The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) accused the Cameroon army on Monday of killing at least eight civilians in one of the country's conflict-hit English-speaking regions, according to a statement.

CHRDA said it received reports Sunday about the killing of at least eight civilians in Maotu village in the country’s South West region. The victims killed included women and children, “who are classified under the group of vulnerable persons.”

The rights group said it "received and analyzed some videos and images from the scene, which all depict that the victims were shot dead. Sources revealed that there was a military invasion in the village that kept everyone running for safety."

"So many people were killed, including a grandmother and her grandchild. We do not know what that old woman and the innocent child did to deserve death," CHRDA quoted an eyewitness as saying.

"CHRDA calls on the state authorities to investigate this heinous act and let justice be served for the victims. We also call on all combatants to fully respect International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law," it said.

The Cameroon military did not immediately respond to CHRDA's statement.

The attack brings back to the minds of Cameroonians the Ngarbuh incident which occurred in 2020.

Last year, Cameroon acknowledged the army’s role in the killings of civilians -- including children and women -- in the country's North West Region.

The incident occurred in February in Ngarbuh village, where the military was accused of killing civilians and burning homes. The government had earlier denied responsibility for the killings.

The Central African country has been marred by protests and violence since 2016, with residents in English-speaking regions contending they have been marginalized for decades by the central government and the French-speaking majority.

They are calling for independence or a return to a federal state.

Violence in the Anglophone regions in the last three years has claimed an estimated 3,000 lives and caused the displacement of more than 730,000 civilians, according to Human Rights Watch.

In June 2020, the Norwegian Refugee Council declared the conflict in Cameroon as the most neglected crisis on the planet for a second year running./aa

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) called Monday for a collective commitment so that within the next 100 days, coronavirus vaccination for health workers and those at higher risk in all countries can begin, with one official saying the hope is for a rollout during February. 

At a bi-weekly press webinar, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said that a year ago, the first death from COVID-19 was reported.

The world health body issued technical guidance on such issues as surveillance, lab testing, infection prevention and control, a readiness checklist, risk communication and community engagement.

"A year on, there have been almost 2 million deaths from the COVID-19 virus, and while we are hopeful about the safe and effective vaccines that are being rolled out, we want to see this sped up and vaccines allocated equitably in the coming weeks," he said.

"I call for a collective commitment so that within the next 100 days, vaccinations for health workers and those at high risk in all countries are underway."

He said governments, manufacturers, civil society and religious and community leaders must unite to create the “greatest mass mobilization in history for equitable vaccination.”

WHO senior adviser Dr. Bruce Aylward said: "Over 40 countries have now begun vaccinating against COVID-19. However, all of the vaccinations, or virtually all, were in high-income or middle-income countries so far.

"We have got to see vaccines going into arms in lower and lower-middle income countries."

"Over 40 countries have now begun vaccinating against COVID-19 using five different vaccines.

He said the WHO is working to accelerate the vaccines' rollout through the COVAX facility, which seeks to get them to lower and middle-income Advance Market Commitment (AMC) countries, 92 nations in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

"We expect in strong confidence that we should be able to be vaccinating in February in these countries, but we cannot do that on our own," said Aylward.

"We require the cooperation of vaccine manufacturers to prioritize."

There is also a need for financial cooperation and assistance.

"And we require the cooperation of those key suppliers to make sure that we have the necessary data to ensure these vaccines meet all the criteria necessary in terms of efficacy, safety and quality."

Dr. Kate O'Brien, WHO director of immunization and vaccines, noted the need for readiness to put vaccines into arms.

"We've been hearing about high-income countries that are working really hard but struggling to deploy the vaccines that they have.

"So I think we really cannot underestimate the task that it is for a country to be ready to start to deploy any of these vaccines,” she said.

She noted vaccines like that, particularly from Pfizer, require special cold chain processes keeping the vaccine at between minus 60 and 90 C./aa

In an apparent parting shot to its conservative base, the Trump administration on Monday re-designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, claiming that Havana grants safe harbor to international terrorists.  

Re-branding Cuba a sponsor of terrorism – a designation ended in 2015, under then-President Barack Obama – marks another step in reversing Obama’s softened stance towards the tiny island state, and perhaps the Trump administration’s final step before it ends on Jan. 20.

Cuba quickly denounced the controversial move.

“We condemn the US announced hypocritical and cynical designation of Cuba as a State sponsoring terrorism,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Twitter.

“The US political opportunism is recognized by those who are honestly concerned about the scourge of terrorism and its victims,” he added.

Announcing the change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "The Trump Administration has been focused from the start on denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere."

He added: “With this action, we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice."

Cuban intelligence has infiltrated Venezuela’s security and military forces to assist President Nicolas Maduro, Pompeo added.

The department's designation subjects Cuba to sanctions that would penalize individuals and countries engaging in certain trade with Cuba, restricts US foreign assistance, and bans defense exports and sales.

