Biafra Voice News

Human rights group @amnesty accuses Cameroon military of attacking and torturing English speakers

Cameroon police with riot shields patrol on a street in the administrative quarter of Buea on October 1, 2017.
(CNN)Cameroon is in the grip of spiraling violence that has seen security forces and armed separatists torture and attack people in the country's English speaking region, a new report by Amnesty International has said.

The human rights group says it has spoken to more than 150 victims and eyewitnesses to gather evidence of escalating violence in the northwest and southwest region of the country.

Rights groups call for probe into protesters' deaths during 2016 demonstrations in Cameroon. 01:20
The report stated that English speakers in the country were being targeted by both the Cameroon military and armed Anglophone separatists in waves of violence that Amnesty describes as "unlawful, excessive and unnecessary."
In the report titled, "A turn for the worse: Violence and human rights violations in Anglophone Cameroon," victims gave harrowing accounts of beatings and allegations of simulated electrocution and torture carried out by the military as well as attacks on schools and teachers by armed Anglophone separatists.
Residents of Cameroon's two English-speaking provinces, which make up 20% of the country's population, have longstanding grievances against the largely Francophone central government.

They complain of being marginalized and having the French legal and education systems forced upon them, a practice that dates back to the post-colonial 1960s era.
Tensions boiled over last year when protesters took to the streets in Cameroon's Anglophone regions, later calling for symbolic independence from the West African country's French-speaking majority.
Amnesty says Cameroon's military has responded to these protests with "torture, unlawful killings and destruction of property."
Some of the people Amnesty spoke to described being severely beaten with sticks, hammers and while blindfolded by soldiers in the Cameroon army.
One man who spoke to Amnesty said he and others were arrested in December last year and tortured with their hands tied behind their backs.
"They ... gagged us and tied our faces with our towels and shorts ..." he said.

"They then made us lie in the water, face down for about 45 minutes. ... During three days, they beat us with shovels, hammers, planks and cables, kicked us with their boots and poured hot water on us ... when I tried to move and shouted, one of them used the cigarette he was smoking to burn me."
Amnesty said it had also received information about numerous instances of deaths in custody.

Graphic images of torture and mutilated bodies have flooded social media sites as Anglophone Cameroonians appeal for international help against what they say is genocide.
CNN has seen some of these graphic images but cannot independently verify their authenticity.
"Their heavy-handed response will do nothing to calm the violence -- in fact it is likely to further alienate Anglophone communities and fuel further unrest," said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International deputy director for West and Central Africa, in a statement.
For their part, armed separatists reportedly attacked at least 42 schools between February 2017 and May 2018, targeting teachers and students for not taking part in a boycott of schools, long seen as a symbol of Francophone marginalization, Amnesty said.

A teacher told Amnesty he was wounded after a masked gunman, suspected to be a member of an armed separatist group, stormed his school in the northwest province and shot him in the leg.
"The assailant ... told me that I was still coming to school in defiance of calls for a schools boycott. He then asked me to raise my hands, but before I could do so, he shot me. I fell to the ground...," the teacher told Amnesty.

"The armed separatists repeated targeting of the general population demonstrates a total disregard for human life, and is another example of the threat faced by people in the Anglophone regions," said Daoud.

Didier Badjeck, a spokesman for the army, rejected Amnesty's claims of torture and violence, dismissing them as "rumors."
Badjeck told CNN: "The Cameroon army is professional. Amnesty is writing against the armed forces based on rumors."
Badjeck labeled the armed separatists "terrorists," and accused them of attacking and burning down schools.
"Since 2016, they have been attacking schools and we are working against terrorists. The army defends itself against attackers," Badjeck said.
"If any of our soldiers is found to have breached the rules of engagement, they will be punished," he added.
President Paul Biya has condemned "all acts of violence, regardless of their sources and their perpetrators," although some see the actions of the security forces as a way to secure his 35-year grip on power.

He Said:
**In Jerusalem, Abraham passed the greatest test of faith and the right to be the father of our nation.

**In Jerusalem, King David established our capital three thousand years ago.

**The prophet, Zechariah, declared over 2,500 years ago, ‘So said the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.’

THE FULL SPEECH

Dear friends,

What a GLORIOUS day. REMEMBER THIS MOMENT. This is history. President Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful.

For me, being here brings back wonderful memories from my childhood.  I spent the first three years of my life in this neighborhood, in Ein Gedi Street in Talpiot, which is not very far away. There were a few charming houses here, many open fields. I remember ambling in these fields with my brother, Yoni. He was six; I was three. He held my hand very tight. We’d walk to this wondrous house of Professor Joseph Klausner, the renowned Jewish historian who was my father’s teacher. I used to peer through the slats of the wooden synagogue where he and the great Israeli writer, Shai Agnon, used to pray on Shabbat.

