UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit

UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit
Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group pushed into neighboring South Kivu. (AFP)
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Updated 15 February 2025
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UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit

UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit
  • UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday demanded that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s “territorial integrity” be respected and a regional war avoided

ADDIS ABABA: UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday demanded that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s “territorial integrity” be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit the day after Rwandan-backed fighters seized a second DRC provincial capital.
With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DR Congo (DRC), the conflict was set to dominate the African Union summit as it opened in Addis Ababa.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the gathering, but DR Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi was absent from the summit as the M23 advanced through his country’s territory.
Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group pushed into neighboring South Kivu.
It took a vital airport there before marching virtually unchecked into another key city, Bukavu, on Friday, security and humanitarian sources said.
“The fighting that is raging in South Kivu — as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive — threatens to push the entire region over the precipice,” Guterres told leaders in an address to the summit, without mentioning Rwanda.
“Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs. There is no military solution,” he added.
“The dialogue must begin. And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected.”

With the spectre of a regional conflagration rising in eastern DRC, the AU has been criticized for its timid approach and observers have demanded more decisive action.
The European Union on Saturday said that it was “urgently” considering all options following the news from Bukavu.
“The ongoing violation of the DRC’s territorial integrity will not go unanswered,” it warned.
East and southern African leaders on February 8 called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire within five days, but fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday.
Outgoing AU commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told AFP on Friday that there was a “general mobilization” among African nations to stop the clashes.
Summit host Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, insisted on Saturday that “conflict resolution, diplomacy and peace building must remain at the heart of our efforts.”
A meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council dedicated to the conflict ran late into the evening on Friday, with neither Kagame nor Tshisekedi attending.
A government source told AFP that Tshisekedi would not attend the summit over the weekend either as he had to “closely follow the situation on the ground in DRC.”
AFP journalists in Bukavu reported sporadic gunfire there on Saturday, with the streets deserted as residents sheltered inside after reports of overnight looting.
Across the nearby border in Rwanda, AFP reporters in the town of Rusizi said on Saturday that the situation was calm but some gunshots could be heard.
Tshisekedi, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, urged nations to “blacklist” Rwanda, condemning Kigali’s “expansionist ambitions.”
Rwanda has not admitted backing M23 but has accused extremist Hutu groups in DR Congo of threatening its security.
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of plundering valuable minerals in its eastern provinces.
Neighbouring Burundi has also sent thousands of troops to support DR Congo’s struggling army.

The 55-nation AU is meeting as Africa faces another devastating conflict in Sudan and after US President Donald Trump cut US development aid, hitting the continent hard.
Leaders opened the summit by calling for progress on securing reparations for historic abuses by colonial powers — a growing issue in international talks.
The AU leaders represent around 1.5 billion people in a body that observers have long branded as ineffective, most recently over the DRC violence.
“Kagame has clearly calculated that his best approach is to push forward, and he does have some support,” International Crisis Group’s Great Lakes project director Richard Moncrieff told AFP.
“Some African leaders have trouble defending Congo because they don’t defend themselves.”
Angolan President Joao Lourenco, involved for several years in futile mediation between Tshisekedi and Kagame, took over the rotating presidency of the AU in Saturday’s session — a ceremonial role that changes hands annually.
A new chairman of the body’s executive commission — the AU’s top job — will also be chosen by vote on Sunday.
Three candidates are vying to replace Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has reached the two-term limit.
They are Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Kenyan opposition veteran Raila Odinga and Madagascar’s ex-foreign minister Richard Randriamandrato.


UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service

UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service
Updated 10 sec ago
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UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service

UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service
  • Tell Mama, the UK’s leading anti-Muslim hate-monitoring service, faces imminent closure unless the decision is reversed

LONDON: Senior police officials have issued a warning that the British government’s plans to cut funding for Tell Mama, the UK’s leading anti-Muslim hate-monitoring service, could severely impact efforts to tackle Islamophobia.

The charity, which has been entirely funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since its establishment in 2015, faces imminent closure unless the decision is reversed, The Times reported on Thursday.

