Three stories spotlighting relevant pieces of international news. These global stories aim to broaden the perspective of the Taylor community as they absorb information from a variety of sources and spaces.
Missionary and journalist released by militants in Niger.
American missionary and aid worker Jeff Woodke was released from captivity on Monday, March 20, along with French journalist Olivier Dubois.
Woodke — originally a resident of McKinleyville, California — has lived in Niger since 1992. Through JEMED, a partner of the U.S. nonprofit Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Woodke has spent the majority of this time investing in relationships with Tuareg herdsmen. In Oct. 2016, Woodke was taken from his home in Abalak, northern Niger, and driven towards the Mali border.
Dubois, a correspondent for the Parisian daily newspaper Libération and news weekly Le Point, was kidnapped in April 2021 from Gao, Mali. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Monday, having spoken with Dubois, stating that the journalist was in good health, and expressing “immense relief” on behalf of the nation, his relatives and fellow journalists.
Woodke and Dubois were released outside of Niger in an area bordering Mali and Burkina Faso. On Monday, the men were flown to the Nigerien capital of Niamey.
Niger Interior Minister Hamadou Souley, quoted in a recent BBC report, notes that this release is the result of several months of effort. Though the men were quickly handed over to French and U.S. officials, Souley credits Nigerien authorities with the release.
Souley’s statement was supported by U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan in a recent CNN article. While the U.S. government has been working towards Woodke’s release for years, depending on intelligence and military resources, Sullivan notes that the Nigerien government was central to the release.
Further details surrounding the release have not been made clear, though U.S. officials emphasized that no ransom was paid for Woodke.
While overlapping networks in the West African region make it difficult to associate a specific group with the men’s captivity, Dubois was initially kidnapped by a militant group associated with al-Qaida.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, militant groups in the Sahel region have been responsible for the kidnappings of at least 25 foreigners since 2015. Some of the individuals still in captivity include the German priest Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre, Australian missionary doctor Ken Elliott and U.S. pilot Jerry Krause.
“We remain committed to keep faith with Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained all around the world, and there is no higher priority for this Administration than our work to bring them home,” President Biden emphasized in a recent statement from the White House.
Finland comes one step closer to securing NATO membership.
Hungary ratified Finland’s bid for a NATO membership on Monday, March 27 — bringing Finland one step closer to joining an alliance dedicated to the promotion of democratic values, cooperation and conflict prevention.
The Nordic countries of Finland and Sweden formally applied for NATO memberships in May 2022. Though both countries hold a long history of neutrality and military nonalignment, neighboring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February caused them to reconsider.
If accepted, Finland and Sweden would become the 31st and 3nd full members of the Western alliance, respectively.
NATO memberships are potentially open to any emerging European democracies who share the alliance’s values and are capable of meeting membership obligations.
Candidates are required to uphold democracy, make progress towards a market economy, keep military forces under civilian control, respect sovereignty outside their borders and work towards compatibility with NATO forces.
Essentially, candidates must be good neighbors and team players who bring something of value to the table.
Finland and Sweden have exhibited some of these values already, having participated in past NATO operations and boasting technologically advanced militaries who would provide significant security contributions.
Candidates must also be invited to join by a consensus of current members. This formal invitation was extended to both Finland and Sweden in June 2022, after a unanimous agreement by the 30 member states.
A Congressional Research Service report notes that Finland and Sweden’s bids for membership have been strongly backed by the Biden administration, members of Congress and officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense — who note that the countries’ mature democracies and advanced militaries have the potential to increase security in the Baltic Sea region and Euro-Atlantic area.
The only alliance member yet to approve Finland’s membership is Turkey, though an approval is expected from them in the coming weeks. Once Turkey has given their stamp of approval, an official letter of invitation will be sent to Finland, who will respond by sending a signed acceptance document to the U.S. State Department.
Turkey’s approval of both Finnish and Swedish NATO accession may be delayed by the country’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023.
Both countries hope to become full members before the NATO summit in July 2023.
Migrants in Mexico protest deportation, set mattresses on fire.
Migrants fearing deportation from an immigration detention center in northern Mexico set fire to mattresses on Monday, March 27.
The fire left 39 dead and 29 injured, prompting President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to identify the incident as one of the deadliest to occur at an immigration lockup in Mexico.
Obrador highlighted the deaths as unintentional consequences of the protest.
“They never imagined that this would cause this terrible misfortune,” Obrador is quoted as saying in an AP article,
The National Immigration Institute (INM), where the incident took place, is located in Ciudad Juarez — on the border just south of El Paso, Texas. The facility hosted 68 men from Central and South America prior to the fire.
In a Twitter post on Tuesday, March 28, INM stated that the fire was started shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, and shared their regret for the resulting deaths.
The protest comes on the heels of rising tensions between authorities and migrants in Ciudad Juarez — home to countless shelters hosting individuals waiting to cross into the U.S. or who are requesting asylum.
These shelters are often marked by overcrowding, filthy conditions and abusive treatment.
“About 20 migrants, officials and human rights workers described a southern Mexico immigration detention center run by the INM … Witnesses described harsh treatment by guards, women sleeping in hallways or in dining halls among rats and cockroaches, and mothers reusing diapers,” an article by USA Today states.
On March 9, over 30 migrant shelters and advocacy organizations published an open letter accusing authorities of abuse, excessive force and unnecessary questioning when interacting with migrants in the city. Frustrations were also expressed earlier this month, when migrants — believing a false rumor that they would be admitted into the U.S. — tried to force entry across an international bridge in El Paso.
Under pressure from the U.S. government, the national immigration agency has worked to suppress the flow of migration: resulting in overcrowded facilities and frustrated migrants. More broadly, Mexico often functions as a transitory space for those seeking refuge elsewhere, and — according to an AP article — has become the world’s third most popular destination for asylum-seekers.
The national immigration agency has said that it “energetically rejects the actions that led to this tragedy” — but has yet to provide further explanation for what those actions might have been.
INM has also stated that authorities are investigating the fire.
