Tigray crisis: Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed vows to continue military offensive
The Ethiopian prime minister has vowed to continue a military offensive in the northern state of Tigray despite international calls for restraint.
Abiy Ahmed’s administration accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking the military.
The TPLF, which governs the state, said it could not “ignore the danger”.
Tensions between the party, which was once the most powerful force in the country, and the federal government have been building for months
It had previously accused the federal authorities of plotting to invade the region.
On Wednesday, amid the drama of the US election, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement calling for an end to any fighting.
“We are saddened by the tragic loss of life and urge immediate action to restore the peace and de-escalate tensions… The protection of civilian safety and security is essential,” he said in a statement.
In a televised address Mr Abiy, who won the Nobel peace prize last year, said the military’s operation was a success and said it would continue.
He said the operation was launched in response to a deadly attack on a military camp. He did not say how many people were killed.
The TPLF was the most powerful partner in Ethiopia’s governing coalition until 2018, when Mr Abiy came to office following nationwide protests by ethnic Oromos. Since then, the party’s power has waned.
Mr Abiy created a new governing party, but the TPLF did not join.
In September, the Tigrayan authorities went ahead with an election in defiance of a nationwide postponement that was put in place following the outbreak of coronavirus.
The federal government had described that election for the Tigray parliament as “illegal”.
The Tigray region’s president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack – alleging it was punishment for organising the election.
image captionThese Tigray special forces were pictured outside the Northern Command Headquarters
Mr Abiy then accused the TPLF of attacking a military base and sent in the Ethiopian military.
The federal government has also declared a six-month state of emergency in the state of Tigray and airspace in the region has been closed
Following what it described as the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy, particularly its crippling financial situation on the school, the Department of State Services (DSS) has sacked the teachers and other staff members of its Community Staff Schools, Asokoro (CSSA), Abuja.
The secret police has also shut down the institution and directed the pupils in the nursery, primary and secondary classes to stay at home for two weeks.
The primary school commenced in 1992/93, while the secondary classes took off in 1998.
It was gathered that the fee for the nursery and primary classes was increased from N25,000 to N35,000 for children and wards of the rank and file, while children of senior DSS officers were required to pay N45,000 up from N35,000 per term.
However, for children of civilians, the tuition was increased from N45,000 to N60,000.
The tuition for secondary school classes was increased from 35,000 to 45,000 for children and wards of the rank and file, while
officers’ children were asked to pay N60,000 up from 40,000.
But students who did not fall in either of the categories will pay N90,000 from N70,000.
In the letter of disengagement dated November 2, 2020, signed by the Executive Secretary, CSSA, M. Onyilo, the DSS hinged its decision to sack the school staff on poor financial situation brought about by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy.
The letter was titled: ‘Disengagement from the service of Community Staff Schools, Asokoro.”
It reads partly: “Due to the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy vis-a-vis the crippling financial situation of the school, I am directed to convey the Director-General, State Services/Proprietor’s approval to disengage you from the services of the school with effect from 3rd November 2020.”
It was however learnt that the workers had in 2018 dragged the school management to the National Industrial Court (NIC) demanding better conditions of service, which the court okayed but the DSS failed to obey the court judgment.
The presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden, has vowed to reverse President Donald Trump’s decision for the United States to leave the Paris Accord.
Trump had announced the pull-out in June 2017, but in line with United Nations (UN) regulations, the exit took effect November 4.
With election results pointing to a likely defeat for Trump, Biden took on the tone of a president-elect and made clear that climate was a top priority.
“Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it,” Biden, who would take the presidential oath on January 20, tweeted.
Biden has proposed a $1.7trillion plan to take the US, the world’s second biggest carbon emitter, to net zero by 2050.
Joe Biden, Democratic candidate in the United States presidential election, has declared that he is confident of victory.
Biden addressed the nation on Thursday.
He noted that it was clear that he had won “enough states to reach 270 electoral votes to win the presidency”.
“Now, every vote must be counted. No one’s going to take our democracy from us…not now, not ever.
“I’m not here to declare that we’ve won, but I am here to report when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.
“I’m confident that we will emerge victorious. But this will not be my victory alone. It will be a victory for the American people.”
Official results as at 9:50am Nigeria time, shows Biden is slightly ahead of President Donald Trump.
But the race is too close to call as votes are still being counted in many states.
However, the former vice president has launched a transition website.
