Foreign News
Africa Now Battle Ground for Western Power Struggles – CSOs
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Country Director of Equity International Initiative (EII) Amb. Chris Iyama has called on the Economic Community Of West Africa States (ECOWAS) to review the regime of sanctions imposed on Niger Republic to promote continuous dialogue and citizens welfare.
He made this call at the end of a one a day Expert Dialogue on International Diplomacy with focus on “Addressing Root Causes of Military Intervention in ECOWAS States” held in Jos Nigeria.
The dialogue put together by the international organization in partnership with C. Y. P. A Africa and Citizens Observers Hub(COH) aimed at proffering best diplomatic ways in resolving the situation in Niger Republic.
The international engagement had participants from other West African countries who expressed concerned that the region and African content is becoming a battlefield for Western Powers struggles.
They described military interventions in African countries as an indictment on the democratic practices which must be addressed to meet the yearning and aspirations of citizens of Member countries of ECOWAS and Africa in general.
“We hereby recommend the review of France colonial policies, review of the 1979 ECOWAS protocol and other trade agreements to leverage socioeconomic cooperation between African States.
“Governments of ECOWAS member states should promote accountability, A proactive fight to combat insecurity, and more effective control of West African porous borders.
“ECOWAS should lead in the advancement of socioeconomic development of West Africa, ECOWAS Commission should instill confidence in the democratic system in West African States by recalibrating its stance on democracy and good governance.”
Amb. Iyam said a robust collaboration between CSOs and the ECOWAS Commission to promote citizen participation, accountability in governance and strengthen democratic institutions as key for the Commission to look into.
“Africans should take ownership of both the African narrative and development path. Elections should be free, fair, transparent and reflect the choices of citizens”
They however insisted that democracy still remains the best form of governance but that it must reflect the aspirations of the citizens, “Diplomacy still remains the best path to addressing the situation in Niger, not Military action as touted by ECOWAS and ensure effective job creation for the citizens.”
They said ECOWAS should promote an independent, corruption-free judiciary in member states and further caution that the implications of a Military action in Niger Republic is in the negative.
“The implication is that there is potential proliferation of insecurity across the sub region. Disruption of existing smooth relationships with neighboring West African countries. Negative socioeconomic implications for Nigeria, humanitarian crisis”.
The CSOs further insisted that effective leadership and transformative political leadership must be seen to be practiced in other member states.
They attributed some of the root causes of the military intervention in Niger Republic to both international and external factors especially across the francophone speaking African countries.
“Economic inequalities and corruption, non-accountability by political office holders, suppression of human rights and dictatorships in democratic governance, insecurity, disenchantment with the democratic process as a result of gaps in the democratic governance structure.
“Erosion of social justice and civil order, underutilization of the youth population, resource curse, citizens discontentment and rising sense of being short-changed by the political leaders in West Africa.
“The negative effects of fake news, violent activities of non-state and state actors, irresponsible local media, influence of local Jihadi groups” are some of the internal factors.
Meanwhile the external factors is alluded to “France neo-colonial policies and entanglement with Francophone West Africa, double standards by the ECOWAS Commission, desire by West African countries to detach from foreign control, the undesirable activities of international conflict merchants, and crafting of the ECOWAS story from outside of West Africa.
“Deteriorating socioeconomic and security situation in Sahel Africa, the fall of Gadaffi opens a floodgate for SALWs, globalization and proliferation of social media fake news, penchant for cynicism and sarcasm, influence of international Jihadi groups, shift in the global power system from a unipolar to multipolar system, use of Africa as a battle ground for Western power struggle” the stakeholders expressed concern.
Brad Smith, the president of technology giant Microsoft has issued a stark warning regarding foreign attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election in November.
“The most perilous moment will come, I think, 48 hours before the election,” Smith told a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday.
“That’s the lesson to be learned from, say, the Slovakian election last fall,” he added.
