21102019 - BORDER CLOSURE:‘How neighbouring countries worked against Nigeria’

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 — 45
Brexit: Johnson ‘has the numbers’
to pass deal, says Raab
THE government says it
will push ahead with efforts
to pass its Brexit deal,
despite a major setback to its
plans.
Boris Johnson had to ask
the EU for an extension to the
UK’s 31 October exit date after
MPs backed a move to
delay approval of the deal
on Saturday.
But Foreign Secretary Dominic
Raab said he was confident
enough MPs would
back the deal next week, and
Brexit would still happen by
the deadline.
Labour, however, has said
it will back moves to put the
deal to a referendum.
No 10 said the PM sent
“Parliament’s letter” to Brussels
- unsigned - and accompanied
it with a second letter
- which was signed -
US forces withdraw from key base
in Northern Syria
US forces withdrew from
a key base in northern
Syria on Sunday, a monitor
said, two days before the end
of a US-brokered truce to stem
a Turkish attack on Kurdish
forces in the region.
An AFP correspondent saw
more than 70 US armoured
vehicles escorted by helicopters
drive past the town of Tal
Tamr carrying military
equipment.
Some flew the American
stars-and-stripes flag as they
made their way eastwards
along a highway crossing the
town, he said.
The Syrian Observatory for
the Human Rights said the
convoy was evacuating the
military base of Sarrin.
It appeared to be heading to
the town of Hassakeh, further
east, said the Britain-based
monitor, which relies on sources
inside war-torn Syria for its
information.
Sarrin “is the largest American
military base in the north
of the country,” Observatory
chief Rami Abdel Rahman
said.
It is situated on the edges of
a planned “safe zone” on the
Syrian side of the border that
Turkey wants to keep Kurdish
forces away from its frontier, he
explained.
Sunday’s pullout was the
fourth such withdrawal of
American forces in a week and
left Syria’s northern provinces
of Aleppo and Raqa devoid
of US troops, Abdel Rahman
said.
explaining why he believed
a delay would be a mistake.
The government has vowed
to press ahead with the legislation
- the Withdrawal Agreement
Bill (WAB) - to implement
the Brexit deal next
week.
Having reached a new
Brexit deal with the EU last
week, the prime minster had
intended to bring it to Parliament
and ask MPs to approve
it in a so-called “meaningful
vote”.
However, in the first Saturday
sitting in the Commons
for 37 years, MPs instead voted
in favour of an amendment
withholding approval of the
deal until all the necessary
legislation to implement it
had been passed.
Tabled by Tory MP Sir Oliver
Letwin, the amendment
Sudan rape victims insist
Al-Bashir must face ICC trial
FOR Jamal Ibrahim,
whose sisters were
raped by militiamen in Darfur,
only the handover of
Sudan’s ousted dictator Omar
al-Bashir to the International
Criminal Court can bring
peace to the restive Darfur region.
“Two of my sisters were
raped in front of my eyes by
militiamen who stormed
through our village, setting
our houses on fire,” Ibrahim,
34, told AFP at Camp Kalma,
a sprawling facility where
tens of thousands of people
displaced by the conflict in
Darfur have lived for years.
“Bashir and his aides who
committed the crimes in Darfur
must be handed over to
the ICC if peace is to be established
in the region.”
Lebanese continue protests, demand
government to fix economy
TENS of thousands of
demonstrators have
gathered in Lebanon’s
streets on Sunday for a
fourth day of anti-government
protests that
have led to the resignation
of a Christian party from
the government.
Demonstrators, who
have been on the streets
since Thursday, have
pledged to continue
marching despite the resignations
late on Saturday
of four government members
from the key political
party, Lebanese Forces.
Labour Minister Camille
Abousleiman, one of the
four to quit the government,
told Al Jazeera
was intended to ensure that
Mr Johnson would comply
with the terms of the so-called
Benn Act designed to eliminate
any possibility of a nodeal
exit on 31 October.
Under that act, Mr Johnson
had until 23:00 BST on Saturday
to send a letter requesting
a delay to the UK’s departure
- something he did, albeit
without his signature.
Mr Raab told the BBC’s
Andrew Marr show that “notwithstanding
the parliamentary
shenanigans, we appear
to have now the numbers to
get this through”.
He said there were “many
people in the EU” who were
“deeply uncomfortable”
about a further delay to Brexit
and urged MPs to “get on,
get it through the House of
Commons, and move on.”
The Kurds have been a key
ally to Washington in the USbacked
fight against Islamic
State group jihadists in Syria,
but Ankara views them as “terrorists”
linked to Kurdish militants
on its own soil.
A week ago, the Pentagon said
US President Donald Trump
had ordered the withdrawal of
up to 1,000 troops from northern
Syria as Turkish troops advanced
into Syrian territory.
Turkey launched a cross-border
incursion into Syria on October
9, after Trump said he
would pull back US special forces
in the Kurdish-held north.
After the violence killed
scores from both sides and displaced
hundreds of thousands
from their homes, a US-brokered
ceasefire was announced
late Thursday.
Turkey has given the Syrian
Democratic Forces, the de facto
army of the Kurdish authorities
in northeastern Syria, until
Tuesday evening to withdraw
from a 30-kilometre strip of
Syrian land along its southern
border.
Both sides accuse each other
of violating the truce.
Ibrahim, who is from Mershing
in the mountainous
Jebel Marra area of Darfur,
said his village was attacked
by Arab militiamen in March
2003 soon after conflict erupted
in the region.
The fighting broke out
when ethnic African rebels
took up arms against Khartoum’s
then Arab-dominated
government under Bashir, alleging
racial discrimination,
marginalisation and exclusion.
