‘DA won't stand for ANC corruption': Party to open case against Minister Nobuhle Nkabane
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Losing a baby, rescuing a child and dodging air strikes in Sudan's civil war
Aged just 19, Alawia Babiker Ahmed miscarried as she was fleeing on foot the devastating war that has ravaged Sudan's western region of Darfur. "I was bleeding on the way," she told the BBC, before hastening to add that she saw people who were "worse off" during her traumatic three-day walk of about 70km (45 miles) from the besieged city of el-Fasher to the small town of Tawila. Dodging air strikes and militiamen after her miscarriage, Alawia said she and her family came across an infant crying for his mother, who lay dead by the roadside. Alawia said she picked up the child and took him with her: "We covered the mother and kept going." Sudan has been wracked by a civil war since fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises with more than 12 million people forced to flee their homes. Darfur has been a major flashpoint, with the RSF controlling most of the region - except for the city of el-Fasher that has remained in the hands of the army and its allies. El-Fasher has come under intense bombardment as the RSF tries to seize it. In April it announced plans to form a government to rival the one established by the army, raising fears that it could lead to Sudan's partition. Alawia said that as the bombing intensified last month, she and her family were forced to flee and walk to Tawila, west of el-Fasher. Her brother, Marwan Mohamed Adam, 21, told the BBC that he was assaulted along the way by RSF-allied gangs - including being "beaten on my neck, arm and leg" and robbed of the few belongings that he was carrying. Marwan added that his life was spared only because he lied to the gangs about where he had come from. He said the attackers took away and "executed" young men who revealed they were from el-Fasher, so when he was interrogated he claimed that he was from Shaqra, a stopover on the way to Tawila. "You feel fear, you feel like you are already dead," the 21-year-old told the BBC, adding that he saw three bodies on the way. Another woman, Khadija Ismail Ali, told the BBC that "bodies were scattered all over the streets". She said 11 members of her family were killed during the shelling of el-Fasher, and three children died during their four-day journey from the city to Tawila. "The children died from thirst along the way," Khadija said. Her family's village, el-Tarkuniya, was attacked last September by RSF-allied militias, who stole their harvest. They fled to the famine-stricken Zamzam camp, and then to el-Fasher and now to Tawila. Medical charity Alima said the gunmen took the land and farms of most families when attacking villages. Severe malnutrition, especially among children arriving in Tawila, had reached an alarming level, it added. Alawia said her sister dropped the little food they were carrying while fleeing the air strikes and shelling that they encountered after passing Shaqra. "It was leftover beans with a little salt we had carried in our hands to feed the children," she said. Without food or water, they trudged on and met a woman who told them they could find water in a nearby village. The family set off after midnight for the village, but little did they know that they were walking into an area controlled by RSF fighters. "We greeted them, but they did not answer. They told us to sit on the ground and they searched our belongings," Alawia recalled. The fighters took the 20,000 Sudanese pounds ($33; £24) that was all the family still had, along with the clothes and shoes that they were carrying. "My shoes weren't good, but they still took them," Alawia said. She added that the RSF gunmen refused to give them water, so they all pressed on until they reached el-Koweim village. There, they spotted a well guarded by RSF fighters. "We asked for water for at least the orphaned child, but they refused," Alawia said, adding that she tried to push her way to the well, but the men assaulted her and beat her back. Thirsty and exhausted, the family kept walking until reaching Tawila, where Alawia said she collapsed and was rushed to hospital. She was discharged after being treated. Marwan was also treated for the injuries he had sustained during the beating. Alawia said they then searched for relatives of the infant they had rescued, and after finding some of them, handed over the child. Alawia and her family are now living in Tawila, where a family has welcomed them into its home. "Life is OK, thank God, but we worry about the future," Alawia told the BBC. Marwan said he wanted to go abroad so that he could continue with his education and start a new life. This is something that millions of Sudanese have done, as their lives have been shattered by a war that shows no sign of ending. Sudan in danger of self-destructing Fear, loss and hope in Sudan's ruined capital From prized artworks to bullet shells: how war devastated Sudan's museums Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer faces down a revolt over welfare reform after a troubled first year in office
