Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Friday, October 31, 2014

Boko Haram denies ceasefire claim by Nigeria's government


31 October 2014 Last updated at 21:38 ET

by Tokun Lawal and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

A screengrab from a video released by Boko Haram, showing its leader Abubakar Shekau delivering a speech - 31 October 2014 The video released on Friday was Boko Haram's first statement after the government announced a ceasefire

Nigeria abductions

Boko Haram has denied claims by Nigeria's government that it has agreed to a ceasefire and will release more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.
The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls had converted to Islam and been married off since being taken.
Nigeria's army announced a ceasefire with the militants on 17 October, saying the girls would soon be freed.
But violence has continued since news of the alleged truce, including a fatal bomb blast on Friday.
Boko Haram has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
'We will not negotiate' In a video released on Friday, Abubakar Shekau said: "We have not made ceasefire with anyone. We did not negotiate with anyone. It's a lie.
"We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not."
Shekau also claimed that the militants were holding a German national, thought to be a teacher, who was kidnapped by gunmen in July.
There was no indication of when or where the group's latest video was shot.
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo in Lagos says the video will come as a huge embarrassment for the Nigerian government after it said it had secured a ceasefire with Boko Haram.
Newspapers with headlines on the Chibok girls and their possible release are displayed at a news stand in Abuja - 18 October 2014 News of the government supposedly sealing a truce with Boko Haram made the front pages
The Islamist militants sparked global outrage in April by abducting 219 schoolgirls from the remote north-eastern town of Chibok, in Borno state.
Their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Hopes were raised earlier this month when Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced a truce with the group.
"They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he said. "I am cautiously optimistic."
But the Boko Haram leader said the girls were "in their marital homes" after being married off by the group.
Last week, Human Rights Watch said in a report that Boko Haram was holding more than 500 women and young girls captive and that forced marriage was common in the group's camps.

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EU migrants: Reduced Mediterranean mission set to go


31 October 2014 Last updated at 14:45 ET

by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Crowded migrant boat, file pic Desperate migrants are often found crowded onto unseaworthy boats in the Mediterranean

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The EU is set to begin maritime patrols in the Mediterranean on Saturday in a new operation to help Italy stem the flow of migrants from North Africa.
Italy is ending its bigger "Mare Nostrum" operation off Libya. It began in 2013 after more than 300 migrants drowned off an Italian island.
Operation Triton, based in Italian waters, will have only one-third the budget of Mare Nostrum.
This year has seen a surge of migrants risking their lives to reach Italy.
Triton's more limited resources may make it harder for the EU to rescue migrants in distress in international waters, some experts warn.
The Secretary General of the European Council on Refugees, Michael Diedring, said it was "deplorable" for the EU to prioritise coastal border controls over search and rescue missions.
Triton, run by the EU border agency Frontex, will have six ships, four planes and one helicopter at its disposal, and a staff of 65. The European Commission says 21 EU member states have pledged to participate.
'Italy did its duty' "Mare Nostrum was conceived as a limited, emergency operation after the Lampedusa [island] tragedy, and it went on longer than expected," Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday. "Today we can say Italy did its duty."
At least 3,000 migrants have drowned trying to reach Europe this year. Italy has rescued about 150,000 in its Mare Nostrum operation.
Triton's monthly budget will be 2.9m euros (£2.3m; $3.7m), whereas Italy spent 9.5m a month on Mare Nostrum, Mr Alfano said.
The Commission says any increase in Triton's budget next year will require the approval of the European Parliament and EU governments.
Triton will operate from the isle of Lampedusa and Porto Empedocle, on the Sicilian coast.
With fewer ships there is a risk that Triton will take longer to reach migrants far out to sea, the BBC's James Reynolds reports from Rome.
The Commission says Italy must continue fulfilling its international obligations to rescue people in danger at sea, meaning "continued substantial efforts using national means".
The UK has opted out of migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, saying such operations could encourage more people to risk dangerous voyages to Europe.
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Nigeria bus station blast during rush hour


31 October 2014 Last updated at 10:02 ET

by Tokun Lawal and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

People inspect the site of a bomb blast at a bus station in Gombe, north-eastern Nigeria - 31 October 2014 The bomb exploded in a bus at the station during the morning rush hour

Boko Haram

An explosion at a major bus station in Gombe state in north-eastern Nigeria has killed at least four people and injured 32, police say.
Gombe city hospital sources say the casualty figure is higher and a bus park official says 13 vehicles were destroyed in the rush-hour blast.
Police say explosives were concealed in a bus and three men have been arrested.
Gombe shares a border with three states placed under emergency rule to fight the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency.
The group has taken full control of Mubi, a commercial centre in Adamawa.
Map
It is the largest town Boko Haram has taken since it stepped up its insurgency when the state of emergency was declared in May 2013 in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
The government announced a ceasefire with Boko Haram nearly two weeks ago as part of efforts to negotiate the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group in April.
But there have been several abductions and attacks since then.
Sharia punishment There are conflicting figures about the number of casualties in the Gombe bus bomb.
Witnesses at the scene and at Gombe hospital described seeing at least seven bodies.
It is not clear if Boko Haram is behind the attack but the militants have targeted commuters in the past.
Over the border in Adamawa, thousands of people have been fleeing Mubi since it came under attack on Wednesday.
People at the site of a bomb blast at a bus station in Gombe, north-eastern Nigeria - 31 October 2014 Bus stations like the one in Gombe have been targeted by Boko Haram in the past
The BBC Hausa Service spoke to one resident trapped in the town who said the fighters had set up checkpoints and that their intention was to impose Islamic law.
According to the resident, the militants said that several people who had been caught stealing motorbikes during the chaos of their takeover would have their hands cut off on Friday in front of the main mosque.
Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it haram, or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.
It frequently attacks schools and colleges, which it sees as a symbol of Western culture.
At least 2,000 civilians have been killed by Boko Haram this year.
The group has taken more than 500 women and girls hostage since it began its insurgency in 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Roman Polanski freed in Poland after US extradition bid


