Gaza mediators search for 'final formula' for Israel, Hamas ceasefire

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators prepared a diplomatic push to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire plan for Gaza after the Palestinian group responded to a proposal for an extended pause in fighting and hostage releases.

Hamas on Tuesday replied to a framework drawn up more than a week ago by U.S. and Israeli spy chiefs at a meeting in Paris with the Egyptians and Qataris.

Details of the response were not disclosed. In a statement Hamas said on Tuesday it responded "in a positive spirit, ensuring a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, ending the aggression against our people, ensuring relief, shelter, and reconstruction, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and achieving a prisoner swap."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a lightning tour of the Middle East, said he would discuss the Hamas response with Israeli officials when he visits the country on Wednesday.

In Doha, Blinken said, "There’s still a lot of work to do ... but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible, and indeed essential."

Qatar described the Hamas response as "positive" overall while Egyptian security sources told Reuters that Hamas showed flexibility.

"We will discuss all the details of the proposed framework with the concerned parties to reach an agreement on the final formula as soon as possible," Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt's State Information Service, was quoted as saying.

Sources close to the talks have said the truce would last at least 40 days, during which the militants would free civilians among the remaining hostages they hold.

Further phases would follow, to hand over soldiers and dead bodies of hostages, in exchange for releases of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The truce would also increase the flow of food and other aid to Gaza's desperate civilians who are facing hunger and dire shortages of basic supplies.

U.S. President Joe Biden said the Hamas response showed "some movement" toward a deal. But it was unclear if either Hamas or Israel were willing to soften their stated hardline positions in order to reach a truce agreement.

A Hamas official who asked not to be identified reiterated to Reuters earlier on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement would not allow any hostage releases without guarantees that the war would end and Israeli forces leave Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will not end its Gaza campaign until Hamas is wiped out and has ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia has told the U.S. its position stands that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem, and Israeli "aggression" in Gaza stops, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia put U.S.-backed plans to normalise ties with Israel on ice, sources familiar with Riyadh's thinking told Reuters in Oct, 2023, as the war between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israeli forces escalated.

MORE HOSTAGES MAY BE DEAD

There is a growing Israeli movement demanding more effort to bring the hostages home, even if that means a deal with Hamas.

Israel's military said on Tuesday that 31 of the remaining hostages in Gaza had been pronounced dead. Israel previously said 136 hostages were still in Gaza after 110 were freed under a seven-day November truce when Israel also released 240 Palestinians it was holding.

Citing an Israeli assessment shared with U.S. and Egyptian officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that as many as 50 hostages could be dead, leaving about 80 hostages alive.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israel's military campaign, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.

On the ground in Gaza, Israeli forces on Tuesday kept up pressure on Khan Younis, the main southern city they have been trying to capture for weeks. At least 14 people were killed by air strikes, Palestinian residents and medics said.

Rafah, just south of it, was also hit by air strikes and tank shelling. Two people were killed in a strike on a house in Rafah while six policemen died after their car was hit, Gaza health officials said.

Israeli leaders vowed last week to push into Rafah next, alarming international aid agencies who say a million displaced civilians would be in harm's way, pinned against the border fence with Egypt.

 

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy orders creation of separate military force for drones

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday ordered the creation of a separate branch of Ukraine's armed forces devoted to drones, weapons he and military officials say are crucial to fighting the war against Russia.

Zelenskiy signed a decree calling on the government and general staff of the armed forces to "work out issues on the creation within the Ukrainian armed forces of a separate force for drone systems".

"I have just signed a decree which will launch the creation of a separate branch within our armed forces -- a drone systems force," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"This is not a question for the future. Rather, it must provide concrete results in the very near future. This year must be decisive in a great many aspects. And clearly on the battlefield. Drone systems have shown their effectiveness on land, in the skies and on the seas."

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Minister for Digital Transformation, said the separate branch would provide "a powerful impetus" to the military's technological development.

