Nation in reverse

Continued from page 12 development, New York City could turn Rikers into a beacon for the rest of the world. This would be an investment in “the communities” of one of the most powerful cities in the world.

Again, we are New York City!

By Elias Husamudeen contact@ rikersreset.com

Elias Husamudeen is the founder of Eli-Global Reform Foundation. The Eli Foundation is a coalition of like-minded partners that support jail and prison reform at every stage of the process.

African Leadership University are turning the east African country into an alternative of choice for African students to studying in western countries.

Meanwhile, Canada is taking steps proactively to woo qualified Africans wishing to study in Canadian institutions. In 2018, the Office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Client Support Center services (IRCC) said it regularly hosts webinars to explain the permit application process. Further, it has launched a Student Direct Stream in Senegal and Morocco, and a new initiative called the Nigeria Student Express to expedite processing of applications—all of which led to an increase in the approval rate from 20% in 2019 to 80% in 2022.

US STANDS TO LOSE ANOTHER ‘VITAL AFRICAN ALLY’ AS NIGER MILITARY OUSTS PRESIDENT

(GIN) Located at the crossroads of North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, Niger is the largest country in West Africa and the 6th largest country in Africa, yet it is hardly a familiar name like Nigeria, Ghana, or Kenya.

That is about to change.

Last week, Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, was unceremoniously removed from office by his presidential guards, soon joined by the Nigerien military. Besides the fact of an attempted coup, here are some additional details about this relatively unknown country.

Niger is the least developed country in the world—10 million persons (41.8% of the population) live in extreme poverty.

lier this month, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado web designer confirming a First Amendment right to refuse services to same-sex couples. Since the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the LGBTQ community has fought hard for their rights. After a protracted battle, they finally had a significant victory in June 2015, with the Supreme Court ruling requiring all states to acknowledge and respect the validity of marriage licenses granted to same-sex couples. Some said the high court would never roll back Roe v. Wade.

A nation with frequent droughts and poverty, with several jihadist insurgencies in the region, it is said to be one of the worst places in the world to live and grow up. Niger was in 189th place out of 189 countries and territories in 2019 in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge, and the living standards of a country, according to African-volunteer.net.

Niger sits on some of the world’s largest uranium deposits but is one of the “Heavily Indebted Poor Countries” (HIPC). Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, such as crops and livestock, and the export of raw commodities.

While Nigeriens struggle to eke out a living against the odds, the international community, particularly the U.S. and France—has focused on the possible loss of an African ally, a partner in a manyyearslong war on terrorism in Africa.

It will not be the first such loss —Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso have already forced out their western allies to “diversify their partnerships”—inviting in their stead members of the Russian group Wagner.

Until the coup, Niger was one of the few countries in the region that agreed to house U.S.-drone bases and hundreds of American Special Forces and logistics experts who are involved in counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates. The U.S. has more than 1,000 service personnel in the country. France had 1,500 which were moved from Mali to Niger in 2022 as its relations with Mali declined.

In April, Germany joined France and the U.S., announcing it would take part in a

Dominican heritage

Continued from page 2

Café’s Emelyn Stuart, a veteran and the first Afro Latina to own an independent movie theater in New York, for her leadership and dedication to serving the community through art and culture. He also recognized EBC High School’s Principal Dr. Shawn Federico Brown for the culture of trust and collaboration he has built in Brooklyn classrooms. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, City Comptroller

Brad Lander, and Assembly Member Brian Cunningham provided remarks, as well as Cristina Contreras, board chair of the National Dominican Day Parade, and representatives from the event’s sponsors, Ponce Bank and Aetna. Sazon Perez treated Brooklynites to Dominican savory and sweet eats, including pollo al horno, maduros, yuca, pernil, and more.

And it did! How secure is marriage equality when the conservatives have begun chipping away at wellestablished precedent?

Throughout my tenure in the New York State Senate, I have stood on the right side of these issues through legislation like my law declaring racism a public health crisis and directing the state legislature to establish a working group to remedy the crisis. Additionally, I point to my legislation directing the Department of Labor to conduct a study on the employment rate of transgender persons in New York State, and requiring the State Civil Service Commission to publish reports annually three-year European military mission aimed at improving Niger’s military.

Niger is also a key ally of the European Union in the fight against irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa.

Military aid clearly dominates the record of U.S. grants to this destitute country. In early 2021, the U.S. said it had provided Niger with more than $500 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union earlier this year also launched a $30 million military training mission in Niger.

During his visit to Niger in March, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the West African country as “a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation.” But that didn’t last long. Following the overthrow of President Bazoum last week, Blinken issued a warning, that U.S. partnership with the country depends on democratic governance and respect for the rule of law.

The Nigerien coupsters responded: “We, the Defense and Security Forces, united within the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, have decided to put an end to the regime you know,” Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said, according to Agence France-Presse

“This follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation, and poor economic and social governance,” he added.

And finally, Bazoum is actually the second democratically elected president of Niger after Mahamane Ousmane, who was elected but soon removed in a military coup in 1996. Although U.S. law decrees that aid must be suspended if the coup is violent, it is not relating to diversity within state government. These few examples are indicative of my commitment to ensure equitable outcomes for my community. known what action the U.S. took at the time. Turning to questions of a Russian role in the overthrow of Bazoum, there are no obvious signs of Moscow’s footprint in the Niger coup, which is mostly driven by internal matters, according to Le Monde. But there was a comment from the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who commented in a voice message posted on a Wagner-branded Telegram channel. “This is actually gaining independence and getting rid of the colonialists,” the Putin ally said.

We cannot eradicate the warped thinking that fuels these outdated ideas and attitudes. Still, as a humane society, we must work toward quelling the environment of hate that is perpetuating in our nation. As a legislator, I am also determined to do my part by working with my colleagues in government to protect the progress we have made at leveling the playing field for Black and brown communities. I call on all conscious citizens to stand up, stand out, and speak up!

After Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, this week’s coup appears to be a symptom of a backward slide in democracy. But this may not be the case, considering the corruption and poor governance that have been denounced for years.

Young people and rural areas are paying the price, says analyst Garba Moussa.

“On the one hand, there are the young people who have no jobs and no hope. On the other, there’s rural Niger, which is forced to go and beg in the sub-region.

“So, all in all, there is simply a kind of elite that has monopolized economic power without any thought of redistributing income. So, in my opinion, any change at some point will give us hope.”