Latest news with #Yambio
Zawya
5 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
Peacekeepers and communities unite for an environmental clean-up campaign in Yambio
The market is the place to be in Yambio. It is a bustling hub of activity, with shopkeepers loudly selling their wares, people gathering to gossip, music blaring from roadside tea shops, and children playing with their friends. But this thriving heart of the community was in danger of being overwhelmed by a mountain of stinking garbage. Thousands of plastic bottles and bags, rotten food, cans, old car tires and even rusted old bicycles littered the wide dirt streets, creating, not only an eyesore, but a serious health hazard. In the build-up to World Environment Day, peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) joined forces with community members to tackle this mounting challenge. With gloves protecting their hands and determination in their eyes, they methodically collected pieces of garbage, making large piles, which were then removed by UNMISS bulldozers to be properly disposed of. 'To achieve peace, we need to start with a clean slate. One part of this is each of us taking individual responsibility to create clean environments that will foster clean relationships: between partners, family members, neighbors and, consequently, the whole country,' said Rotto Anibiapai Enock, Azande Kingdom Minister of Culture. The failure to deal with this problem, which has been building up for years, had created poor hygiene and sanitation, even more dangerous at a time when cholera is running rife through communities. It had also increased the risk of severe flooding during the rainy season due to drains being clogged with junk. Yambio Municipality Mayor, Singira Robert, stressed the urgency of the clean-up project, stating that local authorities and the community 'would like to use this initiative as an opportunity to create a long-term habit.' At a time, when communities in Yambio are, not only facing environmental and health challenges, but also tensions and conflict between different groups, this initiative had an impact far beyond its original intent. It brought diverse, and sometimes feuding, communities together with a common sense of purpose and united by a shared desire to restore the Western Equatorian region's reputation as the 'breadbasket' of South Sudan, known for its lush and fertile climate. For the peacekeepers, it was also about building trust and confidence with those they serve. 'This exercise was, not only crucial to help residents overcome hazards and challenges posed by poor sanitation and hygiene, but it also allowed us to further connect and strengthen our bonds with the local population,' said UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer, Emmanuel Dukundane. 'We are committed to continuing to support the Western Equatoria population and authorities with replicating and sustaining these efforts.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Zawya
03-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Peace begins with partnerships as Western Equatorians unite on the International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers
As the sun sets on a week-long build-up to the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, hundreds of people gather at Freedom Square in Yambio, Western Equatoria. Some belong to local women's groups, others are civil society activists, and most are community members supporting efforts to empower women and advocate for gender equality and peace. Under the theme, 'Peace Begins with Me', the event kicked off with a friendly female football match between United Nations peacekeepers and local women, including those serving in security forces. The crowd also enjoyed traditional dances, comedy, and other musical performances which encouraged those present to celebrate their diversity while embracing unity. The importance of partnerships between the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, local authorities and other stakeholders was also emphasized. 'We have seen the presence of peacekeepers for over 10 years. We worked together, we fought together, to ensure that relative peace comes to Tambura. We stand with you to work for peace,' says Western Equatoria, Acting Governor, James Severino. The participants focused on the importance of de-escalating tensions and promoting peace in the conflict-prone area, which has been heavily impacted by military confrontations between forces aligned with the main parties to the peace agreement as well as intercommunal conflict. UNMISS is continuing all efforts to prevent the country from relapsing back into civil war, to preserve and progress the peace agreement, and build sustainable peace so that free, fair, and credible elections can take place. 'We have worked hard together and collaborated in greater Tambura, the eastern counties of the State and here in Yambio to protect civilians and create a safe environment for community dialogue,' said UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer, Emmanuel Dukundane. 'We are committed to continuing to strengthen our partnership to deliver sustainable peace across the State.' Local partners also paid their respects to the peacekeepers serving with UNMISS, who lost their lives while serving the cause of peace in South Sudan over the past year. 'Our brothers and sisters, the peacekeepers, have laid down their lives for the sake of peace,' said Western Equatoria Legislative Assembly Speaker, Wakila Charles. 'Ask yourself, am I in peace in my home? As Members of Parliament, as a leader, we are representing our community. If peace starts with me, that means my home will be peaceful, my community, and the State.' As South Sudan continues to experience political instability and a deteriorating security situation, communities in Western Equatoria remain hopeful that, together, they can lay the foundations for a peaceful and prosperous future. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Middle East Eye
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Alleged US plans to deport people to Libya 'inhuman,' rights groups say