And David, I would approach this place right here, but only so far, because my mother told me, ‘You can’t go any further.’ This was near the border. It was exposed to sniper fire. THAT WAS THEN. THIS IS NOW, TODAY.

Today, the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, our greatest ally, the United States of America, today its embassy opened here.

So for me this spot brings back personal memories, but for our people, it evokes profound collective memories of the greatest moments we have known on this City on a Hill.

In Jerusalem, ABRAHAM passed the greatest test of faith and the right to be the father of our nation.

In Jerusalem, KING DAVID established our capital three thousand years ago.

In Jerusalem, KING SOLOMON built our Temple, which stood for many centuries.

In Jerusalem, Jewish exiles from Babylon rebuilt the Temple, which stood for many more centuries.

In Jerusalem, the Maccabees rededicated that Temple and restored Jewish sovereignty in this land.

And it was here in Jerusalem some two thousand years later that the soldiers of Israel spoke three immortal words, ‘Har ha’bayit be’yadeinu,’ ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands,’ words that lifted the spirit of the entire nation.

WE ARE IN JERUSALEM AND WE ARE HERE TO STAY.
We are here in Jerusalem, protected by the brave soldiers of the army of Israel, led by our Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and our brave soldiers, our brave soldiers are protecting the borders of Israel as we speak today. We salute them all, and the members of our security forces, the Shin Bet and the Mossad, whose head is with us today. We salute you all, all of you.

Over a century ago, the Balfour Declaration recognized the right of the Jewish people to a national home in this land. And exactly 70 years ago today, President Truman became the first world leader to recognize the newborn Jewish state.

Last December, President Trump became the first world leader to recognize Jerusalem as our capital. And today, the United States of America is opening its embassy right here in Jerusalem.

Thank you. Thank you, President Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises. Thank you, President Trump, and thank you all, for making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever. And thank you, a special thank you, to you, Ambassador Friedman. Thank you, David, for everything you do to bring our countries and our peoples closer together. Today, you have a special privilege. You are privileged to become the first American ambassador to serve your country in Jerusalem, and this is a distinct honor that will be yours forever. Nobody can be first again.

MY FRIENDS THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR ISRAEL. It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for our fantastic partnership. But I believe it’s also a great day for peace.

I want to thank Jared, Jason and David for your tireless efforts to advance peace, and for your tireless efforts to advance the truth. The truth and peace are interconnected. A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality. YOU CAN ONLY BUILD PEACE ON TRUTH, and the truth is that JERUSALEM HAS BEEN AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE CAPITAL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, the capital of the Jewish state. Truth, peace and justice – as our Supreme Court Justice here. Hanan Melcer, can attest – truth, peace and justice, this is what we have and this is what we believe in.

The PROPHET ZECHARIAH , declared over 2,500 years ago, ‘So said the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.’

May the opening of this embassy in this city spread the truth far and wide, and may the truth advance a lasting peace between Israel and all our neighbors.

G-d bless the United States of America and G-d bless Jerusalem, THE ETERNAL UNDIVIDED CAPITAL OF ISRAEL.

Baruch atah A-donai Elokeinu melekh ha’olam shehecheyanu vekiymanu vehigi’anu lazman hazeh [Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion”]

The Republican News

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Thank you President Donald Trump for having the courage to keep your promises and making the alliance between Isreal and America stronger than ever.
This is a great day for Isreal and a great day for America. I also believe it is a great day for TRUTH AND PEACE.
Truth and peace are interconnected, truth that was built on lies will crash under middle-eastern realities.
You can only build peace on truth and the truth is and has always been that Jerusalem is the capital of Jewish people and the capital of Jewish State.

The prophet Zechariah declared over 25 hundred years ago "So said the Lord! I will return Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and Jerusalem shall be called the city of TRUTH".

May the truth advance a lasting peace between Isreal and all our neighbours.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic said suspected Christian militiamen have killed two Moroccan peacekeepers.
MINUSCA said this is the second deadly attack on Moroccan forces this week in Central African Republic.
The UN said in a statement that the peacekeepers were ambushed by suspected anti-balaka fighters in the town of Banagassou, 700 km east of the capital Bangui, as they stocked up water to deliver to the population.
Tuesday’s raid, which injured a third soldier, followed similar attacks by suspected anti-balaka fighters in the diamond-mining town in recent days, including one on Sunday that killed a Moroccan peacekeeper and left three others wounded.
Thousands have died in an ethnic and religious conflict that broke out when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted President Francois Bozize in 2013, provoking a backlash from Christian anti-balaka militias.
Violence has escalated in CAR since former colonial power France ended its peacekeeping mission in the country in 2016, and in spite of a peace deal signed between the government and rival factions in Rome in June.

