Afghan refugees evacuated to UK to be reunited with relatives left behind, government says

WASHINGTON: Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven rich democracies have strongly condemned a major offensive by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and urged M23 and the Rwanda Defense Force to halt their offensive.
In a statement released by Canada, which holds the G7 presidency, the foreign ministers said they were particularly concerned about the capture of Minova, Sake, and Goma, and urged the parties to protect civilians.
“This offensive constitutes a flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Congo,” the statement said, citing a big increase in displaced civilians and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Meanwhile, Rwanda welcomed on Sunday calls for a summit of two African regional groups to discuss the escalating conflict.
It is the latest escalation in a mineral-rich region bedeviled by decades of fighting involving dozens of armed groups, and has rattled the continent with regional blocs holding emergency summits over the spiraling tensions.
The 16-nation South African Development Community on Friday called for a summit with the eight-country East African Community to “deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in Congo.”
The Rwandan Foreign Ministry said it “welcomes the proposed joint summit,” adding in a statement it had “consistently advocated for a political solution to the ongoing conflict.”
The SADC emergency session was not attended by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda — which is not a member of the bloc — but Congolese leader Felix Tshisekedi was present virtually.
Earlier in the week, Kagame appeared at an EAC emergency session when the DR Congo president was absent.
The SADC meeting was convened after soldiers from two member states, South Africa and Malawi, were killed in the fighting around Goma where they were deployed.
Some were part of Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Sunday’s statement, Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry criticized the presence of the force in DR Congo, saying it should “not be there because they are adding to the problems that already existed.” Kagame has made similar remarks previously.
While Rwanda has never admitted to military involvement in support of the M23 group a UN report last July said it had roughly 4,000 troops in eastern DR Congo, and accused Kigali of having “de facto” control over the group.
Rwanda alleges that DR Congo supports and shelters the FDLR, an armed group created by former Hutu leaders who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The intensified fighting has provoked fears of a humanitarian crisis.
In a region already home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, the fighting has forced another 500,000 people to flee their homes, said the UN.
Separately, reports said two Tanzanian soldiers have been killed in clashes in the last 10 days in eastern Congo.
“Following a series of attacks in the areas of Sake and Goma carried out by M23 rebels, JWTZ (Tanzania People’s Defense Force) has lost two soldiers,” army spokesperson Gaudentius Ilonda said.
He confirmed that four others had been wounded and were currently receiving treatment in Goma.
Ilonda said the remaining units — without giving any further details — “continue to carry out their duties under the guidance of SADC.”
Preparations were underway to repatriate the bodies of the Tanzanian soldiers, he added.
So far 13 South Africans, three Malawians, and a Uruguayan national have died in the DR Congo clashes.

KABUL: Afghans are pushing back against calls to ban their national cricket team from participating in international competitions, saying such a move would not reverse the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on women in the country.

Regarded as the most popular sport in Afghanistan, cricket has represented a rare bright spot for many as they struggle amid a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis sparked by sanctions slapped on them by the Taliban administration following their takeover in 2021.

Since last month, foreign campaigns calling for Afghanistan’s men’s team to be barred from international matches have been gaining traction as a protest against the Taliban restricting women’s access to education, the workplace and public spaces, as well as sports.

This includes British lawmakers urging the England and Wales Cricket Board to boycott England’s upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 26.

“There are problems in the country — we can’t deny that — but cricket is certainly not one of them,” Ahmad Nadim, a 23-year-old cricket fan in Kabul, told Arab News.

“The national players were among the first ones to criticize the restrictions on girls’ education and they have continuously voiced their support for Afghan women’s rights. Cricket has been a great source of happiness for Afghans and still continues to be one.”

Despite record-setting performances — including high-profile victories against England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia — over the last few years, Afghanistan’s place on the world cricket stage has become increasingly controversial.

After the Taliban disbanded the country’s women’s team following their takeover, most squad members fled to Australia, where they reunited for a match just last week.

Though the International Cricket Council requires member nations to have both a men’s and a women’s team, as Afghanistan kept its status as a full member it triggered boycotts from countries like Australia and England, which have refused to play them in bilateral matches.

Human Rights Watch have also called on the ICC to suspend Afghanistan’s membership “until women and girls can once again participate in education and sport” in the country.

In their home country, Afghans are openly opposing the boycotts and are calling for sports to be separated from politics.

“Afghanistan’s cricket team is all supportive of women’s rights to education because education is the foundation of a strong society and development in the country,” Hasti Gul Abid, an Afghan cricketer who has played for the national team, told Arab News.

“Afghanistan’s cricket reached the current stage with a lot of difficulties,” he said. “The people of Afghanistan have been supporting their national team since day one. Our people contributed to the advancement of cricket as much as the players did.”

As the men’s team’s popularity and victories have brought joy across the country on many occasions, some argue that the squad should not be seen as representatives of the Taliban government.

“The cricket team belongs to the whole country and all Afghans. It represents us all, not a specific political or ethnic group,” said 21-year-old Khanzada Shaheen, who plays in a local cricket team in Kabul.

Banning Afghanistan’s cricket team will not change the Taliban’s policies against women, said Lal Pacha, a fruit vendor in Kabul.

“We all want Afghan girls to return to schools and universities but why punish our cricket team for that?” he told Arab News.

“Let’s say the cricket team is banned from playing internationally, will this change the Islamic Emirate’s policy? There’s no logic in the demand for banning the cricket team.”