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Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: from child refugees stranded on the Belarus-Polish border unable to reach the UK to the ongoing Anglophone Cameroon Crises, via ethnic minority children in France facing the backlash of hate, racism and violence in French politics and populist xenophobia as the Far right celebrated the rise of the new Napoleon: peace and social justice would be the best Christmas gifts for children in war zones and disadvantaged infants worldwide this Christmas. The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly of humanitarian intervention in a time of major crisis.

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Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: child refugees are being stranded on the Belarus-Polish border unable to reach the UK. The Bridge MAG. Image

Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: child refugees are being stranded on the Belarus-Polish border unable to reach the UK.
The Bridge MAG. Image

From child refugees stranded on Belarus- Polish border unable to reach the UK to children of ethnic minorities in France facing hate and violence as the political movement of the Far Right gains momentum, child casualties continue in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis where the UK calls on ‘all sides’ to cease fire.

It looks as though Covid 19 remains a façade for the world governments to carry on with these silent wars. How could someone explain to the world population that in the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with over 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, mostly due to a lack of funding, the UK Government is still sending troops abroad for the ‘greater good’?

‘More than half a million babies may have died as a result of conflict over the past five years’ according to a new report by Save the Children. That’s an average of more than 100,000 deaths annually – or 300 babies every day.

 

 

Poland-Belarus: migrant children face hypothermia and broken ribs in freezing forests as Poland-Belarus crisis deepens The Bridge MAG. Image

Poland-Belarus: migrant children face hypothermia and broken ribs in freezing forests as Poland-Belarus crisis deepens
The Bridge MAG. Image

The death toll does not include children killed directly by fighting.

Latest figures on casualties of conflict from the Department of Peace and Conflict in regards to lives and statistics show that ‘90% of modern war victims are civilians’.

No to war and the killing of children and civilians worldwide. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: Ethnic minority children in France are facing the backlash of hate, racism and violence in French politics and populist xenophobia as the Far right celebrated the rise of the Algerian descent far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour or the rise of the new Napoléon The Bridge MAG. Image

Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: Ethnic minority children in France are facing the backlash of hate, racism and violence in French politics and populist xenophobia as the Far right celebrated the rise of the Algerian descent far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour or the rise of the new Napoléon
The Bridge MAG. Image

We are living in a ‘world where an elite of fewer than a billion people controls 80 percent of humanity’s wealth […]’ writes John Pilger in the introduction to his book The New Rulers of the World.

 

 

 

Christmas is associated with the events surrounding Jesus’s birth –a fulfilment of the Old Testament messianic prophecy. But the day is also equally associated with family festivities and, in particular, with children. There is surely no better time, therefore, to reflect on the plight of today’s disadvantaged children around the world, and to wish peace and social justice to all of them.

 

Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: child casualties continue in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis where the UK calls on 'all sides' to cease fire. The Bridge MAG. Image

Merry Christmas to the children in war zones III. Forgotten children in the Festive Season: child casualties continue in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis where the UK calls on ‘all sides’ to cease fire.
The Bridge MAG. Image

Disadvantaged infants worldwide can be listed as follows:

 

 

 

 

  • Children in war zones

  • Sexually abused children

  • Missing children

  • Street children

  • Orphans

  • Children from broken families (divorced, parent death, in prison and others…) 

  • Children victim to malnutrition, famine, and extreme poverty

  • Children victim to disease

 

 

Christmas is associated with the events surrounding Jesus’s birth –a fulfilment of the Old Testament messianic prophecy. But the day is also equally associated with family festivities and, in particular, with children. There is surely no better time, therefore, to reflect on the plight of today’s disadvantaged children around the world, and to wish peace and social justice to all of them. The Bridge MAG. Image

Christmas is associated with the events surrounding Jesus’s birth –a fulfilment of the Old Testament messianic prophecy. But the day is also equally associated with family festivities and, in particular, with children. There is surely no better time, therefore, to reflect on the plight of today’s disadvantaged children around the world, and to wish peace and social justice to all of them.
The Bridge MAG. Image

We are all responsible for the continued suffering of innocent children caught up in the world’s war zones.

 

But for the children trapped in armed conflicts –not to mention the tens of thousands of children currently living in abject poverty as austerity-hit Western countries too– Christmas is not about the latest sophisticated toy, electronic device, iPod or video game: it is about trying to salvage some semblance of comfort, safety and normality during the festive season. They just want to live; to survive.

 

It looks as though Covid 19 remains a façade for the world governments to carry on with these silent wars. How could someone explain to the world population that in the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with over 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, mostly due to a lack of funding, the UK Government is still sending troops abroad for the ‘greater good’? The Bridge MAG. Image

It looks as though Covid 19 remains a façade for the world governments to carry on with these silent wars. How could someone explain to the world population that in the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with over 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, mostly due to a lack of funding, the UK Government is still sending troops abroad for the ‘greater good’?
The Bridge MAG. Image

France:

The Algerian descent far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour or the rise of the new Napoléon.

 

French ethnic minority children are facing the pressure of extreme racism, violence hate and xenophobia at the rise of French far-right politician Eric Zemmour who is widely expected to run for the presidency next year. Zemmour once said on a televised debate against unaccompanied child migrants and refugees that they were “thieves, killers… rapists. That’s all they are…we should send them back.”

 

No to war and the killing of children and civilians worldwide. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.’ The Bridge MAG. Image

No to war and the killing of children and civilians worldwide. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.’
The Bridge MAG. Image

Instigating this xenophobia Zemmour is viewed by many as a colonialist who wants to re-establish slavery.

 

France far right, well known for its cruel foreign policies and to have figuratively beheaded their king are yet to crown the populist xenophobic Eric Zemmour  as the new Napoléon.

 

 

 

Le Pen and Zemmour, the twins ! France far right, well known for its cruel foreign policies and to have figuratively beheaded their king are yet to crown the populist xenophobic Eric Zemmour as the new Napoléon. The Bridge MAG. Image

Le Pen and Zemmour, the twins !
France far right, well known for its cruel foreign policies and to have figuratively beheaded their king are yet to crown the populist xenophobic Eric Zemmour as the new Napoléon.
The Bridge MAG. Image

In Revolutionary France when the Legislative Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy and establish the First Republic, it is believed Napoleon was arrested for treason following the “Reign of Terror.” Isn’t it a similar terror over which Zemmour has gained support as a pillar of a monarchy as he was standing on an anti-immigration, anti-Islam programme?

 

 

His popularity hit the roof on Sunday 12 December 2021 when he announced in a debate that he would stop benefits for non-Europeans and foreigners who remain unemployed for more than six months. He has set up his campaign headquarters in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.

 

Jean- Marie Le Pen founder of far-right party and his daughter – The current leader, Marine Le Pen. As previously published in one of our successful articles, it is once again only appearances that have changed: just like Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour is the fresh new face of the same ugly party Marine Le Pen’s father founded in 1972 with Jacques Bompard: a former organisation member of “l’armée secrète” (in English, ‘the secret army’), The secret army’s primary concern was to organise sabotage and assassination of high profile politicians in French territories to prevent them from becoming independent and consequently to have total control of all their mineral and natural resources. The Bridge MAG. Image

Jean- Marie Le Pen founder of far-right party and his daughter – The current leader, Marine Le Pen.
As previously published in one of our successful articles, it is once again only appearances that have changed: just like Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour is the fresh new face of the same ugly party Marine Le Pen’s father founded in 1972 with Jacques Bompard: a former organisation member of “l’armée secrète” (in English, ‘the secret army’),
The secret army’s primary concern was to organise sabotage and assassination of high profile politicians in French territories to prevent them from becoming independent and consequently to have total control of all their mineral and natural resources.
The Bridge MAG. Image

The world should not be distracted  as Zemmour overtook France’s far-right standard-bearer Marine Le Pen in the polls for this April’s presidential election. France’s sudden far-right surge blows apart any hopes of a narrowing consensus towards ending the horrors of neo-colonialism in its former colonies.

 

 

As previously published in one of our successful articles, it is once again  only appearances that have changed: just like Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour  is the fresh new face of the same ugly party Marine Le Pen’s father founded in 1972 with Jacques Bompard: a former organisation member of “l’armée secrète” (in English, ‘the secret army’), or OAS, which is believed to have operated as a nationalist terrorist organization during the Algerian War of 1954—1962, which it exploited in an armed struggle to attempt to prevent Algeria’s independence. Its leitmotiv was ‘L’Algérie est française et le restera’ (in English: Algeria is French and will remain so).

