Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210317

A30 world news
Diaranson 17 Maart 2021

Syrian president decrees Children among victims of jihadi rebels in

financial stimulus amid crisis Mozambique

suffering told by mothers in
displacement camps. This
violence has to stop, and dis-
placed families need to be
supported as they find their
bearings and recover from
the trauma.”
Last week the Biden admin-
istration designated Mozam-
bique’s extremist rebels as a
“foreign terrorist organiza-
tion,” imposing wide-rang-
ing sanctions on the group.
War crimes have been com-
mitted by all sides fighting
(AP) — Amid sharp economic decline, Syrian in Mozambique’s conflict,
President Bashar Assad issued a decree on Tuesday including the jihadi reb-
granting hundreds of thousands of public sector (AP) — Northern Mo- Praia since August, and in els, government forces and
workers and soldiers a one-time financial stimulus, zambique’s humanitarian recent months they have at- a South African mercenary
equivalent to an average monthly salary. crisis is growing rapidly, tacked several villages and outfit that provides helicop-
with nearly 670,000 people made it unsafe to travel to ter support to government
The stimulus — the third since October — comes as displaced by the Islamic other centers by road. The troops, according to interna-
the national currency is crashing, now at 4,000 Syrian extremist insurgency in extremists are allied with the tional rights group Amnesty
pounds to the dollar on the black market, compared to Cabo Delgado province, Islamic State group but are International.
700 a year ago. The official rate for the dollar is fixed at international aid groups known locally as al-Shabab,
1,256 Syrian pounds for $1. said Tuesday. although they have no The U.S. military specialists
Nearly 80% of Syrians live in poverty, and 60% are food known ties to the extremist will conduct a two-month
insecure — the worst food security situation ever seen in Children as young as 11 are rebels in Somalia who go by training program with Mo-
Syria, according to the United Nations. being beheaded by the reb- that name. zambican marines “to pre-
The decree stated that a one-time 50,000 Syrian pounds, els, according to workers The conflict is in a resource- vent the spread of terrorism
which is nearly $11 on the black market, would go to for Save the Children, who rich area where huge depos- and violent extremism,” the
public sector workers, including those on part-time con- interviewed grief-stricken its of liquified natural gas U.S. embassy in Mozam-
tracts and conscripts. And 40,000 Syrian pounds would families. have been discovered and bique’s capital, Maputo, said
be dispensed to pensioners. The number of displaced the French gas firm Total has in a statement Monday.
Inflation has hit between 180 and 300%, according to the has dramatically increased embarked on a multibillion- In addition to training, the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics. The price of a kilo- by more than 500,000 in the dollar investment. U.S. government will also
gram (2.2 pounds) of sugar has gone from 700 Syrian past year and nearly 1 million Families fleeing the violence provide medical and com-
pounds to around 2,400 this year. people are in need of food aid, hike for days and nights on munications equipment, said
Economist Ziad Ghosn said the one-time payment is according to the U.N. A high paths through the jungle, the statement.
equivalent to the average monthly salary and estimated number of the displaced are coming across the remains of Following the reports of
the cost of the stimulus would be around 120 billion dependent upon the gener- those who died on the per- abuses in the Mozambican
Syrian pounds. He also estimated the stimulus would osity of already poor families, ilous journey or who were conflict, the short U.S. state-
reach about 2 million people. with shortages of water, food, killed by the insurgents, ac- ment emphasized that the
Syrians have been struggling with deteriorating econom- and sanitation widespread. cording to Save the Children trainers will promote human
ic conditions, shortages of basic goods and medicine, and More than 2,600 people have workers who interviewed rights.
have been forced to wait in long lines to buy subsidized died in the conflict since it survivors. “The United States priori-
bread and fuel. started in 2017, according to The rapidly increasing num- tizes the respect for human
A decade of conflict has caused huge devastation to the the Armed Conflict Location bers of displaced people rights, protection of civil-
Syrian economy, isolated its government and displaced and Event Data Project. come as Cabo Delgado prov- ians, and engagement with
its people, driving most of them into poverty. The pan- In response to the deterio- ince is still recovering from civil society in all security
demic restrictions have added to pressure on the econ- rating security situation in severe cyclones in 2019. assistance,” said the state-
omy, compounded by the financial crisis in neighboring Cabo Delgado, the United “Reports of attacks on chil- ment. “The United States
Lebanon, which has been a bridge to Syria economically States this week sent military dren sicken us to our core,” is committed to supporting
and financially. specialists to train the Mo- said Chance Briggs, Save the Mozambique with a multi-
More than half a million people have been killed in Syr- zambican army to battle the Children’s country director faceted and holistic approach
ia’s 10-year conflict that has also left the country’s in- extremists. in Mozambique. “Our staff to counter and prevent the
frastructure in ruins and most of its oil and agriculture The extremists have held the have been brought to tears spread of terrorism and vio-
resources outside of government control. port town of Mocimboa da when hearing the stories of lent extremism.”

UK funds street lights, CCTV amid anger over woman’s killing

(AP) — Britain’s government plans to in- and night clubs. fend them,” Johnson said in a statement.
crease funding for street lighting and closed- The measures were announced following a meet- Everard vanished March 3 while walking home
circuit TV as part of a package of measures to ing of government ministers, prosecutors and se- in south London’s Clapham, an urban neighbor-
help protect women and girls. nior police officers that was called after the kidnap- hood. Her remains were found in Kent, southeast
ping and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in of London, about a week later. Wayne Couzens, a
The plans follow the murder of a young woman south London sparked widespread calls for Britain serving officer with the Metropolitan Police, was
who was abducted on the streets of London earlier to do more to improve women’s safety in public charged with her kidnapping and murder.
this month. places. On Tuesday, Couzens appeared by video link at
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday night Hundreds of people have joined protests in honor London’s Central Criminal Court for a brief hear-
that the government would more than double of Everard in central London in the past few days, ing. The 48-year-old, who is remanded in a high-
funding for neighborhood safety measures to 45 despite coronavirus restrictions on gatherings. security prison in southeast London, spoke to con-
million pounds ($62 million). The government “Ultimately, we must drive out violence against firm his name and birthdate.
also plans to expand trials of a pilot project that women and girls and make every part of the crimi- A plea hearing is planned on Jul. 9, and a trial is
puts plainclothes police officers in and around bars nal justice system work to better protect and de- expected in late October.