Law Society of Alberta to hold hearing into Shandro's conduct

Lisa Johnson - Yesterday 
Edmonton Journal

Former health minister Tyler Shandro will face a hearing to decide whether he broke the Law Society of Alberta’s code of conduct.


© Provided by Edmonton JournalAlberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro speaks In Calgary on Friday, July 9, 2021.

In 2020, Shandro made headlines for confronting a Calgary doctor in his driveway over a social media post , obtaining personal phone numbers through Alberta Health Services to call at least one doctor, and emailing an individual who tried to contact a company operated by Shandro’s wife .

While Shandro is now the labour and immigration minister following a cabinet shuffle in September, the law society’s three-member conduct committee will investigate complaints about the three incidents during Shandro’s time as health minister, including the allegation that Shandro “attended the private residence of a member of the public, (and) behaved inappropriately by engaging in conduct that brings the reputation of the profession into disrepute.”

A second citation alleges that Shandro used his position as health minister “to obtain personal cellphone numbers, contacted one or more members of the public outside of regular working hours using that information.”

A third alleges Shandro “responded to an email from a member of the public addressed to his wife by threatening to refer that individual to the authorities if they did not address future correspondence to his office as minister of health.”

If the panel finds that Shandro’s conduct deserves sanction, he could be reprimanded, fined, suspended, disbarred or forced to pay the costs of the hearing.

Law Society spokeswoman Colleen Brown said in a statement the society decided to send the citations to a hearing on Jan. 28, although no date has been set for the virtual hearing yet. According to the society’s conduct process , after a complaint is reviewed it can be dismissed or referred to a practice review committee or the conduct committee.

Joseph Dow, Shandro’s press secretary, did not respond to questions about whether Shandro would resign from cabinet in the event of sanctions, but said in an email anyone with a concern against a lawyer can make a complaint with the Law Society of Alberta.

He said two years ago, an anonymous account on social media published a post that encouraged the public to file complaints with the law society.

“Minister Shandro looks forward to resolving the matter through the Law Society of Alberta’s complaint process,” said Dow.

Premier Jason Kenney’s office did not respond to questions about whether Shandro would be asked to resign if sanctioned, NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said Friday the minister should be asked to step aside in light of the citations. The NDP called for Shandro’s resignation in 2020 following the incidents that are now the subject of the law society’s investigation.

“It’s kind of a standing position for us that this minister is not really equipped to function in cabinet,” said Notley.

lijohnson@postmedia.com

twitter.com/reportrix

'Armless' but deadly: Is dinosaur fossil discovered in Argentina an entirely new species?

Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY - 

A group of paleontologists in Argentina uncovered the skull of an "unusual" dinosaur that was essentially "armless" but was a fearsome, ferocious animal.

While most dinosaurs are known to have walked on four legs, or they were bipedal with two forelimbs, a group known as abelisaurids had such short forelimbs they provided no actual use.

The tyrannosaurus rex, for instance, had longer and larger arms than abelisaurids, but don't let their puny arms fool you.

Despite the disadvantage, abelisaurids were top predators that fed on all sorts of dinosaurs, including taking down the massive titanosaur. They did their hunting using their powerful jaws and heads.

Abelisaurids fossils have been found throughout the world in places like Africa, India and parts of South America, but paleontologists are particularly interested in abelisaurids fossils discovered in in northern Argentina; a region where remains had never been found. This suggests it is a new type of abelisaurids and the group of dinosaurs lived a wide range of ecosystems. The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on Thursday.

Wow: This ancient 'killer' crocodile had a dinosaur as its last meal, research shows

The skull of the abelisaurids found is named Guemesia ochoai, after General Martin Miguel de Güemes, a hero of the Argentine War of Independence, and Javier Ochoa, who discovered the skull.

Researchers said Guemesia ochoai had a unique braincase that was 70% smaller than most abelisaurids, raising questions as to whether it was just a juvenile or an entirely new species. The fossil also had no horns but instead had small holes in the front of its skull. Researchers said these holes, known as foramina, were meant to cool down to dinosaur, with blood pumped to its thin skin at the front of its head so it could release heat.

With all the differences, researchers believe they have found a new abelisaurids.