 

Cameroon: There is a strong existing UK interest and the rest of the western and Chinese interest in Cameroon. It comes as a little surprise that armed conflict is ongoing in one of richest areas of the country. Cameroon has been described by historians as ‘Africa in miniature’ and by economists as a ‘land of opportunities’. Cameroon has one of the richest subsoils in Africa. Cameroon’s subsoil is endowed with a wide range of minerals of interest to different industrial and commercial stakeholders. The government announced 300 new prospective deposits in September 2021. The country is a unique hub for trade in Africa. Cameroon is the largest and most diversified market in Central Africa. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, the country is a strategic link between markets in West and Central Africa. English and French are the official languages of the country. The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon:
There is a strong existing UK interest and the rest of the western and Chinese interest in Cameroon. It comes as a little surprise that armed conflict is ongoing in one of richest areas of the country.
Cameroon has been described by historians as ‘Africa in miniature’ and by economists as a ‘land of opportunities’. Cameroon has one of the richest subsoils in Africa. Cameroon’s subsoil is endowed with a wide range of minerals of interest to different industrial and commercial stakeholders. The government announced 300 new prospective deposits in September 2021. The country is a unique hub for trade in Africa. Cameroon is the largest and most diversified market in Central Africa. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, the country is a strategic link between markets in West and Central Africa. English and French are the official languages of the country.
The Bridge MAG. Image

The secret army’s primary concern was to organise sabotage and assassination of high profile politicians in French territories to prevent them from becoming independent and consequently to have total control of all their mineral and natural resources.

The comeback of the National Front could be associated with the stigmatisation and discrimination of foreigners living in France and around the world, while secretly continuing to monopolise their mineral, human, cultural, political and economic resources, using all means necessary, such as political coups, and the jailing or assassination of African high profile intellectuals and political leaders.

 

 

François-Xavier Verschave is best remembered as the founder of the French (NGO) Non Governmental Organisation “Survie” (in English: ‘Survival’). He first coined the term Françafrique (‘French Africa’), one loaded with the crimes of neo-colonialism inflicted on the former French colonies.

Monsieur Verschave explains in his book, entitle : La Francafrique: Le Plus Long Scandale de La Republique in English “(‘French Africa’), The Republic’s Longest Scandal” which was at the heart of a political scandal, that if France can be ranked nowadays as the world’s fifth largest economy, it is thanks to its permanent control over former colonies’ mineral and natural resources. Verschave was even sued in Paris by political leaders for publishing the book, but won the case.

 

 

Cameroon is one of Africa’s oldest oil producers. Its geological diversity hosts significant reserves in oil and gas. Cameroon is blessed with one of the Amazonian-like rainforests: it is the third largest producer of cocoa in Africa. A good portion of Cameroon’s fruits and vegetables ends up in the UK, China, and other western countries. The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon is one of Africa’s oldest oil producers. Its geological diversity hosts significant reserves in oil and gas.
Cameroon is blessed with one of the Amazonian-like rainforests: it is the third largest producer of cocoa in Africa. A good portion of Cameroon’s fruits and vegetables ends up in the UK, China, and other western countries.
The Bridge MAG. Image

On the subject of the Foccart ring’s secret service, its eponymous founder Jacques Foccart (1913–1997) is best remembered as a high profile secret service agent. He was the French Government’s senior advisor, and, with Charles Pasqua, co-founder in 1959 of the Gaullist Service d’Action Civique (SAC) (English: ‘Gaullist Civic Action’), for which he specialised in covering operations using his intelligence expertise to get involved in all sectors including economy and finance, culture, education and military, in newly independent African states, stealing their assets and preventing them from flourishing.

 

A good portion of Cameroon’s fruits and vegetables ends up in the UK, China, and other western countries. The Bridge MAG. Image

A good portion of Cameroon’s fruits and vegetables ends up in the UK, China, and other western countries.
The Bridge MAG. Image

The Front National is trying to spray its zeitgeist internationally.

 

 

Being racist, fascist, xenophobic, or anti-Semitic might sound trendy in France at the moment, but a common will should prevent this campaign of global discrimination from destroying world peace and democracy.

 

 Cameroon Head of State. President Paul BIYA. Speaking about the current Anglophone crisis and its death toll, regarding the measures taken by the Cameroonian Government towards the resolution of the conflict of the Anglophone crisis, this extract from the Message of the Head of State President Paul BIYA made recently to The Nation in Yaoundé, speaks for itself: “My dear compatriots, since the outset of this crisis, I have spared no effort, with the help of Cameroonians of good will, to seek ways and means for a peaceful resolution of it. In the interest of appeasement, I even decided to stop the legal proceedings pending before the military courts against 289 people arrested for crimes committed in the context of this crisis. In a similar vein, I addressed an offer of peace to the members of the armed groups, inviting them to lay down their arms and to benefit from a process of reintegration into society [...] " The Bridge MAG. Image


