Day: May 10, 2022

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At least 15 asylum seekers, mostly children, killed by DR Congo rebels

KINSHASA— At least 15 asylum seekers were killed late Monday in a new attack by militiamen of the rebel group “Congo Economic Development Cooperative” (CODECO) in a camp for displaced people (IDP) in the Djugu territory of the Ituri province, in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to local sources.

According to local civil society leader Dieudonne Lossa, the victims are mostly children in an IDP camp located in the locality of Lodda, which accommodates asylum seekers fleeing violence in the surrounding villages.

Rebels of CODECO early Sunday raided a village around a mining site in Blankete, also located in the Djugu territory, killing at least 55 civilians, according to local government officials, noting that about a hundred civilians were missing.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Sunday’s attack while calling on the DRC authorities to investigate the incidents, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure the peacekeeping mission’s immediate access to the area “to facilitate efforts to protect civilians.”

“The Secretary-General further calls on all armed groups in the DRC to cease their ruthless attacks on civilians, to participate unconditionally in the political process, including regional initiatives, and to lay down their arms,” Guterres’ spokesman said.

The provinces of Ituri and North Kivu have been placed under the state of siege since May 2021 to counter the rise in violence by armed groups.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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At Least 14 Dead in East Congo Refugee Camp Attack

At least 14 people were killed in an overnight attack on a displaced persons camp in east Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the latest violence in an area overrun by militants, the army and a civil society leader said on Tuesday.

Rebels raided a site outside the eastern town of Fataki where hundreds of civilians have sought refuge in recent months, killing 14 people including children, army spokesman Jules Ngongo Tsikudi said.

Civil society leader Dieudonne Lossa gave a provisional death toll of 15 and blamed a militant group known as CODECO, accused of staging another attack on a nearby artisanal mining site on Sunday that killed at least 35.

Reuters was not able to reach CODECO for comment on Tuesday.

The group is one of several armed militias, including an Islamic State affiliate, wrangling over land and resources in Congo’s mineral-rich east – a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions over the past decade.

Congo’s government declared martial law in Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province a year ago in an effort to quell the violence. But deadly raids have surged since then.

CODECO is renowned for targeting civilians, killing 18 people at a church last month and another 60 at a displaced persons camp in February.

Source: Voice of America

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Food Aid from T?KA to Families in The Gambia

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) distributed 500 food parcels in The Gambia, a country in West Africa, on the occasion of Ramadan.

500 food parcels were handed out to families in need and disabled people within distribution programs carried out on 2 different days. FABB (Fatoumatta Foundation), Supreme Muslim Council and Gambian Federation of the Disabled helped to coordinate the distribution.

Each food parcel contained a 25 kg bag of rice, 5 lt of vegetable oil and 10 kg sugar. The food parcels to be granted to needy families, orphanages and boarding schools were delivered with a ceremony at FABB, a foundation to fight poverty. First Lady Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, Acting Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye in Gambia, Dilara Salmanli and TIKA representatives participated in the ceremony.

Gambian Supreme Muslim Council and Gambian Federation of the Disabled coordinated the second wave of food distribution.

The families and disabled people who received food aid said they were happy with the food parcels and thanked Türkiye and TIKA for their support.

Source: Turkish Red Crescent Society

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G7 Calls For Revival Of Iran Nuclear Deal

TEHRAN– In a statement yesterday, the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group, called for the revival of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, as the best political solution.

“We renew our support for a restoration and full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. A diplomatic solution remains the best way to restrict Iran’s nuclear programme,” the Statement of the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group said.

The group also commended the participants of the Vienna talks, namely Iran and the P4+1 as well as the EU coordinator, for their tireless efforts.”

While the United States is to blame for the pause in the talks, by refusing to remove the illegal sanctions on Iran, the G7 urged Iran to seize the offer currently on the table, to bring negotiations to a successful conclusion and to refrain from further escalation of its nuclear activities.

The statement comes a day before the arrival of EU coordinator of the Vienna talks to Iran, Enrique Mora, in Tehran.

In reaction to Mora’s upcoming visit to Iran, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said yesterday in his weekly press conference that, the talks are paused because of the US refusal to pay back the Iranian nation’s rights, and remove the sanctions.

Khatibzadeh added that, the EU diplomat will not come to Iran with a new message, stressing that Iran has made its demands in the talks clear, and it is up to Washington to decide to respect the Iranian nation’s rights.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK