Briefly

UNITED KINGDOM

PM declares Rwanda migrant plan 'buried'

Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday he would scrap a controversial plan to fly thousands of asylum-seekers from Britain to Rwanda in his first major policy announcement since winning a landslide election victory. The previous Conservative government first announced the plan to send migrants who arrived in Britain without permission to Rwanda in 2022, saying it would put an end to asylum-seekers arriving on small boats. At his first news conference since becoming prime minister, Starmer said: "The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started … I'm not prepared to continue with gimmicks that don't act as a deterrent."

AFRICA

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger sign pact

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the creation of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States during the institution's first summit held on Saturday, marking a significant step toward establishing an economic-military bloc and moving away from regional and Western countries. In a joint statement, the leaders praised the synergy between the three states in combating terrorism within the alliance area and emphasized their commitment to deeper integration among member states. On Sept 16,2023, the three countries signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter, establishing the Alliance of Sahel States.

Xinhua - Agencies