Week 149 (11-17/04/2022)
Olivier Barker-Vormawor, a Ghanaian activist, claimed that he was tortured under police custody (13/04). | Picture: Ghanafeed
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called his Senegalese counterpart to seek support from African countries (12/04). In their call, Zelensky discussed the African Union (AU) statement that called for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations. However, not all African countries were united, with Senegal being one of 17 African countries that abstained from voting at the United Nations (UN) resolution calling for the end of Russian invasion.
Olivier Barker-Vormawor, a Ghanaian activist, claimed that he was tortured under police custody (13/04). Barker-Vormawor was the organizer of Ghana’s #Fixthecountry movement. A University of Cambdridge student, Barker-Vormawor has been critical of the Ghanaian government and threatened to stage a coup if the parliament passed a controversial bill to tax electronic transactions.
The tomb believed to be the resting place of biblical figure Joseph in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, has been vandalized (12/04). The vandalism took place amid the rising tensions between Israel and Palestine. In recent weeks, there have been Israeli army killings of Palestinians and deadly attacks on Israelis by Palestinians.
There is a growing concern that the Ukraine-Russia conflict could worsen the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen, with most European countries focusing on Ukrainian refugees (12/04). Moreover, the current war has forced the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to halve the amount of food it gives to people in Chad, Niger, and Yemen. The WFP pledged to raise USD 41 billion to help 273 million people in 2022. However, that pledge was made before Russia invaded Ukraine—the two countries used to sell grain to WFP.
ASIA
Exchanges of fire occurred (12/04) between security forces in the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border—communities in the two countries’ borders regularly clash over land and water supplies, with border guards often involved. According to a Kyrgyz guard border service, the incidence started because Tajik border guards advanced on a disputed area. The shooting stopped after negotiations took place between representatives of the two countries. Meanwhile one guard from each of the Central Asian countries had been shot and wounded during the incidence.
Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has condemned the brutal attack carried out by Israeli security forces on Palestinian worshipers at Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem (Al Quds) on Friday (15/04). In addition, he also condemned Israel’s systematic efforts to continue to displace Palestinians by destroying their homes in the West Bank and thousands of other crimes during its occupation of Palestine. In a statement, the legislator urged Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a protest with the United Nations (UN) regarding the Israeli provocation.
Reported in The Jakarta Post (16/04), as coronavirus cases drop, South Korea has decided to lift almost all social distancing measures. However, South Koreans are still required to wear masks indoors “for a considerable time ahead”—the mask mandate may as well be lifted in two weeks if cases continue to fall. As of now, more than 86 percent of the South Korean population of 51 million has been fully vaccinated, with the majority also receiving a booster shot.
Hindu and Muslim groups in Jahangirpuri, a neighborhood northwest of New Delhi, India, threw stones at each other during a Hindu religious procession on Saturday night (16/04), leaving at least nine people, including eight police officers, injured. The incident comes after similar reports of communal violence and hate speech in a handful of other Indian states over the past week. Meanwhile, 14 people have been arrested during the riot.
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
In an unusual step, Senator Zed Seselja, Australia’s minister for the Pacific, visited the Solomon Islands in the middle of the federal election campaign (13/04). The move is seen as Australia’s growing anxiety over the soon-to-be-signed security deal between the Pacific island country and China. Seselja said that he had spoken to Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to “consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region’s security frameworks”.
The government of the Solomon Islands has confirmed that the Chinese embassy in Honiara asked for Chinese security personnel to be flown into the country from Beijing amid anti-government riots last November (14/04). The Solomon government said that it had over-stretched its local police so additional personnel were needed to protect Chinese diplomats and staff who were in particular danger given the negative sentiment towards Beijing. However, the embassy’s request was cancelled after the security situation was monitored and there had not been any Chinese security personnel entered the Solomon Islands.
During the Our Ocean Conference in Palau, Tonga’s Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni said that island communities faced several multifaceted ocean challenges including climate change, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, and a shift from sectorial to eco-system based systems (14/04). He emphasized the importance of understanding the interconnectivity between land and oceans for sustainable development. He also reminded island communities to support each other in addressing the challenges.