"This new dinosaur is quite unusual for its kind. It has several key characteristics that suggest that is a new species, providing important new information about an area of the world which we don't know a lot about," Anjali Goswami, researcher at the Natural History Museum in London and co-author of the study, said in a statement.


"It shows that the dinosaurs that live in this region were quite different from those in other parts of Argentina, supporting the idea of distinct provinces in the Cretaceous of South America. It also shows us that there is lot more to be discovered in these areas that get less attention than some of the more famous fossil sites," she added.

With Guemesia ochoai, researchers are now hoping to find more of its kind, or possible relatives, to help paint a better picture of what Argentina was like 65-75 million years ago, just before the mass extinction of dinosaurs.

"Understanding huge global events like a mass extinction requires global datasets, but there are lots of parts of the world that have not been studied in detail, and tons of fossils remaining to be discovered," Goswami said.

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Armless' but deadly: Is dinosaur fossil discovered in Argentina an entirely new species?

Fracking Wastewater Loaded With Toxic Chemicals, Study Shows

FRIDAY, Feb. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fracking has already raised the ire of environmentalists for its effects on the planet, but new research sends up another red flag: The wastewater produced by the complicated oil and gas drilling process is loaded with toxic and cancer-causing contaminants that threaten both people and wildlife.

© Provided by HealthDay

In fracking, water that contains a number of additives is used in the drilling process. This injected water mixes with groundwater and resurfaces as a waste byproduct containing both the additives and contaminants from the drilling site.

In this study, researchers analyzed untreated fracking wastewater samples from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford formation, both in Texas, and found 266 different dissolved organic compounds.

They included: a pesticide called atrazine; 1,4-dioxane, an organic compound that is irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract; pyridine, a chemical that may damage the liver; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to skin, lung, bladder, liver and stomach cancers.

In the water, 29 elements were also detected, including rare earth elements, selenium and hazardous metals such as chromium, cadmium, lead and uranium, according to the study.

The findings were released as regulators work on proposed guidelines for the safe treatment and disposal of fracking wastewater.

"The discovery of these chemicals in [fracking wastewater] suggests that greater monitoring and remediation efforts are needed, since many of them are listed to be dangerous for human health by the World Health Organization," said study author Emanuela Gionfriddo, an assistant professor of analytical chemistry in the School of Green Chemistry and Engineering at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

"Our comprehensive characterization sheds insight into the processes taking place during hydraulic fracturing and the nature of the geologic formation of each well site," Gionfriddo added in a university news release.

The researchers analyzed the fracking wastewater using new technology they developed, and said the technology is essential for proper reuse or disposal of fracking wastewater by oil and gas producers.

The study was published recently in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

More information

There's more on fracking and health at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

SOURCE: University of Toledo, news release, Feb. 17, 2022

SASKACHEWAN

Mandryk: Meili stepping down as NDP leader both sudden and inevitable

Murray Mandryk - Yesterday 

© Provided by Leader PostRyan Meili's announcement Friday that he stepping down as NDP leader ends a stormy relationship at an especially stormy time.

There was a time when one might have thought having a medical doctor leading a political party in the middle of a pandemic would be a rather advantageous thing.

But like a lot of Ryan Meili’s skills, abilities and beliefs, that thought was something that just never seemed to quite fit the bruising world of Saskatchewan politics — especially politics emerging out of COVID-19 and scarred by deep wounds that won’t easily heal.

Certainly, things have taken a dark and ugly turn not only for Meili and his political fortunes but also for politics in this province, and the country as a whole. For a politician who built his political career on an upstream philosophy of pouring resources into the social roots of problems, the timing wasn’t right.

While it’s unlikely Meili’s brand ever had a chance of selling — and even many New Democrats may have held that suspicion — it certainly had no chance after the NDP’s stunning Athabasca by-election loss in the wake of this pandemic.

“As we see this pandemic hopefully coming to an end — and I believe it is hopefully coming to an end — I just felt now was a time for the party to move in a different direction,” Meili said in a telephone interview Friday morning just prior to making his announcement official.

“I became the voice of masks and mandates. But I am proud we said and did the right things that the Premier (Scott Moe) wouldn’t say and do.”

