Latest news with #Nema
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
At least 115 dead after floods in central Nigeria
Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year in Nigeria. (EPA Images pic) MOKWA : Flash floods that ripped through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 115 people and injured dozens of others, emergency services officials said yesterday, with the toll expected to rise further. Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents after torrential rains late on Wednesday through early Thursday washed away and submerged dozens of homes in and around the town of Mokwa, located on the banks of Niger River, in Niger state. 'We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger,' Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger state emergency management agency, told AFP. 'Downstream, bodies are still being recovered. So, the toll keeps rising.' He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members have been accounted for. 'Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes,' he said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses from under the rubble. At least 78 people have been hospitalised with injuries, the Red Cross chief for the state, Gideon Adamu, told AFP. According to the Daily Trust newspaper, thousands of people have been displaced and more than 50 children in an Islamic school were reported missing. The national emergency management agency (Nema) described it as an 'unprecedented flood'. The police and military have been roped in to help with the disaster response. An AFP journalist in Mokwa, more than 300km east of the capital Abuja, saw emergency services conducting search and rescue operations with residents going through the rubble of flattened buildings as flood waters flowed alongside. 'We lost everything' Local media reported that more than 5,000 people have been left homeless, while the Red Cross said two major bridges in the town were torn apart. Displaced children played in the flood waters, heightening the possibility of exposure to water-borne diseases as at least two bodies lay covered in banana leaves and printed ankara cloth. An emotional woman in a maroon headscarf sat with tears dripping down her face. Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters: 'We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything.' Fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, said he slept rough in a car park. 'I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,' he said. Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, 50, a yam vendor, said: 'I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops.' 'I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction,' she said. Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the West African country. Scientists have also warned that climate change is already fuelling more extreme weather patterns. In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels. 'This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear,' said Nema in a statement. The Nigerian meteorological agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and yesterday. In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to Nema.
Local France
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local France
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. Universal jurisdiction His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Advertisement Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known as Jaish al-Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
A French court on Wednesday jailed a former Syrian Islamist rebel spokesman to 10 years for his role in atrocities committed in Syria's civil war in the country's first universal justice case. Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. - Universal jurisdiction - His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known as Jaish al-Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue. edy/cal/giv/tw
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
A French court has jailed a former Syrian rebel for war crimes
A French court on Wednesday, May 28, jailed a former Syrian Islamist rebel to 10 years for his role in atrocities committed in Syria's civil war in the country's first universal justice case. Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes − specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18 − and of helping to prepare war crimes. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he traveled to the country on a student exchange program. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under the universal jurisdiction. Nema − better known by his nom de guerre of Islam Alloush − told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only played a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorizing civilians in areas it controlled.
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. Universal jurisdiction His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known as Jaish al-Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue.