Cameroon Head of State. President Paul BIYA.
Speaking about the current Anglophone crisis and its death toll, regarding the measures taken by the Cameroonian Government towards the resolution of the conflict of the Anglophone crisis, this extract from the Message of the Head of State President Paul BIYA made recently to The Nation in Yaoundé, speaks for itself:
“My dear compatriots, since the outset of this crisis, I have spared no effort, with the help of Cameroonians of good will, to seek ways and means for a peaceful resolution of it. In the interest of appeasement, I even decided to stop the legal proceedings pending before the military courts against 289 people arrested for crimes committed in the context of this crisis. In a similar vein, I addressed an offer of peace to the members of the armed groups, inviting them to lay down their arms and to benefit from a process of reintegration into society […] “
The Bridge MAG. Image

Poland-Belarus: migrant children face hypothermia and broken ribs  in freezing forests as Poland-Belarus crisis deepens

 

Hundreds of thousands  of migrants – most of whom are from the Middle East and of Asian origin – hoping to travel on from Poland deeper into Europe are presently stranded at the border between Poland and Belarus where they have been stuck for months, at the centre of an intensifying geopolitical dispute.

 

Migrant children have made hundreds of attempts to breach the frontier, but were repelled and abused by more than 14,000 Polish soldiers deployed to stop them, according to Polish authorities. 

 

The U.K.  is  believed to have sent  140 military engineers to Poland to help the country cope with the flows of  hundred of thousands of illegal migrants trying to reach  the EU from Belarus.

 

According to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MoD),  the humanitarian non-combat troops are expected to stay in Poland from late  December 2021 till  April 2022 and will provide engineering support across  the border, as well as repairing roads, helping with planning and strengthening the border fence.

 

Government denies the claims, blaming the West for fatal border crossings and poor treatment of migrants.  In multiple videos from Polish authorities, migrants were seen desperately trying to breach the barriers with shovels, wire cutters and brute force.

 

The  border crisis  is to continue to have an impact  in Europe and beyond, with uncertainty over a bleak future of events.

 

Cameroon’s recent history suggests it is unlikely to turn into a bloodbath any time soon. It is, at heart, a rather peaceful country, having witnessed no wars in more than 47 years since it gained independence. It hardly conforms to the African stereotype of war and famine. The relatively placid attitude of politicians in Cameroon towards domestic issues perhaps stems in part from their educational and academic backgrounds. broadly speaking, despite the current political turmoil, Cameroonians are fighting to maintain a socio-political balance in their country. They still demonstrate a high regard for their country, by raising awareness among each other in a bid to prevent warmongers turning the whole country into a war zone. The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon’s recent history suggests it is unlikely to turn into a bloodbath any time soon. It is, at heart, a rather peaceful country, having witnessed no wars in more than 47 years since it gained independence. It hardly conforms to the African stereotype of war and famine. The relatively placid attitude of politicians in Cameroon towards domestic issues perhaps stems in part from their educational and academic backgrounds.
broadly speaking, despite the current political turmoil, Cameroonians are fighting to maintain a socio-political balance in their country. They still demonstrate a high regard for their country, by raising awareness among each other in a bid to prevent warmongers turning the whole country into a war zone.
The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon:

There is a strong existing UK interest and the rest of the western and Chinese interest in Cameroon. It comes as a little surprise that armed  conflict is ongoing in  one of richest areas of the country.

Cameroon has been described by historians  as ‘Africa in miniature’ and  by economists as a ‘land of opportunities’.

Cameroon has one of the richest subsoils in Africa. The country is a unique hub for trade in Africa. Cameroon is the largest and most diversified market in Central Africa. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, the country is a strategic link between markets in West and Central Africa. English and French are the official languages of the country.

Cameroon is one of Africa’s oldest oil producers. Its geological diversity hosts significant reserves in oil and gas.

 

Cameroon is blessed with one of the Amazonian-like rainforests: it is the third largest producer of cocoa in Africa. A good portion of Cameroon’s fruits and vegetables ends up in the UK , China , and other western countries .

 

The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly about humanitarian intervention in time of major crisis. NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and is an intergovernmental humanitarian military alliance between 28 European countries, 2 North American countries and 1 Asian country. Its headquarters is in Belgium. The Bridge MAG. Image

The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly about humanitarian intervention in time of major crisis. NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and is an intergovernmental humanitarian military alliance between 28 European countries, 2 North American countries and 1 Asian country. Its headquarters is in Belgium.
The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon is the twelfth-largest oil producer in Africa, with estimated reserves of more than 200 million barrels in the offshore Rio del Rey Basin, the coastal Douala/Kribi-Camp Basin and the Logone  Birni Basin in northern Cameroon.