A message on the portal reechoed Biden’s comment that Americans will decide the next president.
“Votes are still being counted in several states around the country. The crises facing the country are severe — from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice.
“The transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden‑Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One,” the statement read.
Seven years after blacklist, Kwara Government said it has received N7.2 billion grants from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
This is the first time since 2013 when the state was blacklisted from the national scheme.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has spent the last one year working to reposition basic education in the state, beginning with the payment of N450 million diverted funds which had brought the state under the hammer of the UBEC.
The N7.2 billion is a accumulation of UBEC grants that were not accessed between 2014 and 2019.
The money was not accessed because the former administration failed to pay its counterpart funds, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Hajia Fatimah B Ahmed has said in a statement.
The UBEC grants are meant for rehabilitation of dilapidated basic schools, construction of new ones, equipment of the schools with ICT tools, training of teachers, and project evaluation, among other purposes contained in the UBEC work plan.
The commissioner added: “This money would be spent in phases over the next two years to fix up to 600 elementary schools out of the over 1400 decrepit basic education facilities across the state. “The projects would be monitored by UBEC to ensure compliance with the work plan submitted by the government.
“This development has taken Kwara State out of the bottom position in the ranking of states with highest figures of outstanding UBEC grants.
“The pitiful state of basic education infrastructure in the state is a reflection of the failure to access UBEC funds and the near-zero investments in the sector over the past few years.”
On Thursday, England will be going back into lockdown, with pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops told to close.
Here are nine things that are different from the March lockdown.
1. You can meet one friend… with your children
In March, you could only meet others from outside your household in a very limited set of circumstances.
Meeting another person socially wasn’t allowed until May.
This time, you can catch up with a friend in an outdoor public place, like a park or beach, as long as you socially distance and neither of you is self-isolating.
And this time, children of pre-school age are not included in the two-person limit, so those looking after youngsters can still have social contact.
2. Schools and universities are staying open
The government has emphasised that it is prioritising education – so schools, colleges and universities will all remain open, as will nurseries and other childcare.
They closed back in March and while studies continued online, many students did not return in person until September.
In the summer, scientists had warned that pubs and other activities might have to close for schools to remain open in the second wave.
”We cannot let this virus damage our children’s futures even more than it has already,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, adding that clinical advice is for young people to be in school.
3. Public toilets will not be closed
The government has specifically said that public toilets can remain open.
This also applies at visitor attractions like gardens and castles, if they are normally available to the public and are sufficiently separate.
During the last lockdown, many councils did not reopen their public toilets when allowed.
People with young children and long-term health conditions were particularly affected, and with pubs and restaurants closed, many complained they were forced to relieve themselves in public places.
4. ‘Bubbles’ exist
Many people are going into this lockdown as part of a support “bubble”, a concept which didn’t exist back in March.
It means that an adult living alone or a single parent family can mix freely with one other nominated household of any size.
A household with children under 13 can also form a childcare bubble with another household to help with informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare. This must always be between the same two households.However, the Cabinet Office has been unable to confirm to the BBC whether one or more people from the second household can provide the childcare – so in the case of grandparents, for example, whether only one of them can do it.
Bubbles will continue during the lockdown.
5. Click and collect services will be available
Non-essential shops are closing once again, but this time click and collect – where customers order products online and go to pick them up – will be allowed.
Click and collect involves minimal contact, and could help shops to keep more workers employed.
Garden centres can also stay open this time, as can waste and recycling tips.
6. Sitting on a bench is allowed
In the early days of lockdown, sitting on a bench could be interpreted as breaking coronavirus rules – unless the person was taking a break from exercising. Sunbathing or reading outdoors were also not permitted.
This time, the government has not placed any time limit on recreational activities, with the prime minister suggesting that meeting a friend in the park for a walk or sitting on a bench and eating a sandwich was perfectly fine. We
7. You can take unlimited exercise
The message is very different now to March, when people were told to take only one form of exercise outdoors a day.
The government is mindful of obesity, mental health and other problems caused by lockdown inactivity, and the risks of coronavirus transmission are generally higher indoors.
The new lockdown guidance says “you can and should still travel to… spend time or exercise outdoors. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel to do so if necessary”.
Only essential travel was permitted in the spring, but this was open to interpretation, with one police force criticised for sharing drone footage of ramblers online.
8. Dentist and opticians are staying open
Dentists and opticians were only open for emergency appointments at the start of the last lockdown.