Earlier this year, Tell Mama recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim hate incidents in its history.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has urged the government to reconsider, stressing the charity’s “invaluable” role in providing police forces with critical data.

The NPCC, which has a data-sharing agreement with Tell Mama, says the organization’s work has been instrumental in preventing hate-fueled social disorder.

“This research lays bare the hostility and abuse faced by many in our Muslim communities,” said Mark Hobrough, NPCC lead for hate crime and chief constable of Gwent police.

“Our longstanding and trusted relationships with key partners like Tell Mama have been invaluable amidst these events, and I am confident that the strength of our partnerships will continue to help us reassure communities and bring hate crime offenders to justice.

“We all have a right to live our lives free from targeted abuse, and I would urge anyone who suffers anti-Muslim hate crime to report it to the police or to Tell Mama.”

Experts in policing and hate crime have echoed concerns about the consequences of defunding Tell Mama. Mike Ainsworth, chair of the National Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime for Policing and Criminal Justice, warned against downplaying the seriousness of Islamophobia in Britain.

“Tell Mama have provided the clearest picture we have of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime and prejudice in the country,” he said. “It’s an uncomfortable picture to look at, but it is essential that we do not look away.

“The figures are stark, but they help us understand the scale of the problem and what we must do to move forward. Tell Mama have provided the foundations that government departments and the legal justice system must build on to restore trust and confidence.”

Tell Mama’s founder, Fiyaz Mughal, expressed frustration over what he saw as a failure by British ministers to appreciate the organization’s vital role in tackling hate crime.

“Tell Mama has worked tirelessly with many police forces in the United Kingdom,” he said. “We have met with officers from every corner of the country and met committed, dedicated, and true professionals who have tried to get victims of anti-Muslim hate access to justice.

“They are the unsung heroes with the victims themselves, and some people, including a handful of politicians, reduce our work to numbers and figures and disrespect the whole picture of the range of activities, statutory agencies, and the good men and women in law enforcement in our country that we work with on a daily basis.”

Tell Mama has yet to receive £500,000 from last year’s government grant. While discussions about a potential six-month extension to its funding are ongoing, there is no guarantee the charity will be able to continue its operations.

Despite the widespread criticism, the government has maintained that it remains committed to tackling religious hatred.

An Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Religious and racial hatred has absolutely no place in our society, and we will not tolerate Islamophobia in any form.

“That’s why we will tackle religiously motivated hate crime and provide a comprehensive service to monitor Anti-Muslim Hatred, so we can deliver on the government’s Plan for Change mission for safer streets.

“We will soon be opening a call for grant applications to ensure we can meet the challenges communities face today and continue to provide support for victims, with further detail to be set out in due course.”


Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old
Updated 28 min 52 sec ago
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Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old
  • 8-year-old victim died after battling for her life for almost a week in hospital
  • New law halves investigation and trial time, removes DNA test requirement

DHAKA: Bangladesh passed a new law on Thursday, expediting the investigation and trial process in rape cases. The move follows nationwide outrage after an eight-year-old girl was raped and subsequently died from her injuries.

The girl, from Magura in southwestern Bangladesh, was staying at the house of her elder sister-in-law when the incident took place in early March. She was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka in a critical condition and died six days later.

The news of her death sparked protests across the country. As her body was taken for burial in Magura, thousands of people gathered in the city to participate in her funeral prayers.

An absentee funeral was also held for her at Dhaka University, followed by a protest march.

The incident resulted in mounting pressure on the government to reform laws related to rape and the safety of women and children.

The first law to be amended was the Women and Children Repression Prevention Ordinance, which was passed by Bangladesh’s Advisory Council — the highest institution of its interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

“To ensure speedy trial and punishment of rape suspects, this reform was necessary. It will also help in ensuring proper investigation,” Azad Majumder, the chief adviser’s deputy press secretary, told Arab News.

The new law reduces the investigation period of rape cases from 30 days to 15 days and the time for completing the trial from 180 days to 90 days.