 

Cameroon’s subsoil is endowed with a wide range of minerals of interest to different industrial and commercial stakeholders. The government announced 300 new prospective deposits in September 2021.

 

Cameroon the ongoing Anglophone Crisis

 

The Anglophone Crisis is an ongoing armed conflict in the Republic of Cameroon in Central Africa, where historically English-speaking Ambazonian separatists are looking for  the independence of the former British colony of Southern Cameroons, which has been unified with Cameroon since 1961.

 

The root of the Anglophone problem in Cameroon can be traced back to the Foumban Conference of 1961 that united the two territories, with differences in   colonial legacies, into one state.

 

The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly about humanitarian intervention in time of major crisis United Nations The United Nations is an international yet intergovernmental organization founded in 1945 aiming to maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations. Its ethos is peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. The organization is currently made up of 193 Member States. The Bridge MAG. Image

The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly about humanitarian intervention in time of major crisis
United Nations
The United Nations is an international yet intergovernmental organization founded in 1945 aiming to maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations. Its ethos is peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. The organization is currently made up of 193 Member States.
The Bridge MAG. Image

It is believed that failure to resolve  the Anglophone issue has created a conflict

between the two groups of people.

Outbreaks of violence in the North West and South West African Regions.

 

The crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions was reported to have turned violent on 22nd September 2017. Cameroon’s current difficulties stem back to its pre-independence history when it was shaped by combining a region that was colonised by the British with the larger region run by the French.

 

Causes of violence

 

Broadly speaking, it is believed that Cameroon is corrupt to the bone and people are fed up with the established government. Once ranked in the list of most corrupt countries in Africa by Transparency International, it is believed that tension around the Anglophone issue in Cameroon has never been so intense.

 

Speaking about the current Anglophone crisis and its death toll, regarding the measures taken by the Cameroonian Government towards the resolution of the conflict of the Anglophone crisis, this extract from the Message of the Head of State President Paul BIYA made recently  to The Nation in Yaoundé, speaks for itself:

 

“My dear compatriots, Since the outset of this crisis, I have spared no effort, with the help of Cameroonians of good will, to seek ways and means for a peaceful resolution of it.

In the interest of appeasement, I even decided to stop the legal proceedings pending before the military courts against 289 people arrested for crimes committed in the context of this crisis. In a similar vein, I addressed an offer of peace to the members of the armed groups, inviting them to lay down their arms and to benefit from a process of reintegration into society […] “

 

It is believed that warmongers,  craving to sell arms, to divide and conquer, were repeatedly predicting news of a civil war and bloodbath in Cameroon for the last few years , if President BIYA  was to be re-elected. As to whether or not this will happen, broadly speaking, despite the current political turmoil, Cameroonians are fighting to maintain a socio-political balance in their country. Equally, they still demonstrate a high regard for their country, by raising awareness among each other in a bid to prevent warmongers turning the whole country into a war zone.

 

 

Cameroon’s recent history suggests it is unlikely to turn into a bloodbath any time soon. It is, at heart, a rather peaceful country, having witnessed no wars in more than 47 years since it gained independence. It hardly conforms to the African stereotype of war and famine. The relatively placid attitude of politicians in Cameroon towards domestic issues perhaps stems in part from their educational and academic backgrounds.

 

 

The UN also had many shambolic failures, such as failing to prevent the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Deviant aid workers were also blamed for spreading cholera in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, not to mention a myriad allegations of sexual misconduct and rape raised against UN peacekeepers in Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Haiti and other countries. Along the same lines of failure, the UN oil for food program in Iraq was accused of corruption.  The Bridge MAG. Image

The UN also had many shambolic failures, such as failing to prevent the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Deviant aid workers were also blamed for spreading cholera in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, not to mention a myriad allegations of sexual misconduct and rape raised against UN peacekeepers in Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Haiti and other countries.
Along the same lines of failure, the UN oil for food program in Iraq was accused of corruption. 
The Bridge MAG. Image

 

 

According to a recent profile of the country published by the BBC, Cameroon has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa; while two-thirds of the nation’s ministers and members of parliament have PhDs, mostly gained from Western universities.

 

It is believed that such broad academic grounding has helped Cameroonian politicians embrace the trends of elections and examine the meaning of democracy with a more critical and mature approach than elected representatives in other countries.

The Bridge Magazine investigates the good, the bad and the ugly about humanitarian intervention in time of major crisis

 

Peacekeeping in Africa

 

In a bid to demonstrate the UK’s global commitment to peacekeeping the UK Government is supporting UN peacekeeping missions in Africa by deploying to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Somalia and Mali, their contributions to UN missions.

