This devastating event demonstrates the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration, said Gregoire Goodstein, the head of the IOM in Haiti. At least 40 migrants have died and several others were injured after a boat they were travelling in caught fire off northern Haiti, a UN spokesman said on Friday, quoting the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“Two days ago, according to the Haitian National Office for Migration, the boat, carrying over 80 people, departed from Labadee en route to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 250-kilometer journey,” said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a daily briefing.

At least 40 migrants have died, and several others were injured after their boat caught fire off Cap Haïtien in northern Haiti, he said. Forty-one surviving migrants were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard and are currently receiving medical care, food, water, and psychosocial support provided by the IOM, in support of the national authorities, said the spokesman. Eleven migrants were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, including burns, he added.

This devastating event demonstrates the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration, said Gregoire Goodstein, the head of the IOM in Haiti. According to the IOM, more than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighbouring countries this year. By Xinhua

David Lammy MP, the UK Foreign Secretary, addressed the House of Commons this week, stating that “Hamas cannot remain in charge of Gaza. But equally, the Israel Defence Forces cannot remain situated in Gaza.”

During his remarks, Lammy spoke of concern for the safety of hostages held in Gaza, detailing ongoing conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and meetings with UK hostage families.

“They remain paramount in the Government’s mind as we head, I hope, towards the ceasefire that we all want,” he said. 

The Foreign Secretary criticised the inadequate aid reaching Gaza, noting that “Seventy trucks a day, when we know there should be 500, is not enough.” He highlighted the UK’s allocation of an extra £5.5 million to support UK-Med in Gaza amidst the dire situation of bombed medical facilities and rising disease, including polio.

“The whole House recognises the word ‘flood,’ and we were told in April that Gaza would be flooded with aid. Seventy trucks is nowhere near enough. As a consequence, we hear stories of disease—now including polio—setting in, which is horrific and troubles us all deeply,” Lammy stated.

Lammy endorsed the Biden plan, which he discussed with G7 Foreign Ministers and Arab partners, expressing hope for its adoption by the end of the month. He stressed the need for a new security paradigm in Gaza, suggesting involvement from Arab partners to ensure Israel’s security while eliminating Hamas’s control.

“There is a sticking point with prisoner release as well as with hostage release: what happens on the day after? Israel’s security is paramount. Hamas cannot remain in charge of Gaza. But equally, the Israel Defence Forces cannot remain situated in Gaza. There has to be a new paradigm. It will involve, I suspect, Arab partners and others who can give security guarantees to Israel. It is a complicated picture. We have to work at pace on what comes afterwards,” he explained.

Addressing the West Bank situation, Lammy described his meeting with the new Prime Minister to discuss financial withdrawals and the illegal expansion violating international law.

“It was important for me to meet the new Prime Minister on the west bank to discuss the finances that have been withdrawn and the febrile situation we saw against a backdrop of an unbelievable expansion, which breaches international law that the House stands by. I press the Israeli Prime Minister on that issue greatly. We are of course looking closely at those issues,” he said.

Lammy also commented on Iran’s role in the region, “On the role that Iran plays in sponsoring Hamas, sponsoring Hezbollah and engaging in malign activity, we keep a close eye. I stand by what I said at the Dispatch Box when I was Opposition spokesman on these matters, and I will work over the coming months to review the context of terrorist activity and state threats with the Home Secretary.” By George Allison, UKDJ

 George Allison

Kameme TV Reporter Catherine Wanjeri has broken the silence over the Tuesday police shooting incident that left her nursing gunshot wounds.

Wanjeri, who was on duty during the anti-government protests in Nakuru City, said Friday that she was targeted. 

Speaking after being discharged from Nakuru Provincial General Hospital Annex where she was receiving treatment, an emotional Wanjeri said there was bad blood between the police and the media in the run-up to the anti-government protests that Tuesday. 

“Something did not seem right when we tried to be friendly with the police. Some of them had requested toothpaste which I always applied on my cheeks to curb the effects of the teargas,” said Wanjeri. 

Recalling the events leading to her shooting, the reporter said one of the officers confronted her, asking why journalists were following police and yet the police were not protestors.

“The officer commanded us to leave but my colleagues and I ignored the order. We took his orders lightly because we had covered the previous protests the same way without any issues,” she narrated to a group of journalists that turned up to comfort her.

It is common practice by journalists to be on the side of the police during demonstrations, riots and protests to avoid being on the line of fire and teargas. 

She said it never occurred to her there was bad blood between journalists and the police, but quickly added that she was not convinced that she was not the target in the shooting incident. 

“We never thought there was enmity, but no one can convince me that I was not a target because it was not the first time they attacked me,” she said. By Daniel Chege, The Standard