Global News Nigeria: January 2014

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

U.N. to EU troops: Use force in Central African Republic if need be

The U.N. estimates more than half the population of the Central African Republic has been affected by the humanitarian crisis.

The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to not only continue its peacekeepers' mission in the tumultuous Central African Republic but to authorize the use of force by European Union troops there, the world body said.

The decision came just over a week after the nation tapped Catherine Samba-Panza, the mayor of the capital of Bangui, as its interim president.

She replaced Michel Djotodia, the leader of the Seleka rebels who seized power in March only to step down earlier this month after failing to halt the escalating violence in the country.

Those dangers remain high, the U.N. said in a news release Tuesday explaining the Security Council's vote.

Archbishop and imam unite for CAR

Specifically, the United Nations pointed to the "increasing cycle of violence and retaliation" and the "continuing deterioration of the security situation" in the Central African Republic.

The U.N. peacekeeping mandate in that country now extends through January 31, 2015. The new vote also includes banning travel and freezing assets of some involved in the conflict, on top of an existing arms embargo.

The resolution was adopted unanimously by the 15-member Security Council.

The latest vote also urges Samba-Panza's government "to speed up" -- with the United Nations' support -- progress toward 'free and fair' elections" to be held no later than February 2015.

The Central African Republic, a former French colony, plunged into chaos last year after a coalition of rebels dubbed Seleka ousted President Francois Bozize, in the latest in a series of coups since the country gained independence in 1960.

Rebels infiltrated the capital in March, sending Bozize fleeing to Cameroon. Djotodia, one of the Seleka leaders, became the nation's interim leader.

Since then, political turmoil and violence have spiraled.

Seleka is a predominantly Muslim coalition, and to counter the attacks on Christian communities, vigilante Christian groups have fought back. The United Nations -- estimating more than half the country's population is affected by the worsening humanitarian crisis -- has said it fears a genocide is brewing, and aid agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis.

France has taken the lead among European nations by sending 1,600 of its troops to the country. They join about 4,000 African troops.

East vs West -- What's behind Ukraine's political crisis?

Young and old, they have braved the freezing cold for weeks to voice their discontent. Using snow, wood, metal and tires, thousands of protesters have barricaded themselves into a makeshift tent city, paralyzing central Kiev and refusing to leave until their demands are met.

Undeterred by the Ukrainian winter chill, the demonstrators chant day and night, sometimes to the drumbeat of sticks on corrugated iron, and take to the stage to give speeches, demanding the government's ouster and new elections.

For the past few weeks, billowing smoke, large fires, burnt out tires and cars as well as smashed windows of public buildings have become familiar scenes in the snowy city as protests have plunged Ukraine, an eastern European country of 45 million people, into a deep political crisis.

Some of the images beamed around the world have been particularly dramatic -- protesters knocking down a giant statue of the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin and hacking it with hammers to loud cheers, explosions reminiscent of a war zone echoing around downtown Kiev, fierce clashes and abuse. One protester, naked aside from his shoes, was seen being kicked and forced onto a police bus.

The battlefield is central Kiev, the power base of an opposition which is demanding change in the former Soviet Union state. The lines have been drawn.

Batons have been raised on both sides -- between the protesters armed with petrol bombs and stones and shielded riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets -- sometimes resulting in deadly clashes.

But despite a crackdown, demonstrators' morale is high with no sign of their labyrinth of tents, railings and metal barrels that have taken up Kiev's central arteries being dismantled just yet.

It has been two months since the first rattled demonstrators took to the streets, underscoring tensions in a country split between Europe and Russia. But Ukraine's political unrest seems to be worsening by the day -- drawing concern from its neighbors, Western European states and Washington.

Here are some key questions about Ukraine's political unrest.

What sparked the protests?

The protests began in November as a pro-Europe gesture, underscoring the tensions in a country split between pro-European regions in the West and a more Russia-oriented East.

Thousands spilled onto the streets after President Viktor Yanukovych did a U-turn over a trade pact with the European Union that had been years in the making -- favoring closer relations with Russia instead.

Angered by this backpedaling, the demonstrators demanded the EU deal be signed, saying it would strengthen cooperation with the bloc.

Their daily protests soon escalated, drawing parallels to Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution, which toppled the government.

But with Ukraine desperately in need of a cash injection, Kiev cited the need for financial assistance if it were to do business with the EU. Yanukovych, in power since 2010, said Ukraine could not afford to sign the deal, alluding to economic pressure from Russia.

Another factor in Yanukovych's decision not to sign the deal is likely to have been the EU's demands that he free from jail former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his political opponent. The Orange Revolution that swept him from office in 2004, when he was prime minister, also swept Tymoshenko to power.

Soon afterward, he flew to Moscow where he and President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would buy $15 billion in Ukrainian debt and slash the price Kiev pays for its gas.

While unhappy with that, what inflamed the demonstrators even more, however, was the adoption of a sweeping anti-protest law by the parliament on January 16.

The new law included provisions barring people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies and from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission.

This sparked concerns it could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to free speech -- and clashes soon escalated.