In his final days as secretary of state, Pompeo has made announcements designed to appeal to a hard-right base ahead of a possible 2024 presidential run, according to some analysts./aa

US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday got his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

In a live event, Biden received the second vaccination in his home state of Delaware, where his campaign transition headquarters is located.

"I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot and so is [my wife] Jill. She’s had her shot earlier today," he said before taking the vaccine.

Biden’s second vaccination comes three weeks after he received the first dose on Dec. 21.

Although the US has distributed 8 million doses since Dec. 14, with 4 million coming in the last week, this total falls far short of the goal set by the outgoing Trump administration, which had aimed to distribute 20 million doses by the end of 2020.

One of the Biden administration goals is to distribute 100 million doses during his first 100 days in office.

While nearly 8.99 million people in the US have received the first dose, there were some 25.5 million doses distributed as of Monday 9.00 a.m. Washington, D.C. time (1400 GMT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed.

A survey in the US, however, showed that only half of the population wants to receive the vaccine, while a quarter of adults were not sure whether they want to get vaccinated.

The US still leads the world with over 22.4 million cases and more than 374,000 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University./aa

 Larry Rendall Brock Jr., an Air Force veteran seen brandishing zip tie handcuffs during the pro-Trump siege at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested Sunday in Texas and charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the Justice Department.

Brock, who wore a Kevlar helmet and military patches on his flak jacket on the Senate floor Wednesday, retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2014 as a lieutenant colonel, service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Military.com on Saturday. The DOJ also charged Brock with one count of "violent entry and disorderly conduct," according to a news release.

"[The Brock] cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ's National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas," the DOJ said. The department also charged Eric Gavelek Munchel of Tennessee with the same charges, per Sunday's announcement.

The cases are being investigated by the FBI's Washington, Dallas and Memphis field offices and the United States Capitol Police, the announcement states.

The news of Brock's Air Force affiliation was first reported by Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker.

He had been an A-10 Warthog pilot until 2007, Stefanek said in an email. His last known position was Admissions Liaison Officer with the U.S. Air Force Academy prior to his retirement, according to credentials provided to Military.com. Brock began his career as an active-duty airman in 1989 before transferring to the Air Force Reserve in 1998. A list of his other unit assignments and decorations was not available.

Farrow, who spoke with the former airman and confirmed his participation in the riot, reported that Brock said that he found the handcuffs on the floor and picked them up, then regretted it; and that he denied entering House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office suite, despite video that appeared to show him emerging from it

Citing a since-deleted LinkedIn profile and information provided by Brock, The New Yorker story reported he had graduated from the Air Force Academy; deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan; and received awards including six Air Medals and three Aerial Achievement Medals.

The story also notes that Brock sported a patch with the insignia of the 706th Fighter Squadron out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where he claimed he had served as a flight commander.

Others who were present during the riot had military ties, including two people who died -- one a police officer, the other a rioter.

The Capitol Police officer who sustained injuries during the event was a member of the Air National Guard.

Brian D. Sicknick enlisted in the New Jersey Air National Guard in 1997 and served for six years, said spokeswoman Lt. Col. Barbara Brown.

Sicknick's duties included serving as a fire team member and leader with the 108th Security Force Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Brown said. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 as part of Operation Southern Watch and to Kyrgyzstan in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was honorably discharged in 2003 as a staff sergeant, she said.

The Capitol Police said Thursday that Sicknick, 42, "passed away due to injuries sustained while on duty," but did not offer details on his cause of death. Sicknick's eldest brother told ProPublica, "he spent his life trying to help other people."

"This political climate got my brother killed," the brother added. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, said she has petitioned the Pentagon to have Sicknick buried at Arlington National Cemetery with posthumous special honors.

"Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty as a U.S. Capitol Police Officer but did so living up to the oath he swore in the military: to protect and defend the Constitution," Slotkin said on Twitter over the weekend. "He has paid the ultimate sacrifice & he & his family should be recognized for all he did for his country."

A former Air Force Security Forces airman also died after she was shot allegedly trying to climb through a broken window of the Speaker's Lobby inside the building.

The service identified her as Ashli Babbitt, 35, who served under the name Ashli Elizabeth McEntee./ Military.com

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

A new change in the bureaucratic framework of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is another step toward the disempowerment of local Kashmiris, according to several analysts and bureaucrats.

Officers who run India’s huge bureaucracy in 28 states and eight Union Territories (UTs) are drawn from a few central services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service. Barring three, the remainder of states get central services bureaucrats from respective state cadres, while the UTs draw from a pool known as AGMUT.

The AGMUT is Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram, three smaller states, and eight UTs. Most states and UTs also have their local administrative services.

Aug. 5, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its political autonomy and downgraded from a state into two UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The ordinance introduced Thursday by the Indian government paved the way for sending officers to Jammu and Kashmir from the AGMUT pool and to transfer top bureaucrats in the region to AGMUT provinces. With the Aug. 5 move, the separate Jammu and Kashmir cadre had already vanished.