In the past year, he said, drones had "fundamentally changed the situation on the battlefield. They are effective in stopping Russian attacks and back up counterattacks by Ukraine's armed forces."

According to Zelenskiy's decree, the results of the study would be submitted to the policy-making National Security and Defence Council.

Zelenskiy has pointed to drones, and production domestically and with partner nations, as a key element in conducting the war against Russia since Moscow's invasion two years ago this month.

In December, the president pledged that Ukraine would produce a million drones in 2024.

Government officials have said that Ukraine aims to produce tens of thousands of drones every month. No figures on current production are available, but since the start of the war, drone production has shot up, with dozens of companies developing and producing different models.

The commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, whose position is in question in view of differences with the president, said in a comment for CNN last week that drones were critical for the conduct of the war.

"Crucially, it is these unmanned systems – such as drones – along with other types of advanced weapons, that provide the best way for Ukraine to avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage," Zaluzhnyi wrote.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces lose up to 290 servicemen, equipment in Donetsk area

The Russian armed forces wiped out up to 290 Ukrainian servicemen, a tank and two infantry fighting vehicles in the Donetsk area over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said.

Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry report.

Donetsk Area

"The Ukrainian military lost up to 290 servicemen, a tank, two infantry fighting vehicles and three vehicles. In addition, a US-made M777 artillery system, a Msta-B howitzer, and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar were hit," the Ministry said.

The Russian army continues to take more favorable positions in the Donetsk area, with seven Ukrainian attacks repelled over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry added.

"Near Donetsk, units of the southern group have taken more advantageous lines and positions, as well as repelled 7 enemy attacks and inflicted losses in manpower and materiel on the enemy in the areas of Kleshcheyevka, Andreyevka, Kurdyumovka, Novgorodskoye, Georgiyevka and Katerinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic," the report says.

A day earlier, the Ministry also reported that units of the southern group had occupied more favorable positions in the Donetsk area over 24 hours.

Southern Donetsk Area

Units of Russia’s Battlegroup East repulsed two attacks of Ukrainian assault teams in the south Donetsk area over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry announced.

"In the south Donetsk direction, units of the battlegroup East improved their frontline positions, repelled two attacks and inflicted damage on the manpower and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 58th motorized infantry brigade, 105th and 128th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Staromayorskoye, Urozhainoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] and Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the Ministry stated.

"The Ukrainian army’s losses in the south Donetsk area over the past day amounted to roughly 195 personnel, a tank and two motor vehicles.," the Ministry specified.

In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed an Akatsiya motorized artillery systems and a Gvozdika motorized artillery system.

Zaporozhye Area

The Ukrainian armed forces lost more than 95 servicemen, a D-20 gun and a Gvozdika howitzer in the Zaporozhye area over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said.

"The enemy lost over 95 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles and two pickup trucks, as well as a a D-20 gun and a Gvozdika howitzer," the Ministry said, adding that Russian forces defeated the 128th Ukrainian mountain assault, 65th, 118th mechanized brigades near Rabotino, Nesteryanka and Pyatikhatki of the Zaporozhye Region.

Krasny Liman Area

Russian forces left roughly 240 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded in the Krasny Liman area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, the battlegroup Center improved its frontline position and repelled two attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 60th mechanized brigade near the settlement of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR]," the Ministry stated.

The Ministry also said that the Russian forces also destroyed a Ukrainian field artillery arms depot and inflicted damage on the enemy’s military hardware and personnel.

The enemy’s losses in the Krasny Liman direction over the past 24 hours "amounted up to 240 personnel, three armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles and an Akatsiya motorized artillery system," the statement specified.

Kupyansk Area

The Russian army repelled six Ukrainian attacks near Kupyansk during one day, with the enemy's losses estimated at 35 men, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"In the Kupyansk area, units of the western group of forces repelled six attacks by assault groups of Ukraine’s 25th airborne, 30th and 44th mechanized brigades and 18th brigade of the National Guard in the areas of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region, and Terny in the Donetsk People's Republic. The enemy lost up to 35 servicemen and 2 vehicles," the news release reads.

