Thursday 7,Nov,2024 {HMC}. United States President Joe Biden plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before he leaves office in January, reports say, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Trump, who won Tuesday’s election, has criticised the scale of US military and financial support for Ukraine and has pledged to end the war with Russia quickly – without saying how.

His position on Ukraine has raised concerns about the future of Washington’s support for Ukraine’s war with Russia under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.

“The administration plans to push forward … to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible,” a senior Biden administration official told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity in a report published on Thursday. Biden’s plans for the transfers were first reported by Politico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump and he also spoke to the president-elect on Wednesday.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the US has already provided more than $64.1bn in military assistance to Ukraine, according to the latest data by the US Department of State.

To help Ukraine retake its territory in its ground war with Russia, more ground vehicles will be needed, as well as 155mm artillery and surface-to-surface missiles.

Some analysts say it is by no means certain Washington would back any more Ukraine assistance once Republicans control the White House and at least half of Congress, especially as Ukraine experiences battlefield setbacks.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declined to discuss aid for Ukraine at a news conference on Wednesday, saying he was there only to discuss election results.

During the campaign, Trump had insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had he been in office, adding that he “could solve that in 24 hours”.

Source Al-jaziira 

Thursday 7,Nov,2024 {HMC}. Puntland’s Minister of Information, Eng. Mohamud Aydid Dirir, on Wednesday, accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of endorsing the deportation of Somali asylum seekers from Germany.

The minister also alleged that President Mohamud is complicit in displacing low-income families in Mogadishu to make land available for private development.

The accusations follow a statement made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during President Mohamud’s visit to Berlin, where the leaders discussed the swift repatriation of Somali migrants without legal residency in Germany.

Scholz emphasized that deportations would primarily affect people with serious criminal records, noting, “This is also in the interest of the very large community of Somalis here in Germany, who are doing well and are well integrated.”

President Mohamud has not directly responded to Dirir’s claims, but his office highlighted the importance of deepening diplomatic relations with Germany, including addressing migration and security concerns.

Meanwhile, the comments have drawn backlash on Somali social media, with users accusing the Somali government of failing to secure the country and pointing to ongoing political divisions and persistent terror attacks as obstacles to safe repatriation.

Germany is home to an estimated 65,000 Somalis. According to Scholz, only a “small number” of them are at risk of deportation.

Source Hiiraan Online

Thursday 7,Nov,2024 {HMC}. The verdict of U.S. voters was more decisive than most pollsters and pundits had predicted. Now the world waits to see whether the election of Donald Trump as president for a second time will prove as destabilizing as many American allies fear.

Trump secured victory Wednesday when he surpassed the 270 electoral college votes needed to win. In a victory speech before the official declaration, he vowed to “put our country first” and bring about a “golden age” for America.

Trump’s first term saw him insult and alienate many of the United States’ longstanding allies. His return to the White House, four years after losing office to President Joe Biden, has huge consequences for everything from global trade to climate change to multiple crises and conflicts around the world.

Trump has pledged to ramp up a tariff feud with China, the United States’ growing economic and strategic rival. In the Middle East, Trump has pledged, without saying how, to end the conflicts between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. He has also vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office – something Ukraine and its supporters fear would be on terms favorable to Moscow.

Here’s how leaders and others around the world are reacting:

NATO is nervous and Ukraine is anxious

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte congratulated Trump, saying, “I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through NATO” in the face of “a growing number of challenges globally,” including “the increasing alignment of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.”

Trump was a strong critic of the North Atlantic military alliance during his first term, accusing its other members of failing to pull their weight. Earlier this year he said the United States would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defense spending targets. Trump wants European allies to boost their own military spending to rely less on U.S. deterrence, but some European leaders and diplomats have expressed fears that he fundamentally lacks commitment to NATO.

Rutte emphasized the positive, praising Trump for his work persuading member states to ramp up defense spending and saying NATO was now “stronger, larger, and more united.”

America’s allies are — belatedly, some say — grappling with what to do if they cannot depend on the U.S. for their defense.

“The existential concern for Europeans has been what happens to Ukraine, what happens to Europe’s security, what happens to America’s commitment to NATO?” said Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the U.S. and Americas program at the think tank Chatham House. “Will America be there for Europe?”

The U.S. is by far Kyiv’s biggest military backer as it battles Russian invasion, though the Biden administration resisted pressure from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do even more. Zelenskyy, like Rutte, said he welcomed Trump’s “peace through strength” approach.