Smith said two days ahead of the parliamentary election vote in the European country “a Russian group” released and pushed, including by amplifying the story with a top Russian official, a deep fake audio purporting to reveal a vote-stealing plot.
“The Russian government is very capable, very sophisticated, not just in technology but in social science,” Smith said.
The Microsoft boss stressed that “there are real and serious threats,” including in the upcoming U.S. presidential election set to take place on Nov. 5.
The race for the White House may be between Republican candidate Donald Trump and the Democrats’ Kamala Harris, “but this is also becoming an election of Iran versus Trump and Russia versus Harris,” the Microsoft boss said.
“It is an election where Russia, Iran, and China are united with the common interest in discrediting democracy in the eyes of our voters,” Smith warned.
Just a few days ago, U.S. authorities exposed a Russian-sponsored campaign that deployed right-wing influencers.
Accounts masquerading as the websites of news outlets like conservative channel Fox News and newspaper The Washington Post posted fake stories.
On Wednesday, a Russian group published a video of Harris, manipulated with the help of artificial intelligence, in which words were put into her mouth that she never said, said Smith.
The administration in Washington has accused Russia of interfering in the U.S. presidential election campaign.
Similar accusations had been made in previous elections.
Smith testified alongside Meta’s Nick Clegg and Kent Walker, president and chief legal officer for Google’s Alphabet. (dpa/NAN)
Six staff members with the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees (UNRWA) were killed in Gaza on Wednesday when two Israeli airstrikes hit a school-turned-shelter and its surroundings.“This is the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident,” UNRWA said in a post on the social media platform, X.
At least 34 people were killed in the strikes, according to media reports. UNRWA said the shelter manager and other team members were among the victims. UN Secretary-General António Guterres deplored the bloodshed.“What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable,” he wrote on X.“These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now.”The UNRWA school in Nuseirat, located in the Middle Area of the Gaza Strip, was sheltering around 12,000 displaced people, mainly women and children.This marked the fifth time that it had been hit since the conflict began 11 months ago.Earlier on Wednesday the UN said the site had been previously deconflicted with the Israeli forces.UNRWA called on all parties to the conflict to never use schools or the areas around them for military or fighting purposes.“No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared. Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times, they are not a target,” the tweet said.UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini lamented the “endless and senseless killing, day after day” in Gaza.Writing on X, he said at least 220 agency staff have lost their lives since the war began.“Humanitarian staff, premises and operations have been blatantly and unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war,” he said.He warned that “the longer impunity prevails, the more international humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions will become irrelevant.”In a related development, the UN reported that health workers continue efforts to vaccinate young children in northern Gaza against polio, part of a wider campaign to defeat the disease, which can cause paralysis.More than 81,600 boys and girls were vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to preliminary data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).Polio was detected in Gaza in June and UN agencies and partners launched a two-round campaign this month to provide over 640,000 children with two doses of novel oral polio vaccine type 2.So far, nearly 528,000 children have been reached in the first round. (NAN)
An Israeli drone on Tuesday fired several missiles at a flat in a five-story building in the market town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.Eight people were injured, according to an initial toll announced by the Lebanese Health Ministry.It was not immediately clear whether there were any Hezbollah members were in the targeted building.
Earlier, an Israeli drone assassinated a Hezbollah fighter riding a motorbike on the Bab Mareaa-Saghbine road in Western Bekaa and wounded two passersby. Hezbollah said that one of its fighters, Mohammad Qassem al-Shaer, was killed but did not specify where and when he was killed.The Israeli army confirmed it “struck and eliminated” the terrorist Mohammad Qassem al-Shaer, who served as a Hezbollah Radwan Force commander, in the area of Qaraoun,It added that the Israeli artillery struck the areas of Sawaneh and Aita al-Shaab.Since the war began between Israel and the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas in Gaza last October, there have been clashes between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon in the border area.There have been casualties on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah, which says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas. (dpa/NAN)
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