But they can open as usual this time, as can chiropractors and osteopaths.
Boots Opticians and Specsavers say they will operate as normal, while the British Dental Association has confirmed that dental services will be available.
An alarming side-effect of the last lockdown was missed medical appointments, as many worried about burdening the health service or being exposed to the virus.
This has potentially led to thousands of missed diagnoses and treatments.
Mr Johnson stressed it is ”really important” to ”get your scans, turn up for your appointments and pick up your treatments”, during this lockdown and all winter.
9. Nobody will formally shield
About two million vulnerable people had to shield in the last lockdown, meaning they stayed at home.
Many found this advice ”very restrictive,” the government says.
The aim is to strike a balance between practical measures to keep people safe, while reducing the harm caused to their wellbeing and mental health.
“I know how tough shielding was, and we will not ask people to shield again in the same way,” Mr Johnson said.
However, the “clinically extremely vulnerable”, including organ transplant patients and people with certain cancers, have been told to take extra care to minimise contact with others, including working from home.
They have been advised not to go to shops, but can still exercise and go to school.
The Ogun State Judicial Panel of Investigation set up by the state government will commence sitting on Thursday.
The panel will hear cases of extrajudicial activities by the police, especially operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Mrs Oluwatosin .T. Ogundele, Secretary of the panel, while promising transparency and openness said the sitting will take place three times in a week.
She said, “This is to inform the general public that the Judicial Panel of Investigation set up by the Ogun State Government to investigate complaints of victims on brutality and human rights violations would be having its first sitting on Thursday, 5th November, 2020.
“The panel’s sitting days would be Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting by 10am at the Magistrate Court 1, Isabo, Abeokuta.
“The sittings would be transparent and open. Media stations are invited to witness and cover the sittings while COVID-19 protocols must be observed.”
She invited members of the public to submit petitions on police brutality to the panel.
A Nigerian, Oye Owolewa, has been elected to the United States Congress.
Owolewa from Kwara, who holds a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Pharmacy from the North-Eastern University, Boston, contested on the platform of the Democratic Party as a ‘shadow’ (non-voting) House of Representative member out of the District of Columbia (DC).
It was gathered the 31-year-old politician is the first Nigerian congressman in the country’s history.
Sharing the news on his Facebook page, he wrote, “Good morning. Looks like we did it! I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents. Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian-American congressman.
“In this role, I’m going to fight for DC statehood and bring our values to the lawmaking process. While today is a day for some celebration, the hard work also follows. Again, thanks so much for everything. I would not be here without you all.”
The United States has formally withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on climate change.
BBC reports that America becomes the first in the world to do so.
President Donald Trump announced the pull-out in June 2017.
But in line with United Nations (UN) regulations, the exit takes effect today, November 4.
A country can only give notice to withdraw after three years from the date of ratification. Such member must also issue a 12-month notice period to the UN.
The 2015 agreement seeks to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change.
The deal wants global temperature below 2C above pre-industrial levels.
During the electioneering campaign, Democratic candidate, Joe Biden promised that America would re-join the accord if he is elected President.
Andrew Light, a climate change official in the Obama administration, opposed Trump’s decision.
“Being out formally obviously hurts the US reputation. This will be the second time that the United States has been the primary force behind negotiating a new climate deal. With the Kyoto Protocol we never ratified it, in the case of the Paris Agreement, we left it”, he said.
Carlos Fuller, lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States in the UN talks, described the withdrawal as a big blow to the agreement.
“We actually worked very hard to ensure that every country in the world could accede to this new agreement. And so, by losing one, we feel that basically we have failed”, he declared.
But former UN climate chief, Yvo De Boer, placed the blame on former President, Barack Obama.
“What Obama did at the end of his second term was fundamentally undemocratic; to sign up to a Paris Agreement without going to the Senate and the Congress and instead doing it via executive order. In a way, you’re setting yourself up for what has happened now”, he said.
West launched his campaign in July but had only made it on to the presidential ballot in a handful of states due to a combination of missed deadlines and lack of signatures.
Kanye West, a United States rapper and businessman, has conceded defeat in the 2020 presidential election after running as an independent candidate.
West launched his campaign in July but had only made it on to the presidential ballot in a handful of states due to a combination of missed deadlines and lack of signatures.
He had appeared on the ballot in a total of 12 states where he is said to have received a total of more than 57,000 as voting preceded on Tuesday.
