News

Taliban Announces ‘amnesty,’ Urges Women To Join Government

Published

4 years ago

August 17, 2021

The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women’s rights, forgive those who resisted them and ensure a secure Afghanistan as part of a publicity blitz aimed at convincing world powers and a fearful population that they have changed.

Following a lightning offensive across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical — and thousands raced to the airport on Monday, desperate to flee the country.

Older generations remember the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as public stonings and amputations before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

As others have in recent days, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addressed these concerns head on in his first news conference Tuesday.

Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years, promised the Taliban would honor women’s rights, but within the norms of Islamic law, though he gave few details.

He said the group wanted private media to “remain independent,” but stressed journalists “should not work against national values.”

And he promised the insurgents would secure Afghanistan — but seek no revenge against those who worked with the former government or with foreign governments or forces.

“We assure you that nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped,” he said.

Earlier, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, made similar promises, saying the Taliban would extend an “amnesty” without giving details and encouraging women to join the government.

The capital of Kabul remained quiet for another day as the Taliban patrolled its streets and many residents stayed home, fearful after the insurgents’ takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted.

Many women have expressed dread that the two-decade Western experiment to expand their rights and remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban.

In another sign of the Taliban’s efforts to portray a new image, a female television anchor on the private broadcaster Tolo interviewed a Taliban official on camera Tuesday in a studio — an interaction that once would have been unthinkable.

Meanwhile, women in hijabs demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not “eliminate women” from public life.

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, noted both the Taliban’s vows and the fears of everyday Afghans.

“Such promises will need to be honored, and for the time being — again understandably, given past history — these declarations have been greeted with some skepticism,” he said in a statement. “There have been many hard-won advances in human rights over the past two decades. The rights of all Afghans must be defended.”

Germany, meanwhile, suspended development aid to Afghanistan, estimated at 250 million euros ($294 million) for 2021. Other funding separately goes to security services and humanitarian aid. Sweden indicated it would slow aid to the country, but Britain committed to an increase.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said humanitarian aid could rise by 10%. He said the aid budget would be reconfigured for development and humanitarian purposes and that the Taliban would not get any money previously earmarked for security.

Meanwhile, Kabul’s international airport, the only way out for many, reopened to military evacuation flights under the watch of American troops.

All flights were suspended on Monday when thousands of people rushed the airport. In shocking scenes captured on video, some clung to a plane as it took off and then fell to their deaths. At least seven people died in chaos at the airport, U.S. officials said.

By late Tuesday, the Taliban entered the civilian half of the airport, firing into the air to drive out around 500 people there, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said U.S. commanders at the airport are communicating with Taliban leaders to keep the airlift going, adding that there have been no hostile actions by the Taliban.

Still, there were indications that the situation remained tenuous. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, now operating from the airport, urged Americans to register online for evacuations but not come to the airport before being contacted.

The German Foreign Ministry said a first German military transport plane landed in Kabul, but it took off with only seven people on board due to continued chaos. Another left later with 125 people.

Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded in fighting as the Taliban swept across the country in recent days, ahead of the planned withdrawal of the last American troops at the end of the month.

As U.S. President Joe Biden did, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg blamed the swift collapse of the country on a failure of Afghan leadership. But he added that the alliance must also uncover flaws in its effort to train the Afghan military.

Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council.

Discussions focused on how a Taliban-dominated government would operate given the changes in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, rather than just dividing up who controlled what ministries, officials with knowledge of the negotiations said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details of the talks.

A top Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kandahar on Tuesday night from Qatar. His arrival may signal a deal is close at hand.

But in a possible complication, the vice president of the ousted government claimed on Twitter Tuesday that he was the country’s “legitimate” caretaker president. Amrullah Saleh said, under the constitution, he should be in charge because President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country.

News

Brigadier-General, Other Officers Detained Over Alleged Coup Plot To Overthrow President Tinubu

Published

5 hours ago

October 18, 2025

Editor

At least sixteen senior military officers have been detained by the Armed Forces of Nigeria for allegedly planning a coup d’etat to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, top sources have told SaharaReporters.

A coup d’état is an overt attempt by a military organisation or other government elites to unseat an incumbent person or leadership.

While the Nigerian military in a statement few days ago claimed the detention of the officers was linked to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and perceived career stagnation”, top sources revealed that they were actually arrested over a coup plot.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a routine military exercise has resulted in the arrest of sixteen officers over issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau had said in an ambiguous statement.

“Investigations have revealed that their grievances stemmed largely from perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations, among other issues.

“Some of the apprehended officers had been under jurisdiction for various offences, either awaiting or undergoing trial. Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service.”

However, a senior official of the Defence Intelligence Agency involved in the arrest told SaharaReporters that the officers led by an Army Brigadier General were planning to stage a coup and take over government from “selfish politicians”.

He said the coup attempt was thwarted after an intelligence gathering by the DIA and sister agencies.