Fiji is investigating the arrival of Amadea, a superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov (14/04). Kerimov has been sanctioned by the US, the UK, and the EU over Russian invasion of Ukraine. Fijian police has detained the superyacht crew and is questioning the captain on how the vessel could enter the country without customs clearance.
EUROPE
Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer became the first Western leader to meet Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in person since the invasion of Ukraine (11/04). In the meeting, Nehammer warned Putin of the consequences of war crimes in Bucha, as well as raising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy’s readiness for in-person talks with Putin. However, Putin did not give any response and talked about the “Istanbul track” negotiations instead. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) foreign ministers were discussing to target Russian oil in the next round of sanctions.
Senior member of security council and former president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev warned of deploying nuclear weapons in the Baltic if Finland and Sweden joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (14/04). The Finnish and Swedish prime ministers have spoken about abandoning decades of military non-alignment and joining NATO as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed European “whole security landscape”. Meanwhile, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas claimed that Russia has always kept nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
The United Kingdom (UK)’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a controversial plan to send unauthorized migrants to Rwanda (15/04). The plan mimicked Australia’s policy on outsourcing asylum processing to other countries. Johnson claimed Rwanda was “one of the safest countries in the world” and “globally recognized for its record of welcoming and integrating migrants”. However, the Rwandan government has been accused of numerous human rights violations in the past, including “arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture in official and unofficial facilities”.
As the EU’s deadline is approaching, Belarusian and Russian truck drivers try to leave the bloc, forming an 80-kilometer-long queue on the Poland-Belarus border (17/04). The EU has banned lorries from Belarus and Russia from entering or staying in the bloc amid the invasion of Ukraine. Exemption are made for lorries carrying medicines, mail, or petroleum products.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Brazil’s indigenous communities took their protest to the Congress on Thursday (14/04). The protest—dubbed the Free Land Camp—challenged President Bolsonaro’s ambition on extracting mining commodities on indigenous territory. The mining could potentially harm the environment because it hasn’t met the ecological and technological requirements.
The state of Texas in the United States (US) and the State of Tamaulipas in Mexico reached an agreement to stop excessive border checks on Thursday (14/04). Previously, Texas forced mandatory border checks to counter illegal immigrants and drug smugglings. The excessive checks caused more than a 20-hour delay for trucks and logistical transport.
Air traffic controllers went on a strike in Peru on Thursday (14/04). The strike was caused by a disagreement on salaries and working conditions with the Peruvian Corporation of Commercial and Aviation (CORPAC). The strike left more than 8,000 passengers on Easter Holiday stranded at nearby airports. The strike was lifted on the same day after an agreement between both parties.
The US Coast Guard returned more than 100 immigrants from Haiti on Friday (15/04). The immigrants were stopped by the authority days earlier in Florida. Maritime migration from Haiti was at the highest level since 2004 because of the political instability and ongoing gang violence.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Environment Canada announced that a snowstorm affected southern Manitoba and northwest Ontario on Thursday (14/04). The storm caused the closure of many roads, highways, and schools. Environment Canada also warned the population to be prepared for power cuts caused by the storm.
Canadian soldiers and medical personnel departed for Poland on Friday (15/04). They will assist the Polish in helping Ukrainians at the border between the two countries. The military also planned to send 50 more Canadian soldiers to help with the refugees' resettlement in Poland.
The US Department of Agriculture announced an avian flu outbreak in Idaho on Friday (15/04). Idaho became the 27th state to announce an avian outbreak. The Flu is estimated to affect 27 million chicken and turkey populations. The flu also impacted egg prices which reached USD 3 per dozen, or the highest in two years.
Singapore’s Minister of Finance, Lawrence Wong, visited the US on Saturday (16/04). Minister Wong will meet with members of the US administration, the World Bank, and the IMF. The minister is also set to meet with Singaporean business groups in New York City.