30 October 2014 Last updated at 09:40 ET

by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Roman Polanski Roman Polanski was attending the opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews

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Film director Roman Polanski has been released after being questioned by prosecutors in Poland over sex offences in the US.
He has been wanted by US police since 1977 after fleeing the country before he could be sentenced for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
US authorities contacted Polish officials as Polanski attended the opening of a Jewish museum in Warsaw.
The director of The Pianist and Chinatown was questioned in Krakow.
"Roman Polanski said he would comply with all requests made by prosecutors in this case and provided his address," Police justice ministry spokesman Mateusz Martyniuk told AFP.
"Prosecutors therefore decided not to arrest him in connection with a possible US extradition request."
The Polish government confirmed that the US had contacted authorities asking them to arrest Polanski after he travelled to Warsaw for the opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Mr Martyniuk said Polanski's extradition was still possible, but as the US had not yet forwarded an extradition request, Polanski "is a free citizen and is free to travel".
Roman Polanski Polanski premiered new play The Fearless Vampire Killers in Paris earlier this month
The Rosemary's Baby director was held in Switzerland in 2009 after travelling to Zurich to pick up a prize at a film festival.
However, the extradition bid failed and he was eventually allowed to return to France.
He has been to Poland several times in recent years and was pictured on television at the opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
In 2010, the Polish prosecutor general said Polanski could not be extradited because under Polish law too much time had passed since the offences.
Police in Los Angeles charged the director with sex offences including rape in 1977 before he accepted a plea deal, but he fled the country on the eve of his sentencing.
Last year his victim, Samantha Geimer, now 51, published her account of what happened in a book called The Girl: A Life Lived in the Shadow of Roman Polanski.
Polanski is currently directing a stage show in Paris called The Vampires' Ball, but has said he wants to shoot a film on location in Poland on the condition he will not face extradition.

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Cuba to the rescue - Neighbour to help Jamaica in Ebola fight - Lead Stories - Jamaica Gleaner - Wednesday | October 29, 2014

Cuba to the rescue - Neighbour to help Jamaica in Ebola fight - Lead Stories - Jamaica Gleaner - Wednesday | October 29, 2014
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan to run again in elections


30 October 2014 Last updated at 02:02 ET

by Tokun Lawal and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Cars pass an election poster of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at a road in Abuja, Nigeria (27 October 2014) President Jonathan's image has already appeared on Nigerian election posters

Nigeria abductions

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has confirmed he will run again in February's elections, his office has said.
Until now he had refused to confirm his candidacy for re-election as president.
The announcement comes as he faces mounting criticism over his handling of the Boko Haram insurgency and its abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls.
The militants are reported to have seized control of the north-eastern town of Mubi.
The government announced a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram earlier this month that was supposed to lead to the release of the schoolgirls. Thousands of people have fled from the rebels' north-eastern stronghold throughout the course of the conflict.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja (10 October 2014) President Jonathan is expected to be the main contender during next February's elections
Martha Mark, the mother of kidnapped school girl Monica Mark cries as she displays her photo, in the family house, in Chibok, Nigeria (May 2014) The president is under pressure to secure the release of schoolgirls kidnapped by militants
Local residents told the BBC the militants had raised their flag over Mubi and blocked the main access roads.
Earlier there were reports of heavy gunfire and military fighter jets overhead. Mubi is a commercial hub and the second largest town in Adamawa state.
Residents of the town began to flee following reports that the militants were approaching - soldiers were also reported to have fled.
"There is virtually not a single resident left in Mubi. Everybody has left to save their lives," local resident Habu Saidu told the AFP news agency as he made his way through the bush.
"People in thousands left the town on foot because all roads have been blocked by soldiers and it is not possible to leave by road."
Mubi has in the past witnessed violence attributed to militant Islamist group.
The Nigerian government says it has been talking to Boko Haram in neighbouring Chad with both parties agreeing on a ceasefire.
But even after the announcement was made over a week ago, the clashes continued - raising questions about the validity of the truce.
Rampant corruption Being the incumbent from a well-financed party, President Jonathan is expected to be the main contender during next February's elections.
Schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants (12 May 2014) There has so far been no sign of the abducted school girls despite reports of an agreement between the government and Boko Haram militants
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo in Lagos says that the president is not only being accused of not doing enough to win the release of the girls - he is also blamed for failing to curb rampant corruption in government and state institutions.
In addition there have been several high-profile defections from the ruling party, including most recently the speaker of the House of Representatives.
The ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram is expected to boost Mr Jonathan's chances if it results in the release of the schoolgirls.
The opposition All Progressives Congress will not select its candidate until early December. The former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is considered the favourite to lead the opposition challenge for the top job in Africa's largest economy..
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Who are Boko Haram?
A screen grab taken from a video released on You Tube in April 2012, apparently showing Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau (centre) sitting flanked by militants
  • Founded in 2002
  • Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
  • Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
  • Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
  • Some three million people affected
  • Declared terrorist group by US in 2013
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