Subsequently, the Chinese military has reportedly been building up defenses along its border with North Korea that coincide with warnings by President Trump that he is considering military action over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons push.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a review of official military and government websites and interviews with experts, reported that Beijing has built bunkers to protect against nuclear blasts, established a new border brigade and a 24-hour surveillance of the mountainous frontier.
The preparations are intended to respond to worst-case scenarios, like an economic collapse, nuclear contamination or a conflict, the experts told the paper.
The Chinese government has not spoken out about the report of preparations. An official from its defense ministry said in a statement that the forces “maintain a normal state of combat readiness and training.”
“Military means shouldn’t be an option to solve the Korean Peninsula issue,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
“If you’re going to make me place bets on where I think the U.S. and China would first get into a conflict, it’s not Taiwan, the South China Sea or the East China Sea: I think it’s the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
The Trump administration is searching for more effective ways to ramp up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.
Pyongyang’s recent successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile — the first by the North — has created even more urgency as the U.S. seeks to stop North Korea before it can master the complex process of putting a nuclear warhead atop a missile capable of hitting the United States.
President Trump has expressed frustration that his initial strategy — enlisting China’s help and influence to squeeze the North economically and diplomatically has not yielded major results.
Trump’s administration is also considering other economic steps including “secondary sanctions” that could target companies and banks — mostly in China — that do even legitimate business with North Korea, officials said.

Britain will outlaw the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040 in a bid to cut air pollution, the government was set to announce later Wednesday.
Enviroment minister Michael Gove is due to present the government’s keenly-awaited £3 billion ($3.9 billion, 3.4 billion euro) air pollution plan, which is expected to demand that councils propose measures by March next year to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels, according to British media reports.
The ban on petrol and diesel cars as well as vans follows a similar proposal by the French government, and will also include hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine.
Britain’s High Court demanded that the government produce plans to tackle illegal NO2 pollution, largely caused by diesel emissions, and a draft report was published in May, but the full report was delayed by last month’s snap general election.
The government will provide local councils with £255 million to bring NO2 levels to legal levels, with possible solutions including the removal of speed humps, reprogramming traffic lights and changing road layouts.
“Diesel drivers are not to blame and, to help them switch to cleaner vehicles, the government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme, one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans,” said a government spokesman.
ClientEarth, the campaign group that brought the case, arguing that a previous set of plans were insufficient to meet EU pollution limits, warned that health issues “caused by exposure to illegal air pollution are happening now, so we need urgent action.”
Air pollution contributes to the death of more than 40,000 people per year in Britain, according to official figures, with nitrogen dioxide a particular problem.

World leaders on Friday ratcheted up pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to compromise on climate and trade as a Group of 20 summit got underway in Germany amid clashes between police and protestors.
In a joint communique issued as the leaders gathered in a vast convention centre in Hamburg, Brazil, Russia, India and China, BRICS countries, called on the G20 to push for implementation of the Paris climate deal despite Trump’s decision in Jume to pull the United States out of it.
“The Paris agreement on climate change is an important consensus that doesn’t come easily and must not be given up easily,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said G20 leaders would urge Trump to reconsider his decision on Paris.
“We are not renegotiating the Paris agreement, that stays, but I want to see the U.S. looking for ways to rejoin it,” she told the BBC.
The meeting comes at a time of major shifts in the global geo-political landscape, with Trump’s “America First” policies pushing Europe and China closer together.
Trump will meet President Vladimir Putin for the first time on Friday afternoon, an encounter that will be intensely scrutinised following allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that Moscow meddled in the U.S. election to help Trump win.
The summit also brings together Trump and Xi at a time when Washington is raising pressure on Beijing to rein in North Korea and threatening the Chinese with punitive trade measures.
Amid the big egos and seemingly intractable conflicts, the host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, faces the daunting task of steering leaders towards a consensus on trade, climate and migration, all issues that have become more contentious since Trump entered the White House half a year ago.
Nor will she be keen for an open confrontation that could deepen tensions with Washington.
“There is quite a delicate balance that Angela Merkel will have to navigate in a way, because it is not clear that being confrontational won’t just create even more of a credibility problem for G20 cooperation,” Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told Reuters in an interview.
Merkel chose Hamburg, the trading hub where she was born, to send a signal about Germany’s openness to the world, including its tolerance for peaceful protests.
The summit is being held only a few hundred meters from one of Germany’s most potent symbols of left-wing resistance, a former theater called the “Rote Flora” which was taken over by anti-capitalist squatters nearly three decades ago.
German security officials have been clear that holding a summit of this scale in the center of a city like Hamburg comes with big risks.
After a night of clashes with police, groups of anti-capitalist protesters sat on the main intersections in Hamburg, blocking streets and bridges leading to the summit venue in the city center as well as a road used by container trucks at Hamburg Port.
The blockades forced German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to cancel a discussion with pupils at a school in the city.
Police have used water cannon to clear roads that G20 officials are using.
About 30 protesters have been arrested and more than 100 police officers injured.