Kherson Area

The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 30 servicemen and 2 automobile vehicles in the Kherson area, the Defense ministry reported.

"On the Kherson area, actions of the Russian battlegroup and complex fire damage over the past 24 hours resulted in Ukrainian armed forces’ casualties of 30 servicemen and 2 automobile vehicles," the Ministry noted.

Seversk area

A Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) of the South battlegroup destroyed a group of Ukrainian infantry and disrupted a rotation at frontline positions in the Seversk direction, the Defense Ministry said.

"Air reconnaissance exposed accumulations of Ukrainian personnel preparing to rotate in the Seversk direction. The Grad MLRS advanced to the firing position and delivered a strike at the adversary," it said.

The MLRS then abandoned the position and drove to a safe area for reloading, it added.

Destroyed equipment tally

The Russian Air Defense Troops shot down two HIMARS rockets and 30 Ukrainian drones over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported.

"The Russian Air Defense Troops downed two HIMARS rockets. In addition, 30 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed near Masyutovka of the Kharkov Region, Baranikovka, Lisichansk, Nikolayevka of the Lugansk People's Republic, Otradovka of the Donetsk People's Republic, Novaya Kakhovka and Alyoshki of the Kherson Region," the statement said.

The Ministry also said that since the beginning of the special military operation, Russian forces destroyed 568 aircraft, 265 helicopters, 11,863 drones, 462 anti-aircraft missile systems, 14,927 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,217 multiple rocket launchers, 7,973 field artillery and mortars, as well as 18,283 units of special military vehicles.

 

Reuters/Tass

It was January, which means an influx of people at the gym, sweeping declarations for big life changes and a whole lot of companies sending emails about their prices going up.

While it may feel like a coincidence that these things arrive with each turn of the calendar, there's a psychological reason for it. Wharton professor Katy Milkman and colleagues have dubbed it the Fresh Start Effect.

We humans feel compelled to make changes with the new week, month, quarter or year. This effect also comes into play with milestone birthdays – people are much more likely to run their first 5k or marathon at age 39, 49, or 59 than at 41, 51, or 61.

And while sending gifts at the same time as everyone else is often a bad strategy, great news for everyone who didn't get around to sending gifts this holiday season, blending in with the crowd and raising your prices at a time it is expected can be a great approach.

That being said, you aren't guaranteed to fly under the radar. Plenty of businesses get it wrong and find themselves with upset customers and backpedaling on reasonable price increases. Here are three common price-increase mistakes to avoid at any time of year:

1. Trying to explain why you 'had to' raise prices

These are all the messages like, "We haven't raised our prices in 12 years, but due to inflation and the rising costs of our vendors..." insert eye-roll here.

While your brain is wired to feel like you need to explain the decision, this makes the communication about you when it should be about your customer.

In general, people don't care about you and what you have been struggling with – they care about them.

And the longer the communication is before you get to the price increase, the worse it is because that anticipation is making them think "Wow...this must be really bad if they are going to all this trouble." Your overjustification is more likely to turn people off or make them upset than it is to help you.

• Easy Fix: Make the message about them, not you. What do they care about? What if it wasn't about the price? It is very possible that your customers don't even remember how much they are paying you, so you might be paying a lot of attention to something they aren't focused on. Find ways to showcase your value to them and get them excited about the future.

2. You didn't raise your prices high enough

Now, I know this one may have you confused, but hear me out. Because raising prices can feel scary, it is common to implement the least possible increase.

The problem is this myopic thinking can lead to multiple increases over time and when those come too close together it can anger customers and make them more likely to leave you.

• Easy Fix: Take the time to plan at least one year out. Is there anything that would make you need to increase your prices again that you should include now? Or does it make sense to delay and align this with new features coming later in the year?
  In my work, I have found that most people aren't charging enough for their products and services – especially those in small to midsize businesses – so you can probably increase more than you think. And, good news, research shows people value things they pay more for, so be open-minded.

