\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4775,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:11:47","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 10 March 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/3\/10\/hrw-questions-official-death-toll-in-equatorial-guinea-explosion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups have called for a transparent and independent investigation into a series of massive explosions in Equatorial Guinea\u2019s main city of Bata that flattened a military camp and nearby residential areas, killing scores of people and causing widespread destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years, blamed the military for \u201cnegligence\u201d in stocking ammunition so close to populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, state television reported 105 people were killed and 615 were wounded by the conflagration at the camp of Nkoa Ntoma on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, said that \u201cbased on the number of bodies pulled from the rubble, the actual number of victims is much higher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged<\/a> donors and aid groups to send support directly to victims and their families rather than through the government, \u201cgiven high levels of corruption in Equatorial Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buck stops with [President Obiang]. We demand full, transparent and independent investigation into the cause and real impact of the catastrophic blasts in Bata,\u201d Tutu Alicante, the United States-based director of EG Justice, wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four cataclysmic explosions levelled the camp, which houses special forces, gendarmes and their families, as well as nearby residential areas on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the evening, Obiang announced a probe into the disaster, stating that the blasts were set off by a local farmer practising slash-and-burn agriculture near stores of explosives and  munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defence ministry said the explosions were caused by heavy-calibre munitions and emitted \u201cshock waves which totally destroyed numerous homes nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obiang accused camp officials of negligence, charges he repeated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW called for international experts to conduct an investigation and said \u201cunverified accounts \u2026 allege that the fire was started by soldiers ordered to burn brush and that it then spread to the armoury, or that it was started during training on the use of explosives gone awry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc, analysed by The Associated Press news agency, show only charred signs of fire at the site that remained centred on three rectangular buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of farming around the base and the only land-clearing work seen came from a construction project near those buildings, according to the satellite images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images show the military base at Bata had been undergoing construction at its southeast corner before the explosion. Old, earth-covered munitions storage facilities appear to have been removed and replaced by new structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A November 16 photo of the base shows three rectangular buildings sitting close to each other, AP reported. A satellite image of the site on Tuesday shows that those structures have disappeared, with only charred debris left scattered around them. That suggests a fire occurred at the site, possibly before the blast. A raging fire will ignite explosives if not contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days of mourning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the government has declared three days of mourning beginning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent\u2019s most insular nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the full scale of the tragedy, air and sea links have been shut off for weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only military and government aircraft have travelled to the site on the mainland from the island capital, Malabo, since the explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of what caused the blast, Equatorial Guineans deserve to know why the military is storing explosives in the middle of a populated area,\u201d HRW researcher Sarah Saadoun said in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has made numerous appeals for international aid since the disaster, with Obiang pointing to a severe economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil, the country\u2019s main source of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But HRW warned: \u201cCorruption has long stymied the oil-rich country from developing public services and providing social protection commensurate with its resources, and continued opaque governance puts any aid directly disbursed to the government at high risk of being looted.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Rights groups urge independent probe into cause of Bata blasts","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rights-groups-urge-independent-probe-into-cause-of-bata-blasts","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4775","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4745,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-11 22:10:58","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 02 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/eeradicalization.com\/can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 March 2021, the Acting General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Ibrahim Munir, appeared on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera<\/em> television station to speak about the rapprochement-in-the-making between Cairo and Ankara, which has raised eyebrows, and a storm of speculation, across the region. He seemed confident and very well-informed, telling his followers that no deal had been reached at their expense between Turkish and Egyptian governments. Turkey, he added affirmatively, would never expel members of the Egyptian Brotherhood from its territory. On that, Munir was right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Islamist leader was echoing a line that had been peddled by Turkish authorities behind closed doors to its Egyptian MB guests. He added that he continued to trust Turkey, calling on his followers to do the same.