Foreign News
UN Appoints Dutch Diplomat Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed a veteran Dutch diplomat and politician, Sigrid Kaag as the Senior Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza
Guterres announced the appointment in a statement on Tuesday.
Kaag, who is Holland’s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister, will facilitate, coordinate, monitor and verify aid consignments for Gaza, in line with a recent Security Council resolution.
She will also establish a mechanism to accelerate humanitarian relief shipments through States that are not party to the conflict.
Kaag, who is expected to take up the assignment on January 8, 2024, has experience in political, humanitarian and development affairs, as well as diplomacy.
She is the first Holland’s Deputy Prime Minister and first woman Finance Minister, and was Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, as well as Foreign Affairs.
Kaag has also held senior positions in the UN system, including Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and the Special Coordinator, Joint Mission of the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN in Syria.
Her other posts included Assistant Secretary‑General, UN Development Programme, and UNICEF’s Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa.
Prior to that, Kaag had served in several senior positions with UNICEF, the International Organisation for Migration, and the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
On Friday, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2070 which, among others, demanded for immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to Palestinian civilians throughout the Gaza Strip.
The resolution requested the Secretary-General to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator and called for the “expeditious” establishment of the UN mechanism to ramp up aid distribution. (NAN)
Foreign News
International Criminal Court condemns U.S. Sanctions Move
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday condemned an executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump imposing punitive sanctions, countering that the order sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.
”The court was established by the Rome Statute, negotiated within the UN – but it is a fully independent court set up to try the gravest crimes, including crimes against humanity.
Thursday’s executive order said the U.
S. government would “impose tangible and significant consequences” on ICC officials who work on investigations that threaten national security of the U.S. and allies – including Israel.The directive follows the decision by ICC judges to issue arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, which accuses them of alleged war crimes in relation to the conduct of the war with Hamas on Gaza.
The ICC also issued a warrant for a former Hamas commander, Mohammed Deif.
Neither the U.S. nor Israel recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction; there are 125 states parties to the Rome Statute, which came into effect in 2002.
The U.S. executive order says that the ICC actions against Israel and preliminary investigations against the U.S. “set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former” personnel.
The order details possible sanctions including the blocking of property and assets of ICC officials and barring them and their families from entering the U.S.
A bid to impose sanctions on the ICC by the US Congress in January prior to the change in administration, failed to garner enough support in the Senate.
“The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work,” said the court in a press release.
“The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it.”
The court also called on all parties to the ICC together with civil society and other nations to “stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.” (NAN)
Foreign News
NICASA Decries Death of Nigerian in S/African Police Custody
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The Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA) has condemned the death of a 40-year-old Nigerian citizen, Benjamin Okoli, while in police custody.
Okoli’s death comes less than a month after NICASA condemned the alleged killing of another Nigerian, 50-year-old Jeremiah Okoye, who died in police custody on Jan.
13.NICASA President-General, Dr Frank Onyekwelu, described the curious deaths of Nigerians in South Africa as unbearable during a midnight telephone interview.
Okoli, from Akpu in Orumba South, Anambra, is survived by his wife and child.
“The Nigerian community in South Africa is mourning yet another loss in police custody.
“Okoli was stopped, searched by police officers, and taken to his house with his brother for further inspection.
“In spite of finding nothing, the officers tortured, beat, and brutalised them. Okoli couldn’t withstand the assault and fell into a coma,” Onyekwelu said.
“His brother’s attempts to revive him failed while the police stood by and watched as Okoli’s life slipped away. Paramedics later pronounced him dead,” he added.
He noted that investigations into Okoye’s death were still ongoing when Okoli died in similar circumstances, allegedly at the hands of the same police unit.
“This is the same group of officers accused of killing Okoye. Now, two Nigerians have died in police custody in less than a month,” Onyekwelu stated.
According to him, NICASA leaders in Limpopo are struggling to come to terms with the disturbing trend, which is increasingly targeting Nigerians in the province.
“We call on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to ensure the officers responsible for these gruesome deaths are brought to justice,” he urged.
NICASA has informed the Nigerian Missions in Pretoria and Johannesburg about these disturbing incidents. The organisation hopes the killings will stop.
“We appeal to our nationals to remain calm, law-abiding, and continue their daily activities peacefully,” Onyekwelu prayed. (NAN)
Foreign News
Trump to Cut U.S. Aid Agency Employees to Under 300 – Reports
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The workforce of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will be slashed to just a few hundred employees from the weekend onwards, U.
S. media reported on Thursday.The Trump administration plans to reduce the agency’s staff from more than 10,000 employees worldwide to around 290, the New York Times reported, citing three sources familiar with the plans.
National Public Radio (NPR) reported that U.
S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been presented with a list of some 600 employees considered essential worldwide, but ultimately exempted fewer than 300 from the staff cuts.U.S. President Donald Trump had already frozen the agency’s funds in January pending an internal review, impacting a vast array of initiatives around the globe.
USAID is one of the largest aid agencies in the world and is responsible for doling out much of the U.S. government’s humanitarian assistance to developing countries and countries in crisis.
Trump has repeatedly claimed it is run by “radical lunatics” seeking to hinder his America First foreign policy agenda.
This week, the U.S. government announced that it would place a large proportion of its employees on leave from Friday night.
All “direct-hire personnel” working anywhere in the world for the agency will be put on “administrative leave,” with the exception of employees in critical positions, a statement on USAID’s website reads.
Those affected by the exemptions will be informed one day in advance, said the agency, which is under the acting leadership of Rubio.
Around 10,000 people work for the agency, two-thirds of them outside the U.S.
Last year, the agency oversaw roughly 50 billion dollars in development aid projects.
According to the New York Times, the remaining staff will primarily focus on health and humanitarian aid. (dpa/NAN)