It didn’t seem all that long ago that Saskatchewan — and everywhere else in the world, for that matter — agreed with Meili’s message that measures like getting vaccinated or wearing masks were what we needed to do to stop COVID-19 spread. That Saskatchewan is still seeing record hospitalizations and 63 deaths in less than two weeks suggests Meili is still right about the need in this province for cautions to remain in place.

But somehow, such messages in the last six weeks have flipped into becoming “ divisive” or “hateful” , as described by Premier Moe on Wednesday morning. The premier said Meili’s messaging played a big part in the Athabasca by-election loss.

Meili argues that it’s Moe and his Saskatchewan Party spreading division, hate and contempt for science in its attempt to drive the province and the party towards “Republican, Donald Trump-style” politics.

“The Sask. Party, I’ve never liked, but they aren’t (now) even the Sask. Party of before I’ve never liked,” Meili said.

That said, Meili admitted the reasons for him stepping down as NDP leader were ones he’d been thinking about long before Tuesday’s by-election results.

The writing seemed to be on the wall the night of the 2020 Saskatchewan general election where it took mail-in ballots to save Meili’s Saskatoon Meewasin seat — a victory that left the NDP with no more seats than they had going into the election.

Meili survived election night and a year later survived a leadership confidence vote with shaky 72-per-cent support. However, Tuesday night’s Athabasca by-election loss seemed the last straw when it came to his often-tenuous relationship with his party.

His first run for leadership in 2009 as an idealistic 34-year-old doctor pitted him against Dwain Lingenfelter and the party establishment hellbent on punishing Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan Party for wresting away power.

His razor-thin loss to Cam Broten in 2013 represented a massive split between the urban, social-issue-oriented party that Meili championed and what was left of the NDP establishment from government days.

That established NDP machine all but vanished by the time Meili defeated Trent Wotherspoon in the 2018 leadership. But the win didn’t produce much unity in the party or caucus — or success at the polls.

Asked Friday if he now thinks his brand could have ever been accepted in today’s Saskatchewan, Meili called that a “strange hypothetical” that may be “worthy of refection” down the road.

What is certain is his departure comes at a stormy time. The doctor had hoped for a sunnier outcome.

Related

Who will replace Ryan Meili? (Inside the Marble Palace)

Ryan Meili resigns as Sask. NDP Leader

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

TOO LATE FOR THAT

'Just move on': Alberta trucker protest may have left a community divided

The Canadian Press


COUTTS, Alta. — A protest that closed the main crossing between Alberta and the United States may have ended this week, but there's some concern it has created a different kind of division in the border community caught in the middle of the dispute.

With a population of just 250 people, Coutts, Alta., was thrust into the national spotlight when a convoy of truckers and their supporters set up on the main highway into the village on Jan. 29 to demand an end to mandated vaccines and other pandemic health measures.

It ended in a cacophony of blaring horns as the blockade broke up and rolled out on Tuesday.

Mayor Jim Willett joked that there's "no such thing as bad publicity," but in an interview he voiced worries that Coutts has become divided between those who supported the truckers and those who did not.

"We've talked about polarization of the community. You're going to have people on one side and on the other," Willett said.

"I've had one couple tell me they're moving out of town and I've got people who have left town. Friendships have been torn up. There are people who think I'm a traitor. It may be years before we recover from this."

Support for the truckers is evident when you drive through Coutts. An upside-down Canadian flag hangs on the fence of one home. Written in chalk on another fence are the words, "Libras (Liberals) are Commies" and "We need Alberta police force — Gastapo (sic) leave trukers(sic) alone".

One woman, who didn't want to give her name, stood filming the convoy as it left town.

"I'm glad it's over," she said. "It's been a long two weeks."

Longtime Coutts resident Margaret O'Hara said she's not sure there's much of a rift, but agreed misunderstandings can happen.

"I had lunch with a friend recently after not seeing her for a while, and she said she was worried I was mad at her, because she didn't support the protests. I had no idea," O'Hara said.

"If there is a division, I don't think it will last that long. I would hope people would get past that. There are always differences of opinion."

Keith Dangerfield, who along with his wife Carolyn operates the Hills of Home Cafe/Bed and Breakfast, was an avid supporter of the truckers. His restaurant became a regular gathering spot.

He said there's a third group that's part of the division — people who had mixed feelings about the blockade.