3. Immediately hedge with a discount

When you're worried about the reaction to a price increase, it is common to offer a discount to offset it. More often than not, I see people use this as a crutch so the discount is more about making them comfortable with the new price than it is about the customer wanting/needing a discount.

• Easy Fix: Get anyone who is selling comfortable with the new price before they have to start saying it to customers. Your confidence is the most important thing when it comes to price integrity. The goal is to be able to say the price like it is the time of day or the weather. Don't jump to discounts to make you feel more comfortable. Instead, try this: imagine you sell water bottles. They are currently $8 each and the price is going up to $12 each. That can feel hard to communicate when your mental anchor is at $8. So, imagine you had to charge 10x more tomorrow. Once you plan through how you could sell them for $80 tomorrow, $12 will feel like a breeze.

If you're wondering, "Should I raise my prices?" the answer is probably "Yes." Now that you know the mistakes to avoid, you can confidently sell at whatever new price you land on. Happy selling.

 

Inc

Businesses across different sectors have lamented the worsening state of power supply in the country, which they said has forced them to rely more on alternative sources of energy. They said the alternatives are expensive, unsustainable and constitute a threat to their continued survival.

While the different distribution companies (DisCos), have given different reasons in the last few weeks to explain the continued drop in power supply to businesses and homes, industries are suffering, as they are forced to rely on diesel and petrol-powered generators to sustain production.

Managing Director of Kazih Kits Limited, Chinedu Grace Otakpor-Azih, lamented the power situation, saying it is stalling production. “We use both diesel and petrol generators, the former for day production while the latter is for overnight production. We spend about N60,000 on petrol weekly and I have lost track of what we spend on diesel but it is a lot.” She said they are currently shopping for alternatives, including switching to gas in a bid to reduce expenses.

“The power situation is very poor, sometimes, there is no power for days. How can we remain productive like this? Despite using fuel to produce, we cannot increase prices so much because the economy is bad in general and spending power has reduced but it cannot be helped again. The DisCo will still send us bills to settle despite getting little to no power. A bundle of cotton material moved from N18,000 to N50,000 in weeks; this is in addition to rising fuel costs and other operating costs, which are all shooting up as well. We are looking to source cotton locally but what is being produced locally is of far inferior quality,” she said.

A manager at Future Hope Interior Designs Limited, Dapo Salau, regretted that the electricity situation has forced them to lay off some casual staff and cut down drastically on production. Describing the power situation as worrisome, he said they use as much as N25,000 diesel daily and when they realised it was not sustainable, had to cut back on production and because of that, let some workers go. He worried that if the situation does not improve, they would be forced to completely halt production.

“The cost of materials has tripled overnight and when you factor in diesel costs, we are running at a loss. We cannot afford to raise the prices of our goods too much so as not to scare customers away. Please let the authorities in charge save our businesses and livelihood by giving us constant power, we don’t want to have to close down,” he said.

Immediate past Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) chairperson, Apapa branch, Frank Ike Onyebu, regretted that despite operating in an industrial estate, the power situation has degenerated so badly. He added that it was not surprising however as this is the dry season but lamented that the outages were too frequent and sometimes, last days. 

“We have come to accept that 24/7 electricity is a distant dream but what we are getting now is 7/24, seven hours in 24 if we are lucky as it is often less than that. Generation and transmission, in particular, is still very poor despite all the reforms the government claims to have carried out in the sector. Most of the transmission and distribution lines inherited from the defunct NEPA by the DisCos are still in use and sadly they are all obsolete. Which is why when there is a break somewhere or wind blows, the light goes off for hours or even days.”

Onyebu added that manufacturers need constant power supply but are not getting it. He noted: “In the last two weeks, we have used 30,000 litres of diesel coming to us at 1,100 per litre. This is how much we are bleeding and will worsen if the power situation is not addressed soon.” He added that the DisCos are probably not bothered about delivering service to customers because they get subsidy from the federal government. 

