aw_200810_worldbriefs
World leaders and international organizations pledged nearly $300 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Beirut in the wake of the devastating explosion, but warned on Sunday that no money for rebuilding the capital will be made available until Lebanese authorities commit themselves to the political and economic reforms demanded by the people.
Over 30 participants to the international conference offered help for a “credible and independent” investigation into the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion, another key demand of the Lebanese crowds who took to the streets Saturday and Sunday.
In Beirut, two Lebanese Cabinet ministers, including a top aid to the premier, resigned amid signals that the embattled government may be unraveling in the aftermath of the devastating blast that ripped through the capital. The blast killed 160 and wounded 6,000, raising public anger to new levels.
The resignation of Information Minister Manal Abdel-Samad, in which she cited failure to meet the people’s aspirations and last week’s blast, was followed by a swirl of reports that other ministers were also resigning.
Late Sunday, Environment Minister Demanios Kattar resigned, calling the ruling system “flaccid and sterile.”
He stepped down despite closed-door meetings into the evening and a flurry of phone calls between Prime Minister Hassan Diab and several ministers following Abdel-Samad’s announcement. The political haggling had appeared to put off more resignations, and a Cabinet meeting is planned Monday.
If seven of the 20 ministers resign, the Cabinet would effectively have to step down and remain in place as a caretaker government.
Six French citizens, two guides killed in giraffe park
NIAMEY, Niger — Unidentified gunmen killed six French aid workers and two Nigerian guides who were visiting a wildlife park east of Niger’s capital early Sunday, authorities from both countries said.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences and support for the victims’ families in a statement.
Macron had a phone call with Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou on Sunday evening and both heads of state stressed that “all means are and will be used to clarify the circumstances of the deadly attack,” the statement said.
Macron and Issoufou are determined to “continue the fight against terrorist groups” in Africa’s Sahel region.
The attack took place in Koure, where Niger has a giraffe reserve, Oumarou Moussa, the adviser to Niger’s interior minister, told The Associated Press. The area is a protected national park that contains dense vegetation and tall trees about 45 miles southeast of the capital. Hundreds of people visit each year to see its distinctive giraffes.
The park is in the Tillaberi region, where jihadists linked to Islamic State killed four U.S. soldiers and five Nigeriens in 2017.
The French government has warned citizens against traveling outside of the capital of Niamey as militants linked to Boko Haram, Islamic State and al-Qaida still carry out attacks across the vast West African nation. Niger borders several countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria and Libya.
Violence by groups linked to IS and al-Qaida is on the rise in the Sahel region. France has deployed 5,100 soldiers to help fight the growing insurgency there, and a local Sahel force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania has also been fighting the extremists.
Macron will hold a defense council on Tuesday focusing on the situation in Niger.
From wire reports