Dangerfield, who is also a pastor, said some were in favour of the protest, but didn't like goods coming from the United States being blocked.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said earlier this week that the Coutts blockade was costing $48 million a day in lost trade.

Dangerfield said he doubts hard feelings will last.

"This town has had all kinds of things happen. The people who are against the trucks and the people who are for the trucks will go out and have barbecues next summer," he said.

"The rest of us should get on with life and just move on."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2022.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Online petition seeks to make London the latest Ontario community to ban Confederate flags

Colin Butler - cbc.ca

A London, Ont., woman wants to use an online petition to pressure city council into becoming the latest community in the province to ban hate symbols, such as Confederate flags, from flying within city limits.

The petition was launched in response to a CBC News report on Friday detailing reaction from members of the the Black community. They expressed discomfort and bewilderment about a Confederate battle flag flying atop a 10-metre pole on a rural property on Decker Drive, on the city's southern rim, south of Highway 402.

Melissa Ng said her petition was inspired by Collingwood, Ont., city council, whose members voted unanimously last year to ban the public and private displays of hate within the community, including Confederate flags.

"No hate symbol should be on public display," Ng told CBC News on Friday.

"These kinds of signs and triggers really shouldn't be here. As a normal human who just wants to be ethically good, why would you fly a flag that harms others in the community?"

Ng said she isn't a member of the Black community, but still has strong emotions when she sees a Confederate flag nonetheless.

"It annoys me. It frustrates me and it makes me feel sorry for other people in the communtiy who look at this, and feel fearful and fear for themselves and their children."


© Mike Theiler/ReutersA man carries a Confederate battle flag inside the U.S. Capitol, near the entrance to the Senate. after breaching security defences in January 2021. The flag is often used as a political symbol by far-right extremists and white supremacists.

The flag was carried into battle by white soldiers fighting to preserve slavery during the American Civil War. Since then, it has become an unnerving sight in the hands of white supremacists, who use it as a reminder that anti-Black racism still smoulders in North America 150 years after the conflict ended.

Ng said she hopes her petition will push London councillors into action, especially in a city that made diversity and inclusion a priority since May 2019.

"Part of it is just to get people talking. This is 2022. This really shouldn't be happening around London."
Mayor's office received complaint on Feb. 7

A spokesperson for London Mayor Ed Holder acknowledged the city received a complaint about the flag on Decker Drive on Feb. 7, but law enforcement officials concluded there was nothing that could be done, since displaying one isn't a crime.

"We find the display, and all the flag represents, abhorrent," the mayor's office said in an email to CBC News on Friday.

"The flying of this flag does not contravene the Criminal Code, and therefore, beyond condemning the display, we're unable to take further action."

The spokesperson stopped short of directly answering the question of whether council would follow through with a possible ban, saying the mayor was away.

"It's too little action," Ng said of the response from the mayor's office.

"I get the city is trying to follow whatever system they have. It's old. It's slow moving. It's a dinosaur. We need to make a move on this.

"Stuff like this should not happen."

 
Politicians quick to condemn flag

Politicians from other levels of government were quick to condemn the Confederate flag after seeing the CBC News report Friday.

Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal MP for London North Centre, was quick to condemn the flag on social media, saying anyone who doesn't understand how it is a symbol of hate "should do their research."

London's three New Democrat MPPs — Peggy Sattler, Teresa Armstrong and Terrence McKenna — issued a joint statement Friday condemning the flag, saying it has no place in the community.

"No racialized person should have doubts about whether they are welcome here in London, nor should they fear for their safety because of their skin colour. The Confederate flag has no place in London or anywhere else," the statement said.

Ng said if the petition doesn't work to make the change at city hall, she will try to launch a similar effort at a provincial or federal level.

"If we can't get it done municipality-wise, we should at least show our solidarity and get it done at other levels of government.

"There is something in the Criminal Code about hate speech, so why don't we have something on hate symbols?"

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

Clashes at international far-right meeting in Bogota


Protesters threw stones and trash cans at a hotel hosting a meeting of far-right groups from Spain and Latin America (AFP/Juan BARRETO)

Fri, February 18, 2022

Police clashed Friday with masked and hooded anti-fascism protesters who threw stones and broke windows at a hotel hosting a meeting of far-right political groups from Spain and Latin America.