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer marks a year in office this week, fighting a rebellion from his own party over welfare reform and reckoning with a sluggish economy and rock-bottom approval ratings. It's a long way from the landslide election victory he won on July 4, 2024, when Starmer's center-left Labour Party took 412 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons to end 14 years of Conservative government. In the last 12 months Starmer has navigated the rapids of a turbulent world, winning praise for rallying international support for Ukraine and persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to sign a trade deal easing tariffs on U.K. goods. But at home his agenda has run onto the rocks as he struggles to convince British voters — and his own party — that his government is delivering the change that it promised. Inflation remains stubbornly high and economic growth low, frustrating efforts to ease the cost of living. Starmer's personal approval ratings are approaching those of Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss, who lasted just 49 days in office in 2022 after her tax-cutting budget roiled the economy. John Curtice, a political scientist at the University of Strathclyde, said Starmer has had 'the worst start for any newly elected prime minister.' Rebellion over welfare reform On Tuesday, Starmer faces a vote in Parliament on welfare spending after watering down planned cuts to disability benefits that caused consternation from Labour lawmakers. Many balked at plans to raise the threshold for the payments by requiring a more severe physical or mental disability, a move the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimated would cut the income of 3.2 million people by 2030. After more than 120 Labour lawmakers said they would vote against the bill, the government offered concessions, including a guarantee that no one currently getting benefits will be affected by the change. It pledged to consult with disability groups about the changes, and do more to help sick and disabled people find jobs. Some rebels said they would back the bill after the concessions, but others maintained their opposition. The welfare U-turn is the third time in a few weeks that the government has reversed course on a policy under pressure. In May, it dropped a plan to end winter home heating subsidies for millions of retirees. Last week, Starmer announced a national inquiry into organized child sexual abuse, something he was pressured to do by opposition politicians — and Elon Musk. 'It's a failure of leadership for a prime minister with such a big majority to not be able to get their agenda through,' said Rob Ford, professor of politics at the University of Manchester. 'I can't think of many examples of a prime minister in postwar politics suffering such a big setback when presiding over such a strong position in the Commons.' It also makes it harder for the government to find money to invest in public services without raising taxes. The government estimated the welfare reforms would save 5 billion pounds ($7 billion) a year from a welfare bill that has ballooned since the COVID-19 pandemic. After the concessions, it's only likely to save about half that amount. Starmer acknowledges errors The government argues that it has achieved much in its first year: It has raised the minimum wage, strengthened workers' rights, launched new social housing projects and pumped money into the state-funded health system. But it has also raised taxes for employers and farmers, as well as squeezing benefits, blaming previous Conservative governments for the need to make tough choices. That downbeat argument has done little to make Starmer popular. In recent days Starmer has acknowledged mistakes. He told the Sunday Times that he was 'heavily focused on what was happening with NATO and the Middle East' while the welfare rebellion was brewing at home. 'I'd have liked to get to a better position with colleagues sooner than we did — that's for sure,' he said. UK politics is in flux Starmer's struggles are all the more ignominious because the opposition Conservative Party had its worst-ever election result in 2024, reduced to only 121 lawmakers. But British politics is in unpredictable flux. A big chunk of Conservative support – and some of Labour's – shifted in this year's local elections to Reform U.K., a hard-right party led by veteran political pressure-cooker Nigel Farage. Reform has just five legislators in the House of Commons but regularly comes out on top in opinion polls, ahead of Labour and pushing the right-of-center Conservatives into third place. If the shift continues it could end a century of dominance by the two big parties. Starmer's key asset at the moment is time. He does not have to call an election until 2029. 'There's still plenty of time to turn things around,' Ford said. But he said the Labour lawmakers' rebellion 'will make things harder going forward, because it's not like this is the end of difficult decisions that he's going to have to make in government. 'Barring some magical unexpected economic boom … there's going to be a hell of a lot more fights to come,' he said. Jill Lawless, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Starmer's in Trouble Without a Course Correction
The first anniversary of Keir Starmer's election this week finds him at the nadir of his premiership. A bruising volte face forced by his own Labour MPs over plans to cut welfare has challenged his authority and hobbled future action. Even if he wins today's vote on benefit spending, his struggle to corral one of the largest parliamentary majorities in history represents a humiliation. But bad as the outlook is, there's no need for despair. With four years until another general election must be held, Starmer has plenty of time to turn the ship around — if only he can learn from his mistakes.