“Every month, our electricity bill is around 70-80 million Naira without fail, yet we still spend millions on diesel and petrol to fuel our generators. One would expect that manufacturers being charged millions would be given a little priority, yet, all we get is disregard and darkness. The situation is beyond frustrating and we are dealing with too many problems at once. If this government is serious about preventing this industry from total collapse, power must be fixed immediately,” he concluded.

 

The Guardian

Youths and women took to the streets in Niger State on Monday in protest of what they called the biting hardship and the rising cost of living in the country.

The protest started when a group of women blocked the Minna-Bida Road at the popular Kpakungu Roundabout to lament what they termed the sufferings under the Bola Tinubu government.

They were later joined by men and youths who barricaded the road and halted vehicular traffic.

The economic situation in the country had become unbearable following the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Tinubu on May 29, 2023.

The policy triggered a surge in food inflation and a hike in costs of transportation, goods, and services, resulting in a higher cost of living.

Also, the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria in June 2023 to float the naira, which allows buyers and sellers to set their exchange rates in the FX market, has led to a depreciation of the national currency which has continued to lose its value against the greenback.

As of Monday, the naira exchanged for N1,440 to the US dollar on the black market while the CBN rate was pegged at N905/$1.

In reaction to the economic distress, the protesting youths and women halted commercial activities as they lamented how the economy was getting worse under Tinubu’s leadership.

A youth, who gave his name as Ibrahim Gana, said, “A measure of rice was sold for N2,000 in Minna markets while maize was N1,000 per measure. The Federal Government needs to take action to reduce the hardship faced by poor Nigerians. Things are becoming unbearable.”

The protesters defied a team of police operatives deployed to disperse them.

Attempts by the operatives to quell the protest and arrest the youths failed as they chased the officers.

The police operatives fired teargas canisters but the protesters were unmoved as they stood their ground.

Niger State Police command spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, explained that the police applied minimum force to disperse the protesters.

He added, “I woke up this morning with information that a large number of people protesting blocked Bida Road, obstructing motorists and people were unable to go about their work. So, we had to deploy there this morning.

“After so much persuasion, they refused to open the road, even the deputy governor was there to address them. As a result of that, we had to use minimum force to disperse the protesters; the road was opened and there is free flow of traffic now.”

Commenting on the demonstration in Minna, Executive Director of the Rule of Law, Advocacy and Accountability Centre, Okechukwu Nwaguma, said he expected the protest to spread across the country “to send a message to the President to sit up or step down,” emphasising the hardship under Tinubu’s leadership.

On his part, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, said the Minna protest could escalate if the government did not take quick measures to reduce the people’s sufferings by minimising waste and corruption.

“This protest against poverty, hunger, and hardship in Nigeria is something that if the government does not take measures to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians may escalate everywhere because right now, living conditions are very hard and difficult for many Nigerians who are even employed, not to talk of people who are not even earning any means of livelihood.

“So, the government must ensure it has a package that could minimise waste, diversion of taxpayers’ money, extravagancy, and outright embezzlement of funds by public officials. This is the only way the government could douse the tension”, he suggested.

The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, said the protest in Niger State reflected Nigerians’ growing frustration with the government, adding that the people must unite to demand an improvement in their standard of living.

“The protest in Niger State is indicative of broader socio-economic challenges that Nigerians are facing. While we cannot predict the trajectory of the protest, it is evident that there is growing frustration among the Nigerians concerning the economic hardships they are experiencing.

‘’The hardships faced by Nigerians are not isolated to one region, and now is the time for citizens to unite, speak up against the prevailing hardships, and demand the social justice they rightfully desire,’’ he counselled.

While calling on the Federal Government to address the current economic challenges, Mamedu encouraged the citizens to conduct peaceful and purposeful protests.

“However, we encourage peaceful and purposeful protests during these trying times and ActionAid joins its voice with other Nigerians to call on the Federal Government to listen attentively to the voices of the people and take decisive actions to address the root causes of the economic challenges. Indeed, enough is enough,” he stated.