“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They have started doing secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” the source told SaharaReporters.

“They’re all officers within the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General and are still in detention at DIA as we talk. They were picked recently at their various houses around the country. Their main objective was to overthrow President Tinubu and announce a military government.”

Another source added that the October 1 Independence Day parade was cancelled because of the coup attempt.

He said, “Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over government. That was the main reason why the Independence Day parade scheduled to hold on Wednesday, October 1 as part of activities marking the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary was cancelled.

“This was because intelligence reports showed they planned the coup on October 1st during a military parade. So the National Security Adviser and other service chiefs asked the Tinubu-led government to cancel the parade earlier scheduled to mark the day.

“Their plan was to shoot at the President and other top politicians during the event. The move by the military authorities announcing their arrests was to douse tension.”

Since Nigeria became independent in 1960, there have been five successful military coups.

Recently, there have been allegations of corruption in the military which some of the officers and soldiers have blamed for their loss of interest in the country’s military.

News

Clemency: CSOs Carpet Presidency Over Comment On Ken Saro-Wiwa

Published

17 hours ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

The civil society community in Nigeria has taken a swap on the presidency over what it regarded as “insensitive, offensive, sordid and misleading” picture painted by the presidency over the murdered Ogoni 9, and the recent “pardon” granted to them and others by President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, while publicly announcing the justifications for the pardons and clemency, said: “Illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy on Thursday.”

Onanuga further said in the statement: “Also referred to 4 Ogoni leaders who were unfortunately murdered by a mob in 1995, and whose murder the Ogoni 9 were framed for, as ‘victims of the Ogoni 9.”

But a statement issued by Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 13 other civil society organisations, reads: “The statement by the Presidential Adviser is laced with insinuations and references that have no bearing on history, reality and globally acceptable facts about the occurrences that led to the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and his fellow rights activists on November 10, 1995.”

The civil society groups described it as “unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence of the miscarriage of justice against the Ogoni 9, which resulted in their hurried execution, the Nigerian state still considers them guilty and deserving of a pardon.”

The environment-based activist groups, who said the Presidency acknowledged the fact that Sir Herbert Macaulay was unjustly treated by the colonialists, wondered why the same Presidency failed to acknowledge the fact that Ken Saro Wiwa and the other ogonis were unjustly murdered by the military government.

The statement reads: “In the said statement, no mention was made of the abuse of the judicial process nor of the fact that the constitutional right to appeal was not extended to the 9.

“It is particularly interesting to note that in reference to Sir Herbert Macaulay, whom the President considers to have been unjustly treated by the colonialists, the statement had the following additional statement: ‘President Tinubu also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists.’ One wonders why the same clarification was not provided for the Ogoni 9.”

The CSOs, who said “what we continue to demand is the complete exoneration of Ken Saro-
Wiwa and his eight comrades,” expressed worries that the “half-hearted pardon extended by the President may be a strategic ploy to resume the extraction of crude oil in Ogoniland, a move that has so far been condemned and resisted by all well-meaning Nigerians.”

They stressed that “the reference to Ken Saro-Wiwa and his comrades by the Presidency is insensitive and offensive to their memory and that of other victims of environmental injustice.”

They, therefore, called
on President Bola Tinubu to “immediately withdraw the ‘pardon’ to Ken Saro Wiwa and his colleagues, and replace it with an unequivocal apology and condemnation of the faulty judicial process that resulted in their murder, followed by a gazette pronouncement quashing their murder conviction.”

According to them “Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, and Barinem Kiobel were exemplary leaders of the Ogoni nation who responded peacefully to the plight of their people and the destruction of their environment. Their commitment to right historical wrongs against their people and the environment should be recognised and commended.”

News

UK High Commissioner Concludes Anambra Visit, Urges Transparent Election

Published

23 hours ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, has completed a two-day visit to Anambra State, meeting with political and security leaders to discuss preparations for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

The visit comes just weeks before the election, scheduled for 8 November.

During his stay, Montgomery held talks with Governor Charles Soludo, gubernatorial candidates, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the state Commissioner of Police, and representatives from civil society organizations.

According to a statement from the British High Commission in Abuja on Thursday, the discussions centered around the technical and logistical preparations needed to ensure a smooth election.

Among the key topics were securing the 5,720 polling units across Anambra, addressing voter turnout concerns, and managing the security situation across the state’s 21 local government areas, the statement noted.

Speaking at the end of his visit, Montgomery emphasized the importance of a transparent and peaceful electoral process.

“Our focus is solely on the electoral process itself – that it should be transparent, peaceful, inclusive, and enjoy the confidence of the Anambra people.

“We do not endorse any particular candidate or political party. I encourage all eligible voters to exercise their democratic rights and to engage peacefully in the election,” he said.

The High Commissioner reaffirmed the UK’s continued support for Nigeria in strengthening its democratic institutions and promoting good governance, stressing that the UK would remain a committed partner in the lead-up to the election and beyond.