At least nine of the over 200 internally displaced persons (IDPs) kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist organization in Nigeria's volatile northeast region have been freed, officials said on Monday.

The nine people, all women, and girls, were seen at the Ngala IDP camp in northeast Borno, near the border with Cameroon, where they were abducted on Feb. 29, Barkindo Saidu, head of the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said.

"The emergency management agency staff at the IDP camp reported that nine people have returned. They are seen at the IDP camp," Saidu told Anadolu on Monday.

Over 200 women, girls, and boys, who had left their IDPs camp in search of firewood in Ngala, northeast Borno, were kidnapped by militants of Boko Haram, a terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria that is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali.

In recent years, kidnapping and banditry have increased significantly in the western African country. Approximately 430 people, mostly women and schoolchildren, have been kidnapped in the country's northern region in the last two weeks.

Abubakar Boyi Sifawa, a senior researcher on behavioral patterns and security at the Shehu Shagari University of Education in northwest Sokoto State, blamed the country's escalation of kidnapping and banditry on economic hardship, poverty, and a lack of coordination among security agencies.

"According to my findings, unfortunately, many young people are now joining kidnapping gangs and informants due to economic hardship. They are desperate for survival due to poverty, and they resort to violent groups after collecting ransoms," he told Anadolu. By Timothy Olanrewaju, Anadolu Agency

Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition spokesperson Makau Mutua has weighed in on the government's decision to deploy Kenyan police officers to Haiti.

In his statement, Mutua disagreed with the move saying the officers deployed should have been from the United States of America (USA) and not Kenya because the latter was more familiar with the Carribean country's geographics and even the language. 

Mutua also explained that the US should have been considered because it is partially responsible for Haiti's intractable problems.

While dismissing President William Ruto's decision, Mutua underscored that Kenya was biting more than it could chew by offering to lead the multinational force to Haiti because officers were already facing too many challenges.

The vocal politician further reiterated that regardless of whether Kenya sends its troops to the war-stricken country, Americans should lead the mission. 

"Kenya’s police has many challenges, including of adequate training and ethics. They will be sitting ducks in Haiti. Many may come back in bodybags given the viciousness of Haiti’s notorious and extremely well armed gangs which control 90% of the country. Even if Kenya sends a contingent of police to Haiti, the Americans must lead the mission," Mutua said.

The politician subsequently advised the government to tread carefully and rethink the decision to evade a possible crisis that may affect the nation.

"I know much more about Haiti than virtually any Kenyan. My advice — tread very carefully. The country’s problem isn’t policing. It needs total transformation," the professor advised.

Mutua's remarks comes a week after Kenya and Haiti officiated their agreement to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti. 

President Willliam Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Nairobi witnessed the acknowledgement done by security ministers from the two countries on Friday afternoon. By Achieng Mary, People Daily

A West Bank city has renamed a road after the US soldier who self-immolated in protest against Israel’s assault on Gaza.

On Sunday the mayor of Jericho revealed a new sign for Aaron Bushnell St in front of a small gathering of people. Bushnell, a serving member of the US Air Force, set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington last month in protest against American support for its ally Israel in the Gaza conflict, saying he could “no longer be complicit in genocide”. 

Bushnell “sacrificed everything” for the Palestinians, said Jericho mayor Abdul Karim Sidr.

“We didn’t know him, and he didn’t know us. There were no social, economic or political ties between us. What we share is a love for freedom and a desire to stand against these attacks [on Gaza],” he said.

Amani Rayan, a Jericho city council member, was quoted as saying by the Guardian: “He [Bushnell] sacrificed the most precious thing, whatever your beliefs. This man gave all his privileges for the children of Gaza.

“[Bushnell] wanted to light a strong spark, to reignite our cause,” he added.

Twenty-five-year-old Bushnell of Whitman, Massachusetts, filmed his protest last month and live-streamed it onto the social media platform Twitch. Although Secret Service officials stationed outside the embassy successfully extinguished the fire that engulfed Bushnell, he suffered life-threatening injuries and later died at a local hospital. 

He repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine!” as he burned.

The US has provided a range of military and financial support to Israel, its closest ally in the Middle East, since it began a ground offensive into Gaza City in October last year. The assault was triggered by the 7 October attack by Hamas on southern Israel that saw some 1,200 Israelis killed and hundreds of hostages captured, after which Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy the militant group.

Local health officials says more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the four-and-a-half months since Israel’s ground offensive began, with much of the Gaza Strip razed to the ground and hundreds of thousands of people pushed to the brink of starvation. The US has become increasingly critical of its ally as the conflict has dragged on and said it hoped for a new ceasefire by Ramadan, which began on Sunday night with no end to hostilities in sight. 

Al Jazeera reported that on Monday Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza continued, resulting in the death of at least 10 in Gaza City and another three casualties in southern Rafah.

During an interview on MSNBC that was aired on Sunday, US president Joe Biden gave his strongest criticism yet of Mr Netanyahu, saying his indifference to “innocent lives” was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel”. He said that a ground invasion of Rafah would cross a red line, yet also stated he would “never leave Israel” behind.

Mr Biden warned Mr Netanyahu “cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after [Hamas]”. By Maroosha Muzaffar, The Independent