The head of the European Union’s election observer mission in Kenya says it’s no secret there are concerns about possible violence in next month’s presidential election.
Kenya a decade ago faced postelection violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and 600,000 displaced from their homes. It was arguably the worst upheaval the East African nation had experienced since independence from Britain in 1963.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking re-election against a challenge by opposition leader Raila Odinga, whom he beat in the 2013 vote. Kenyatta supporters have accused Odinga of planning violence if he does not win.

Germany is girding itself for possible cyber attacks on next week’s G20 summit in Hamburg, by hacker groups or cells linked to foreign governments, its top cyber official told Reuters.
Arne Schoenbohm, president of Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), said authorities had set up a 24/7 special command center to defend against such attacks, just as it was preparing for any physical violence.
“We’re preparing intensively for every form of protest,” Schoenbohm said in an interview.
“As the national cyber security agency … we’re concerned about everything from (persistent threats) to groups like Anonymous and Lulzsec that could be planning political protests using cyber attacks.”
Schoenboehm said the agency had no information about specific attacks, but had been carrying out so-called “penetration” tests to ensure the safety of computer networks involved when the leaders of the 20 major economies meet on July 7-8.
Dozens of cyber experts were standing by to respond to any attack, he said.
Some 20,000 police with dogs, horses and helicopters will be deployed to deal with tens of thousands of expected protesters in Hamburg.
Schoenboehm said the government realized people could protest virtually as well.
He said German cyber officials had been and remained in close touch with their counterparts in other G20 countries, including the United States to protect computer networks, surveillance cameras and other security equipment.
Germany holds national elections in September. APT 28, a Russian hacker group that experts say has links to the Russian government, is believed to be behind attacks on the German parliament, political parties and think tanks.
Schoenboehm said the attacks were continuing, with a clear aim to securing information that could be used to affect the election.
Last week, the BSI said it had seen a fresh wave of spearphishing attacks aimed at businesses and government that use emails to get users to click on links that download malicious software.
BSI has been working closely with German political parties and lawmakers to raise their security awareness and bolster security, but risks remain, Schoenbohm said.
He said he had just learned that Germany’s “Vote-Meter,” a government-generated computer program that allows voters to compare their views with party programs, was not secure, he said.
“We will be looking at that carefully in coming weeks,” he said.

The European Union (EU) has withdrawn financial support for Nigeria, saying the country has enough resources to meet her developmental needs.

The Head of EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Michel Arrion, gave the charge thursday at an annual distinguished lecture organised by IBB Golf Club in collaboration with Foundation for Global Impact and Sustainable Development.

He said what the EU would do instead is to help with technical support and capacity-building towards development.

While urging the Nigerian government to Begin to look beyond Official Development Assistance (ODA), the envoy suggested the judicious application of taxation.

He charged Nigeria to remain committed to the course of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union in order to realise the goals of the regional blocks.

The ambassador who noted that the EU would not have become what it is today without the quality leadership provided by Germany, stated that Nigeria as a nation has what it takes to uplift the regional block and give it direction.

“We are not offering more financial support, we are proposing more political and policy dialogue, technical assistance, capacity building, training, transfer of technology, more advocacy for more private investments and other innovative sources of funding.

“To finance the development of the country, Nigeria must find alternative funding to ODA. Nigeria must collect much more taxes five times more, to reach an average of 20 per cent of the GDP, and spend better.

“It should also attract much more foreign investment and put in place more and better private/public partnerships. I believe Nigerian authority should work harder to provide good reasons for foreign investors to want to invest in Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking on the theme: ‘40 Years of EU in Nigeria, Lessons and the Way Forward,’ Arrion noted that ECOWAS can only be strong when leading countries such as Nigeria believe in it.

He added that to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Nigeria and other countries within the West African region must be committed to regional integration.

“We in the EU believe in the relevance of regional integration. ECOWAS would be strong when Nigeria believes in it and is committed to making it strong.

“EU is strong because Germany believes in it,” Arrion stated.

Reviewing the operations of the EU in Nigeria in the past 40 years, the ambassador stated that it has been 40 years of development cooperation in agriculture, infrastructures, health, water, energy and other micro-project.

According to him, the body has Since 2000 adopted a more ‘political’ approach in its support by engaging in human rights activism, campaign for improved criminal justice system, prisons reform, fight against trafficking in human beings, small arms and drugs.