More than 130 million votes have been counted so far.
The rapper, however, took to his Twitter page on Wednesday to hint that he would be running again in four years.
In the post, he shared a picture of himself standing in front of an electoral map, writing, “WELP KANYE 2024.”
Attention is now on the United States of America, as contest between the incumbent President, Donald Trump and a former Vice President, Joe Biden hinges on what experts have described as a ‘gladiatorial’ battle.
While Donald Trump is seeking a re-election on the Republican platform, Biden is bearing the flag of the Democratic Party.
The US electoral process makes it possible that the candidate with the most votes from the public won’t be the winner.
This is because the President is not chosen directly by the voters, but what is known as the electoral college.
As at the time of filing this update, Joe Biden is leading the polls with 68,997,244 direct votes and 238 electoral college votes while Trump has 66,731,000 votes from the polls and 213 electoral college votes.
A candidate must score 270 electoral votes to be declared winner of the election.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the national votes but the former emerged President through the electoral college votes.
Joe Biden has become the first Democrat to win a Presidential election in Arizona in 24 years.
With his win, Biden denied President Donald Trump 11 pivotal electoral votes that were once reliably Republican.
Joe Biden
While Trump ran up the score in rural Arizona, Biden carved a path through fast-changing Maricopa County, where Phoenix and its suburbs supply some 60 percent of the state’s electorate. It was the largest county in America to go to Trump in 2016, but it is also at the center of twin trends reshaping Arizona politics: disaffected suburbanites migrating away from the Republican Party and Democratic-leaning Latinos turning out in greater force with every election.
Donald Trump
The southwestern state broke its own records with early voting, marking a significant turnout with 2.6 million votes having been cast before Election Day.
Biden also picked up an Electoral College vote in a Nebraska congressional district that voted for Trump four years ago. The president hadn’t converted any new territory by early Wednesday morning.
Republicans breathed another sigh of relief when must-win Ohio was added to Trump’s column.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insists the result of the US presidential election “will not affect” Tehran’s policy towards Washington.
“Our policy… is clearly defined. It does not change with the movement of individuals,” he said. “It does not matter to us who comes and goes.”
Donald Trump has pursued a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran since he abandoned a nuclear deal in 2018.
His challenger, Joe Biden, has said he will consider rejoining the accord.
The deal, negotiated in 2015 while Mr Biden was Barack Obama’s vice-president, saw Iran given relief from sanctions in return for limits on sensitive nuclear activities.
President Trump said it was “defective at its core” and reinstated sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy in an attempt to force it to negotiate a replacement.
Iran has refused to do so and retaliated by rolling back a number of key nuclear commitments.
The two countries also came close to war this January, after Mr Trump ordered a drone strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, saying the Revolutionary Guards general was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops.
Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US forces. No Americans were killed, but more than 100 were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
Ayatollah Khamenei gave a speech on Tuesday to mark the 41st anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran by radical Iranian students, who took American staff hostage for 444 days.
There have been no diplomatic relations between the US and Iran since then.
“Today is election day in the United States. Things may happen, but they do not concern us,” said the supreme leader, who controls Iran’s armed forces and has final say on all matters of state.
“We follow a sensible, calculated policy [which] cannot be affected by changes of personnel.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also mocked the US for holding a vote that the incumbent president had warned could be “the most rigged election in history”.
“This is American democracy,” he said.
In an interview with CBS on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also declared that the Iranian government did not have a preferred candidate.
“The statements by the Biden camp have been more promising, but we will have to wait and see,” he said. “What counts is the behaviour.”
“The outcome of the ‘maximum pressure’ policy has not been very promising for the United States. It has hurt Iran, but it hasn’t brought the type of political change that the United States desired.”
Asked if Iran would enter into negotiations with a Biden administration on a new nuclear deal, Mr Zarif replied: “No. If we wanted to do that, we would have done it with President Trump four years ago.”
Suspected armed cult members have invaded the commercial office of a telecom giant, MTN, along DSP Alamieyeseigha Way in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, killing a customer alleged to be a rival cult member.
The murdered customer, identified as Victor Abasi, aged 28, is said to be an indigene of Ogu town in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the deceased was placed on the wanted list by the members of the rival cult group, Greenlanders, over his alleged involvement in a bloody clash in Swali area of the state capital early in the year.