 

 

NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and is an intergovernmental humanitarian military alliance between 28 European countries, 2 North American countries and 1 Asian country. Its headquarters is in Belgium. The organisation implements the North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949 (the treaty is a system of collective security: its independent member states agree to mutually intervene and defend in response to an attack by any external party.

 

On  June 3rd 2021, in his article entitled ‘Why UN peacekeeping missions have failed to pacify Africa's hotspots’ journalist Isaac Mugabwrote wrote: ‘In Africa, foreign military interventions are in the spotlight for failing to end conflicts at the continent's hotspots. …for example, in 1999, when the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) was founded, it was tasked with neutralizing armed groups, reducing the threat posed to state authority, and civilian security space for stabilization activities […] The Bridge MAG. Image

On  June 3rd 2021, in his article entitled ‘Why UN peacekeeping missions have failed to pacify Africa’s hotspots’ journalist Isaac Mugabwrote wrote:
‘In Africa, foreign military interventions are in the spotlight for failing to end conflicts at the continent’s hotspots. …for example, in 1999, when the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) was founded, it was tasked with neutralizing armed groups, reducing the threat posed to state authority, and civilian security space for stabilization activities […]
The Bridge MAG. Image

United Nations

The United Nations is an international yet intergovernmental organization  founded in 1945 aiming to maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations. Its ethos is peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.  The organization is currently made up of 193 Member States.

 

The good

 

The emancipation of the populations from atrocities and war crimes such as genocide or civil wars. Also, some humanitarian intervention have  had some noble successes such as coordinating global efforts  in a bid to cure  HIV/AIDS, Ebola, cholera, influenza, yellow fever, meningitis, to list a few.

 

 

The bad

 

 

John Pilger once wrote in the Introduction to his book The New Rulers of the World: ‘In the West, we are trained to view other societies in terms of usefulness […] resulting in controversial issues regarding humanitarian interventions having ulterior motives: namely armed and military troops killing civilians whilst systematically taking the victim-countries’ mineral resources (oil, gold, diamonds, rare earth minerals, natural gas…).’ Thus, Western governments sending ‘military aid’ to war-torn provinces is often a subterfuge for capitalistic exploitation.

 

 

Cameroon is blessed with one of the Amazonian-like rainforests The Bridge MAG. Image

Cameroon is blessed with one of the Amazonian-like rainforests.
The Bridge MAG. Image

The ugly

The casualties of troops systematically killing and  raping civilians – who are by extension victims of civil wars, armed troops collaborating with rebels in a particular country or region  collaborating with embedded journalists thus preventing independent journalists from informing the world of the “real truth”.

 

 

According to the online thesaurus:  embedded journalism, is  the practice of placing journalists within and under the control of one side’s military during an armed conflict. Embedded reporters and photographers are attached to a specific military unit and permitted to accompany troops into combat zones.

 

 

Below are listed the case studies about Syria, Libya, Kosovo D R C (The Democratic Republic of Congo) and Cameroon that illustrate the ugly facets of humanitarian intervention.

 

 

Libya 2011

 

In the context of the Arab Spring. In Libya a number of protestors started taking to the streets and attended anti-Ghaddafi  demonstrations including crucially in the city of Benghazi. The response was very forceful on the part of Ghaddafi. The demonstrations were suppressed with excessive force and the situation very early escalated. Libya ended up in a civil war of ongoing internal conflict. 

 

NATO allegedly contravened the letter and spirit of Resolution 1973 by taking sides with the rebels and pursuing ‘regime change’ to help them overthrow Ghaddafi. Intervention was carried out by NATO. Kosovo didn’t have acceptance from the Security Council but in this case there was authorisation from the Security Council.

 

 

NATO went beyond the mandate of the Security Council’s resolution which didn’t authorise any intervention aiding/ changing the government in Libya .

 

After the intervention, Libya devolved into a failed state. As violent deaths and other human rights abuses have increased instead of decreasing, the country has become a safe haven for paramilitaries affiliated to global terrorist organisations and has subsequently become a terrorist threat to the world. Thereby illustrating that things didn’t improve in Libya post-intervention.

 

 

Currently, approximately 100,000 peacekeepers from 120 countries are serving in 13 missions. The UN and its agencies have  had some noble successes such as coordinating global efforts  in a bid to cure  HIV/AIDS, Ebola, cholera, influenza, yellow fever, meningitis, to list a few.

 

The UN has helped eradicate smallpox and polio worldwide, and some of its agencies and  personnel have received Nobel prizes for peace.