The meeting of representatives of Spain's Vox party and far-right groups from Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Venezuela and Chile, attracted about 100 leftwing protesters with anti-fascist banners.

They threw stones and trash cans at the hotel hosting the so-called "Madrid Forum", hitting the shields of riot police posted outside, and breaking windows.

Police responded with stun grenades, arresting several protesters.

"They are the Nazis," shouted a young man in the crowd, referring to those attending the meeting.

Vox member Victor Gonzalez, a Spanish MP, told AFP the protesters were supporters of a "new communism."

One of the stated topics for the Madrid Forum was exactly to "fight against communism" in Latin America, he added.

Elections are due this year in Colombia and Brazil, with leftwing parties expected to do well in both among voters fed up with incumbents from the right of the political spectrum.

jss/vel/mlr/jh

Poland: Where ‘women pay a high price’ for populist laws
Tiffany FILLON -
© Czarek Sokolowski, AP


When the European Union’s top court this week cleared the way to cut billions of euros in funding for Poland and Hungary over violating democratic rights, it was a big win for women’s rights groups, who have been sounding the alarm against the conservative Polish leadership for chipping away at the rights of the country’s women and girls.

In a landmark decision, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Wednesday ruled in favour of making members’ access to EU cash handouts conditional on them complying with the EU’s core values and laws.

The ruling on the “conditionality mechanism” infuriated Poland and Hungary, who have both been treading on thin ice in recent years with regard to the EU’s wider rights principles. Warsaw responded by slamming the decision as “worrying and dangerous” for its sovereignty, while Hungary, whose populist government faces an election on April 3, denounced it as “politically motivated”.

Most of their fellow EU members, however, hailed the decision. France described it as “good news” while the Netherlands said it was an “important milestone”. The message from human rights groups was crisp and clear: ”Hungary and Poland have been rapidly backsliding on media freedom, independence of judges, the right to protest. Instead of trying to oppose EU funds being conditional on respect for the rule of law, they should respect people’s rights and clean up their act,” Amnesty International said in a statement. Women’s rights groups in particular, including the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Federation for Women and Family Planning, welcomed the decision, noting Poland’s current laws “endangers women’s lives”.

“It is incredibly important that the European Union takes these kind of actions to put as much pressure as they can on the Polish government to stop this very grave crisis," Leah Hoctor, the regional director for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights told FRANCE 24, adding that withdrawing funds under the conditionality mechanism would be “perfectly legal".

In its decision, the ECJ underscored just that. When Poland and Hungary joined the EU in 2004, they said, they both agreed to adhere to the bloc’s “common values... such as the rule of law and solidarity”, and the EU “must be able to defend those values”.
Strictest abortion laws in Europe

Hungary’s conservative government has long been at a loggerheads with Brussels over public procurement, conflict of interests, corruption and most recently a controversial anti-LGBT law banning schools from using any material that “promote” homosexuality or gender change.

Poland, on the other hand, has angered the EU by reforming its judicial system in a manner which critics say is undermining judges’ independence, while in October of last year, the country’s constitutional court ruled that Polish laws have a bearing over EU laws. The Polish government, which is led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party and has strong links to the country’s conservative Catholics, has also taken a swing at women’s rights, including the right to abortion.

On January 27 of last year, Poland tightened its already strict abortion laws, making it illegal to terminate pretty much any pregnancy, even if the fetus is suffering from severe defects. The only exceptions to the law is if the conception has taken place through rape or incest, or if the pregnancy poses a threat to the mother’s life.

“In practice, however, it is almost impossible for those eligible for a legal abortion to obtain one,” Amnesty said in a January 26, 2022, statement.

Poland, along with Malta, now has the strictest abortion laws in Europe.
‘Women have died’

In September last year, a 30-year-old Polish woman by the name of Izabela died of septic shock after her doctors refused to perform a life-saving abortion as long as the fetus was still alive. The event drove tens of thousands of people out into Polish streets to protest, and prompted the EU parliament in November to adopt a resolution stating that “no more women should die because of [Poland’s] restrictive law on abortion”.

In December, EU lawmakers again criticised Poland’s “backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights”, after a new government proposal that would oblige Polish doctors to report all pregnancies and miscarriages in a centralised register.