Human rights defender David Yambio recalls his time in Libya as one of 'perpetual fear'. Yambio fled Sudan in 2016 after he was forcibly recruited as a child soldier, and wound up in a series of detention centres and prisons in Libya. 'I was tortured, I was enslaved. I saw an enormous level of violence that I cannot describe,' he told Middle East Eye. He managed to escape and cross the central Mediterranean to Europe, and has since painstakingly documented abuses against refugees in Libya through his organisation Refugees in Libya. The news that US President Donald Trump is seeking to deport migrant people to Libya left him 'deeply troubled'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters CNN has reported that Trump officials discussed with a Libyan delegation the possibility of sending non-nationals with criminal records to the country. One source said that administration officials are also seeking to strike a formal 'safe country' agreement with Libya which would allow the US to send asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya to process their claims. 'As someone who has lived through this harsh reality of life in Libya, and the fact that I work every single day to address the ongoing crisis there, what I can say with certainty is that it's a dangerous, unacceptable and inhuman proposal,' Yambio said. 'Libya has never been a safe place for migrants, and I don't see it in any foreseeable future. The number of abuses we're documenting against migrants, refugees and Libyans is enormous,' he told MEE. Giulia Messmer, a spokesperson for the monitor Sea-Watch, said the move is 'tantamount to condemning refugees to a violent cycle of torture, slavery and sexual violence.' According to the report, no final agreement has been struck, and it is currently unclear which nationalities would be eligible for deportation. A State Department spokesperson and a Libyan official denied that deportations were discussed at the meeting. 'The most vile people on earth' During his election campaign, Trump pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in US history, and has deported and detained thousands of people since taking office. In January, he signed an executive order instructing officials to facilitate international agreements that would enable the US to deport migrant people. 'Libya has never been a safe place for migrants... The number of abuses we're documenting against migrants, refugees and Libyans is enormous' - David Yambio, co-founder of Refugees in Libya Since then, his administration has reportedly struck deals with a number of central American countries including El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, and is pushing to expand the list. His administration is also reportedly also seeking a deal with Rwanda, which will see the country accept individuals with criminal records who have already served sentences in the US. Under the agreement, the deportees would be integrated into Rwandan society. In March, a refugee from Iraq, Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, was deported from the US to Rwanda. Also in March, the US deported 200 Venezuelan men, whom it claimed were gang members, to an El Salvadoran mega prison, Cecot, shortly after the countries struck a $6m deal for El Salvador to detain around 300 migrants at the prison for one year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a US Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the administration is 'actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries'. 'We're working with nations to ask: would you take in some of the most vile people on Earth as a favour to us? The farther they are from America, the better - so they can't come back across the border,' he added. Continuous abuse Rights groups have long documented abuses perpetrated against thousands of people who arrive in Libya in the hope of boarding a boat to Europe and are abducted by traffickers and held to ransom. Libya is a key transit country for thousands of refugees, often from Sub-Saharan Africa, with 760,000 estimated to have arrived in the country as of July 2024. There, they are subjected to prolonged arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced labour and financial extortion, at the hands of both smuggling gangs and state actors. The Libyan Coast Guard, which is trained and equipped by the European Union and member states, has long intercepted refugees attempting to cross the central Mediterranean and sent them to unofficial detention centres. Libya: Video reveals young Ethiopian woman being tortured for ransom Read More » 'What we are documenting is continuous human trafficking of migrants but also continuous abuse,' Yambio said. 'We are speaking about innumerable human trafficking hubs that belong to people who are affiliated either with the Ministry of Interior or with the government itself. This is the huge chain of human trafficking,' he added. According to a recent report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), refugees in the country are stripped of protections, which prevents them from accessing healthcare. The NGO warned that the lack of healthcare access for refugees risked worsening the trauma and injuries they had sustained in detention. In April, the Libyan authorities accused aid groups - including MSF and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR - of plotting to 'change the demographic composition of the country,' ordering several to shutter their offices. In mid-March, MSF was forced to wind down its operations in the country, citing a campaign of harassment targeting its staff. Yambio highlighted that the potential deal with the US would grant yet more impunity to those committing abuses. Rights groups have repeatedly highlighted the role of EU funding and support in perpetuating abuses against people on the move in Libya. A UN fact-finding mission in March 2023 concluded that the EU had 'aided and abetted' Libyan authorities' crimes against migrants, through its bolstering of the Libyan Coast Guard and funding of Libyan border management programmes.
