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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Burkina Faso junta declares UN coordinator persona non grata over child rights report
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The military junta in Burkina Faso on Monday declared the United Nations resident coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak as 'persona non grata' over an official U.N. report that accused jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children. In a statement, the government accused Flore-Smereczniak of participating in the preparation of the report — titled Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso — which it says is 'without evidence or supporting documentation' and that conveyed 'serious and false information.'
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Burkina Faso junta declares UN coordinator persona non grata over child rights report
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The military junta in Burkina Faso on Monday declared the United Nations resident coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak as 'persona non grata' over an official U.N. report that accused jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children. In a statement, the government accused Flore-Smereczniak of participating in the preparation of the report — titled Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso — which it says is 'without evidence or supporting documentation' and that conveyed 'serious and false information.' The U.N. has been approached for comment. The report was published in April and accused both jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children, including their recruitment as soldiers, sexual abuses and attacks on hospitals and schools. Covering the period between July 2022 and June 2024, it said 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children had been verified, including some children who were victims of multiple violations Flore-Smereczniak was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in July 2024 as the organization's resident coordinator in Burkina Faso as well as the humanitarian coordinator. In a statement at the time, the U.N. said the appointment had been made 'with the host Government's approval.' Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. But the security situation in the Sahel has worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed both by Islamic militants and government forces. In 2023, the head of the U.N.'s human rights office called for an investigation into the killings of at least 28 people, which local human rights groups blamed on volunteer militias supporting Burkina Faso's army.
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Zelenskyy and Trump set to meet at White House today
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia. The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they're looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. By arriving as a group, they hope to avoid any debacles like Zelenskyy's February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for American military aid. The meeting also is a test of America's relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and the United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Monday's showing is a sign of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Alaska meeting as many of Europe's leaders descend on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine's interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force. 'It's important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe,' Zelenskyy said on X. The night before the meeting, however, Trump seemed to put the onus on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions and suggested Ukraine couldn't regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump wrote on social media. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!' Zelenskyy appeared to respond with his own post, saying, 'We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.' He went on to say that 'peace must be lasting,' not as it was after Russia seized Crimea and part of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, and 'Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.' The sitdown in Alaska yielded the possible contours for stopping the war in Ukraine, though it was unclear whether the terms discussed would ultimately be acceptable to Zelenskyy or Putin. Upon arrival in Washington, Zelenskyy said in another social media post: 'We all equally want to end this war quickly and reliably.' He expressed hope that together with the U.S. and European countries Ukraine will be able to force Russia to 'true peace.' European heavyweights in Washington Planning to join Zelenskyy in America's capital are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump's team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack. Trump briefed Zelenskyy and European allies shortly after the Putin meeting, and details from the discussions emerged in a scattershot way that seemed to rankle the Republican U.S. president, who had chosen not to outline any terms when appearing afterward with Putin. 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,' Trump posted online Sunday. The president also bemoaned media coverage of his summit with Putin, saying on Truth Social: 'I had a great meeting in Alaska.' Following the Alaska summit, Trump declared a ceasefire was unnecessary for peace talks to proceed, a shift to a position favoured by Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday a ceasefire was still possible but 'the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal.' 'A very big move' European officials confirmed Trump told them Putin is still seeking control of the entire Donbas region, even though Ukraine controls a meaningful share of it. And Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. and its allies could offer Ukraine a NATO-like commitment to defend the country if it came under attack as the possible security guarantee. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners who are coming in from overseas,' Rubio told NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Rubio said on Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures' such a commitment 'would be a very big move' by Trump. He expects the delegations will 'spend six, seven hours talking about these things, maybe more, and try to get to a point where we have something more concrete.' Monday's meeting will likely be very tough for Zelenskyy, an official close to the ongoing talks said. That official spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak openly about thinking within Ukraine and between allies. Zelenskyy needs to prevent a scenario in which he gets blamed for blocking peace talks by rejecting Putin's maximalist demand on the Donbas, the official said. It's a demand Zelenskyy has said many times he'll never accept because it's unconstitutional and could create a launching pad for future Russian attacks. If confronted with pressure to accept Putin's demands, Zelenskyy would likely have to revert to a skill he has demonstrated time and again: diplomatic tact. Ukrainian leadership is seeking a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin to discuss sensitive matters, including territorial issues. Trump's ambition to end the war After enduring a public tirade by Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, Zelenskyy worked to repair relations with the U.S. Constant diplomatic communication and a 15-minute meeting at the Vatican in April on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral helped turn the tide. Trump appeared at the time to be swayed by Zelenskyy's conditions for peace. But Trump says he cares primarily about ending the war, an ambition that led him after his meeting with Putin to discard the need for a ceasefire. European allies also have worked with Trump, reaching a deal in July for NATO allies to buy weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine. Ahead of Monday's meeting, Macron stressed the importance of building up Ukraine's military and the need to show Putin that Europe interprets his moves as a threat to other nations. 'If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too,' Macron said. Russia continues attacks on Ukraine In the meantime, the Russian forces continued pounding Ukraine with missiles and drones. A Russian drone strike late Sunday on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killed seven civilians. The strike also injured 20 people, authorities said. Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region. In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed. ___ Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, Illia Novikov in Kyiv and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