Under the law, a special tribunal will be dedicated to handling child rape cases.

Judges will also be allowed to proceed with trials based on medical certificates and circumstantial evidence without requiring DNA tests. The tests were previously mandatory for the trial to begin, even though samples were not always available as it often takes time for victims or their families to register a case.

“Earlier, the trial process had to wait for the DNA profiling report of the accused. But now the trial can begin based on circumstantial evidence,” Majumder said.

The rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh.

More than 5,600 reports of the rape of girls aged below 18 were filed across the country in the past 10 years, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra — a key women and children’s group in Bangladesh. However, the numbers are unlikely to reflect reality as many victims do not report the crime.

Part of the problem, according to advocate Elina Khan from the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation, is the slow response by police.

“The investigation process demands extra care and attention. Sometimes, our police stations don’t respond immediately to rape cases. If their responses were quick, evidence collection would be easier and investigation would also take less time,” she told Arab News.

“Authorities should also improve logistical preparations in court, especially to protect the child from emotional distress and psychological harm during the hearing. The child should be brought to court with care, considering the psychological impact on the victim.”

She said she also expected more accountability from law enforcement officials if the new law was to have any effect.

“The ordinance doesn’t say anything about what will happen if an investigation officer fails to complete the investigation process within the guided timeframe. Investigators should be held accountable for failing to investigate within the time,” Khan said.

“We have the appropriate human resources in this regard. We just need to engage them all. If we can ensure the proper application of the law, monitoring from the authority and accountability of the responsible persons, justice can be swiftly delivered.”


Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old
Updated 38 min 6 sec ago
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Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old
  • Eight-year-old girl died after battling for her life for almost a week in hospital
  • New law halves investigation and trial time, removes DNA test requirement

DHAKA: Bangladesh passed on Thursday a new law expediting the investigation and trial process in rape cases, following nationwide outrage after the rape of an eight-year-old girl who died of her injuries.

The girl from Magura was staying at the house of her elder sister’s in-laws, when the incident took place in early March. She was admitted to hospital in critical condition to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, where she died after six days.

The news of her death last week set off protests across the country. As her body was taken for burial in Magura, thousands of people gathered in the city to participate in her funeral prayers.

An absentee funeral was also held for her at Dhaka University, followed by a protest march.

The incident resulted in mounting pressure on the government to reform laws related to rape, and women and children’s safety.

The first law to be amended was the Women and Children Repression Prevention Ordinance, which was passed by Bangladesh’s Advisory Council — the highest institution of its interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

“To ensure speedy trial and punishment of rape suspects, this reform was necessary. It will also help in ensuring proper investigation,” Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary of the chief adviser, told Arab News.

The new law reduces the investigation period of rape cases from 30 days to 15 days and the time for completing the trial from 180 days to 90 days.

Under the law, a special tribunal will be dedicated to handling child rape cases.

Judges will also be allowed to proceed with trials based on medical certificates and circumstantial evidence, without requiring DNA tests, which were previously mandatory for the trial to begin, even though samples were not always available, as it often takes time for victims or their families to register a case.

“Earlier, the trial process had to wait for the DNA profiling report of the accused. But now the trial can begin based on circumstantial evidence,” Majumder said.

The rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh.

More than 5,600 reports of rape of girls aged below 18 were filed across the country in the past 10 years, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra — a main women’s and children’s group in Bangladesh.

The numbers are unlikely to reflect the reality as many victims do not report the crime.

Part of the problem, according to advocate Elina Khan from the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation, is the slow response of the police.

“The investigation process demands extra care and attention. Sometimes, our police stations don’t respond immediately to rape cases. If their responses were quick, evidence collection would be easier, and investigation would also take less time,” she told Arab News.

“Authorities should also improve logistical preparations in court, especially to protect the child from emotional distress and psychological harm during the hearing. The child should be brought to court with care, considering the psychological impact on the victim.”

She was also expecting more accountability from law enforces for the new law to have an actual effect.