Khartoum responded by
unleashing the Janjaweed, a
group of mostly Arab raiding
nomads that it recruited and
armed to create a militia of
gunmen who were often
mounted on horses or camels.
shortly after the decision
that they had “lost faith in
the government’s ability to
effect change and address
the problem”.
Lebanese citizens have
been suffering from tax
hikes and dire economic
conditions in the heavily
indebted country.
Lebanon’s public debt
stands at around $86bn -
more than 150 percent of
gross domestic product,
according to the finance
ministry.
The grievances and anger
at the government’s
lack of solutions erupted
into protests on Thursday,
sparked by hikes in
taxes including a proposed
$0.2 tax on calls via
messaging apps such as
WhatsApp.
Such calls are the main
method of communication
for many Lebanese and,
despite the government’s
swift abandonment of the
tax, the demonstrations
quickly swelled into the
largest in years.
“It is day four and protesters
are back on the
street. It’s not just in the
capital Beirut, but across
the country. The message
they [protesters] are giving
is of defiance and that
they will continue to
demand the resignation of
the government,” said Al.
ManUtd 1 – 1 Liverpool
United end Liverpool
winning run Lallana
rescues draw
Manchester United
have ended
Liverpool’s 17-
match winning run and 100%
start to the season courtesy of
a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The visitors were bidding to
equal the all-time English
top-flight record of 18
successive wins as well as the
best-ever Premier League
start of nine wins from nine,
but in the end they will be
relieved to have come away
with a point following an
uncharacteristically poor
display.
United rose to the occasion
despite going into the match
having won just twice in their
last 13 league games, and
Pogba turns
up at
United’s
clash with
Liverpool
walking with
a crutch, his
foot in a cast
Paul Pogba arrived at Old
Trafford with a crutch
and his foot in a cast despite
recently claiming he was
close to returning to action for
Manchester United.
The French midfielder is
out of the Red Devils’ derby
against Liverpool but
recently took to Instagram
claiming he was ‘almost
there’ with his recovery.
But photos of Pogba
arriving at the stadium to
watch the game on Sunday
suggest otherwise, as he can
be seen holding a crutch and
his injured foot, which has
kept him out for the last two
games, in a cast.
The midfielder also posted
videos of him training over
the international break as he
looked like he may be close
to full fitness, but the photos
that emerged before the
clash with their bitter rivals
suggests he may still have
someway to go with his
recovery.
This will come as a blow
for United fans, who will
have been hoping for a swift
return for the 26-year-old as
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
struggles for midfield
options.
•Pogba
Marcus Rashford gave them
the lead in controversial
circumstances nine minutes
before the end of the first half.
VAR was again the talking
point at half time after allowing
that goal to stand and denying
Liverpool an equaliser
through Sadio Mane, and for
much of the contest it looked
as though Liverpool would fall
to just their second defeat in
48 Premier League games.
Adam Lallana’s equaliser
five minutes from time
rescued a point for the visitors
late on, though, leaving them
six clear of champions
Manchester City despite
failing to win in the league for
the first time since March 3.
JOSE MOURINHO has
taken a sly dig at
Manchester United’s board for
protecting Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer who is in “great
situation” at the club despite
their poor start to the season.
Mourinho was sacked the
morning after a 3-1 defeat to the
Reds last December, with fans
predicting his Norwegian
successor to suffer the same fate.
But the Special One believes
Solskjaer is lucky for the
constant reassurances he
receives at Old Trafford, in
Junior Ajayi’s
goal voted Al
Ahly’s Goal of
The Month
Nigerian forward
Junior Ajayi has
won Al Ahly’s goal of the
month award for
September.
Ajayi scored twice for
the former African
Champions in their
Super Cup win over rivals
Zamalek last month.
The player’s first strike
at the Borg El Arab
Stadium was adjudged to
be the Club’s best goal for
the month of September.
Ajayi is enjoying a
sterling season with the
Egyptian giants this term
, after injury ravaged
season last year and he
has two goals to his name
in three league
appearances so far.
OLE THE SPECIAL ONE
Mourinho digs Man Utd
board for protecting
Solskjaer through slump
contrast to the atmosphere
under his tenure.
Speaking on Sky Sports,
Mourinho said: “They did some
good PR in the week to make it
absolutely clear or create
positive atmosphere for the
game.
“I’m going to try and get a job
like Ole has, and speak all the
time about the future.
“I think it’s a great situation,
three-year contract – the future,
the young players. I think it’s a
great job to do in such a giant
club.”
Playing for Nigeria means a
lot to me — Okoye
Newly capped Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye says he’s
happy to make his debut for Nigeria and admitted he couldn’t
hide his emotions.
The Fortuna Dusseldorf of Germany goalkeeper said it was a dream
come true for him to feature for Nigeria’s last Sunday’s international
friendly game against five-time world champions, Brazil.
Okoye replaced injured Francis Uzoho in the 63rd
and helped Nigeria to earn a valuable draw against
world champions.
“I thank God for the team and the opportunity
I’ve gotten to play for the national side of our beloved
country. I cried after the game. I shed tears when I
spoke to my father and brother,” Okoye stated .
“I didn’t expect to play, I was just sitting on
the bench like the last time in Ukraine and I
knew I’d have to wait for my chance. I didn’t
know it will come so soon but things can be
like that.”
The 20-year-old is likely be in goal for Nigeria
in next month’s 2021 African Cup of Nations
qualifiers with Benin Republic and Lesotho.
•Ajayi
•Okoye
minute
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