A Kashmiri bureaucrat, who is a few years from entering the elite IAS through a system of promotion, told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity that the new bureaucratic set-up needs to be evaluated in the backdrop of the loss of Kashmir’s special political status in 2019.

“Doing away with J&K cadre is good from an administrative point of view because the outside bureaucrats from this cadre had made Kashmir a fiefdom. Since they enjoyed New Delhi’s patronage, they had become overlords. Now, officers could be transferred to so many places. But unfortunately, this is not the case,” he said.

“This is one more installment of the ongoing process of disempowerment of Kashmiris. The ultimate aim appears to keep Kashmiri officers away from Kashmir.”

Earlier, he added, even the bureaucrats who were loyal to New Delhi, worked under a political system in Jammu and Kashmir that was elected by locals and were answerable to it, more or less.

“They are now answerable to an ideologically driven, authoritarian state that wants to marginalize Muslims in every sphere of life. It is not surprising that there is no Kashmiri Muslim officer in the Lieutenant governor’s secretariat today,” the officer said.

Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority -- Muslims are 68% of the total population of 12 million -- is at present ruled by a Hindu lieutenant governor from Uttar Pradesh state. All 13 officers in his secretariat are non-Kashmiris and non-Muslims. The chief of police and two police heads of Kashmir and Jammu provinces are non-Muslims.

Several citizenship and land laws introduced by the Indian government after Aug.5, 2019, have raised fears of Hindus from outside overwhelming Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, Kashmir’s special status barred outsiders from buying land or taking government employment in Kashmir.

According to Sheikh Showkat, a political analyst and former law professor at Central University of Kashmir, Kashmiri Muslim bureaucrats, and police officers can now be transferred to several Indian territories, which allows the Indian government “to manipulate the bureaucracy to its liking.”

“Deporting dissenting or potentially dissenting officials is an old tactic in the armory of authoritarian regimes. Here, the motive is to marginalize the Kashmiris. Otherwise, the majority of the Muslim Kashmiri bureaucrats have not harmed Indian interests. This is only to tighten the grip on Kashmir through administrative means,” he said.

For Zahid Ghulam Muhammad, a retired bureaucrat and political columnist, the move resonates with the one in the mid-fifties, when the Indian government extended the jurisdiction of its central bureaucracy to Jammu and Kashmir. Until then, he said, Kashmir had its own civil service and no outside bureaucrat could serve.

India first started dismantling Kashmir’s semi-sovereign status in 1953, when Jammu and Kashmir had its own prime minister, a separate Constitution and India had jurisdiction on foreign affairs, defense and communications.

“There was a lot of resentment against extending IAS to Kashmir then. Today, even that bureaucratic set-up has been diluted,” said Zahid.

Disputed region

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965, and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in the Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire took effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989./aa

With Whatsapp obliging many users to agree to its new privacy rules, Turkish users avoiding it have switched to local instant messaging applications.

BiP, an app by Turkish mobile network giant Turkcell, gained over 1.12 million users in just 24 hours, boasting over 53 million users worldwide, according to data shared by Turkcell.

Offering superior messaging, HD voice and video call, BiP continues to be preferred in 192 countries.

Among its distinctive features is the disappear message option which allows users to send messages safely and make them disappear on the receiver’s side in the time set by the sender.

With its emergency button, BiP allows users to share their location and situation with previously determined 10 people in case of a natural disaster both via BiP message and SMS. Its emergency feature allows access to emergency phones – like ambulance, fire brigade, police.

Separately, the translation feature allows users to chat in 106 different languages during instant messaging.

#DeletingWhatsApp

With some Chinese and the US companies reigning most of the digital area in the field of digital technology which is gaining importance day by day, “digital colonialism” has come to the fore across the globe in recent years.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously stated that he hoped new injustices and marginalization would not emerge through digitalization.

Following WhatsApp’ forced update in its privacy policy this week, users in Turkey have started to object to it on Twitter with the hashtag #DeletingWhatsapp.

Over 100,000 posts were shared in a day in Turkey and the users were seen to have turned towards local instant messaging applications.

Although there are numerous apps for messaging, BiP, Dedi, Signal, and Telegram were among those that were mostly uploaded.

The messaging service Signal -- which was launched in 2014 with the slogan: Say hello to privacy -- stands out as one of the platforms users prefer over WhatsApp. The application, which started to be preferred by more users after 2019, was developed by a non-profit organization in the US, The Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger.

With WhatsApp losing power in app stores, another application that attracted attention was Telegram. The application, headquartered in London, was founded in 2013 by two Russian brothers, computer programmers Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov.

The changes in Whatsapp include sharing personal data, such as account information, messages, and location information with Facebook companies. It said the app could not be used unless the terms are not accepted.

Following a backlash, WhatsApp announced that users in the “Europe Region” would not be affected by the update, as their data would not be shared with Facebook companies.

But according to the app’s website, the region in question only includes EU countries, effectively forcing users in Turkey to approve the conditions to continue using the app.

Some have decried the app’s double standard, saying WhatsApp fears penalties from EU countries under data security rules./aa