 

Punch

There was heavy traffic gridlock in some parts of Lagos on Monday as motorists formed long queues outside the forecourts of filling stations on what appeared may herald a fresh scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit.

One of our correspondents observed along the Ikorodu Road axis how motorists endured an unusually heavy gridlock due to a long queue of motorists waiting to buy petrol at filling stations. Also, the Total Filling station at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way had queues which led to heavy tariff around the Ikeja axis.

Our correspondent also noticed that many of the filling stations along the Ikeja axis, through Obafemi Awolowo Road in Ikeja were shut.

Meanwhile, some motorists had begun to hike the prices of their fares due to the development.

A commercial transport operator plying the Unilag-Jibowu axis in Yaba told our correspondents that he was forced to hike his fees after waiting for hours to buy fuel.

The commercial transport operator, who refused to disclose his name said, “Do you know how long it took me to buy fuel today? Anybody who doesn’t want to enter should stay out.”

Our correspondent also observed that all the filling stations along Ogunnusi Road inbound Berger did not also sell petrol to customers.

It is not immediately clear why fuel queues have resurfaced in Lagos.

Meanwhile, our correspondents gathered that the queues were noticeable in major filling stations considered to be selling at lower rates.

It was gathered that a number of filling stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway did not dispense fuel too.

National Vice Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, said he was aware of the queues in some filling stations in Lagos.

However, Fashola said the queues might be due to panic-buying on the part of customers.

“I am not in Lagos as we speak. But I heard about it too that there are queues in Lagos. It may just be panic buying. I am not sure there is fuel scarcity. People are just panicking. However, I will find out what the problem is,” Fashola said.

 

Punch

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says over 50 percent of certificates of pharmaceutical products (CPP) of medicines imported into Nigeria are fake.

A certificate of a pharmaceutical product is a document issued in a format recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that establishes the status of the product in the exporting country.

Speaking on Monday at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting with regulators, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies in Abuja, Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC director-general (DG), said sending a CPP out to another country gives assurance on the quality of the product.

But the NAFDAC DG noted that most certificates of pharmaceutical products imported into Nigeria are fake.

“We have a scheme where before medicines that were approved leave that part of the world, we do pre-shipment testing, and that comes with CPP to assure us of quality, but that is not the case, because through our scheme we have been able to stop over 140 products that were approved for coming in,” she said.

“We found out that more than 50 percent of the CPPs that come into our country are fake. Part of those responsible is our people that go to China or India and we are going to deal with it.

“We are very stringent than ever and there is no cutting of corners, we have blacklisted many companies, we have sanctioned them because we want people to respect our people.”

She said trade is a mutual agreement adding that if that agreement is harming one party to the deal, it would be stopped.

“If a company is suspected to be compromising, in two hours we will be there, and we will shut the company down,” she said.

 

The Cable

At least 13 passengers have been abducted by gunmen in Kogi state.

The passengers, who were said to have been travelling from the south-east to Abuja, were kidnapped in Inyele Eteke, Olalamaboro LGA, on Saturday.

The gunmen reportedly hijacked the vehicles before abducting the occupants.

William Aya, police spokesperson in Kogi, confirmed the development to our correspondent Monday night.

Aya said the incident involved a GIGM bus carrying 12 passengers and a vehicle owned by ABC Transport with two occupants.

The police spokesperson said the driver of the GIGM bus has been rescued by security operatives.

“Efforts are on to ensure that others are rescued,” he said.

There has been an uptick in kidnapping for ransom, and killings orchestrated by gunmen across Nigeria in recent times.

Last week, gunmen abducted schoolchildren from their school bus in Ekiti.

They were rescued on Sunday Morning after spending six days in captivity.

Gunmen also killed traditional rulers in Ekiti and Kwara states in about two weeks ago.

Bandits have also been raiding and abducting residents of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city in recent times.

Authorities and security agencies have been struggling to contain the surge in attacks and abductions by bandits in border towns of Abuja.