 

However, the UN also had many  shambolic failures, such as  failing to prevent the Rwandan genocide in 1994.  Deviant aid workers were also blamed for spreading cholera in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, not to mention a myriad  allegations of sexual misconduct and rape raised against UN peacekeepers in Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Haiti and other countries.

 

Along the same lines of failure, the UN oil for food program in Iraq was accused of corruption. 

On  June 3rd 2021, in his article entitled ‘Why UN peacekeeping missions have failed to pacify Africa’s hotspots’ journalist Isaac Mugabwrote wrote:

 

 

In Africa, foreign military interventions are in the spotlight for failing to end conflicts at the continent’s hotspots.for example, in 1999, when the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) was founded, it was tasked with neutralizing armed groups, reducing the threat posed to state authority, and civilian security space for stabilization activities. But to date, South and North Kivu regions remain lawless with dozens of marauding militias who continue to kill, rape young women and girls, and terrorize innocent civilians. … it has taken the UN quite a long time to work out how to do peacekeeping in Congo,” Phil Clark from SOAS University of London told DW. It has struggled to maintain cordial relations with the government in Kinshasa and instead cautiously aligned itself with the Congolese army, even when the army has been committing atrocities against the civilians… Such relations between the peacekeepers and the Congolese government have created bad blood amongst the local populations who don’t see MONUSCO as a neutral actor in a somewhat volatile situation.’

 

 

What has the UN achieved in Cameroon?

 

On 30th May 2018, the United Nations declared a humanitarian crisis in Southern Cameroons and started organizing aid. Through the declaration, the United Nations was supposed to assume responsibility for the safety of civilians in Southern Cameroons, and to this end it could intervene against both warring parties. But so far the crisis in ongoing  and according to recent statistics, it is believed at   least 4,000 civilians have so far been killed in the Anglophone regions.

 

The mainstream media is pretending to accuse Cameroonian authorities. Meanwhile, the British, Chinese and multinationals of the West have also been accused of fuelling war in Anglophone Cameroon so they could benefit from the chaotic situation and exploit the country’s resources at bargain prices.

 

Towards peace and conflicts resolution  

 

So-called ‘military aid’ to developing countries can be highly controversial. Its initial aim is usually to help allies or poor countries fight terrorism, counter insurgencies or help suppress drug production. But unfortunately, military aid also goes to oppressive regimes which may help with geopolitical aims but may not necessarily help people of the recipient nation.

 

 

Humanity has, through its own ingenuity, achieved huge advances in living standards in recent decades. We have yet to successfully prevent children from being sexually exploited, domestically abused, missing, starving or generally neglected to list just a few hazards. The Bridge MAG. Image

Humanity has, through its own ingenuity, achieved huge advances in living standards in recent decades.
We have yet to successfully prevent children from being sexually exploited, domestically abused, missing, starving or generally neglected to list just a few hazards.
The Bridge MAG. Image

We live in an era of mass arms manufacture and the real culprits behind the world’s armed conflicts have no empathy for humankind: the increasing availability of small arms has been statistically proven to be a major factor in fuelling conflicts, thus increasing civilian death tolls.

 

In modern conflicts, more than 80 percent of all casualties have been civilian. 90 percent of these are caused by small arms.

 

The world’s heads of state should focus on protecting and promoting the economic and social wellbeing of the citizens rather than their own selfish interests.

 

 

For instance, they should allocate a more substantial budget for national welfare than for the military. Emphasis should be put on health care, education, housing, employment. A welfare state based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions of a good life is key to ending violence, terrorism and arms conflicts worldwide.

 

Toward conflict resolution and peace

 

 

 

No to war and the killing of children and civilians worldwide. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.’ The Bridge MAG. Image

No to war and the killing of children and civilians worldwide. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.’
The Bridge MAG. Image

Skilful spin doctors should stop helping arms manufacturers ‘justify’ the killing and destruction of generations in their own narrow economic interests. Encouraging a state of armed conflict between different nations or states, or different groups within a nation or state, for profit, is unequivocally wrong.

 

For that reason, this December, The Bridge Magazine raises awareness among populations, regardless of their geographical locations, that war and conflict are the products of global capitalism.

 

This will help educate civilians from being manipulated by arms manufacturers who will always come out with vile excuses to fuel war, terror, and, consequently, their profitable arms trade.

 

Humanity has, through its own ingenuity, achieved huge advances in living standards in recent decades. Yet at the same time the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and adult civilians are being destroyed by wars and conflicts.

 

We have yet to successfully prevent children from being sexually exploited, domestically abused, missing, starving or generally neglected to list just a few hazards.