“More recently, a much more political approach has been adopted in our cooperation with Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) towards the de-radicalisation, counter-radicalisation of Boko Haram, fight against corruption as well as humanitarian assistance, and aid to reconstruction of the North-east,” the ambassador stated.

Millions of EU nationals living in the UK will have to apply to a “settled status” register and might be given ID cards as part of new plans laid out by the Home Office.

The Government’s 15-page policy paper sets out an online application process for the three million EU nationals in the UK to make sure they receive the same rights and benefits as non-European nationals who have lived in the UK for five years.

It is unclear whether the “settled status” would result in an identity card or simply be an entry in a Home Office database.

“I want to completely reassure people that under these plans, no EU citizen currently in the UK lawfully, will be asked to leave at the point the UK leaves the EU,” said Theresa May. 

After Ms May gave a statement on the issue in Parliament, the EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tweeted, “More ambition, clarity and guarantees needed than in today’s UK position.”

The 150,000 people who have already applied for permanent resident status since the referendum will have to apply again, but will not have to provide evidence of sickness insurance this time round.

The Home Office processes millions of visas each year. The new “light touch” online system, as described by Ms May, will use existing HMRC documents to save applicants retrieving pay slips from five years ago.

While the Home Office paper said that EU nationals cannot bring a spouse to live with them unless they meet an £18,600 minimum income threshold, Ms May did not mention this in her speech. She said that people with “settled status” would have equal rights to British citizens if they wanted to bring over family members.

EU citizens are yet to see whether they will retain their voting rights in local elections, or whether they will have the protection of the European court of justice, which, under the new plan, will no longer have jurisdiction over their rights in the UK.

Several issues for EU nationals living in the UK, such as healthcare, professional qualifications and rights for self-employed workers, have not been guaranteed.

There are several protections, however, including pensions, and certain security benefits like child benefit.

The need to apply for “settled status” will only become mandatory after the cut-off date, which has not been set. 

Former Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, who campaigned to leave the EU and to reform the immigration system, tweeted: “New UK government rules on EU citizens still set no cut-off date. Numbers will continue to grow.”

EU nationals will be given a grace period of up to two years if they can demonstrate five consecutive years of residence in the UK. Ms May said anyone with less than five years, but who arrives in the UK before the country leaves the EU, will be allowed to build up to five years and apply for “settled status”.

After the cut-off date, EU nationals who have not applied will not be allowed to stay in the country, although people can come to the UK after the deadline on a temporary basis and will have the chance to apply for permanent residency.

Any EU national arriving in the UK after the cut-off date will be subject to the new immigration rules, which are yet to be agreed.

Ms May was grilled over the threat of families being broken up if her new plan insists upon a minimum income requirement to bring over a spouse.

“No families will be split up. Family dependents who join a qualifying EU citizen here before the UK’s exit will be able to apply for settled status after five years,” she responded.

“After the UK has left the European Union, EU citizens with settled status will be able to bring family members from overseas on the same terms as British nationals.”

The income requirement raises questions, however, on how EU nationals can bring over parents and other family members.

Written by Kings Jv Chibuzor
For Family Writers

Document Handlers Limited (DHL), is a prominent global logistics industry whose fundamental operational expertise is  to ensure adequate, safe and confidential delivery of goods and documents amongst other customised, express freight services through air, land and sea both nationally and Internationally. DHL is a world class conglomerate reputed for professional logistics services, with zero level of incompetence or reported cases of corruption and dissatisfaction from clients.

This letter to DHL International Head Office, is to officially register the ongoing biasness of its branch office here in Nigeria, in discharging its functions. There exists brazen acts of corruption under the management of Frank Abenemi which has led to massive negative unprintable complaints from customers. A very clear example of dissatisfaction of services is that which is coming from Mr. James Uzuegbulem Akabogu who happens to be one of the salient customers to DHL Nigeria Ltd. His complaints have led to the uncovering of shameful shady deals targeted at customers in Nigeria.

As earlier mentioned, DHL is a reputable logistics organisation with specialties in service delivery to the satisfaction of its clienteles which DHL Nigeria Ltd, an affiliate body to this International entity, has reneged on. The Nigeria DHL Head Office has wittingly and unprofessionally, denied Mr. James Uzuegbulem Akabogu of his valuable documents which were billed for the acquisition of his Austrian passport through careless misplacement. The documents consist of police reports, amongst others, required by the Austrian Embassy, to facilitate the issuance of his International passport. Mr. James Uzuegbulem Akabogu realising this careless act of sabotage, opted to institute a law suit against Nigeria office of DHL as a last resort in reclaiming his documents which had cost him a fortune.