 

The Cable

Blinken returns to Mideast in push for hostage deal and postwar plan for Gaza, but obstacles loom

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Monday at the start of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, hoping to press ahead with a potential cease-fire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions.

But on all three fronts he faces major challenges: Hamas and Israel are publicly at odds over key elements of a potential truce. Israel has dismissed U.S. calls for a path to a Palestinian state, and Iran’s militant allies in the region have shown little sign of being deterred by U.S. strikes.

In Gaza, meanwhile, Hamas has begun to re-emerge in some of the most devastated areas after Israeli forces pulled back, an indication that Israel’s central goal of crushing the group remains elusive. Video footage from the same areas shows vast destruction, with nearly every building damaged or destroyed.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military would continue to conduct operations in northern Gaza for many months and press ahead with its main offensive in the south, where it has been locked in heavy fighting for weeks, until it has “full reign” over the entire territory.

He said the offensive will eventually reach the town of Rafah, on the Egyptian border, where some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge. Egypt has said an Israeli deployment along the border would threaten the peace treaty the two countries signed over four decades ago.

Blinken met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shortly after arriving in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Saudi officials have said the kingdom is still interested in normalizing relations with Israel in a potentially historic deal, but only if there is a credible plan to create a Palestinian state.

Blinken “underscored the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing further spread of the conflict,” and he and the crown prince discussed “the importance of building a more integrated and prosperous region,” the State Department said in a statement.

But any such grand bargain appears a long way off as the war still rages in Gaza, where 113 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours alone, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Another 205 people were wounded, the agency said.

The fatalities bring the overall Palestinian death toll from nearly four months of war to 27,478. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead have been women and children.

The war has leveled vast swaths of the tiny enclave, displaced 85% of its population of 2.3 million Palestinians and pushed a quarter of residents to starvation.

HAMAS RETURNS TO WAR-BATTERED STREETS

A video circulating online Monday showed masked gunmen leading a line of shirtless detainees past bombed-out buildings in northern Gaza, forcing them to shout out that they are thieves. The Associated Press was not able to independently confirm the incident, but it is consistent with AP reporting.

It was the latest sign that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since seizing power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, is reasserting control in parts of the north. Residents say Hamas-led security forces, which numbered in the tens of thousands before the war, have begun to reappear in some areas where they focus on distributing civil salaries and cracking down on looters.

The Israeli military says it has launched targeted operations in northern Gaza over the last week to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its capabilities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Israel crushes Hamas’ military and governing abilities and wins the return of the 100-plus hostages still held by the militant group after the Oct. 7 cross-border raid that ignited the war.

Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the attack and abducted around 250. More than 100 captives, mostly women and children, were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Meeting with troops on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel had defeated 18 of Hamas’ 24 battalions, without providing evidence. “We are on the way to absolute victory, and I want to tell you that we are committed to it and we will not give it up.”

CEASE-FIRE TALKS ADVANCE, BUT GAPS REMAIN

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have drawn up a proposal for a cease-fire of several weeks and the phased release of the remainder of the hostages.

But Hamas, which has yet to publicly respond to the proposal, has said it won’t release any more captives until Israel ends its offensive. The militants are expected to demand the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in return — demands Netanyahu has publicly ruled out.

The war has ignited tensions across the region, with a flurry of strikes and counterstrikes raising the risk of a wider conflict.

Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group trade fire across the border on a daily basis, and in recent weeks apparent Israeli strikes have killed senior Hezbollah commanders.

A drone attack launched by Iran-backed militants killed three U.S. soldiers near the Jordan-Syria border last week, prompting a wave of retaliatory U.S. strikes. The United States and Britain have also carried out strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, which the rebels portray as a blockade of Israel.

 

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Some Ukrainian soldiers express unease over possible dismissal of army chief

As Ukraine's president looks poised to fire the head of his armed forces, some soldiers fighting Russia's latest onslaught on the eastern front are sceptical, but say that much will depend on who he might be replaced by.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that he is considering replacing armed forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as part of a broader wartime shake-up of the top brass.

