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France 24
29 minutes ago
- France 24
NGOs caught between juntas and jihadists in turbulent Sahel
In the world terror epicentre, nearly 30 million people rely on humanitarian aid provided by non-governmental organisations and international bodies. "The need is mostly concentrated in the central Sahel" in junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger where assistance is critical to nearly 15 million people, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA. Since seizing power, the juntas have made sovereignty and the fight against jihadists their priority, leaving NGOs and organisations that receive funding from abroad under increased pressure. In Burkina Faso, 21 NGOs had their permits to operate in the country revoked in the space of just one month between June and July, for what the authorities said were administrative reasons. Ten other associations were suspended for three months. "It's a tough blow but we are working to comply with legal requirements. For now, our activities are suspended," a member of one of the associations told AFP. In neighbouring Mali, NGOs financed or supported by former colonial power France, with whom the junta has cut ties, have been suspended since 2022. The military-led authorities also plan to impose a 10-percent levy on funding for NGOs and associations to use for Mali's "economic, social, environmental and cultural development", according to a draft law seen by AFP. 'Subversion missions' Niger's junta has ordered NGOs to align their activities with its priorities, which it says are bolstering security, developing production centres to boost the economy and promoting good governance. In November, it withdrew the operating licences for French aid group Acted and a local association, Action for Wellbeing (ABPE). Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba declared two months later that "many NGOs" in Niger were carrying out "subversion missions" through "support they often provide to terrorists". Then in February, the International Committee of the Red Cross was ordered to leave the west African country, where it had worked since 1990, accused of "collusion with terrorists". As they come under pressure from the juntas, NGOs must also contend with attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group, who see them as a threat to their power and ideology. The Sahel region was the epicentre of global "terrorism" for the second straight year in 2024, accounting for more than half of deaths put down to terror attacks worldwide, according to the Global Terrorism Index. At least 26 humanitarian workers were killed in the Sahel last year and many more wounded and kidnapped in 116 security incidents, OCHA said. "Our operations are now limited to a few cities. To transport staff or supplies, for example, we prefer air transport, which generates extra costs at a time when we are struggling to mobilise resources," a Burkinabe humanitarian worker, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told AFP. "Many NGOs are now present on the ground thanks to their local staff, which minimises risks," a Nigerien NGO worker said. 'Supplant the state' In October, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stopped working in the large northern Burkinabe town of Djibo, which is surrounded by jihadists, following attacks targeting its health centres and offices. A few years earlier the medical charity had been forced to leave the southeast Nigerien town of Maine Soroa near the border with Nigeria due to raids by Boko Haram jihadists in August 2020. "NGOs are targeted because extremist groups are seeking to establish themselves as legitimate alternative authorities," said Charlie Werb, an analyst at risk advisory company Alert:24. "They want to supplant the state, which means not only pushing out the state itself from territory, but also organisations deemed to be providing services on its behalf," he told AFP. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic initials JNIM, an Islamist outfit affiliated with Al-Qaeda that is active in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, "has stated that it will only allow NGOs to operate in areas under its control so long as they don't carry out activity that goes against their religious principles", Werb said. NGOs have had armed escorts imposed on them by the juntas purportedly to ensure their safety, but humanitarian workers believe the move is mostly designed to keep track of their activities. "Conducting our activities under military escort can hinder our actions and expose us to one of the belligerents," the Burkinabe aid worker said.
France 24
29 minutes ago
- France 24
Brazilian judge places ex-president Bolsonaro under house arrest
Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, is on trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to cling onto power after losing 2022 elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Last month, he was ordered to wear an ankle bracelet and barred from using social media after being accused of trying to disrupt the trial with fiery speeches shared online by his sons and allies. Under the ban, third parties are barred from sharing his public remarks. On Sunday, allies of Bolsonaro, 70, defied the court order by broadcasting a live call between the former army captain and his son at a solidarity rally in Rio de Janeiro, one of several held across Brazil. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes reacted furiously, declaring Monday that the judiciary would not allow a defendant to "treat it like a fool" because of his "political and economic power." Criticizing Bolsonaro's "repeated failure" to comply with the court's restrictions, he ordered him placed under house arrest at his home in the capital Brasilia. He also barred the country's former leader (2019-2022) from receiving visitors, apart from his lawyers, and from using any mobile phones. The new measures were expected to be met with fury in Washington. Last week, Trump already imposed massive tariffs on Brazil and sanctioned Moraes for what he termed his "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro. 'Thank you Trump' Trump's pressure campaign, including 50-percent tariffs on a raft of Brazilian goods, including coffee, has endeared him to Bolsonaro's conservative base. At Sunday's rallies, some demonstrators waved US flags or held signs reading "Thank you Trump." Bolsonaro himself did not attend the rallies, having been ordered by the Supreme Court to stay home at night and at weekends throughout the trial. He faces a heavy prison sentence in the trial, which is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks. The crusading Moraes has become a figure of hate on the Brazilian and American right for taking the fight to the far right. He has repeatedly clashed with Bolsonaro as well as X owner Elon Musk, whom he accuses of failing to fight disinformation. © 2025 AFP
LeMonde
42 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest for Bolsonaro
Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday, August 4, ordered the house arrest for the country's former President Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election – a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by posting content on the social media channels of his three lawmaker sons. On Sunday, Bolsonaro addressed supporters in Rio de Janeiro through the phone of one of his sons, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. 'Witch hunt' The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after US President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Trump has called the proceedings a "witch hunt," triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following news of the arrest order, a staffer with Brazil's federal police told The Associated Press that federal agents were currently at Bolsonaro's residence in the capital of Brasilia to seize cell phones, as ordered by de Moraes in his decision. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak about the matter publicly. Bolsonaro is expected to remain in Brasilia for his house arrest as he is not allowed to travel. He also has a house in Rio de Janeiro, where he held his electoral base as a lawmaker for three decades. Brazil's prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and Justice de Moraes after the far-right leader narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022. Monday's order followed one from the top court last month that ordered Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings are underway. De Moraes added in his ruling that Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022, has spread messages with "a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary." Last week, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and the ongoing trial of Bolsonaro. The move from the Brazilian justice comes a day after tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took the streets in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, pleading for Brazil's congress to pardon him and hundreds of others who are under trial for their roles in the destruction of government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023. De Moraes also said in his ruling that Bolsonaro "addressed protesters gathered in Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro" on Sunday so his supporters could "try to coerce the Supreme Court." The latest decision from the top court keeps Boslonaro under ankle monitoring, allows only family members and lawyers to visit him and seizes all mobile phones from his home.