DHL Nigeria Ltd, a supposed professional and friendly customer oriented outfit, treated the misplacement of Mr. Akabogu's documents with levity hence the plaintiff's resolve to approach the court for redress. The company gravely erred as a reputable organisation to pacify the offended in its wisdom on customer relationship. Millions of Naira has already been expended by Mr. James Akabogu. The court will however resume its sitting on the 15th of June 2017 at the Federal High Court , Abuja with an appointment of a presiding Judge for hearings on the case.

DHL International office should as a matter of integrity and expediency, set in a drastic motion but image redeeming modalities, to stem the breach of corrupt tendencies,  as occasioned by the bad precedence of its Nigeria based Head office under the management of Frank Abenemi.

The confidence of its numerous customers especially Biafrans scattered all over the places passionately doing businesses with DHL through her enviable logistics delivery services, should not only be seen to be restored but also protected.

The Abuja based Federal High Court that is saddled with the responsibility of delivering justice in this case, should expedite action in ensuring that all damages and claims put forward by the plaintiff - Mr. James Uzuegulem Akabogu are accorded adequate compensation by DHL Nigeria Ltd on the adjourned date of sitting.

Biafrans all over the world are watching closely, with keen interest, the proceedings and the final outcome of this case.

Edited by Peter Oshagwu
Family Writers Press

 

The fall of Theresa May and the rise of Jeremy Corbyn has thrown the British political system into chaos.  True, May could very well hold on with the help of a small Northern Irish party, but the undercurrents that led to Corbyn near victory are not going away anytime soon. Great Britain as a cultural and national entity is no more united than the former Yugoslavia.  Whether it is London, with its Muslim mayor, Scotland’s desire for independence, or the rise of the austerity craving multi-cultural youth that drove Corbyn’s election surprise. This is why the Conservatives who are trying to recruit Boris Johnson to take the reigns of their party are missing it, Britain as we know it, is finished.

In a sense the British empire has been repaid what it has dished out over the years.  Great Britain has over the years sowed chaos through much of its colonial holdings in order to ensure its continued control of these areas. Moreover, they encouraged Islamic forces in each colony to displace the rightful indigenous owners.

Nigeria, India, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel are perfect examples of Britain’s chaos strategy through the years.

In Nigeria, the British forced three independent areas together and gave the keys to the Islamic Hausa in the country’s north. The Hausa forced the Judeo-Christian Igbo to the south in Biafra into a subservient relationship in order to provide the oil located their to their British backers.

In India, the Hindu leaders and society suffered from the British backed Muslim minority until India became independent in 1947.

Iraq, is also a British construct, designed to produce oil for the empire.  Three groups were forced to share the colony together. The indigenous Kurds to the north, the Sunnis in the center, and the Shiites to the south.  The British always sided with the Arabs in the country, despite their late arrival and helped to keep down the country’s indigenous Kurdish populations.  Oil in the north was transferred to the country’s south by way of Arab control in a similar set up as Nigeria.

In Afghanistan, the indigenous Pashtun were displaced by the British created Durand Line, simply because the British wanted to drain the Pashtun of their power to exert control over the are through their willful servants in Kabul and in Pakistan.

In Israel, the Jews were the majority population of Jerusalem since the mid 1800’s.  Not only that, until the Turks pushed Arabs from Syria to migrate southward in the early 1900’s the Jews were on their way to fast becoming the majority of the entire Land of Israel. When the British created Palestine in 1917 as the Jewish Homeland, they did so out of confidence that a Jewish population who was indebted to them would act in subservience. When this did not happen they quickly returned to the policy of the Turks and encouraged Arab immigration to Israel while blocking the same for Jews. Furthermore, they encouraged Arab riots in 1920, 1929, the 1930’s and supplied weapons to the attacking Arab armies in 1948. In both Jerusalem, and Hebron where the riots took place, the Jews who were ancient residents in both places were driven from their homes.

The chaos in Britain is a long time coming. They allowed their country to be cannibalized from within. The irony that not only Israel and India are becoming global powerhouses, but Biafra and Kurdistan may soon gain their independence as oil producers while Britain descends into the netherworld of a once powerful empire should not be lost.

In the 15th century papal bulls promoted and provided legal justification for the conquest and theft of indigenous peoples’ lands and resources worldwide - the consequences of which are still being felt today. The right to conquest in one such bull, the Romanus Pontifex, issued in the 1450s when Nicholas V was the Pope, was granted in perpetuity.

How times have changed. Last week, over 560 years later, Francis, the first Pope from Latin America, struck a rather different note - for indigenous peoples around the world, for land rights, for better environmental stewardship. He said publicly that indigenous peoples have the right to “prior and informed consent.” In other words, nothing should happen on - or impact - their land, territories and resources unless they agree to it.