Zaluzhnyi is viewed as a hero by most Ukrainians, with the memories of the stunning underdog victories against Russia in 2022 outweighing the failure of last year's counter-offensive in the minds of many.

"I think this dismissal would not be appropriate now, because on the field of battle you do not change commanders," said a 31-year-old anti-tank unit commander who asked to be introduced by his call sign, Tiger.

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Tiger's brigade, the 59th, are fighting on a section of the front in the eastern Donetsk region near Avdiivka, a town built around a vast coking plant which has borne the brunt of Russia's second winter assault.

The soldier, choosing his words carefully and speaking in the basement of a house where he was resting between frontline rotations, said a lot depended on who would replace him.

"The most popular (commanders) are those who are here, and who fight alongside the lads, who sit in the trenches," he said.

He added that whoever was in charge should ensure the arrival of fresh replacement troops and a larger supply of drones - both things that Zaluzhnyi has pushed for.

The importance of the identity of the next commander was echoed by 33-year-old company commander Ihor.

"Before you fire someone from their post, especially such an important one, you need to be sure who will replace this person and what their vision is for the future of this situation," he said.

"If our government wants to change someone, these changes should only make things better, and not worse."

A December 2023 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 72% of Ukrainians would view the dismissal of Zaluzhnyi negatively, with only 2% seeing it positively.

The soldiers who spoke to Reuters were cautious not to express strident opinions in a row that pits their commander-in-chief against a president who heads the armed forces.

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But Mykola, a 59-year-old who commands a GRAD rocket launcher truck, said he thought Zaluzhnyi had been sucked into a political dispute.

"Everyone thinks we had some successes in 2022... But in 2023 (not as much). That doesn't mean that Zaluzhnyi was managing the armed forces badly," he said.

MOBILISATION WORRIES

Longstanding friction between Zelenskiy and Zaluzhnyi over the conduct of the war has come to a head over the issue of mobilisation.

Zelenskiy has said the military wants to recruit up to 500,000 men in 2024, something a source said the president opposes, although his government has submitted a draft law to parliament tightening up military recruitment.

The soldiers in Donetsk region, many of whom volunteered not expecting to be still fighting after two years of full-scale war, said they did not want to shoulder the entire burden of the conflict.

"The mobilisation is necessary, because we don't have enough people, the enemy has a great advantage over us in the number of soldiers," Ihor said.

Tiger estimated 60-70% of the original 59th brigade were still serving, and it had not been able to fill all the gaps left by those killed, injured or signed off for other reasons.

Mykola, the 59-year-old, said he would go home when he turned 60 in line with the current rules. He said he felt for younger soldiers who didn't have that option.

"Everyone has to understand that the entire country of Ukraine is at war, not just those who have been fighting for the last two years."

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian drone production soaring – deputy PM

Russia expects to see a major increase in drones supplied to its military this year, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with the TV channel Russia 24 on the sidelines of the second World Defense Show that kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday.

According to Manturov, who also serves as the trade and industry minister, Russia is planning to allocate 100 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) for the research, development, and production of drones in the next three years. 

“First of all, of course, there will be more drones. Our armed forces are actively using them in many areas. The range of products is very wide, from heavy unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] to first-person view [FPV] drones,” the official said.

He specified that the plan entails producing hundreds of thousands of FPV drones and dozens of heavy UAVs.

“This is one of the important areas where we will be working together with the Defense Ministry, and our industrial enterprises are expected to build up both competencies and production volumes,” Manturov said.

He stressed that communication equipment ensuring tactical interaction in the field would be produced in greater amounts, while production of heavy and light armored vehicles, air-defense systems and equipment for counter-battery warfare will see an expansion as well.

The use of drones has become a critical part of combat operations in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although the technology has been used extensively on twenty-first-century battlefields, the current conflict has produced innovations in autonomous warfare never seen before, military experts highlight.

 

Reuters/RT