“The ordinance doesn’t say anything about what will happen if an investigation officer fails to complete the investigation process within the guided timeframe. Investigators should be held accountable for failing to investigate within the time,” Khan said.

“We have the appropriate human resources in this regard. We just need to engage them all. If we can ensure the proper application of the law, monitoring from the authority and accountability of the responsible persons, justice can be swiftly delivered.”


Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements

Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements
Updated 20 March 2025
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Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements

Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements
  • Moscow has also taken an unknown number of civilians into Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory
  • “I have never served in the Ukrainian army, I served in the Soviet army, more than 30 years ago,” Oleg Zharkov, whom prosecutors want to jail for 19.5 years, told the court

WARSAW: Four Ukrainian men taken captive by Russia at the start of its invasion gave emotional statements in court this week as they faced massive sentences for “seizure of power” and terrorism, Russian media reported Thursday.
Two of the four left the Ukrainian army years before Moscow launched its full-scale attack in 2022, while another had never taken up arms, according to the Mediazona news outlet.
On top of taking thousands of Ukrainian troops captive since launching its 2022 attack, Moscow has also taken an unknown number of civilians into Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory.
“I have never served in the Ukrainian army, I served in the Soviet army, more than 30 years ago,” Oleg Zharkov, whom prosecutors want to jail for 19.5 years, told the court, according to a transcript published by the Mediazona website Thursday.
“It’s no secret that in any military unit not only soldiers work but electricians, plumbers, handymen... People like me.”
The four spoke at a military court in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don late Wednesday, most of whom were captured during the 2022 siege of Mariupol.
All of them served in Ukraine’s Azov battalion — banned in Russia — at various points in time, some of whom worked in civilian roles supporting the army such as cooks or plumbers.
They are among 24 accused of taking part in a terrorist organization and trying to overthrow Russian authorities — despite not living in Russian territory before their arrest. Two of the other 20 were exchanged in prisoner swaps, while one died in custody last year.
Oleksandr Mukhin, facing 22 years, served in the Azov battalion for a year between 2017 and 2018.
“I’m a former serviceman, let’s start from that,” he said. He was working as a security guard when Moscow attacked.
He said he was taken from his home in Mariupol in March 2022 by “some people, beaten, put a sack on my head and taken away.”
“On Russophobia... How can I criticize someone for speaking Russian when I’m a Russian speaker?“
Soldier Mykyta Tymonin said he had seen torture in custody.
“Sitting in Rostov, you do not feel that there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, and in Ukraine people feel it: many people die, children. Many families are forced to go abroad,” he said.
Anatoliy Grytsyk said he had been a soldier his whole professional life and served in Bosnia, Kuwait and Kosovo.
He said his wife had been “shot in the street in front of him.”
“I cannot tell people what I feel, what I went through, what your country did to mine,” he said.
“God forbid you ever feel this.”


First-time asylum applications in EU fall 13 percent in 2024, Eurostat says

First-time asylum applications in EU fall 13 percent in 2024, Eurostat says
Updated 20 March 2025
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First-time asylum applications in EU fall 13 percent in 2024, Eurostat says

First-time asylum applications in EU fall 13 percent in 2024, Eurostat says
  • Eurostat reported 912,000 first-time asylum requests from non-EU citizens
  • Syrians made up the largest share of applicants

KYIV: First-time applications from people seeking asylum in European Union countries fell by 13 percent last year, the first decline in them since 2020, data from the bloc’s statistics office Eurostat showed on Thursday.
Eurostat reported 912,000 first-time asylum requests from non-EU citizens across the bloc’s 27 member states, down from more than 1 million in 2023.
Syrians made up the largest share of applicants, like every year since 2013, accounting for 16 percent of the first-time requests last year. The next biggest groups came from Venezuela and Afghanistan, accounting for 8 percent each.
Eurostat said nearly 148,000 first-time applications came from Syria in 2024, down 19.2 percent from a year earlier.
Of the total number of applications for international protection in EU countries, more than three quarters were received by Germany, Spain, Italy and France. Unaccompanied minors made up 3.9 percent of the applicants, Eurostat said.