World News: Poland-Belarus Migrant Crisis Deepens And UN Drivers Detained In Ethiopia
In other world news, former French President Francois Hollande will testify in Nov 2015 Paris attacks trial, and France has given back 26 works of art its troops had looted from Benin in 19th century
New Delhi: Migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa, stranded inside Belarus in freezing conditions, once again tried to forcibly cross the border and enter into Poland, Reuters reported Wednesday, quoting authorities in Warsaw.
According to the report, the strength of Polish troops deployed at the border has been increased to 15,000 from 12,000.
"It was not a calm night...there were many attempts to breach the Polish border," Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak was quoted as telling broadcaster PR1.
Private radio RMF said around 200 people had tried to breach the border Tuesday afternoon, while another 60 made an attempt after midnight. All those people were detained.
Hundreds of migrants seeking an entry into the European Union have set up camp along the fenced border guarded by Polish soldiers.
The EU has imposed several sanctions on Belarus, targeting both individuals and entities, over human rights abuses, and is planning more in the wake of the migrant crisis, the report said.
Poland and many other EU nations have accused Belarus of encouraging the migrants to illegally cross the fences in revenge for the sanctions.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of using the migrants as a weapon to put pressure on the West.
Belarus, however, has denied any wrongdoing.
Over 70 UN Drivers Detained In Ethiopia
More than 70 drivers working with the United Nations were detained by the authorities in Ethiopia, new agency Reuters reported, quoting an internal UN email.
While there have been reports of arrests of ethnic Tigrayans, the ethnicity of the UN drivers was not clear.
A UN spokesperson said Tuesday at least 16 staff members and dependents had also been detained in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. According to the email, the detained drivers were in addition to the staff.
Quoting a UN spokesman in New York, the Reuters report said they were investigating the matter.
A war broke out in 2020 between the government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that used to dominate Ethiopia’s ruling coalition.
The country’s police, however, denied making any ethnically motivated arrest, claiming they are only targeting supporters of the Tigrayan rebels fighting the central government.
Former French President Francois Hollande To Testify In Paris Attacks Trial
Former French president Francois Hollande will Wednesday testify in the trial over the Paris terror attacks that took place in November 2015. He will face questions over how a jihadist commando could evade detection while preparing for the attack that shook the country, FRANCE 24 reported.
Hollande was attending a friendly football match between France and Germany on the night of November 13, 2015, at a Paris stadium when the attack started , the report said.
He was the president of France from 2012 to 2017.
France Returns 26 Works Of Art It Looted From Benin During Colonial Rule
France has given back 26 items of national treasure that were looted by French troops from African nation Benin during the colonial period in the 19th century, news agency AFP reported. President Emmanuel Macron had earlier made a promise to this effect.
The works of art were on display at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
Among the treasures handed back are totem statues from the ancient Abomey kingdom and the throne of King Behanzin, looted in 1892.
In Benin, these works will be displayed at the presidency for three months, before being transferred to the historical sites of slavery and colonisation in the Gulf of Guinea, reports said.
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