 

The gift of love, the gift of peace, the gift of happiness to every child around the world this Christmas.

 

Preserving children from suffering is one of the most daunting challenges of our era.

Looking at the death toll of children throughout the world’s war zones, as well as at statistics for missing children, and those millions of children from impoverished and/or broken families growing up malnourished, or in many cases, physically and psychologically damaged.

It is difficult to see just how vast and all-pervasive is the very real threat today to the wellbeing, if not long-term survival, of future generations.

 

How many children around the world have died in war zones?

 

How many children around the world have died in famines, from malnutrition or associated diseases?

 

How many children around the world have gone missing?

 

How many children come from broken families?

 

 

The Bridge Magazine wishes   Merry Christmas to the tens of thousands of children stuck in unsafe Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the UK this Christmas, due to their parents being evicted from their homes due to benefit caps, sanctions, the bedroom tax and rising rents. Merry Christmas to all children in war zones! Merry Christmas to all the disadvantaged children around the globe! Merry Christmas to every child around the world The Bridge MAG. Image

The Bridge Magazine wishes
 
Merry Christmas to the tens of thousands of children stuck in unsafe Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the UK this Christmas, due to their parents being evicted from their homes due to benefit caps, sanctions, the bedroom tax and rising rents.
Merry Christmas to all children in war zones!
Merry Christmas to all the disadvantaged children around the globe!
Merry Christmas to every child around the world
The Bridge MAG. Image

But for outcast children, children in need, street children, and children trapped in war zones, or closer to home, the best present Father Christmas could ever bring to the tens of millions of suffering children throughout the world this Christmastime would be to end their suffering and ensure their survival and wellbeing into the future.

 

As a matter of routine, our world exclusive editorial each December has always devoted itself to highlighting the plight of children in war zones.

 

However, this Christmas, in addition to the aforementioned cause, The Bridge Magazine is sending a message of peace and social justice not only to children in war zones, but also to other disadvantaged infants in the UK and all the children worldwide.

 

 

As we head towards Christmas and the New Year, children’s rights to peaceful upbringings in the UK and worldwide seem increasingly jeopardised as current news is dominated by children caught up in the world’s various vicissitudes.

 

Children’s rights to peaceful upbringings should matter to all of us.

 

It is up to us, the adults of the world, to keep fighting and campaigning for the eradication of all causes and agents throughout the world which continue to hamper the healthy development and growth of children.

 

The Bridge Magazine wishes

 

Merry Christmas to the tens of thousands of children stuck in unsafe Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the UK this Christmas, due to their parents being evicted from their homes due to benefit caps, sanctions, the bedroom tax and rising rents.

Merry Christmas to all children in war zones!

Merry Christmas to all the disadvantaged children around the globe!

 

Merry Christmas to every child around the world!

 

 

As a follow up and update  of The Bridge Magazine’s 10th Anniversary celebration announcement, Rachel Tcheungna has published 23 educational books in both English and French which are now ready for global distribution. The Bridge MAG. Image

As a follow up and update  of The Bridge Magazine’s 10th Anniversary celebration announcement, Rachel Tcheungna has published 23 educational books in both English and French which are now ready for global distribution.
The Bridge MAG. Image

As a follow up and update  of The Bridge Magazine’s 10th Anniversary celebration announcement, Rachel Tcheungna has published 23 educational books in both English and French which are now ready for global distribution.

 

Follow the links below to purchase one  or various  of  The Bridge Books. 

 

 

 

1)  Global News That Never Fades: From Britain’s News to World Exclusives.

 

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/global-news-that-never-fades-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-ennmdm.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

2) Beauty, Health and Wellbeing Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives.

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/beauty-health-and-wellbeing-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-znpgek.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

3) Education Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/education-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-8mve4p.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

  4)  Love and Relationship Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/love-and-relationship-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-zn269w.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

5)    True Crimes and Prevention Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/true-crimes-and-prevention-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-vnr49d.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

6) Economy and Investment Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/economy-and-investment-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-4evpye.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

7) Soft & Hard News Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/soft-hard-news-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-r2dywj.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

8) Urban Legend Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/urban-legend-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-k4ne79.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

9) High-Profile People Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/high-profile-people-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-9v5vnj.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

10) Arts and Culture Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/arts-and-culture-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-q764zz.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

11) Travel & Tourism Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/travel-tourism-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-w8kj6v.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

12) Politics Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives.

 

 

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/politics-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-n5954v.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Tcheungna, Author, Writer of 

The Bridge Books and 

The Bridge Magazine Editor.

 

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