July 20, 2024

At least 40 Haitians have been killed at sea and several people were injured after their boat caught fire, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. The boat, which was carrying more than 80 people, departed from Fort Saint-Michel in northern Haiti on Wednesday for the Turks and Caicos islands, a 250km (155-mile) journey, the IOM said on Friday, citing the country’s migration authority. The boat caught fire off the coast of Cap-Haitien in Haiti’s north, according to the United Nations migration agency, which said 41 people were rescued by the Haitian coastguard. Eleven people were being treated for injuries, including burns. People on the boat used matches to light candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, leading gasoline-filled drums to catch fire and explode, Jean-Henry Petit, who heads the civil protection office in northern Haiti, told the Miami Herald newspaper. “This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women, and men migrating through irregular routes, demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief in the country. Haiti has, for years, been roiled by violence with armed gangs fighting for control of territory. In February, gangs launched coordinated attacks in the capital, Port-au-Prince, taking control of police stations and key access roads, opening fire at the main airport, and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. More than 570,000 Haitians have been internally displaced as a result of the violence, according to the UN. “Haiti’s socioeconomic situation is in agony. The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more,” said Goodstein. Several hundred Kenyan police officers have arrived in Haiti as part of a UN-mandated mission to help police in the Caribbean nation fight the gangs. The IOM said that more than 86,000 migrants and refugees have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighbouring countries this year. In March alone, despite a surge in violence and the closure of airports throughout the country, forced returns increased by 46 percent, reaching 13,000 people. Since February 29, the coastguard in the north has observed an increase in the number of attempts and departures by boat. Coastguards from countries in the region, including the United States, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos islands, and Jamaica, have also reported a growing number of boats originating from Haiti being intercepted at sea. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/20/at-least-40-haitians-killed-in-boat-fire-un-migration-agency-says

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday offered Pakistan’s support to Oman in the elimination of terrorism in all of its forms. The statement came after the ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman, Fahad Sulaiman Khalaf Al Kharusi, paid a courtesy call on PM Shehbaz earlier today. The premier strongly condemned the dastardly terrorist attack on a mosque in the Wadi Kabir district of Muscat on July 16 and appreciated Oman’s swift response and cooperation with the Pakistan mission in the repatriation of the bodies of the deceased and treatment of the injured. The attack claimed the lives of six people, including four Pakistani nationals, and left over 30 injured, nearly all of whom were Pakistanis. PM Shehbaz said Pakistan had itself been the victim of terrorism for the past several decades. During the meeting, the prime minister conveyed his best wishes for Sultan Haitham bin Tariq while recalling his telephonic conversations with the Sultan on Eidul Adha and Eidul Fitr earlier in the year. The premier also reiterated his invitation to the Sultan of Oman for an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience. On the bilateral front, PM Shehbaz stressed, saying: “Pakistan and Oman enjoy close, brotherly ties with a shared history, faith and culture.” He expressed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade, investment, energy, and defence. In this regard, the premier thanked the ambassador for encouraging a trade and investment delegation that will visit Pakistan next week. He assured the visiting dignitary that the relevant Pakistani authorities would extend full cooperation to the delegation while seeking mutually beneficial outcomes. The Omani envoy thanked the prime minister for receiving him and conveyed to him the greetings of the Sultan of Oman. He reaffirmed his country’s desire to further enhance its trade and investment relations with Pakistan. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1211250-pakistan-extends-support-to-oman-in-combating-terrorism-after-imambargah-attack

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/20/israels-war-on-gaza-live-calls-grow-on-israel-to-end-palestine-occupation