UN WANTS LIBYA TO SHUT DOWN MIGRANT CAMPS.

African migrants sit in a packed room with their beds and blankets, at the Tariq Al-Matar detention centre on the outskirts of the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Image: AFP/TAWA JAWASHI.

At a Security Council meeting called by France, the head of the International Organization for Migration said he was working with the UN refugee agency on a plan "to try to empty the detention centers."

"We need from the Libyans the agreement that we can empty these centers and I think they will agree to that," said William Lacy Swing by videoconference.

Libya has become an enormous transit hub for sub-Saharan Africans seeking to reach Europe since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Italy and the European Union have been providing financing, training and other aid to Libya to stop smugglers from taking migrants in flimsy boats across the Mediterranean, keeping them instead in detention centers.

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said that many more migrants are being held by smugglers and traffickers in Libya, under the protection of "well-known militias."

France requested the urgent meeting to push for a tough response by the top UN body after the footage aired by CNN showed migrants sold for as little as $400.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he will propose names of migrant traffickers to be added to a UN sanctions blacklist that provides for a global travel ban and assets freeze.

- 'Racist' Libya -

Libya rejected the report of the slave auctions as a campaign to portray the country as racist and accused African governments of failing to take responsibility for the well-being of their citizens.

"Libya is the victim of a large-scale false media campaign of defamation to portray it as a racist country," said Libyan acting Ambassador Elmahdi Elmajerbi.

The Libyan envoy said authorities are investigating the slave auctions but that the international community must adopt an approach that tackles "the root causes" of illegal migration.

Any sanctions that target smugglers must also hit those traffickers operating outside Libya, he said.

Ethiopia said the images of the slave auctions had sent shockwaves across Africa and beyond.

"There is a need for urgent action to dismantle the slavery camps and destroy the criminal networks involved in this inhuman practice," said Ethiopia's Ambassador Tekeda Alemu.

"All necessary measures must also be taken to identify all those responsible for this unspeakable and barbaric crime and bring them to justice," he said.

The reported slave auctions have raised questions about EU migration deals which UN officials have said have turned human traffickers into slave traders.

Migration will dominate an EU summit with the African Union in Ivory Coast this week. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend.

SOURCE:

afp.com

Comments

CUBA CLAIMS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER IS FIDEL CASTRO'S SON.

The suicide note left by Fidel Castro’s eldest son has rocked the Cuban nation this week, with the most astonishing revelation being the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was his half-brother and the son of the late Fidel Castro. The handwritten note left by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, 68, the eldest of Fidel Castro’s children, appears to confirm the longstanding rumor in Cuba that Fidel Castro fathered Justin Trudeau after a public tryst with Margaret Trudeau in 1970. “ Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning ,” Cubadebate website reported. The death of the high-profile government nuclear scientist, also known as “Fidelito”, or Little Fidel, because of how much he looked like his father, stunned the nation, however it is his “ explosive ” suicide note that has set tongues wagging in Havana. Amid a wide-ranging barrage of compl...

NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT BUHARI TO REDUCE AGE LIMITS FOR POLITICAL OFFICE.

Lagos, NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will approve a new law to reduce age limits in political office, which could make it easier for younger candidates to run in next year's election. The move comes after intense pressure from youth groups, which pushed the government to adopt the legislation, saying they were politically marginalised. "In (a) few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the 'Not Too Young To Run' bill," President Buhari, 75, said in a speech to mark the country's annual Democracy Day public holiday. Last month President Buhari said that he would run for a second term next year. The bill reduces the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35, and senators and state governors from 35 to 30. The minimum age for national and state assembly members will now become 25. He also reassured Nigerians during his speech of the administration's commitm...

NAMIBIA VOWS TO GRAB FARMS FROM WHITE FARMERS.

Okahandja, NAMIBIA: Vibrant rows of neatly lined plants grow on a patch once trampled by the cattle of a large commercial farm run by a family of German descent in Namibia. From that 2,400 square-meter rectangle of sand in the northern Otjozondjupa region, Kornelius Hamasab, 69, now produces spinach, onions and tomatoes. Hamasab is among the 16 percent of black Namibians owning arable land in the semi-desert southwest African nation. White Namibians, who are descended from former colonizers Germany and South Africa and make up six percent of the population, own 70 percent of the land. "It doesn't seem right to me," said Hamasab, who acquired his land as compensation five years after the farm downsized into a guesthouse in 2000 and laid off its staff. "The government should do something about it," he added, while his family picked and rinsed collared greens to be sold in the capital Windhoek, 150 kilometers away. Namibia adopted ...

KING MSWATI III IMPORTS 19 ROLLS ROYCE & 120 BMWs FOR PERSONAL USE.

Mbabane, ESWATINI: King Mswati III, the ruler of poverty-stricken African nation Eswatini, has been accused of ‘showing the middle finger’ to his subjects as he flaunts his lavish car collection. Eswatini, known until last year as Swaziland, is a developing country with a comparatively small economy. The average salary in the country is estimated at around £10,000 – meaning that most Swazis would have to work all their lives to get even near owning a Rolls Royce. The 20 Rolls Royces are reportedly to be shared between the King's 15 wives . Image: CEN. Mswati III has this week imported 19 Rollers for his personal use and has reportedly also bought 120 BMWs. Opposition politician Wandile Dludlu condemned the king’s purchase of these luxury vehicles. "Last week, a total of 19 Rolls-Royce cars were delivered to Swaziland for the exclusive use of the king, his mother and his wives," said. "According to reports, some of these cars a...