“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “I am hopeful that we will put it into action together. We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”

Zelenskyy later wrote that he had spoken to Trump and congratulated him on “his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work. We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.”

No congratulations were forthcoming from Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, declared that Russia-U.S. relations were at the “lowest point in history.”

European congratulations mask deep divisions
European leaders rushed to congratulate Trump even before his victory was officially declared — some more effusively than others.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it a “historic election victory” and said that “as the closest of allies, the U.K. and U.S. will continue to work together to protect our shared values of freedom and democracy.”

Like governments of U.S. allies around the world, Starmer’s center-left administration has worked hard to forge ties with Trump and his team. Starmer had dinner with Trump at Trump Tower in September.

France’s centrist President Emmanuel Macron offered congratulations, “respect and ambition.” Social Democratic German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Trump and said he wanted continued close ties, even if “surely many things will be different under a Donald Trump-led administration.”

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose far right-led government is in some ways close to Trump politically, said Italy and the U.S. had a “strategic bond, which I am sure we will now strengthen even more.”

European leaders are keen to stress that the transatlantic relationship transcends individual politicians, but Trump’s protectionist economic leanings are causing concern. During his last term he slapped tariffs on European steel and aluminum, roiling the bloc’s economy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the EU and the U.S. “are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. Let us work together on a transatlantic partnership that continues to deliver for our citizens.”

Europe’s populist politicians, meanwhile, welcomed the victory of a kindred spirit.

“They threatened him with prison, they took his property, they wanted to kill him … and he still won,” said Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who will hold a summit in Budapest for some 50 European leaders on Thursday.

A Middle East in turmoil awaits Trump’s moves

During his first term, Trump pushed to remake the Middle East by reconciling Israel and Saudi Arabia, and all eyes now are on how he intervenes in the region’s raging conflicts between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon — and the chief backer of the two militant groups, Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump’s election win “history’s greatest comeback.”

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” he wrote on social media.

Trump and Netanyahu — a fellow conservative nationalist — had a tight relationship during the former president’s first term, but the ties soured when Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden on winning in 2020.

Netanyahu’s inner circle hopes Trump will allow Israel free rein against its enemies, but the president-elect is famously unpredictable, and the Israeli leader faces strong opposition at home. On Tuesday he fired popular Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a surprise announcement that sparked protests across the country.

Hamas issued a terse statement saying, “Our position on the new U.S. administration depends on its positions and practical behavior towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause.”

Washington is one of the key mediators of so-far unsuccessful Gaza cease-fire talks. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, another key player in regional peace efforts who had close ties to Trump during his first administration, said Egypt looked forward “to arriving together at achieving peace and preservation of stability in the region.”

Other African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, also sent congratulations.

The challenge of China still looms

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the U.S. and China to manage their differences and get along in a new era in a congratulatory message to Trump.

He told Trump that history has shown that both sides gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, according to Chinese state media.

But analysts in China were pessimistic, citing the likelihood of escalating tariffs and an intensifying confrontation over Taiwan.

“It is not all dark, but there are more challenges than opportunities,” said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing. “We are clear about the challenges. As for opportunities, we are yet to see them clearly.”

Long-seething territorial disputes in the South China Sea are a fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry in Asia and likely will remain a major foreign policy concern for the next American president.

Asian leaders apprehensive about China’s growing clout and North Korea’s nuclear program, clamored for Trump’s attention in congratulatory messages.

“I hope to closely cooperate with President-elect Trump to further elevate Japan-U.S. alliance and relations to even higher levels,” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the Korea-U.S. alliance “will shine brighter,” under Trump’s ”strong leadership.”

But Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, said Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and even Australia, “can no longer look for the U.S.A. to be a reliable partner in defense.”

Neighbors hope for good relations

The United States’ neighbors in the Americas, some of whom bore the impact of Trump’s protectionist instincts during his first term, also braced for uncertainty.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told Mexicans “there is no reason to worry,” despite Trump’s previous threats to impose trade tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants and drugs to the U.S.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — previously derided by Trump as “weak” and “dishonest” — wrote on X: “The friendship between Canada and the U.S. is the envy of the world. I know President Trump and I will work together to create more opportunity, prosperity, and security for both of our nations.”

Brazil’s left-leaning President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated Trump — despite having endorsed Kamala Harris days ago.

“Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected,” Lula said on X.