An eyewitness, who spoke in confidence, said the deceased had almost finished with his documentation on SIM card validation at the MTN office when the cultists invaded the office and chased after him.
The source said: “We noticed armed boys invade the MTN office and we took to our heels. The deceased jumped out and scaled the fence. But the cultists went after him and descended on him with different dangerous weapons.
“We later learnt that the deceased was a suspected member of a group known as Bobos.”
The killing of Victor Abasi has snowballed into a gun battle between the Greenlanders and Bobos in Amarata, Ekeki, Swali, and other areas of Yenagoa metropolis. A resident of Imgbi Road, who pleaded anonymity, claimed that armed Bobos invaded the area on Monday night in search of rival groups.
The source said: “They said some cult groups killed their ‘senior man’ and they are out to retaliate.”
Recall that rival cult groups at Tombia and Amarata areas had in the last few days engaged in bloody clashes over revenue collection, rivalry and the battle for supremacy. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, said the incident had not been reported to the police.
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ON Tuesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity are threats to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in West Africa.
The Parliament reasoned that despite the gains of free trade, these threats can stall progress and create stumbling blocks to investments that in turn will affect commerce and employment in the region.
It also said terrorism and insecurity increase uncertainty and raise the cost of goods and services.
The ECOWAS Parliament are converging in Cotonou for a meeting of the “Bureau of the Parliament” and a “De-localized meeting of the Joint Committees on Administration, Finance and Budget; Macroeconomic Policies and Economic Research; Public Accounts; Trade, Customs and Free Movement”.
The Bureau is to consider and adopt the draft budget of the Parliament for the 2021 fiscal year.
The meeting is scheduled to run from November 2 to 6, 2020 while the De-localized Meeting of the Joint Committee meet under the theme “African Continental Free Trade Area, How Feasible in the face of Cross-Border Threats” will run from November 3 to 7, 2020.
Speaker of the Parliament, Sidie Mohammed Tunis, who spoke at the opening ceremony of scheduled week long activities of the Parliament in Cotonou Benin Republic said, “Terrorism slows the flow of goods and resources through ports due to greater inspections and safeguard and divert government expenditures from more productive public investment to less productive security activities.
“In addition to terrorism, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.”
Concerning the implementation of the AfCFTA, the Speaker stressed the need for Members of Parliament to gain better understanding its challenges and prospects.
Tunis said the pandemic has led to abrupt fall in commodity prices, fiscal revenues, foreign exchange receipts, foreign financial flows, travel restrictions, a decline in tourism and hotels, and so on.
He said, “Beyond its impact on human health, the pandemic has disrupted an interconnected world economy and border closure have reduced economic activities with following predictions of recession across the continent.
“In the midst of all these, what is at stake is the dignity and well-being of Africa’s farmers, workers and entrepreneurs, particularly women and youths.
“The promise of free trade is prosperity for all Africans, particularly West Africans, because it provides a prospect for the production of value-added goods and services, increase in income and better living conditions for our citizens”.
He expressed hope that the meeting of the Parliament would enlighten on the important issues and provide the Parliament with sufficient resources on the prospects of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
He stressed the need for the Parliament to be acquainted with the role it should play in mitigating challenges and facilitating the application of the AfCFTA.
Also, Head of Benin Republic’s Delegation of the Honorable Representatives of ECOWAS Parliament, Sédami Romarique Medegan Fagla, urged member countries to not lose sight of the threats that risk undermining the AfCTA and efforts to achieve objectives especially in the face of insecurity in the region.
She explained that since the meeting of the region with the West, and since the Berlin Conference in 1884, West Africa had lost the quality of spontaneity the freedom of movement and action the AfCTA represents. She encouraged the continuity of hope generated by the creation of ECOWAS in 1975 which aims to help regain the fluidity of movements in the sub-region.
“That is why the Continental Free Exchange has been designed. Its creation aims to strengthen the dynamics of the free movement of people and goods beyond our sub region, and the African entirety.
“Deploying a continental commercial area reflects above all the desire to take possession of our common living space and to carry out activities that can improve the daily lives of our peoples.
“This is an opportunity for African intracontinental trade which, compared to other continents is still insufficient.
Also speaking at the opening of the ECOWAS de-localized meeting, the Minister for Industry and Trade, Republic of Benin, Alimatou Assouman, stressed on how crucial the AfCTA on African integration and the economies of the 26 Countries that are party to the trading rectification instruments.
