Why is violence by Boko Haram and ISIL rising again in Nigeria?

Renewed violence by armed groups Boko Haram and ISIL (ISIS) has forced thousands of people to leave their homes in Nigeria.
Despite repeated government pledges, the military has been unable to end the unrest.
So why is it continuing – and what threats does it pose?
Presenter:
Elizabeth Puranam
Guests:
Kabir Adamu – Managing director at Beacon Security and Intelligence in Abuja
David Otto – Deputy director of counterterrorism training at the International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Ovigwe Eguegu – Peace and security policy analyst at Development Reimagined in Abuja

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N Ireland hit by third night of ‘racist' violence, main flashpoint calmer

Al Jazeera

20 hours ago

Al Jazeera

N Ireland hit by third night of ‘racist' violence, main flashpoint calmer

Riots have erupted for a third consecutive night in Northern Ireland, with police condemning the violence as 'racist thuggery' that erupted following an alleged sexual assault. A few dozen masked rioters in the primary flashpoint of Ballymena attacked police, but the unrest was on a smaller scale in the town on Wednesday night compared with previous days. Youths threw rocks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at officers in riot gear as armoured vehicles blocked roads in the town. Police also deployed water cannon for the second night in a row, but the clashes were far smaller than the previous nights, when five people were arrested and more than 30 police officers were injured. Much of the crowd had left the streets before midnight. Small pockets of violence also erupted in the town of Larne, located 30km (18 miles) west of Ballymena, where masked youths smashed the windows of a leisure centre before starting fires in the lobby, footage widely shared on social media showed. Gordon Lyons, the communities minister in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, had earlier said a number of people seeking refuge from the anti-immigrant violence in Ballymena had been temporarily moved to the leisure centre. Lyons's post drew sharp criticism from other political parties for identifying the location where the families had taken shelter. Youths also set fires at a roundabout in the town of Newtownabbey, according to police, while debris was also set alight at a barricade in the town of Coleraine. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he 'utterly condemns' the violence which had left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances. Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly appeared together on Wednesday to voice their condemnation. O'Neill told reporters in Belfast: 'It's pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up' while Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as 'unacceptable thuggery'. Violence initially flared on Monday in Ballymena – a town of 30,000 people located 44km (28 miles) from the capital Belfast with a relatively large migrant population – after a peaceful vigil was held for a teenage girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault on Saturday. Two 14-year-old boys accused of carrying out the attack appeared in court on Monday. Communicating in court via a Romanian interpreter, the pair denied the charges, according to local media reports. Police said the trouble began when people in masks broke away from the vigil and began 'build[ing] barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties'. Tensions remained high throughout Tuesday, with residents saying 'foreigners' were being targeted. Two Filipino families fled their home in the town after their car was set on fire, the Reuters news agency reported. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned that the rioting 'risks undermining' the criminal justice process in the sexual assault allegations. Some Ballymena residents have begun marking their front doors to indicate their nationality to avoid attack, according to the Belfast Telegraph newspaper. Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson also said the violence was 'clearly racially motivated' and 'targeted at our minority ethnic community'.

Large protests in Colombia in support of President Petro's labour reforms

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Al Jazeera

Large protests in Colombia in support of President Petro's labour reforms

Protests have been held in Colombia as supporters of left-wing President Gustavo Petro express their support for his proposed labour reform, with the country rattled by an eruption of violence in the last week amid fears of a return to darker days of assassinations and bombings. Large numbers of people took to the streets of the capital, Bogota, and other cities across the country on Wednesday to express continued support for a referendum on the reform proposed by the president, even as the Senate debates an alternative bill. The protests come as Colombia is still reeling from bombing attacks in the southwest of the country that left seven dead and an attempted assassination on conservative opposition senator, and presidential hopeful, Miguel Uribe Turbay at a campaign rally in Bogota. In the city of Cali, Colombia's third largest and the centre of Tuesday's bombing attacks, 'there were calls to suspend these rallies' due to the recent bout of violence in the country, said Al Jazeera's Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Bogota. 'However, people decided to come out in the streets again in support of the government, rejecting the violence of the past days,' said Rampietti. Petro was in Cali on Wednesday morning to lead a security meeting with local authorities and the military following Tuesday's attacks. The president also said they would be investigating possible connections between the bombing attacks and the attempt on Uribe's life. The 15-year-old boy, who police believe was a 'sicario' or hitman working for money, is accused of trying to assassinate Uribe and was also charged with carrying a firearm. He was formally charged on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. The hospital treating the senator said Wednesday that 'after four days, they are finally seeing some neurological improvement, that he is now more stable but remains in critical condition,' said Rampietti. 'This has been the most optimistic report that we've seen since he's been brought to the hospital.' President Petro has expressed gratitude about Uribe's improving condition, Rampietti added. The bombing attack was likely caused by an armed group that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police. Petro also participated in the rallies in Cali, where he is expected to sign a presidential decree ordering the referendum vote. In the meantime, the country's Senate was debating a different text of the labour reform that Petro has criticised and labour unions say does not sufficiently advance workers' rights. Following the attack on Uribe, the Senate initially decided to suspend this week's sessions in his honour. However, it reversed that decision 24 hours later. The Senate is 'trying to bring it [the labour reform] to a vote' by Thursday, Rampietti added.

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Al Jazeera