Violence against immigrants broke
out in South Africa Sunday and has sparked angry reactions across the
continent.
Anti-foreigner attacks in Johannesburg have
triggered violence and widespread looting of South African-owned brands in
Nigeria.
Protesters set fire to many entrances leading into a busy mall housing
South African retail store Shoprite and looted groceries and toiletries from
the supermarket in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial center.
Another outlet belonging the chain and one owned by South African mobile
company MTN were vandalized in Ibadan city in southwest Nigeria on Tuesday
despite appeals from the government for peace.
Many other stores owned by Nigerians were also plundered in the raids.
The Nigerian arm of MTN, Africa's largest telecoms company, closed all
its stores until further notice after some of its outlets were targeted, the
company said.
On Wednesday, police fired teargas to disperse a horde of rioters
gathered outside many South African-owned outlets in Surulere, a bustling
district in Lagos.
Diplomatic
backlash
Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said it was
"deeply disturbing" reports that some Nigerians were attacking South
African companies where Nigerian investors own significant stakes and employ
mostly Nigerians.
Mohammed described it as "a classic case of cutting off your nose
to spite your face."
He added that President Buhari had dispatched a special envoy to convey
his concerns to the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and
Nigeria has pulled out of the on-going World Economic Forum in Cape Town
and also plans to recall its ambassador to South Africa in protest against the
attacks, the country's foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday.
While Nigerian music stars Burna Boy and singer Tiwa Savage have also
weighed in with similar boycotts.
Savage said she would no longer be performing at an upcoming concert in
late September. She said the xenophobic violence provoked the decision.
Burna Boy said he had not visited South Africa since 2017 after a
"xenophobic experience." He vowed not to return until the
government "wakes the f*** up and really performs a miracle."
Angry
mobs
South Africa is facing criticism over a fresh wave of violence against
African immigrants and foreign-owned businesses.
Angry mobs looted, burned and vandalized shops, properties, and
vehicles, after violence flared on Sunday. South Africa police say five people
were killed and 189 people allegedly involved in the violence have been
arrested. Many foreign-owned stores were targeted in the violence.
Xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks are not new in
South Africa.
Demonstrators forced hundreds of foreigners from their homes and
looted some businesses in Durban in April.
They claimed that foreigners had taken jobs that should have been filled
by locals.
In 2017, violent anti-immigrant protests broke out in the capital
Pretoria and in 2015, several people were killed, and thousands fled after
xenophobic attacks across the country.
Ethiopia's foreign ministry on Wednesday said rioters destroyed
some businesses owned by its citizens in South Africa in the latest
attacks which began in Jeppestown, a neighbourhood in Johannesburg, but has
quickly spread to other areas.
Students in Zambia demonstrated in front of a South African
owned Pick N Pay store on Tuesday in protest against the attacks.
Zambia's transport ministry has also warned truck drivers against
traveling to South Africa until security issues have been resolved.
South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa warned Tuesday that the spate of attacks could trigger
violence against its citizens abroad.
"The attacks on people who run businesses from foreign nationals is
totally unacceptable," Ramaphosa said. “There can be no justification
whatsoever about what people are having a grievance over that they should go
out and attack people from other countries because when they do so here, they
should also know that fellow South Africans will be attacked in other
countries," the President said.
Anger in Nigeria as South Africa xenophobic attacks spark looting
Chelsea Third Kit
Despite attempts by the Nigerian government to
combat human trafficking and provide support for survivors, care for
victims is still severely lacking, a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW)
says.
According to the report, the Nigerian government is
illegally detaining survivors of human trafficking, inhibiting the recovery of
the traumatised survivors from the experiences they went through.
"The Nigerian authorities are actually
detaining trafficking survivors in shelters, not allowing them to leave at
will, in violation of Nigeria’s international legal obligations," the New
York-based rights body said.
"The detentions overwhelmingly affect women and
girls, and put their recovery and well-being at risk."