[1]<\/strong> The fact that he was actually given airtime on Al-Jazeera<\/em>, a long-time supporter of the MB, is in itself testimony that little has changed in Turkish-Qatari backing for the outlawed Islamist group. But he felt obliged to come out and speak in light of an avalanche of media reports about an upcoming Turkish abandonment of the MB, which sent shivers down the spine of many members of the Egyptian MB. One said that Turkey had muzzled thirty members of the MB, ordering them to stop speaking to the press. Another added that Egyptian Islamists in Turkey were being placed under house arrest in anticipation of their deportation, while a third claimed that investigations were underway into the bank accounts of Egyptian MB members based in Turkey.[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or Fantasy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these reports about Turkey turning on the MB were more fantasy than fact, however, either the doing of an imaginative journalists or anti-Brotherhood hopefuls\u2014both categories well-represented in the Arab World. All of these reports were seemingly based on recent instructions from Turkish authorities to three Egyptian opposition channels broadcasting from Turkey, ordering them to tone down their criticism of Egyptian ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The three channels\u2014El-Sharq<\/em>, Watan TV<\/em>, and Mekameleen<\/em>\u2014are all affiliated with the MB and they were threatened with penalties if they defied the order.[3]<\/strong> Immediately El-Sharq<\/em> came out with a statement, apologizing to viewers for not airing an evening episode of a program called, \u201cThe Streets of Egypt,\u201d which was usually dedicated to bashing the Sisi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting things into perspective was Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appeared on Al-Jazeera TV<\/em> to deny that his boss had any intention of closing the three television channels or extraditing members of the Egyptian MB. Aktay described the backlash as \u201cbarking,\u201d adding: \u201cIt is impossible for Turkey to extradite any person, neither to Egypt nor to any country that observes capital punishment\u201d.[4]<\/strong> Prominent Egyptian opposition member Ayman Nour, who manages El-Sharq TV<\/em>, added that Turkish authorities had asked them politely to amend their editorial policy towards Egypt, also denying an order to shut down his channel.[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that these statements did much good; the media speculation about a divorce between Erdogan and the MB continued to mushroom. One report said that a senior delegation had been created to revisit the residency permits of Egyptian Brotherhood members residing in Ankara and Istanbul since 2013. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which admittedly has a very spotty record when it comes to accuracy, added to the wave of speculation, saying that Turkish-backed fighters in Libya have been ordered to pack up and leave in a gesture of goodwill towards the Egyptians. The report added that 9,000 of them have already left the Libya battlefield and were flown out by Turkish intelligence.[6]<\/strong> At least one of those military groups, Faylaq al-Sham, is openly affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan Will Not Abandon the Brotherhood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting Erdogan to sell out the MB is akin to asking Iran to abandon Hezbollah or Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Syria. It is wishful thinking that simply will not happen. The Turkish leader has built his entire foreign policy towards the Arab World on supporting non-state players like the MB, using them as pressure cards to destabilize governments and advance his own political ambitions. Without the MB he would lose his leverage in Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian affairs, eroding his recent victories in Libya, where he managed to thwart the military offensive of Khalifa Haftar last year, through MB-affiliated mercenaries. He needs Hamas to maintain a threshold in the upcoming Palestinian elections, and their Syrian comrades to keep the territory that he grabbed in Syria during the years 2016-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning these proxies would be akin to Erdogan shooting himself in the foot, depriving himself of a reliable tool of state policy that he has used, time and again, to influence events in the Arab World. And we need to ask what Erdogan will get in return for such a suicidal policy? Turkish-Egyptian economic relations are on the rise, but they were never suspended despite the political tensions. According to official figures, Egyptian exports to Turkey rose to $2 billion in 2018, slightly up from $1.9 billion in 2017, while Turkish imports stood at an impressive $2.3 billion.