The Guardian
19-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Italian activist alerts ICC to spyware attack when in communication with court
A prominent activist in Italy has warned the international criminal court (ICC) that his mobile phone was under surveillance when he was providing the ICC with confidential information about victims of torture in Libya. A report released on Wednesday by The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which tracks digital surveillance of members of civil society, has confirmed that David Yambio, the founder of an organisation called Refugees in Libya, was targeted by mercenary spyware. The attack occurred at a time when he was in communication with The Hague, he said. At least one attack took place around June 2024, researchers said. In a statement to the Guardian, Yambio said he alerted the ICC to the attack after it had been confirmed and urged members of the court to have their phones checked for spyware. The ICC's office of the prosecutor said it would not comment on matters related to 'ongoing investigations'. The revelation raises questions about whether a government agency with access to military-grade spyware may have been seeking to interfere with ICC proceedings by keeping tabs on individuals who have access to and advocate on behalf of victims of torture. It will probably put pressure on Giorgia Meloni, who has faced questions about the use of spyware in her government since revelations emerged in January that a handful of Italian activists and journalists had received warnings from WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Meta, that their phones had been targeted by spyware. Meloni's government has been heavily criticised after authorities in Italy released a Libyan citizen wanted by the ICC for war crimes who had been arrested in Rome. Osama Najim, who is known as Almasri, is the director of a detention centre in Mitiga in Tripoli, which has been condemned by human rights organisations for its arbitrary detention, torture and abuse of political dissidents, migrants and refugees. The Citizen Lab report has confirmed that several activists and associates of Yambio, including two personal friends of Pope Francis, were targeted by hacking software that is supposed to be used against targets in terrorism investigations and other serious crime. Researchers have not yet been able to determine the exact kind of spyware used against Yambio, but are continuing their investigation. But they were able to confirm that the hacking software used against other activists was made by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli surveillance technology company that is now owned by a US financial investor. The researchers included Luca Casarini and Giuseppe Caccia, the two founders of an NGO that tries to protect migrants who are crossing the Mediterranean. The researchers said: 'We forensically analysed multiple Android phones belonging to Paragon targets in Italy [an acknowledged Paragon user] who were notified by WhatsApp. We found clear indications that spyware had been loaded into WhatsApp, as well as other apps on their devices.' The Italian government has acknowledged it was a client of Paragon but has denied it was behind a spate of surveillance attacks against a journalist and several activists. Paragon has since suspended its contract with Italy because, according to a a person close to the matter, of a failure to abide by Paragon rules that forbid spyware to be used against journalists or other members of civil society. WhatsApp first revealed in January that 90 of its users, including civil society members and journalists, had been the target of government clients of Paragon. When it is successfully deployed, Paragon's spyware, which is called Graphite, can hack into any phone and access a user's messages and listen to mobile phone conversations, including those held over encrypted apps such as WhatsApp or Signal. Yambio was first notified by Apple of a possible attack in November and his mobile phone was subsequently examined by experts at Cyber Hub-AM and The Citizen Lab. Forensic details of the researchers' investigation was then shared for further analysis with Apple, which said in a statement that attacks like the one used against Yambio were 'extremely sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop … and are used to target specific individuals because of who they are or what they do'. Apple also confirmed it had developed and deployed 'a fix' to the security flaw that had been exploited to attack Yambio, and that the fix was released in its iOS 18 to protect iPhone users. The Citizen