“I believe that the central issue is how to reconcile the right to development, both social and cultural, with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories,” said Francis, according to an English version of his speech released by the Vatican’s press office.

“This is especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth,” Francis went on. “In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail, as foreseen in Article 32 of the [UN] Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict.”

Francis was speaking to numerous indigenous representatives in Rome at the conclusion of the third Indigenous Peoples’ Forum held by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The UN’s Declaration - non-legally-binding - was adopted 10 years ago. Article 32 says “states shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.”

Francis also told his audience “humanity is committing a grave sin in not caring for the earth”, and urged them to resist new technologies which “destroy the earth, which destroy the environment and the ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples.” He called on governments to enable indigenous peoples to fully participate in developing “guidelines and projects”, both locally and nationally.

Various mainstream media including the BBC, The Independent and the Washington Post interpreted Francis’s speech as a comment, or an apparent comment, on the current Dakota Access Pipeline conflict in the US - almost as if that was the only conflict over indigenous peoples’ land they were aware of. But what about everyone and everywhere else? Such interpretations were swiftly rejected by a Vatican spokesperson, who was reported as saying “there’s no element in his words that would give us a clue to know if he was talking about any specific cases.”

So what do some of those who were with Francis that day think of his speech? How significant was it?

Myrna Cunningham, a Miskita activist from Nicaragua and former Chairperson of the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, says the Pope was sending several main messages. These included the “need to reconcile the right to development with indigenous peoples’ spiritual and cultural specificities and territories”, and the importance of the UN Declaration and consent which was, she says, “in a way a response to indigenous demands.”

“I expected a strong message but his position exceeded my expectations,” Cunningham told the Guardian. “He is truly clear about the struggles of our people and an important voice to make our demands be heard.”

Elifuraha Laltaika, from the Association for Law and Advocacy for Pastoralists in Tanzania, says it was a “timely wake-up call to governments.”

“[His comments] come at time when, instead of scaling up, governments increasingly violate and look with suspicion at the minimum standards in the UN Declaration,” he told the Guardian. “Without heeding Pope Francis’s call, life would undoubtedly become more miserable for indigenous peoples than ever before. Greed towards extraction of hydrocarbons and minerals will open up additional fault-lines, heightening indigenous peoples’ poverty and inability to deal with impacts of climate change and a myriad of other challenges.”

For Alvaro Pop, a Maya Q’eqchi man from Guatemala, Francis’s remarks demonstrate his ongoing commitment to indigenous peoples’ rights.

“Indigenous peoples have been the guardians of their resources for centuries,” says Pop, another former Chairperson of the UN’s Permanent Forum. “Free, prior and informed consent is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. The Pope’s comments are truly significant.”

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, a Kankanaey Igorot woman from the Philippines and now the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, says Francis’s comments illustrate his “understanding of the importance” of implementing the UN Declaration.

“His view that a bigger chance of overcoming confrontation and conflict between indigenous peoples and governing authorities can be achieved if prior and informed consent is respected echoes what many indigenous peoples have always stated,” Tauli-Corpuz told the Guardian.

Les Malezer, from Australia, describes it as “gratifying” that the Pope took such a “strong stance” on the need to respect indigenous peoples’ rights, and says he took the opportunity to raise with him the “Doctrine of Discovery” - the international legal concept grounded in the 15th century papal bulls.

“Each person in our audience had the opportunity to say a very few words to the Pope as he came around the room,” Malezer, from Queensland, told the Guardian. “I asked the Pope to continue to review the Doctrine of Discovery which was followed by many instances of genocide of indigenous peoples and the taking of their lands. Also I requested the Catholic Church seek to raise awareness worldwide of the situation and rights of indigenous peoples.”

In asserting indigenous peoples’ right to consent, Francis was echoing - and giving sustenance to - a growing body of international law and jurisprudence binding on governments, and guidelines, principles or operating procedures adopted by some financial institutions, UN agencies and private sector groups. According to a 2013 report by UN-REDD on the international legal basis for what is known as “FPIC” - free, prior and informed consent - “More than 200 States have ratified numerous international and regional treaties and covenants that expressly provide for, or are now interpreted to recognise, a State duty and obligation to obtain FPIC where the circumstances so warrant.”

South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the projectile took off Sunday afternoon from a location near Pukchang.
There was no further information given about the nature of the projectile.
Last week Pyongyang launched an intermediate-range missile named the Hwasong-12 its longest-range missile yet, according to analysts.
Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across the South and Japan.

On his first foreign trip as United States President, Donald Trump showed his excitement, as he visited the Gulf country, Saudi Arabia.