Hoctor likened the proposal to a witch-hunt. "It means that there will be a method of surveillance of all people during their pregnancy," she said, noting that women travelling abroad to terminate their pregnancies may now risk sanctions upon their returns.

On January 25 of this year, almost to the day of the one-year anniversary of the controversial abortion law, another Polish woman lost her life after doctors refused to terminate her pregnancy.

“Women have now died as a result of the crisis,” Hoctor said. “They are paying a high price.”

Hoctor said her organisation is also deeply concerned with Poland’s new anti-sex education bill, which was adopted on January 13. Under the new legislation, supervisors and teachers should block any programming that are deemed to be “a threat to the morality of children”.

With the ECJ’s decision, Poland and Hungary now risk being sanctioned in two parts: through Article 7, which means they can temporarily be stripped of their EU voting rights, or through the conditionality mechanism, which can block them from receiving EU funds.

EU’s foreign ministers are set to meet on Article 7 on February 22. “We ask all EU ministers who will attend this hearing and who will speak to the government about the rule-of-law crisis to be a voice for the women and girls in Poland who have no voice,” Hoctor said. Up until now, however, Article 7 has proved almost impossible to trigger.

Activating the conditionality mechanism is whole other process, and will need to go through the European Commission. Since it has never been applied before, it may take weeks or months to trigger.

In the meantime, Poland and Hungary have threatened to retaliate against the bloc by stalling other EU decisions that require unanimity, including on climate and energy, as well as foreign policy.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

Violence in Sudan's Darfur lays bare deepening crisis




Sudanese children sit together on February 2, 2021 following violence in the Darfuri village of al-Taweel Saadun, 85 kilometres south of the South Darfur state capital Nyala 

(AFP/ASHRAF SHAZLY)

Sat, February 19, 2022, 

Attacks on UN facilities, a surge in tribal clashes, lootings, rape, and anti-coup protests -- Sudan's Darfur region is reeling from a widening security gap after last year's coup.

Sudan is one of the world's poorest countries but the vast, arid Darfur region has for years suffered more than its share of the nation's challenges.

When a coup took place in October hundreds of kilometres (miles) away in the capital Khartoum, Darfur was still reeling from the legacy of a conflict that broke out under former strongman Omar al-Bashir in 2003, and which left hundreds of thousands dead.


Though the main Darfur conflict subsided, the Darfur region bordering Chad is awash with guns and is home to most of Sudan's three million displaced people.

Clashes broke out last week between government forces guarding a former United Nations peacekeeping base in North Darfur and members of an armed group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2020. There were multiple deaths on both sides.

The same facility, which had been a logistics base for the now-disbanded UN and African Union peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, had already been looted in December.

- 'Extremely dangerous' -

Around the same time, the World Food Programme suspended operations following more than a day of looting at its warehouses in North Darfur, an act which "robbed nearly two million people of the food and nutrition support they so desperately need," the agency said.

Disputes over land, livestock, access to water and grazing have since October triggered a spike in conflict that has left around 250 people killed in fighting between herders and farmers.

At the same time Darfuris -- like Sudanese across the country -- held demonstrations against the October military coup in Khartoum led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

"The security situation has become extremely dangerous over the past four months, with armed men often stopping and looting cars and people's belongings," Mohammed Eissa, a Darfur resident, told AFP.

Those living in camps since the 2003 Darfur conflict have again been gripped by fear.

"Lootings and rape of women have also become rampant," said Abdallah Adam, a resident of Zamzam camp for displaced people near North Darfur's El-Fasher town.

Renewed violence since late last year has displaced thousands more people from their homes and forced others -- already uprooted -- to flee once more both within Darfur and over the border to Chad, the United Nations said.

The unrest that began in 2003 pitted ethnic minority rebels, who complained of discrimination, against the Arab-dominated government of Bashir. Khartoum responded by unleashing the Janjaweed militia, blamed for atrocities including murder, rape, looting and burning villages.

Thousands of Janjaweed were later integrated into the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, currently the number two in Sudan's post-coup ruling council.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide in Darfur. He was ousted by the military and detained in April 2019 after mass protests against his three-decade rule.

- 'No trust' -

In a report early this month, UN experts said several of the main armed groups from Darfur "were receiving payments and logistical support" in return for sending thousands of mercenaries to Libya.