Last week, several people were killed and hundreds of others injured in heavy street fighting.

The epicenter of the protests has been Kiev's central Independence Square, Maidan, but the demonstrators have also blocked other streets and government buildings. On Sunday, they briefly seized the justice ministry.

"The changes that occurred after the Orange Revolution weren't simply deep enough. This time around, it appears that the disenchantment is so strong that there is a genuine opportunity to make a fresh start," said Dalibor Rohac, policy analyst with the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.

"For Ukrainians this is a chance to get on a different trajectory from the one the country has been on for the past 22 years and become eventually a part of prosperous, democratic Europe."

What's being done to try to reach an end to the fighting?

The leaders of three opposition factions have met several times with Yanukovych and a government working group to try to resolve the crisis.

They are former boxer Vitali Klitschko, leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms party; Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of the Fatherland party; and Oleh Tiahnybok, of the Freedom party, or Svoboda.

The president's foes have mainly been calling for the government to be dissolved, new elections to be held and for the protest laws to be absolved.

On Saturday, Yanukovych offered a package of concessions under which Yatsenyuk would have become the prime minister and, under the president's offer, been able to dismiss the government.

He also offered Klitschko, a champion boxer known as "Dr. Ironfist," the post of deputy prime minister on humanitarian issues and also agreed to a working group looking at changes to the constitution. But the opposition refused.

"No deal @ua_yanukovych, we're finishing what we started. The people decide our leaders, not you," Yatsenyuk tweeted.

By Tuesday, however, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had resigned and deputies loyal to Yanukovych backtracked and overturned the anti-protest law they had rammed through parliament 12 days ago.

A special parliamentary session also looked at legislation that might provide amnesty for more than 200 people arrested since the demonstrations began in late November. It was adjourned until Wednesday, when lawmakers will continue the debate.

The moves, the first concrete concessions by Yanukovich since the crisis erupted two months ago, brought cries of joy from several thousand demonstrators massed on Independence Square.

But opposition leaders, who want to see wide-ranging constitutional reform and a shake-up of the Ukrainian political system, said they would try to to wring even more gains from Yanukovych.

How does the situation affect the rest of the region?

Ukraine is the biggest frontier nation separating Russia and the EU. Once part of the Soviet Union, the country gained its modern Independence in 1991 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The West -- the EU, together with the United States -- has been working on its relations with former Soviet bloc countries for more than two decades, with the aim of restoring democratic rule and improving quality of life for Ukrainians.

It views the decision by Ukraine, the largest of the former republics, not to partner up with the EU as bowing to Russian pressure.

Ukraine is something of a pawn between Russia and the West. For the West, the deal would mean its reach would spread further east; by contrast, the Russians see the Ukraine as key to holding on to their turf.

Putin has denied that Moscow is exerting undue influence in Ukraine.

At a long-planned "Russia summit" in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, where Ukraine was high on the agenda, he said: "Russia has always respected, is respecting and will respect the sovereign rights of all the international entities including new states that emerged after breakdown of the Soviet Union."

Putin also said Russia would stick to the loan and energy commitments to Ukraine -- agreed in December -- even if the opposition comes to power.

European Council President Herman van Rompuy told reporters the bloc was ready to move ahead with the planned trade deal, or association agreement that has been at the heart of the crisis, but also urged restraint and said those responsible for violence in Ukraine must be held accountable.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, is due in Kiev on Tuesday.

Ukraine has made an effort to move toward Western ideals when it comes to politics and human rights, but the nation is still ranked 144 out of 177 countries in Transparency International's corruption index.

The Ukrainians who have taken to the streets say they want to see a better governed, less corrupt and politically liberal country, more closely aligned with its western neighbors.

Ukraine's economy has been slow to follow its western neighbors that were also under Soviet control -- Poland, for example, where the economy has grown exponentially.

Many Ukrainians hope that an EU deal would offer the chance of economic recovery.

How does this affect the United States?

The United States has been among the Western governments calling for an end to the violence and a solution through political dialogue -- but some say it has not been the most vocal.

Washington has released several statements voicing concern about the crisis, and top officials have spoken on the phone to Kiev.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Yanukovych on Monday night to reiterate American support for "a peaceful, political solution to the crisis," the White House said.

In December, U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has been critical of Ukrainian authorities' use of force against demonstrators, and Sen. Christopher Murphy traveled to Kiev and met with the protesters.

"The U.S. seems to be treading carefully to avoid getting crosswise with Russia at a moment when Moscow's support is critical for what the U.S. is trying to do on Syria and Iran," said Jeffrey Mankoff, deputy director and fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Russia and Eurasia Program.

"It's wise for the U.S. to avoid making Ukraine into a bellwether for relations with Russia, and for encouraging both sides in Kiev to seek a negotiated settlement, but some of the Europeans are already unhappy at what they see as a lack of U.S. leadership ion this issue."

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Ukraine government resigns, parliament scraps anti-protest laws amid crisis

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his government Tuesday, amid a political crisis fired by violent protests on the country's streets.

Azarov and his Cabinet will continue in their roles until a new government is formed, a notice on the presidential website said.