A 26-YEARS-OLD WOMAN ADOPTS 14 AFRICAN ORPHANS.

London, ENGLAND: A young British woman has become mum to a staggering 14 Tanzanian children she met after volunteering in an orphanage on her gap year. Letty McMaster, 26, was just 18 years old when a month-long trip volunteering at an orphanage in Africa changed her life forever. She ended up staying for three years to support the children she had met, and when the orphanage shut down, Letty took in nine youngsters who would have been left homeless. Seven years on, she lives with the children after becoming legal guardian to them ALL - as well as five more kids she met on the streets or at a safe house she runs. Letty McMaster. Letty, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "These children are my whole life, I raise them all on my own and they keep me going through the long hours of juggling everything. "I'd always had in mind that I wanted to help street children so my family and friends weren't surprised but I never expected to end up doing all this. " I am the pa...

CANADA BEGS ONE MILLION IMMIGRANTS FROM KENYA.

Ottawa, CANADA : The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has pleaded without Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, to allow one million Kenyans enter Canada under a new Employment and Migration Programme designed for immigrants. According to Trudeau, immigrants from Kenya have been a strong force in Canada’s growth in all sectors of its economy. “We can’t undermine or overlook the contribution of immigrants in Canada’s development especially our brothers and sisters from Kenya”, Trudeau said. The PM added that, over the past three years, Canada has granted residency to all Kenyans who were illegally living in Canada and applied to remain. “We granted them and urging everyone to apply. It’s good we document everyone to know how many people we are to cater for” , he said. In a memo sent to the Kenya Embassy in Canada, the Employment and Migration Programme will allow Kenyans wishing to live in Canada to first obtain job before traveling to the country. “The ...

"WHY I RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK", PRIME MINISTER OF NETHERLANDS EXPLAINS.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on his bicycle. Image: Reuters. The Hague, NETHERLANDS: With its sweeping views over the sparkling Hofvijver pond, the Binnenhof – the Gothic castle in the heart of The Hague that houses the States General of the Netherlands – is quite something. It’s little wonder Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte enjoys commuting to his office there. And recently he’s made the journey by bike as often as possible. “I didn't cycle a lot for 10 years. But for the past two years, I’ve had my own bike again and, when the weather allows, I travel into the office that way,” he told the World Economic Forum. The Dutch are famous for their love of cycling. In 2018, the country had more bicycles than people : 23 million to 17 million. More than a quarter of all trips in the country are made by bike and of those, a quarter are for getting work, like Rutte. He explains why it’s long been such a phenomenon: “The Dutch love cycling beca...

KENYA JOINS TANZANIA & RWANDA TO BAN SHISHA SMOKING.

Kenya has banned the smoking of water-pipe tobacco popularly known as shisha. The Health minister, Cleopa Mailu, in a gazette notice on Thursday barred the importation, manufacture, advertising and sale of shisha in the country. According to the legal notice, anyone found guilty of contravening the ban faces a Ksh50,000 (about $500) penalty or a six-month jail term or both. A further Ksh1,000 ($10) will be fined for each day a person infringes the law. "No person shall import, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, use, advertise, promote, facilitate or encourage shisha smoking in Kenya," Dr Mailu said in the notice. Kenya becomes the third East African country to ban shisha smoking after Tanzania and Rwanda in the last two years. Other countries with similar practice include Pakistan, Jordan Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The Director of Medical Services Jackson Kioko said: "Our decision for the ban is informed by all a...

HE PROMISED TO STEP DOWN IN 3 YEARS, NOW HE CHANGES HIS MIND & THOUSANDS PROTESTS.

Banjul, GAMBIA: Thousands of Gambians on Monday took to the streets of Banjul to protest against setting President Adama Barrow to step down in honor of his campaign promise that saw him elected in 2016 under a coalition team that lasted less than six months. Mr. Barrow promised in 2016 to only serve a three years government, a promise he now made clear will not fulfill. The protest under the banner “Three Years Jotna” which translates in the local Wolof dialect as “It has reached three years” hopes to pressure president Adama Barrow to step down through popular uprising in the tiny west African nation. Adama Barrow came into power in 2016 following a historical defeat of former strong man Yahya Jammeh but has since gained low approval rating among Gambians especially following the sacking of long-time opposition leader and former Vice President, Mr. Ousainor Darboe of the United Democratic Party (UDP). The protest is ongoing… Couple with the withdrawal of T...

ZIMBABWE VICE-PRESIDENT'S WIFE ARRESTED FOR FAKING MARRIAGE.

Harare, ZIMBABWE: Mary Chiwenga, the estranged wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, has been arrested for causing a fraudulent marriage between herself and the former army General to be registered. Chiwenga and his wife are said to have fallen out after the former model allegedly asked the VP to formalise their marriage when he was on his sick bed at a South African hospital. The former army general who led the military coup that toppled long time ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 spent the better part of this year battling for his life in hospitals in South Africa, China and India. When he was flown to China, Marry was allegedly banned from visiting him. On his return to Harare on November 23 she was not among those that welcomed him at the Robert Mugabe International Airport. Marry was also conspicuous by her absence a week later when Chiwenga held a prayer meeting and a party at his homestead in Wedza. The two are said to be living separately after the VP moved i...

Kioo17 Journal

Search This Blog