The report is based on interviews with 76 survivors,
20 of them girls between the ages 8 and 17, who either were trafficked out
of Nigeria and later returned, or were trafficked into the country.
They were often promised well-paying jobs as
domestic workers, hairdressers, or hotel staff but were then tricked and trapped
in exploitation and forced to pay back a huge "debt" for their
travel.
Often, the people who trafficked them were people
they knew personally.
"My aunt brought me here. She said she will
help me. When I got here, she said I had to work before the apprenticeship,"
one of the survivors told HRW.
"She took me somewhere to work as a house girl….
I was mistreated. She did not give me food; I washed cars, cleaned the house
and the compound," the 14-year-old, who is one of several victims quoted
in the report, said.
"My aunt used to collect the money. Their kids
were too hostile to me. I decided to leave."
'Closed shelters'
Over the last couple of years, the Nigerian
government has introduced several anti-trafficking laws and started the
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which
runs shelters for trafficking survivors.
However, those shelters are severely lacking, HRW
said
"Some survivors in the NAPTIP shelters
complained about not being able to receive visitors or contact their families,
not having clear information about when they would reunite with their families,
monotonous daily schedules, or boredom from doing nothing," the report
states.
"Those referred by NAPTIP to private shelters were unhappy about poor conditions and services, including inadequate food, lack of soap or body lotion, lack of medical and psychosocial care, and lack of job training," it added.
"Those referred by NAPTIP to private shelters were unhappy about poor conditions and services, including inadequate food, lack of soap or body lotion, lack of medical and psychosocial care, and lack of job training," it added.
The survivors often suffer from depression, anxiety,
insomnia, flashbacks, aches and pains, and other physical ailments as a result
of their ordeal.
Despite attempts by the Nigerian government to help
them reintegrate, the so-called "closed shelters" do not provide
enough support for the survivors to reintegrate into Nigerian society, HRW
said.
"Women and girls trafficked in and outside
Nigeria have suffered unspeakable abuses at the hands of traffickers but have
received inadequate medical, counselling, and financial support to reintegrate
into society," senior HRW women’s
rights researcher Agnes Odhiambo said.
"We were shocked to find traumatised survivors
locked behind gates, unable to communicate with their families, for months on
end, in government-run facilities."
HRW has called on Nigeria to better listen to the
experiences of survivors and offer more room for community services, health
workers and other organisations to play in a role in their recovery.
"Nigerian authorities are struggling with a
crisis of trafficking and working under challenging circumstances, but they can
do a better job by listening to what survivors have to say about their own
needs," Odhiambo said.
"To end trafficking and break cycles of
exploitation and suffering, survivors need the government to help them heal
from the trauma of trafficking and earn a decent living in Nigeria."
Nigeria government 'detaining' trafficking survivors
![Agnes Callamard condemned police and military 'brutality' across the country [Mercy Abang/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/9/2/24ef7d1c569a4d0f84698bf653c048bd_18.jpg "UN calls for urgent action to end violence in Nigeria")
Abuja, Nigeria - The United Nations special
rapporteur on extrajudicial killings condemned rising violence across Nigeria and
a "lack of accountability" for perpetrators.
Agnes Callamard, speaking at a news conference on
Monday in Nigeria's capital, said the country needed urgent action to end the
"pressure cooker" of violence that has claimed thousands of lives.
Nigeria is currently facing multiple
conflicts, from attacks by the armed group Boko Haram to
fighting between nomadic herders and farmers.
"The overall situation that I encountered in
Nigeria gives rise to extreme concern ... The warning signs are flashing bright
red: increased numbers of attacks and killings over the last five years with a
few notable exceptions," Callamard said at a news conference.
"If ignored its ripple effect will spread
throughout the sub-region given the country's important role in the
continent."
She condemned police and military
"brutality" across the country, and a "generalised system of
impunity".
"The time is now to prioritise the
rule of law and to make it part and parcel of the Nigerian system,"
especially for those living in extreme poverty, she said.