Yanukovych's announcement comes only hours after Azarov submitted his resignation and as the national parliament meets in a special session aimed at ending the crisis.

In a first step, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to repeal sweeping anti-protest laws whose passage this month angered anti-government demonstrators.

A protester stands on top of barricades in Ukraine's capital of Kiev on Tuesday, January 28. Long-running demonstrations escalated into violent confrontations this month, with police and protesters fighting in Kiev's icy streets.

Ukraine protests turn deadly

HIDE CAPTION

Photos: Ukraine protests turn deadly

Ruslana to Yanukovych: You're a dictator

Ukraine MP: We see hand of Putin at work

Anti-government protests grow in Ukraine

The special parliamentary session is now looking at legislation that might provide amnesty for more than 200 people arrested since the demonstrations began in late November.

But activists on the street have said that while they are pleased by the concessions, their fundamental grievances have yet to be addressed.

They want to see wide-ranging constitutional reform and a shake-up of the Ukrainian political system.

The controversial anti-protest laws were rammed through parliament on January 16 by a show of hands by members of Yanukovych's Party of Regions.

Anger about the legislation escalated long-running anti-government protests into violent confrontations, with police and protesters fighting pitched battles in the icy streets of Ukraine's capital, Kiev.

As the crisis has deepened, Yanukovych's government has come under increasing pressure both internally and from Western governments concerned about an apparent bid to limit people's democratic rights.

Vitali Klitschko, leader of the opposition Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms party, or UDAR, told reporters at parliament that the repeal of the anti-protest laws was a small but very important step.

Much remains to be done, he said, according to his party's website. "Today, we still have to consider a very important issue on the amnesty and release of all detained demonstrators," he said.

"It is also crucial to address the question of the constitutional reform, which will divide powers between a President, a Prime Minister and the Parliament."

In a statement posted on the government's website, Azarov said that by quitting he intended to "create more opportunities for social and political compromise for a peaceful settlement of the conflict."

That conflict "is a threat to the entire Ukrainian society and every citizen," he said, adding that the government was doing all it could to prevent bloodshed.

It will probably take more than Azarov's departure to satisfy the demands of hardy protesters who, despite the bitter cold and threat of violence, have massed in and around central Kiev's Independence Square, or Maidan, to demand Yanukovych's ouster and new elections.

In recent days, protests have also spread to other cities around the country.

Yatsenyuk: 'Shameful practice'

Protests continue as dead are honored

Ukraine protests spread east

Ukraine opposition rejects offer

Azarov's resignation may have been a case of jumping before he was pushed.

He was widely expected to face a vote of no confidence in his government at the special parliamentary session, and his post had already been offered to an opposition leader.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who heads the Fatherland Party, refused Yanukovych's offer to be prime minister, but Azarov's position was made almost untenable.

Speaking in parliament Tuesday, Yatsenyuk urged the President to sign the law repealing the anti-protest legislation as soon as possible, according to the official Ukrinform news agency.

"I'm asking Viktor Yanukovych to immediately sign a law for which the parliament has just voted," he said. "We have finally closed the shameful practice of voting by a show of hands and abolished those laws against which the whole of Ukraine rebelled."

Fatherland is also the party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been imprisoned since 2010 on charges the United States and Europe have called politically motivated. In a statement Monday evening, she called on the opposition to remain firm.

State of emergency threatened

Another round of talks was held Monday between the government and the opposition as they sought a resolution to the crisis.

Justice Minister Olena Lukash said late Monday that the anti-protest laws passed on January 16 would be repealed and the protesters who occupied her ministry would receive amnesty -- as long as they cleared out of "all seized premises and roads."

Anti-government demonstrators had seized the Justice Ministry building Sunday night but cleared out Monday after Lukash threatened to impose a state of emergency.

Opposition spokeswoman Lesya Orobets warned that such a step could lead to the use of military units to suppress protests.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who is expected to arrive late Tuesday in Kiev in a bid to defuse the crisis, also urged Ukraine's leaders not to impose a state of emergency.

The move "would trigger a further downward spiral for Ukraine, which would benefit no one," she said in a written statement late Monday.

"What is urgently needed is a genuine dialogue to build a new consensus on the way forward," Ashton said. "I hope that the Ukrainian parliament will set a clear path during tomorrow's session towards a political solution."

Ashton will travel to Kiev after attending a long-planned "Russia summit" in Brussels, Belgium, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, her spokesman, Michael Mann, said Tuesday.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy are also taking part in the summit. It's expected to last about 2½ hours, shorter than originally planned, Mann said.

There have been tensions between Russia and the European Union over developments in Ukraine, with each side accusing the other of interference.

Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, is home to 45 million people. The clashes over the past 10 days are an escalation of weeks of largely peaceful public protests prompted by Yanukovych's decision in November to spurn a planned trade deal with the European Union and turn toward Russia instead.

The mass protests have galvanized the opposition parties challenging Yanukovych and his government.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Yanukovych on Monday night to reiterate American support for "a peaceful, political solution to the crisis," the White House said.