On 26 Jul 2023, Niger’s presidential guard moved against the sitting president—Mohamed Bazoum—and conducted a coup d’état. A brief contest among the various armed forces in the country ended with all the branches agreeing to the removal of Bazoum and the creation of a military junta led by Presidential Guard Commander General Abdourahamane “Omar” Tchiani.
Niamey, the capital of Niger (file photo).
This is the fourth country in the Sahel region of Africa to have experienced a coup—the other three being Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali.
The new government announced that it would stop allowing France to leech Niger’s uranium (one in three lightbulbs in France is powered by the uranium from the field in Arlit, northern Niger).
Tog-wachale, 21 August 2023 (IOM)* – “The promise sounded too good to be true, travelling from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia for work, but I just went with it. They said it will only be for seven days. Now, seven days later, I have three bullet wounds in my body and am nowhere near where I intended,” narrates Halima*, a student from Arsi, Oromia Region of Ethiopia.
Halima* survived a deadly ordeal after crossing from Ethiopia to Somalia, trying to reach the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in search of work. Photo: IOM 2023/Kaye Viray
Like many Ethiopians searching for better work opportunities, Halima was lured to embark on a deadly journey from Ethiopia to the Gulf countries through Somalia, across Yemen, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries through what is often referred to as the Eastern Migration Route.
She had no idea about the insecurity and the conflict situations in the neighbouring countries making up this route.
ACCRA, Aug 22 2023 (IPS)*– The war in Tigray, northern Ethiopian, led to sexual and gender-based violence against women, but when Hilina Berhanu Degefa, researcher, gender policy expert and co-founder of the Yellow Movement AAU, appeared before the UN Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict last year, and catalogued the problems that the victims of the war faced, it didn’t shock the world.
Hilina Berhanu Degefa, researcher, gender policy expert and co-founder of the Yellow Movement AAU, addresses the UN Security Council. CREDIT: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Viola Fletcher was just seven years old when she was forcibly displaced from her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, by an armed mob which destroyed the predominantly Black enclave of Greenwood, killing hundreds of residents.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe | At age 109, Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Massacre, visits the Ark of Return at UN Headquarters.
(UN News)* — UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on Friday [25 August 2023] that the spread of fighting and hunger in Sudan could destroy the country, as the future of a “lost generation” of children lies in the balance.
Mr. Griffiths said that the conflict spelled trauma for Sudan’s youth and cited “deeply disturbing” reports that some children were being used in the fighting.
He also warned that hundreds of thousands of children in the country were severely malnourished and “at imminent risk of death” if left untreated.
June saw the highest ever average global ocean surface temperatures, with local records being set from Ireland to Antarctica. In Florida, waters reached 38°C.
(UN News)* — Wastewater, long seen as an environmental and health hazard, possesses untapped potential as an alternative energy and clean water source to offset fertilizer use, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Wednesday [].
In its new report, Wastewater: Turning problem to solution, UNEP warned that only 11 per cent of treated wastewater is reused while around half of the world’s untreated wastewater still enters rivers, lakes and seas.
Furthermore, CO2 emissions from wastewater are substantial, hovering slightly below those from the global aviation industry.
(UN News)* — Commemorating the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on Wednesday [], the head of the UN’s education, science and culture agency UNESCO, emphasized the urgent need to end exploitation.
UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi | A slavery memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
“It is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all, and to recognize the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO.
“Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies.”
(UN News)* — Greece must adopt “safe and impartial” border policies and practices and hold its law enforcement officers accountable for abuses, a group of UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts said in a statement on Wednesday [].
IOM 2016/Amanda Nero | Migrants look out at the sea in Lesvos, Greece.
That’s the message from the group of eight experts, including Ashwini K.P., the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, who urged Greece on Wednesday to investigate alleged violations against asylum-seekers.
They said that they were “particularly concerned” by the failure of the country’s security personnel and coast guard to provide “prompt and effective” assistance to migrants in distress and ensure safe disembarkation and adequate reception.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug 16 2023 (IPS)* – When representatives from dozens of countries gathered recently at the UN High Level Political Forum in New York to share progress on their efforts to achieve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this disturbing reality was clear: the world is not even close to meeting the goals by 2030 as intended.
If people living in informal settlements gained access to adequate housing, the average life span would jump 2.4 years on average globally, saving 730,000 lives each year. Credit: Lova Rabary-Rakontondravony/IPS
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 