Impunity
Cheta Nwanze, an analyst at SBM Intelligence, told
Al Jazeera: "In almost two decades of Boko Haram's existence, I can't
recall any of the financial backers who has ever been brought to trial ...
We've not had a single high-level conviction of a Boko Haram
member."
The United Nations estimates more than 27,000 people
have been killed and an estimated two million others displaced in Nigeria's northeast
alone because of Boko Haram.
Callamard has been in Nigeria since August
16 and investigated the scope of violence in the country. She has also
assessed measures adopted by the government to tackle the killings.
In Nigeria's central states, clashes between farmers
and nomadic herders over dwindling arable land have killed thousands of people
and displaced tens of thousands of others.
"Nigeria is a pressure cooker of internal
conflict. The absence of accountability is on such a scale that pretending this
is not a crisis will be a major mistake," said Callamard.
"The increased number of people living in
absolute poverty, climate change and desertification, and the increased
proliferation of weapons, altogether, these are reinforcing a localised system
of violence," she added.
The UN special rapporteur also examined safeguards
over the use of the death penalty and laws applied by Islamic courts.
"I have also considered security repression
against Shia Muslims, the indigenous people of Biafra, and against Ogoni
people," Callamard said.
She noted there had been key decisions made by
courts but added, "these are not being implemented. I am hoping that the
government will hear my call and demand that court orders are
implemented".
Nigerian authorities did not immediately respond to
Callamard's comments.
UN calls for urgent action to end violence in Nigeria
Justin Bieber opens up about fame, drug use and depression
Bieber has been open about his struggles with depression in the past
Justin Bieber has written an emotional essay about how he became "the most hated person in the world" thanks to a string of "bad decisions" in his 20s.
The star, who was discovered by music manager Scooter Braun when he was 13, admitted to heavy drug use and abusing his relationships.
"I became resentful, disrespectful to women and angry," he wrote.
"I became distant to everyone who loved me... I felt like I could never turn it around."
The Canadian star, who has been candid about his mental health struggles, explained how the constant praise he received in his teens had distorted his perspective on life.
"I went from a 13-year-old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world, with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was," he said.
"You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it."
"Everyone did everything for me, so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility," he explained on Instagram.
'Trouble after trouble'
At 18, he had "millions in the bank" and "access to whatever [I] wanted" but "no skills in the real world". By 19, Bieber says he was doing "pretty heavy drugs" and "abused" the relationships he was in.
"I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged and hated person in the world."
Bieber credited his wife, Hailey Baldwin, with helping him turn his life around
Bieber was arrested several times in 2014 with offences ranging from vandalism to driving under the influence, a charge which was later reduced to of driving without due care and attention.
"It's hard to get out of bed in the morning…when it feels like there's trouble after trouble after trouble," he wrote.
"Sometimes it can even get to the point where you don't even want to live anymore. Where you feel like it's never going to change."
However, the star, who is a devout Christian, said his faith and the support of friends and family, including his wife Hailey Baldwin, had helped turn his life around.
"It's taken me years to bounce back from all of these terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits," he wrote.
"Luckily, God blessed me with extraordinary people who love me for me," he added. "Now I am navigating the best season of my life 'MARRIAGE'!!"
Skip Instagram post by justinbieber
Following the Instagram post, fans flooded Bieber's comments with messages of support and love.
"Mistakes were made but the truth is that you found your way back to a better place," wrote one. "I'm proud to be a Belieber."
"I've always loved you, Justin, through everything, and always knew there was good in you," added another.
Bieber's former bodyguard Kenny Hamilton commented: "Proud of how far you've come. We are all here to support you."
And Kyle Massey, who starred on the Disney TV show That's So Raven, also thanked Bieber for shining a light on the "ups and downs" of achieving fame at a young age.
"The point of view of a child star is one most people and media ignore," he wrote on Instagram. "My family and friends are the only reason I've been able to keep my head on straight."