___

Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this story

Thursday 7,Nov,2024 {HMC}  Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Kenyan security forces of abducting, torturing and killing people believed to be leaders of anti-government protests that took place between June and August.

The group said security officers held abductees in unlawful detention facilities, including in forests and abandoned buildings, and denied them access to their families and lawyers.

Mary Muthoni Mwangi of Kirinyaga, in rural central Kenya, said she lost her son in the protests, in which thousands of young Kenyans demonstrated against a bill that would have increased taxes.

Her son, 20-year-old Kennedy Njeru, took part in a protest on June 25, she said, when demonstrators stormed the parliament after lawmakers passed the tax increase.

Mwangi said she searched for her son for four days, finally finding his body in the city mortuary. She said a postmortem examination found a bullet wound to his head.

Human rights groups say 61 people were killed across the country during the weeks of protests.

Human Rights Watch blamed Kenyan security agencies for the abduction, torture and killing of people seen as leading or taking part in the demonstrations.

Mausi Segun, head of HRW’s Africa division, said, “Whoever the initial abductors were, the police were involved because people were taken to police stations and many times the torture happened while people were in police custody.”

She added, “Those who are dead, we don’t have details of what happened to them, but people who witnessed their abduction said that individuals who took them away were clearly security agents.”

HRW researchers spoke to 75 people, including victims, family members, journalists, parliament staff and police officers.

The interviewees said that police officers hunted down protesters. But because the officers wore plain clothes, covered their faces and traveled in unmarked vehicles, it was difficult for family members, rights groups, lawyers and government agencies to trace victims’ whereabouts.

Segun said some of those taken away were tortured and killed.

“Many of the bodies of those who have been abducted have showed up sometimes on the streets, sometimes in quarries, unmarked places where they have been dumped,” she said.

“Many of those bodies have shown signs of torture and dismemberment of body parts, showing what they went through at the hands of their captors,” she said. “Many of these bodies have not been released to family members.”

Kenyan security forces deny that their officers were behind the abductions and killings.

President William Ruto, speaking at a town hall gathering in Kisumu in late August, said he was not aware of any abductions and called on family members to forward the names to the government to take action.

Human Rights Watch said reports of abductions, missing people and killings are well documented and called on the president and other government institutions to hold those responsible to account.

On September 24, Mary Mwangi was among dozens of activists and victims’ family members who tried to submit a list of the missing and dead to the president’s office.

They were driven back with teargas.

Ruto ultimately declined to sign the tax increase into law.

Source Hiiraan Online

Thursday 7,Nov,2024 {HMC}  Somalia’s Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir has committed to ensure the country offers quality education to all learners.

Speaking after Somalia’s Parliament has overwhelmingly approved the National Higher Education Bill, Abdulkadir said he was excited and grateful to the MPs for supporting the Bill.

He said the new legislation will ensure all graduates are ready for the modern-day job market.

“This Bill will really enhance the quality of education and ensure our graduates are ready for the job market and challenges that come in today’s society,” Abdulkadir said.

The Bill seeks to shape and enhance higher education while fostering a well-educated population capable of contributing to the nation’s growth, among other critical issues.

The bill, backed by the Ministry of Education, received a majority vote with 140 members of the Lower House supporting it.

Only one MP was opposed to it. There were no abstentions.

“Higher education is both costly and vital. It embodies the mission of our nation and produces the skilled individuals required for leadership and development,” Abdulkadir said.

The education minister noted that the legislation also paves way for establishing a higher education committee responsible for overseeing technical aspects of higher education throughout the country.

“This law aligns with international standards. The global landscape of education, especially at the university level, is interconnected. Our legislation will improve the recognition of our academic certificates, allowing our students to pursue education at universities abroad.

“Furthermore, as we recently joined the East African Community (EAC), our students will have opportunities to study in member countries while also benefiting from educational exchange,” Abdulkadir added.

On the Bill’s significance for private universities that have operated during the nation’s challenging times, the minister affirmed the government’s commitment to also improving private education.

He said the Bill also factors that.

“This bill will greatly benefit private institutions. It is undeniably part of the government’s commitment to promote private education.”

Abdulkadir has been credited with substantial impact on Somalia’s education sector, since he took over docket.

One of his recent notable achievements includes an ambitious recruitment initiative aimed at addressing the acute shortage of qualified educators.

Over the last two years, the Ministry of Education has hired 6,000 teachers over the past two years, as part of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s commitment to hire 10,000 teachers during this term.

source Hiiraan Online.