Minister Allmatou Assouman called for an in-depth reflection during the meeting without laying aside the Pan-African idea.
The Nigerian government must set up a credible, independent inquiry into the recent illegal killings of at least 12 peaceful protestors by soldiers, UN human rights experts* said today.
“Since 2005, UN Special Rapporteurs have repeatedly raised the issue of police killings and impunity with the Nigerian government,” the experts said. “We have had 15 years of government promises, but nothing has changed.
“Governments come and go, but police brutality is as intractable as ever. Nigerians need justice.”
Excessive use of force during peaceful assemblies is always unacceptable, the experts said, but the shootings at Lekki toll plaza in Lagos on 20 October were “especially disturbing because demonstrators were precisely calling for accountability for previous police brutality.”
Nigerians have taken to the streets across the country since 8 October to protest rights violations reportedly committed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“What is particularly disturbing is that the authorities said they had disbanded the SARS and agreed to the protestors other demands, including investigations,” the experts said. “But they immediately announced the formation of another similar unit and have not ended the excessive use of force.”
Protestors have been met with water cannons, tear gas and live ammunition. Hundreds have been injured and an unknown number killed. In addition, security services have allegedly arrested and beaten protestors, and armed individuals have attacked others.
The fact that in the Lekki toll plaza incident CCTV cameras and lights were apparently switched off shortly before soldiers opened fire on the peaceful protestors indicates “a disturbing level of premeditation,” the experts said.
Systematic police brutality and use of excessive force against peaceful protesters must be independently and impartially investigated and the perpetrators brought to the justice, the human rights experts said.
In addition to setting up an independent inquiry, authorities must clarify why the military was deployed and who gave the order, the experts said. “Any investigation must aim to identify lines of responsibility, deliver accountability and justice, provide remedies and reparations, and recommend structural and systemic changes,” they said.
The experts also called on the government to release the reports of previous investigations into human rights violations by the security forces. These include the 2019 report by the National Human Rights Commission report on SARS and the 2018 report by the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement (“PIP”).
“The authorities have promised for years to address human rights violations by the security forces,” said the experts. “Hundreds of victims and relatives of those who died have testified and sent petitions, but they never received any remedy, not even the acknowledgement that their rights were violated. It is crucial that the government releases all these reports to the public before they start new investigations.”
The experts have written directly to the Nigerian government, stressing that “it is high time that concrete action is taken to properly look into all incidents and that structural changes be made to prevent any re-occurrence.”
A 13-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan who was allegedly abducted and forced to convert and marry a Muslim man has been rescued, officials said.
The recovery of the girl came nearly a month after the girl’s parents alleged that she was abducted by Ali Azhar, 44.
The courts had failed to act earlier because they accepted statements the girl gave saying she was 18 and had married of her own free will.
But pressure from campaign groups and a public outcry prompted action.
Leaders from the Catholic Church in Pakistan and human rights groups demanded that the court ruling be reconsidered, arguing that the girl had been forced to give her statement after entering a child marriage. Protesters also took to the streets in Pakistan’s capital, Karachi.
On Monday, the Sindh High Court ordered police to find the teenager. She was recovered later in the day and will remain in protective custody until a court hearing on 5 November.
Her alleged abductor was arrested later the same night and is due to appear in court on Tuesday.
The family claimed the identification papers were fake, but when the case went to court on 27 October the Sindh High Court granted custody to the girl’s alleged abductor. The court also offered protection from the girl’s family.
The decision was condemned by human rights and religious groups. “It is the responsibility of the state to… protect its citizens, especially minor girls,” Joseph Arshad, a local archbishop, told news outlet Crux Now at the time.
Father Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, also addressed the issue of forced conversions, telling the Catholic News Agency that “a 13-year-old cannot decide about her religion. She is an innocent girl… [she] still has a lot to learn about her own religion.”
In late October, the family’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said the girl’s parents had filed a harassment petition on her behalf.
Sindh High Court initially dismissed this application, but later reversed the decision following protests. The girl is now under the court’s protection, though Mr Nasir hopes she will soon be returned to her family.
“[The] safest place for a child is with her parents,” he said in a Twitter post. “Hopefully [the[ court will return her to [her] parents soon after [the] next hearing.”
According to a recent United Nations report, child marriages are still commonplace across South Asia. In Pakistan, nearly 25% of women in their early 20s were married by the time they are 18, the report found
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