian mediation
Updated 5 min 37 sec ago
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Niger says 29 soldiers killed in attack, rejects Algerian mediation

Niger says 29 soldiers killed in attack, rejects Algerian mediation
  • Niger junta denied it had accepted an offer by Algeria to act as a mediator to solve its political crisis

NIAMEY: At least 29 Niger soldiers were killed in an ambush by insurgents near the country’s border with Mali, the Defense Ministry said, the deadliest attack since the military seized power in a coup in July.

Separately, the Niger junta denied it had accepted an offer by Algeria to act as a mediator to solve its political crisis, even though Algeria had said on Monday it had received official notification of Niger’s acceptance.

Niger and its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, also run by military governments that seized power in coups, are all battling militants linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh  who have killed thousands and displaced over 2 million people in the Sahel region. They signed a security pact last month promising to defend each other against rebels or aggressors.

The attack in Niger took place as soldiers were returning from operations against the militants. They were targeted by more than 100 assailants in vehicles and on motor-bikes using explosive devices and suicide bombers.

“The provisional toll of the attack is as follows: 29 soldiers fell in battle and two were wounded,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement read on Niger national television, adding that several dozen assailants were killed.

It did not specify which group was responsible or when exactly the ambush occurred, but said the military operation took place between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2.

Three days of national mourning have been declared.

The spate of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2020 was partly driven by frustrations among the military and citizens over insecurity. But the violence has increased just as the juntas are kicking out foreign troops that were previously helping fight the militants. United Nations peacekeepers are also leaving.

Insurgents, many with links to Islamic Daesh, have been particularly active along the Mali-Niger border since French and UN troops left southeast Mali, ending crucial air reconnaissance support. West Africa’s regional bloc and Western powers have called on Niger to rapidly restore constitutional rule. But the junta has been dragging its feet.

The junta said in a statement on Monday that it was surprised by the Algeria’s assertion that Niger had agreed for it to act as mediator, and that it rejected its conclusions.


At least 20 dead after bus plunges off Venice bridge

At least 20 dead after bus plunges off Venice bridge
Updated 27 min 59 sec ago
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At least 20 dead after bus plunges off Venice bridge

At least 20 dead after bus plunges off Venice bridge
  • Bus caught fire after careering off a bridge linking the Mestre and Marghera districts

ROME: At least 20 people, including two children, were killed Tuesday when a bus plunged off a bridge straddling a railway line in Venice, a city hall spokesman told AFP.
The crash caused “at least 20 deaths, including two children,” the spokesman said. Firefighters said the bus caught fire after careering off a bridge linking the Mestre and Marghera districts of the northern Italian city.
“A tragedy has struck our community this evening,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on Facebook, describing the site of the crash as “an apocalyptic scene.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “profound condolences.”
“I am in contact with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini in order to follow the news of this tragedy,” she said in a statement.


UK migration adviser: Scrap special visa rules for shortage occupations

UK migration adviser: Scrap special visa rules for shortage occupations
Updated 03 October 2023
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UK migration adviser: Scrap special visa rules for shortage occupations

UK migration adviser: Scrap special visa rules for shortage occupations
  • The Migration Advisory Committee said making it easier to recruit low-wage workers increased the risk of exploitation
  • Employers can hire migrant workers at 80 percent of a job’s usual “going rate” in Britain for occupations on the list

LONDON: The British government’s independent migration adviser on Tuesday recommended abolishing one of the main routes for businesses to hire migrant workers in sectors where there are severe staff shortages.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which was commissioned to conduct a review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), said making it easier to recruit low-wage workers increased the risk of exploitation.
Business lobby groups have previously called for the government to expand the number of occupations on the list to help firms facing significant issues recruiting staff post-Brexit.
But the committee also said low-wage migrants were more likely to result in a net fiscal cost for Britain, and the high administrative burdens of the scheme made it uneconomic for many businesses.
“These concerns mean that we are not convinced that the SOL provides a sensible immigration solution to shortage issues in low-wage sectors, and so our preference is for the government to abolish it,” the committee said in a report.
Employers can hire migrant workers at 80 percent of a job’s usual “going rate” in Britain for occupations on the list, which includes roles such as bricklayers and care workers.
Being a shortage occupation can allow employers to bypass the general minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker visa of 26,200 pounds ($31,610), meaning sectors with a going rate below that level particularly benefited from being on the list, MAC said.
MAC recommended no employer should be able to pay below the going rate, which it said helped to protect resident workers from undercutting and reduced the exploitation of migrants.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Home Office said the government would consider the findings of the report and respond “in due course.”
MAC said in future it could instead examine individual occupations or sectors with particularly acute labor market issues, looking at how far immigration policy is helpful, and focussing on changes to things such as wages, training and investment in technology.
The committee said these actions were “likely to be a more sustainable response to the problems.”


KSrelief launches eye treatment program for 30,000 Bangladeshi schoolchildren

KSrelief launches eye treatment program for 30,000 Bangladeshi schoolchildren
Updated 03 October 2023
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KSrelief launches eye treatment program for 30,000 Bangladeshi schoolchildren

KSrelief launches eye treatment program for 30,000 Bangladeshi schoolchildren
  • More than 6 million Bangladeshis have benefited from KSrelief’s aid projects
  • Campaign is part of KSrelief’s ophthalmological interventions in Bangladesh

DHAKA: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched on Tuesday a medical campaign in Dhaka to treat tens of thousands of Bangladeshi schoolchildren suffering from eye disease.

The campaign is part of KSrelief’s ophthalmological interventions in Bangladesh, where volunteer doctors from Saudi Arabia help Bangladeshis retain or regain their eyesight. The center’s Saudi Noor Volunteer Program, which was held in May, reached more than 4,700 people.

“Helping to reduce the rate of blindness and visual impairments in Bangladesh has been (a) top priority for (the) King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center,” Dr. Aqeel Al-Ghamdi, KSrelief’s assistant supervisor-general for planning and development, told reporters as he launched the program in Dhaka.

The campaign will start with training teachers, as they will be the first to identify students who need help.

“The screening program is in 50 schools in Dhaka. It will cover around 30,000 students. This morning, we visited one of the high schools, and we started the program there. They will screen around 1,000 students in the next three days,” Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.

Under the program, KSrelief will provide glasses for students who need them, while those who may require more medical assistance will be sent to doctors.

“It will change a lot for the students in their academic activity (and) in their life, actually. In this program, I hope the best for the students,” Al-Ghamdi said.

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Al-Duhailan said during the event that the medical campaign also illustrates the wide-ranging scope of Saudi-Bangladesh relations.

“Our relationship is a multidimensional relationship. It’s not only concentrated in manpower and Hajj and Umrah visits, but it is more than this,” he told reporters.

KSrelief provides humanitarian and development support to millions of beneficiaries in 94 countries. More than 6 million people have received the center’s assistance in Bangladesh, where 52 projects worth about $25 million have been conducted since 2015.