Welcoming refugees: Amnesty accuses the West of "hypocrisy"

Amnesty International accuses the West of practicing a policy of double standards in the management of crises such as that of refugees and human rights.

In its annual report, published on Tuesday, the NGO says that Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine "exposed the hypocrisy of Western states, which reacted forcefully to Russian aggression but turned a blind eye to violations committed elsewhere, as Philip Luther, Senior Adviser for Amnesty International, points out.

“European states, among others, have also exercised double standards because while condemning Russia, they have tolerated or been complicit in serious violations committed by their allies, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel...".

In Ethiopia, the NGO criticizes "the pitiful responses" to "one of the deadliest conflicts in recent history" and a different approach adopted by Western countries towards refugees.

"We have welcomed refugees from Ukraine, rightly so, but we have not had the same approach towards other refugees and migrants whom we have often left to die in the Mediterranean". 

Ileana Bello, Director General of Amnesty International Italy, also deplored that her country has renewed the memorandum of understanding with Libya for three additional years, which provides, among other things, for border control and the repatriation of migrants. 

Finally, according to the same report, the year 2022 has seen a "general deterioration of civil and political rights", these suffering "repression" in certain Western countries such as France, where Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty, points to the "illegal use of force" by the police and gendarmes against the demonstrators.

Libya: EU refutes UN accusations on migrants

The European Union on Tuesday defended its record of helping migrants in Libya, after UN-backed investigators accused the 27-nation bloc of encouraging human rights abuses and other crimes in this North African country.

Libya is an important jumping-off point for people from North Africa and beyond who wish to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in poorly maintained boats, in search of a better life or a refuge in Europe.

According to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 529 migrants died and 848 others went missing off the coast of Libya last year. More than 24,680 people were intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard as they attempted to leave the country and then brought back.

Presenting the report of a UN fact-finding mission to Libya on Monday, Investigator Chaloka Beyani said EU assistance to the Libyan authorities, the migration department and the coast guard "helped and encouraged the commission of these crimes" , including crimes against humanity .

The report states that the migrants, some of whom could have been granted asylum, "were apprehended, detained and disembarked in Libya with the sole aim of preventing their entry into Europe, as a corollary of the European policy on immigration and the economic agenda of migration in Libya, through their subsequent detention and exploitation" .

The European Commission , the EU's executive body, said it took the allegations "very seriously" , while stressing that its work in Libya was essential and often carried out in coordination with UN agencies such as the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees .

"Doing nothing is not an answer. Our goal, our common goal, is to help improve the situation of people stranded in Libya ," said Commission spokesman Peter Stano .

"Of course there are incidents. There are issues that are a source of concern. We are trying to resolve them with the partners in Libya, with the international partners," Stano told reporters in Brussels . . He added that the EU mission in Libya had cooperated with the investigators.

The report also states that investigators believe that the EU and its member countries "provided, directly or indirectly, financial and technical support as well as equipment, such as boats, to the Libyan Coast Guard and the Directorate of fight against illegal migration" , which have been used to intercept and detain migrants.

However, Mr Stano refuted suggestions that the EU could pay to keep migrants in Libya.

"We don't fund any Libyan entity. We don't give physical money to our partners in Libya ," he said. "What we do is allocate a lot of money, which is then generally used by our international partners. A lot of it goes through the United Nations, for example" .

Earlier this month, the Commission said a new boat had recently been handed over to the Coast Guard. Two more new boats and an undisclosed number of refurbished boats are yet to come.

At the same time, the EU refurbished six other boats for the Libyan General Administration of Coastal Security, which is separate from the Coast Guard. In February, Italy provided two more fast craft to the GACS fleet. The Commission said on Tuesday that 142 officers from the General Administration for Coastal Security had received EU training.

Italy, where most of those leaving Libya arrive, has received at least 15 million euros ($16.3 million) from the EU to fund migration and border control work there.

Last year, in a written response to a question from the European Parliament, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said that "the EU has spent around 700 million euros ($760 million) on Libya over the 2014-20 period, including €59 million ($64 million)" for the Coast Guard and GACS.

Ivory Coast introduces the points license

In Cote d'Ivoire, the government is setting up the penalty points system in order to improve road safety.

State establishes the points permit in Côte d'Ivoire. Introduced in March, it aims to tackle reckless driving and reduce the number of road accidents that killed at least 1,000 people last year in the West African country, figures show. officials.

Most drivers welcome the initiative

"Yes, I think it's a good initiative, because today there are so many accidents, there are so many drivers, if I may say so. So I think this initiative can encourage everyone to between us to show greater serenity behind the wheel," exclaims Fernandez Depri, surveyed, who has paid several fines for traffic violations

The new system assigns an initial number of 12 points, which decreases as penalties are imposed. Violators are also subject to a fine. The authorities are assisted in their task by a network of more than 200 cameras.

"Paying and getting a receipt is all the more secure as the money is paid into state coffers," says taxi driver Marius Assi. 

End the racketeering

By reducing the number of cases they have to physically deal with, the authorities also hope to put an end to illegal "arrangements" between law enforcement and offenders. 

“We won't have all the police watching you anymore. But there are cameras watching you. more than 1 to 20, or 25 kms these are the points that must be removed so I have to behave well," explains Raphaël Gossan, deputy director of the special road safety police.

“Fines are notified electronically and recorded directly with a receipt. At this level, there are fewer possibilities for racketeering,” adds Mr. Gossan.

Stéphane Losseni Soumaro, taxi driver in Abidjan, however, deplores the opacity of certain traffic rules:  "The police call you wrongly and through and fill their pockets with the proceeds of the sale."

Drivers caught in the act of committing an offense are no longer systematically arrested, but receive a notice of violation by SMS, which they can pay online.

This initiative aims above all to raise awareness among the Ivorian population, according to the Minister of Transport, Amadou Koné.

"With videoconferencing, the road safety strategy, the points-based license, the awareness campaigns that we are doing, the road safety week which has therefore been introduced, which makes it possible each week to raise awareness - since it is 80% awareness, it is to sensitize our compatriots, we think that at the end of this year, we could also have convincing results,” supports the Minister. 

Obsolete legislation?

The government hopes its new road safety campaign will halve the number of road accidents by 2025.

To achieve this objective, it will be necessary to modernize the vehicles that circulate on the roads and to renovate the roads in poor condition. Regular accidents involving buses or trucks, which can kill dozens at a time, are often the result of poorly maintained roads and vehicles.

A 2018 government decree attempted to remedy this situation by banning the importation of vehicles over five years old.

This measure has reduced the stock of aging used cars imported from Europe, often replaced by new and generally smaller vehicles from Japanese brands, which can be seen circulating on the streets of Abidjan.

"Our legislative system in terms of transport was obsolete, some texts dating from the 1960s. For two years, we have decided to draw up a much more severe five-year plan to act on the quality of vehicles, drivers and in particular infrastructure", said Transport Minister Amadou Koné.