[8]<\/strong> With or without a U-turn on the MB, those economic relations are likely to continue. That, of course, is in addition to the fact that he is ideologically committed to the MB, where he started his career as a young politician. It must be remembered that not even the multi-state boycott of Qatar, succeeded in getting its young emir, Tamim Bin Hamad, to abandon Hamas and the MB or amend the pro-Islamist editorial policies of Al-Jazeera TV\u2014and Qatar is much more vulnerable to pressure than Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it does seem there is an Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement underway, motived by mutual interests and shifting regional dynamics related to the Biden Administration. Turkish-American relations are at all-time low after a recent decision by the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide that took place during the First World War.[9]<\/strong> Turkey is also already facing the threat of sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for, respectively, drilling in waters claimed by Cyprus and purchasing S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Erdogan feels increasingly vulnerable and isolated, searching for regional and international allies. Many of those on whom he had relied for years are gone, including Egypt\u2019s Mohammad Morsi, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, and more recently, Fayez al-Sarraj of Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path Ahead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official admission from Ankara came on 12 March when Erdogan\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevl\u00fct \u00c7avu\u015fo\u011flu announced that talks have resumed with Egypt, at both an intelligence and political level, a significant breakthrough, no doubt, after years of tension and animosity resulting from the 2013 ouster of President Morsi, who was backed fully by Erdogan.[10]<\/strong> On 14 March, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri confirmed that talks had indeed resumed, saying that Turkey\u2019s statements of good will needed to be followed with concrete action for the normalization to move forward, explaining why Turkey floated the trial balloon of clipping the wings of the three MB-affiliated channels\u2014as a confidence building measure with Cairo. But for those talks to move forward and bear fruit, Erdogan will have to do better than that, taking serious action against the MB, which\u2014pending some radical, unforeseeable event\u2014he will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disengagement of President Erdogan from the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing but a balloon full of hot air,\u201d said Abdullah Bozkurt, a Turkish journalist affiliated with the Turkish opposition Gulen movement. Speaking to EER, Bozkurt went on: \u201cHe may offer sacrifices [and] concessions, but his overall strategy won\u2019t change,\u201d concluding: \u201cThis recent posturing is not a strategic shift for him and his MB-minded political Islamists in Turkey. He will revert to his old policies openly as soon as the circumstances allow. In the meantime, he will continue lending his government\u2019s support to the MB discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Eye on Radicalization aims to publish a diversity of perspectives and as such does not endorse the opinions expressed by contributors. The views expressed in this article represent the author alone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cCairo sees little place for Brotherhood in rapprochement with Ankara\u201d Arab Weekly<\/em> (March 22, 2021): https:\/\/thearabweekly.com\/cairo-sees-little-place-brotherhood-rapprochement-ankara<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Abdul-Razeq, Said. \u201cTurkiya tuqayid harakat al-Ikhwan\u201d Alsharq Alawsat<\/em> (March 20, 2021): shorturl.at\/gDRTZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cTurkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric\u201d Al-Arabiya English<\/em> (March 18, 2021): https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2021\/03\/19\/Turkey-orders-Muslim-Brotherhood-TV-channels-to-stop-airing-anti-Egypt-rhetoric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] \u201cMustashar Erdogan: Lam natlob iglak qanawat muarida li Masr, wa tasleem muarideen lam yutrah\u201d CNN Arabic<\/em> (March 19, 2021): https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/middle-east\/article\/2021\/03\/19\/turkey-yasin-aktay-tv-stations-egypt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] \u201cBad Awdet Erdogan ila al-Hudn al-Arabi, tarakub li awdat al-murtazaka al-Souriyeen min Libya ila Souria bi awamer Turkiya\u201d Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 19, 2021): shorturl.at\/oHUZ6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Lefevre, Raphael & El Yassir, Ali. \u201cSham Legion: Syria\u2019s Moderate Islamists,\u201d Carnegie Middle East Center<\/em> (April 15, 2014): https:\/\/carnegie-mec.org\/diwan\/55344<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8] Cengiz, Sinem. \u201cCan Egypt and Turkey break the ice after years of chilly relations?\u201d Arab News (March 5, 2021): https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1820551<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9] Ghazanchyan, Siranush. \u201cBiden Administration will officially acknowledge Armenian genocide,\u201d Public Radio of Armenia (March 23, 2021): https:\/\/en.armradio.am\/2021\/03\/23\/biden-administration-will-officially-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-political-analyst-ian-bremmer-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] Burc Eruygur. \u201cThe Turkish-Egyptian Rapprochement: Prospects for the Future\u201d The Center for Middle East Studies<\/em>, (March 20, 2021): https:\/\/www.orsam.org.tr\/en\/the-turkish-egyptian-rapprochement-prospects-for-the-future\/<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"can-turkey-break-with-the-muslim-brotherhood","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4745","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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