The African Union (AU) has decided against sending peacekeepers to crisis-hit Burundi after the embattled government said that any such move would be considered an invasion.
Smail Chergui, AU commissioner for peace and security, told a press conference in the Ethiopian capital on Sunday that a proposed deployment of 5,000 troops would be deferred until permission was granted by Bujumbura.
The decision came after a closed-door session at the AU where African leaders are meeting for a two-day summit.Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi, reporting from African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, said the decision was not a surprise considering Burundi's opposition to the plan."It is going to be interesting to see how this delegation will be able to convince them to accept the troops," she said.
Chergui said an AU delegation would now fly to Burundi to hold talks aimed at ending the violence.
January 31, 2016</a></blockquote>">#26thAUSummit </a></p>— Catherine Soi (@C_SOI) <a data-cke-saved-href="https://twitter.com/C_SOI/status/693742484103520256" href="https://twitter.com/C_SOI/status/693742484103520256"> January 31, 2016 </a></blockquote>">
Solomon Dersso, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera that while Burundi has demonstrated some flexibility on the issue of dialogue, there has been "complete disagreement between Bujumbura and the AU when it has come to the deployment of [AU] troops".
On Saturday, Ibrahima Fall, Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, told French radio RFI, that deploying toops to the conflict-hit east African country without the consent of Bujumbura was "unimaginable". "It has been, I think, bad communication. It was never the intention of the African Union to deploy a mission to Burundi without the consent of Burundian authorities," the Senegalese diplomat said.
The UN has warned Burundi risks a repeat of a 1993-2006 civil war, with hundreds killed since April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would stand for a controversial third term in office.
At least 230,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries. Since Nkurunziza's re-election in July, clashes between government loyalists and the opposition have turned increasingly violent.
The AU charter's Article 4 (h) gives it the right to intervene in a fellow nation state "in respect of grave circumstances, namely: war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity." But analysts say other African nations are wary of setting a precedent of deploying troops against the government's wishes. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking on Saturday as the AU summit opened, made clear troops were needed to stem the violence.
"Leaders who stand by while civilians are slaughtered in their name must be held responsible," Ban said, insisting that the Burundi crisis required the "most serious and urgent commitment." He said the UN backed the AU's proposal "to deploy human rights observers and to establish a prevention and protection mission".
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Man Who Downloaded Child Porn Jailed for 5 Days
A Brooklyn man who faced 10 years for downloading child pornography was sentenced to five days by a federal judge who sharply criticized punishment guidelines for failing to distinguish between dangerous offenders and those who pose little threat.
U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein wrote a 98-page decision explaining why he bypassed the guidelines and chose not to put the man in prison for possessing two dozen photos and videos — some showing men sexually assaulting girls as young as 3 years old, according to court papers.
“Removing R.V. from his family will not further the interests of justice,” Weinstein wrote, using the defendant’s…
Vanessa Hudgens still set to perform in 'Grease: Live' hours after dad dies
The show must go on.
That’s the message from Vanessa Hudgens, who’s set to perform in “Grease: Live” Sunday night – just hours after finding out her father died.
Hudgens, 27, announced on Twitter that her 65-year-old dad, Greg Hudgens, died from stage 4 cancer.
“I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.”
I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.
— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016
Tonight, I do the show in his honor.
— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016
Hudgens, who’s playing Rizzo in FOX’s production of the popular movie musical, dedicated her performance to her dad.
ISIS Wants Its Own Navy to Attack Cruise Ships, NATO Officer Warns
Islamic State militants want to build their own navy to attack cruise ships in the Mediterranean, a senior NATO naval officer has warned.
ISIS is looking to expand its reign of terror to international waters as it grows in influence in Libya, Vice-Admiral Clive Johnstone told the U.K. Telegraph. “We know they have had ambitions to go off shore,” Johnstone said. “We know they would like to have a maritime arm, just as Al-Qaeda had a maritime arm.”
The commander of Nato’s maritime command also said there is now the “horrible opportunity” a cruise liner or container ship could be hit as ISIS casts an “uncomfortable shadow” along the Libyan coast.
Noam Chomsky on Clinton vs Sanders
Renowned political theorist Noam Chomsky is often cited for his criticism of the US political system.
In the second of a special two-part interview, Chomsky sits down with Mehdi Hasan to discuss the US presidential election and the rise of Islamophobia.
The US academic says Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has the "best policies", but little chance of winning in a "mainly bought" election.
When asked if he would vote for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton if he lived in a swing state, Chomsky says: "Oh absolutely... my vote would be against the Republican candidate."
Also watch part one of the interview, in which Chomsky discusses ISIL, Turkey and Ukraine.
EU Migrant talks: Tusk says 'No Deal'
European Council President Donald Tusk has walked out of crunch talks with Prime Minister David Cameron on Britain's EU membership less than two hours after arriving at Number 10. He told reporters there had been "no deal," throwing Mr Cameron's hopes of holding a referendum this summer into doubt.
'Youngest' conjoined sisters separated at Swiss hospital in Bern
The twins, born in December, were fused at the liver and chest.
Swiss media say doctors had originally planned to separate them when they were several months old but brought the operation forward when they each suffered a life-threatening condition.
The operation reportedly carried a 1% chance of success.
The twins, named Lydia and Maya, were born eight weeks premature at the Inselspital hospital in Bern, along with a triplet who was fully separate and healthy.
The hospital said the twins were "extensively conjoined on the liver, but had all vital organs".
They weighed just 2.2kg (4lb 14oz) together. One of the twins had too much blood, and very high blood pressure, while the other one did not have enough.
A 13-strong medical team took five hours to separate the girls on 10 December.
"Such small conjoined siblings had never been successfully separated before," the hospital said.
The head of paediatric surgery, Steffen Berger, paid tribute to the medical staff, saying: "The perfect teamwork of physicians and nursing personnel from various disciplines were the key to success here. We are very happy that the children and parents are faring so well now."
The girls underwent further surgery to close their abdominal walls and are now recovering in a paediatric intensive care ward.
The hospital says the children are "still very small" but developing well.
Le Matin Dimanche newspaper said they had put on weight and begun breastfeeding.
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