Military officials now running Sudan have blamed the latest spike in Darfur violence on delayed crucial security arrangements stipulated in the 2020 peace deal with rebel groups, including those in Darfur. The deal was hoped to end long-running unrest that occurred in various parts of the country under Bashir. It provided for disarming and demobilization of armed factions, and their integration within the army.

On Thursday, Sudanese authorities said that the worsening economic crisis will not make it possible for such arrangements to be implemented.

"We need the international community to support us," said Abdelrahman Abdelhamid, the general in charge of overseeing disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.

But in response to the coup, the World Bank and United States froze aid. Washington has vowed to apply further pressure if security forces continue to respond violently to anti-coup protesters, dozens of whom have been killed.

Earlier this month, demonstrations broke out against a North Darfur visit by Burhan and his deputy, Daglo.

"There is no trust at all in the coup authorities," said Adam Regal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, a local NGO.

"The ones in charge now have committed crimes in Darfur under Bashir. How can they protect the people now?" Regal told AFP, urging a return to the "civilian-led transition" disrupted by the putsch.

"Otherwise it will only get worse."

bur/it

Benin exhibits stolen treasures

 returned by France

AFP , Saturday 19 Feb 2022

Benin President Patrice Talon on Saturday will inaugurate an exhibition of historic treasures returned by France last year, nearly 130 years after they were stolen by colonial forces.

A sculptural artwork by Euloge Ahanhanzo-Glele is displayed during an exhibition of returned seized Benin artefacts and exhibition of contemoprary artworks at the presidency in Benin s capital Cotonou, on February 18, 2022. AFPShare

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The 26 pieces, some considered sacred in Benin, will be displayed from Sunday in a 2,000-square-metre (21,500-square-foot) space in the presidential palace in Cotonou in a show entitled "Benin art yesterday and today".

The return of artefacts by France comes as calls grow in Africa for Western countries to hand back colonial spoils from their museums and private collections.

Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have all received requests from African countries to return lost treasures.

The 26 pieces returned in November after two years of negotiations between Paris and Cotonou, were stolen in 1892 by French colonial forces from Abomey, capital of the former Dahomey kingdom located in south of modern-day Benin.

"With this exhibition, we are returning to the Benin people part of their soul, part of their history and their dignity," Benin Culture Minister Jean-Michel Abimbola told AFP.

The objects "were taken from a kingdom, but they are returning to a republic."

Before its unification Benin, consisted of several kingdoms, including Dahomey, which was known for its vibrant artistic culture.

In the first room of the exhibition, immense black walls offer solemnity for a display of the thrones of Dahomey, including the wood and metal sculpture throne of king Ghezo.

"Since it was installed, I haven't stopped contemplating it," said Theo Atrokpo, one of the exhibition guides.

"I had already seen it in the Quai Branly museum in France, but to see it here, home with us, it brings back part of our soul and connects with his our history."

DAGON THE FISH HEADED DIETY 

'Very emotional'

President Talon will officially inaugurate the event on Saturday evening and presented the exhibition to the visiting French Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot before it opens to the public.

"It's a magnificent exhibition which brings out the majesty, creativity, and the incredible historic, political and esthetic patrimony that these 26 artefacts represent," the minister told AFP.

Alongside the royal treasures, the works of 34 contemporary artists have been selected for the exhibition.

"It's very emotional to be in front of this throne. But I never imagined it would be so large," said Laeila Adjovi, a French-Benin artist whose work is also being displayed.

French President Emmanuel Macron has worked to restore African heritage and Benin's culture minister said discussions were ongoing to return other objects, including the sculpture of the god Gou, which is in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

French lawmakers have passed a bill allowing Paris to return artefacts to both Benin and Senegal, another former French colony.

Some were seized by colonial administrators, troops or doctors and passed down to descendants who in turn donated them to museums in Europe and the United States.

But others were gifts to missionaries or acquired by African art collectors at the start of the 20th century or discovered by scientific expeditions.

A report commissioned by Macron counted some 90,000 African works in French museums, 70,000 of them at the Quai Branly alone.

"The work of restitution continues," French minister Bachelot said. "We are working on a law that will help facilitate this restitution."