Lab researchers said its investigation found a number of other countries appeared to be clients of Paragon, including: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Cyprus, Singapore and Israel. No other details about the alleged relationship of those countries with Paragon were revealed in the report. John Scott-Railton, a senior Citzen Lab researcher, said the emergence of fresh information about Paragon clients ought to raise questions about who is running the deployment of spyware, what is being done with information that is gathered, and whether the use of the spyware is aligned with domestic laws. John Fleming, the executive chair of Paragon US, said in a statement: 'Paragon has been contacted by Citizen Lab and provided with a very limited amount of information, some of which appears to be inaccurate. Given the limited nature of the information provided, we are unable to offer a comment at this time.' The company, which has previously agreed a contract with US immigration authorities, also said it requires all users to adhere to terms and conditions that 'preclude the illicit targeting of journalists and other civil society leaders'. Fleming said: 'While we are not able to discuss individual customers, we have a zero-tolerance policy for violations of our terms of service.' Hannah Neumann, an MEP who investigated the abuse of spyware inside the EU, said in a statement that spyware abuse continues in Europe, and follows a similar pattern. She said: 'We have seen this pattern before – denial, deflection, and ultimately, no justice for the victims. It is Groundhog Day for spyware abuse, and unless we fix the loopholes in regulation and strengthen victim protection, these violations will continue unchecked. We need strong European rules and accountability measures to stop this cycle once and for all.'
Al Jazeera
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘I saw him kill people:' Libya and Italy's shadowy migrant deals
Libya's Chief of Judicial Police, Osama 'Al Masri' Njeem, returned to Libya on an Italian government plane after his arrest in Italy on January 19 on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. His release two days later was for what the Italian government said on Wednesday were 'inaccuracies' in the warrant. Njeem is accused by the ICC of crimes committed in his role overseeing the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a network of detention centres run by the government-backed Special Defence Force (SDF). Amnesty International identifies Njeem as a 'long-term member of Tripoli-based militia the Deterrence Apparatus for Combatting Terrorism and Organised Crime (DACTO)', one of several militias the internationally recognised Tripoli government relies on, and absorbs, to project power across the western parts of Libya, which it nominally controls. The rights group 'has long documented horrific violations committed with total impunity at the Mitiga prison in Tripoli, under the control of DACTO', and says there is 'no prospect of domestic accountability in Libya of powerful commanders of militias'. Al Jazeera has spoken to two people who were held in prisons overseen by Njeem about the atrocities they witnessed. 'I saw him commit war crimes. I saw him kill people,' David Yambio, president of the NGO Refugees in Libya, said. The accusations against Njeem are numerous, ranging from murder to torture and people trafficking. His release has been condemned as 'outrageous' by rights groups and 'hypocritical' by leading political figures within Italy. Shortly after Njeem was returned to Libya, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told the Italian senate he had been released, rather than handed over to prosecutors from the ICC, 'in view of the danger [he] posed [to Italian society]'. A little more than a week later, the justice minister announced that the release had been on a legal technicality. Njeem is said by the ICC to control several prison facilities in Tripoli, including that at Mitiga, Ain Zara and al-Jadida, 'where thousands of persons were detained for prolonged periods'. According to the ICC, Njeem 'is suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 onwards'. The human cost Yambio, now 27, arrived in southern Libya in December 2018 after a long journey from his native South Sudan – where he had been forced to fight as a child soldier – through Africa and eventually to Libya. After capture, torture and eventual escape, Yambio, along with dozens of other people, was trying to flee for Europe in November 2019 when he was captured by the Libyan Coastguard – itself largely funded by the Italian government - and bundled into a detention facility at Triq al-Sika. Yambio says he was 'sold' into a network of prisons operated by Njeem and the Judicial Police in December 2019, initially held in the sprawling facility at al-Jadida in Tripoli. Yambio described terrible conditions at al-Jadida, including beatings and ill-treatment, adding he was corralled into a prisoner slave army and forced to work on construction sites for the benefit of his captors. But worst of all was when Njeem was there, he said, adding that everyone at al-Jadida knew who Njeem was. 