Donald Trump has likened the fight against Islamic extremism to a battle between “good and evil” and not different faiths.
Speaking to leaders from more than 50 Muslim-majority countries in Saudi Arabia, the President attacked militants as “barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life”.
The US leader urge the nations to “confront Islamic terror of all kinds”, deny sanctuary to extremists and stand together against the murder of innocent Muslims by groups like Islamic State.
According to Mr Trump, “95% of the victims of terrorist attacks are themselves Muslims”.
He said America was seeking a “coalition of nations” in the Middle East with the aim of “stamping out extremism”.
He said the countries “cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them”.
Striking a conciliatory line, his comments marked a change in tone for Mr Trump after his remarks during his US presidential campaign where he said: “Islam hates us.

Addressing the Arab-Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, he said: “We now face a humanitarian and security disaster in this region that is spreading.”
Mr Trump told leaders at the meeting that he brought “a message of friendship and hope and love”, and urged Muslim countries to ensure “terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil”.
He announced a deal with Gulf countries to crackdown on the funding of extremists.
The President also hit out at Iran, accusing Tehran of “fuelling the fires of sectarian conflict”.
He said among Iran’s destabilising interventions was in Syria, where President Bashar al Assad has “committed unspeakable crimes”.
“From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region,” Mr Trump said.
He also called upon countries around the world to work together to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

As many as 75,000 children will die over the next year in famine-like conditions created by Boko Haram if donors don’t respond quickly, the U.N. Children’s Fund is warning. That’s far more than the 20,000 people killed in the seven-year Islamic uprising.

The severity of malnutrition levels and high number of children facing death make the humanitarian crisis confronting northeastern Nigeria perhaps the worst in the world, according to Arjan de Wagt, nutrition chief for UNICEF in Nigeria. He said children already are dying but donors are not responding.

Most severely malnourished children die of secondary illnesses like diarrhea and respiratory infections, de Wagt told The Associated Press. “But with famine, you actually die of hunger,” and that is what is happening, he said.

Severe malnutrition is being found in 20, 30 and even 50 percent of children in pockets of the region, he said.

“Globally, you just don’t see this. You have to go back to places like Somalia five years ago to see these kinds of levels,” de Wagt said. Nearly 260,000 people died in Somalia between 2010 and 2012 from severe drought aggravated by war. At the time, the United Nations said aid needed to be provided more quickly.

UNICEF on Thursday doubled the amount of its appeal for Nigeria, saying $115 million is needed to save children whose “lives are literally hanging by a thread.” Only $24 million has been raised so far, the agency said.

The lack of money has meant some 750,000 people living in accessible areas could not be helped this year, spokeswoman Doune Porter told the AP.

Most of the estimated 2.6 million people who fled Boko Haram’s insurgency are subsistence farmers who have been unable to plant for two years or more.

Several thousand people returned this month from refugee camps to towns being secured by Nigeria’s military, but it’s too late to plant as the rainy season draws to an end. Meanwhile, Boko Haram still attacks outside urban areas.

Of 4 million people in desperate need of food are about 2.2 million people trapped in areas where Boko Haram is operating or in newly liberated areas that still are too dangerous to reach by road, de Wagt said. Among them, 65,000 are living in famine-like conditions.

The crisis has reached “catastrophic levels” for people who have sought refuge in towns controlled by the military but who are “entirely reliant on outside aid that does not reach them,” aid group Doctors Without Borders said Wednesday.

“Many families are only able to eat once every few days and usually only watered-down porridge,” said Oxfam aid group spokeswoman Christina Corbett. “They are going to bed hungry and waking up with no way to change that.”

UNICEF limited its outreach to the region after Boko Haram fighters attacked a military-escorted humanitarian convoy in July, wounding a UNICEF worker and others when a rocket hit an armored car.

But de Wagt said the agency continues to deliver some therapeutic food by helicopter and to train local health workers to treat malnourished children living in dangerous areas.

Doctors Without Borders, also known by the French acronym MSF, said the highest levels of starving children are in camps in Maiduguri, the northeastern city free of conflict where aid workers have been active for two years.

“The mortality rate is five times higher than what is considered an emergency, with the main cause being hunger,” it said in its statement.

The Associated Press has reported recent allegations by displaced people and aid workers that food aid is being stolen in Maiduguri. Nigeria’s government has said it would investigate.

MSF said Nigerian authorities are responsible for ensuring aid is delivered and described the overall aid response as “massively insufficient, uncoordinated and ill-adapted.”

Muhammad Kanar, the area coordinator for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, denied there is even one case of malnutrition in Maiduguri. Some officials from his agency, which manages the camps, are among several accused of stealing food aid.

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Associated Press writer Haruna Umar contributed to this report from Maiduguri, Nigeria.