Bieber took an extended break from music after cancelling the final 14 dates of his 2017 Purpose World Tour, saying: "I want my mind heart and soul to be sustainable".
However, he has recently appeared as a guest vocalist on Ed Sheeran's number one single I Don't Care, and a remix of Billie Eilish's Bad Guy - prompting speculation he might be about to return with new solo material.
Justin Bieber opens up about fame, drug use and depression
Members
of Coalition of Civil Society Group are currently staging a protest outside the
British Embassy in Abuja over the $9.6 billion judgment debt against
Nigeria.
The protesters who are
wielding placards and banners defied the morning downpour and chanted
anti-government songs asking for the reversal of the judgment.
Armed policemen have
taken strategic positions within the premises of the embassy.
Some of the inscriptions
on the banners read: '$9.6bn Judgement Is a Big Fraud; 200 Million Nigerians
Are Against $9.6bn UK judgment; Nigeria First, Always Always; Nigeria and
Britain Are Friends Not Enemy.
The protesters called on the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to help President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption. The group also called on the anti-graft agencies for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the deals.
The protesters called on the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to help President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption. The group also called on the anti-graft agencies for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the deals.
BREAKING: Protesters Storm British Embassy Abuja Over $9.6 Billion Judgment Debt Against Nigeria
Before I gained admission into
higher institution, a Blackberry
Bold 5 was selling for N250,000.
Then when you have a BB bold 5,
you also buy an iPhone 4 with it
to go along with the swag. I had
a Nokia Asha 200, it allowed me
to WhatsApp & feel among a little.
Shame no dey gree me commot
phone when real gadgets are on
display. Then, my Asha was all I
needed to be good tho, & I was
happy with it.
If you don't have a BB pin then,
you ain't shit! WhatsApp &
Facebook wasn't on point like
today, it was only pinging, BIS
etc.
Today, if you are carrying a
Blackberry, you are either poor,
broke or behind the world. No
one will look at you twice. In fact,
I can get you a NEW Blackberry
Bold 5 for N5,000(that is if the
seller successfully scam me ni o).
Oya, let's face the reality of the
whole gist.
¶ Did you know that some
people were slept with like an
animal & their dentinal aura was
stolen because they wanted to
own a BB?
¶ Remember ALUU 4? A
blackberry was one of the
reasons they were burnt alive.
¶ Lots of people were stripped
naked, humiliated & even killed
because they wanted to own a
Blackberry & stole one.
Today, it's the iPhone.
We want to own an iPhone X, so
we become hoes, thieves, slaves,
hookers or internet fraudsters
(aka yahoo boys). Killing our
tomorrow so that we can get
along with today's wind when as
a matter of fact the day you are
killing yourself for on its own is
actually looking forward to
tomorrow also.
You don't know anything about
technology if you think that
Apple actually comes up with the
technology of iPhones every year.
This September, Apple will
release the iPhone XI. I'm pretty
sure that you are ready to slave
again to own it.
Those technologies that you
think are new have been
discovered over 50 years ago but
are being released gradually
because if thrown out once, man
will end himself because of
excessive power. If you really
want to see LATEST TECHNOLOGY,
go to samsung electronics, Apple Inc, Google Inc or
Sony Entertainment, Mercedes or
Rolls-Royce & ask them to open
their teach vaults for you & you
will pass out at what you will see.
Advanced techs running on AI's
(Artificial Intelligence) will knock
you out.
Nothing is worth selling or
loosing yourself for. The selfies
you are taking today that are
gaining you 500 likes, someday,
your grandchildren will look at
your album & laugh at you
because what is the trend today
will look so freaking ridiculous to
them, the same way you laugh at
your dad's boot-cut trousers,
vintage shirt, afro hair & parting
when he was youthful.
Tomorrow will die,
Don't loose yourself over that
thing. It can NEVER be worth it.
#NothingStays
#Appreciate The PRESENT
*God help us*
Nothing stays nothing last forever
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