'Every two days they would line us up in our thousands [for a head count] and, when he would visit, al-Masri would walk down the line, picking out people to beat, either with a metal tube or with the handle of his pistol. Sometimes he would enter the cells where people were sleeping and beat them with a metal or plastic pipe.' 'I saw him kill people' In March 2020, months into an assault on Tripoli and the western government by eastern-based renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, Yambio was transferred to the combined prison, military base and airfield at Mitiga, near Tripoli. The abuse meted out at Mitiga has been reported on by rights groups, including Amnesty , which described the 'horrific violations committed with total impunity at the Mitiga prison', such as 'torture and other ill-treatment, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and other crimes under international law'. 'Conditions were very, very bad,' 33-year-old Lam Magok, also from South Sudan, told Al Jazeera of his time alongside Yambio at al-Jadida and Mitiga. The two had met at al-Jadida, thrown together in the same prison ward and bound together, Yambio said, by their shared ill fortune. 'We would stay up at night talking,' Yambio recalled, 'recalling our home and the country that had forsaken us.' In March, Yambio was selected with some others to be transferred to Mitiga to fight in one of Njeem's fighter groups. Magok, not realising that he would eventually follow in April, pressed some paper into Yambio's hand. On it were the numbers of an activist and a journalist, with details of his legal asylum status, and the contact details of his uncle with a plea that, should he ever get the chance, Yambio at least try and tell his family that Magok was alive. 'If heaven permits, find them. Tell them I'm alive,' Yambio recalled him saying. While Magok was spared the fighting, conditions for him at Mitiga were no less severe. 'Every second day, they would call us for a [head] count,' he said, the smile in his voice at odds with the brutality he recalled. 'They would make us kneel and then beat us… If you did something they didn't like, they would take you away, lock you in a room and torture you.' Killings were not unknown, he added. 'We were held with Libyans and [foreign] migrants, but it was always migrants who were sent to clean up the rooms. They would be told to put the body in a bag and carry it to the ambulance. It was bad.' Magok was forced to work in the military stores, loading ammunition onto vehicles, while Yambio says he was sent daily to the nearby front line where he was made to fight alongside other migrants, Libyan groups and Turkish and Syrian forces to repel Haftar's forces. 'We were used to carry munitions as well as fire the howitzers. I still have tinnitus. Conditions were really bad. There were prisoners, Libyans and migrants forced into holes in the ground,' he said, describing the underground cells at Mitiga where the smell of the sick and the dying would catch on him and follow him through the day. 'We watched them being escorted into the interrogation rooms, where they would be beaten, electroshocked, have their fingers cut off, or forced into barrels of water and held under,' he said of the methods being used against both Libyan and migrant prisoners at Mitiga. 'Al-Masri was a brutal person. When people knew he was coming, they would panic. I sometimes wondered if he was on drugs, but he wasn't. That was just who he was. He was purely evil. 'I saw him kill people,' Yambio added flatly. 'One time, two people tried to escape … Mitiga. Al-Masri had us line up as he shot one. I had the blood on my body. Another time, someone had given the people working the howitzer the wrong drone coordinates. Al-Masri killed him. 'It was wretched and cruel beyond description.' Yambio's account is supported by other reports from prisoners, one of whom told Italian state television in January that he had witnessed Njeem kill prisoners 'to frighten the people inside. He kills a few people inside. Even using his hands. I saw this,' he claimed, 'more than once.' Two young men, the man said, were killed in this manner in front of him by Njeem. Al Jazeera contacted both Libya's Ministry of Justice and its Judicial Police for comment on the points raised in this article and the accusations against Njeem. Neither has responded by the time of publication. Blowback Releasing Njeem provoked anger across Italy's political establishment. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told senators: 'The prime minister said she wants to hunt traffickers all over the world. Yesterday she had one … and you released him and sent him back to Tripoli on a government plane. 'Is it just me who thinks this is crazy or is this the behaviour of a hypocritical and indecent government?' Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later revealed she is under judicial investigation over her role in Njeem's release. 'What was true yesterday is true today: I cannot be blackmailed and I will not be intimidated. Let's move forward with our heads held high!' Giorgia Meloni, Twitter Meloni's office has been contacted about the points raised in this article but has not responded by the time of publication. 'It is outrageous that Italian authorities fully disregarded an [ICC] warrant in deciding to free Osama el-Masry,' Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch told Al Jazeera. He noted other examples of Italy flouting international norms, such as its announcement that it would not enforce an ICC warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Njeem is the second Libyan accused of crimes to be set free by Italian authorities within six months. In August last year, Khalifa Haftar's son Saddam – who met with senior Italian diplomats to discuss security, economic cooperation and migration at least four times last year – was briefly detained by Italian border authorities who questioned him concerning an arrest warrant issued by Spain for allegations of weapons smuggling. Both Haftars have faced allegations from media outlets and rights groups, including Amnesty, of involvement in the kidnapping, torture, trafficking and extortion of migrants. An August 2023 investigation by Al Jazeera and partners showed the Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade, led by Saddam Haftar since its emergence in 2016, was tied to 'a catalogue of horrors including unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearance, rape and forced displacement'. Alongside the brigade's pullbacks and subsequent exploitation of people seeking shelter in Europe, Al Jazeera documented a series of high-level meetings between the Haftar regime in eastern Libya and European leaders, including Italy, aimed at limiting the number of people trying to reach safety. Italy's migration obsession 'Migration has been a big issue in Italy for years,' Hamza Meddeb of the Carnegie Middle East Center, who has written extensively on the subject, told Al Jazeera. 'Meloni has played this card really well. She's used her position to give legitimacy to the militias and governments in Libya, as well as that of Tunisia's [President] Kais Saied – who would otherwise be completely shunned by the West – without asking them for change or reform,' he said. Libya's neighbour is also a key departure point for irregular migration. In the 2022 election - against a background of some 105,000 irregular arrivals that year – Meloni and her hard-right Brothers of Italy party campaigned on undocumented migration, promising to deliver a 'solution' that countless politicians before them had not. Meloni used her inaugural speech to announce the revival of the Mattei Plan, first suggested by the leader of the national electricity company in the 1950s. Mattei would see Italy partnering with African states on energy development in return for them helping curb migration. Meloni is not the first Italian leader accused of ignoring credible allegations of abuse by partner organisations in her determination to stop asylum seekers from reaching Italy at all costs. Italy contributes undisclosed sums to support Libya's Coast Guard, which is routinely accused of human rights abuses, as well as the facilities where irregular migrants are held. 'There is no way that the Italian government can say it does not know about the murder, abuse and terrorism it is supporting,' Yambio said. 'I say terrorism deliberately because that's what it is. It's terror against migrants.' Yambio escaped Mitiga in April 2020, making his way to Italy where he was granted asylum. Magok escaped to Italy in December of the same year. Both now work to campaign for the rights of refugees and irregular migrants.
