News / politics

Trump hails Nigeria for banning Twitter

Former US President Donald Trump has congratulated Nigeria for suspending the operations of Twitter in the country.

Trump, in a statement on Tuesday night, commended Nigeria for the action, calling on more countries to “ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech.”

He said: “Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their President.

“More COUNTRIES should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech – all voices should be heard.”

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The former US leader also expressed regrets for not taking action against them while he was president.

He said: “In the meantime, competitors will emerge and take hold. Who are they to dictate good and evil if they themselves are evil?

“Perhaps, I should have done it while I was President. But Zuckerberg kept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was.”

Trump also made a veiled reference to his speculated 2024 presidential ambition by simply saying: “2024?”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Twitter and Facebook had in January suspended Trump’s accounts indefinitely.

The two social networking sites claimed that he used the platforms to mobilise his followers to invade Capitol Hill over the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election after he lost.

Facebook had also on Friday announced that it had banned Trump from its two platforms – Facebook and Instagram – for two years, effective January 7, 2021.

Facebook, in a statement by Nick Clegg, Vice-President of Global Affairs, cited “severe violation” after Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and that Trump’s accounts would only be reinstated if conditions permitted.…

News

US To Reduce Troops In Africa

The United States is considering to reduce by half its counter-terrorism troops based in Africa over the next three years.
This followed a consideration for a sharp reduction in its special forces operations in Somalia and other African countries.
About 6,000 American soldiers are currently assigned to several African countries, according to the US Africa Command.
Some 500 of those commandos, trainers and logistics specialists are based in Somalia, where they assist African Union and Somali national forces in carrying out attacks on Al-Shabaab.
US military action in Somalia mainly consists of drone strikes that are said to have killed dozens of Shabaab militants in the past year.
But some US troops operate on the ground in an advisory capacity, and a steep reduction in their numbers could have negative consequences for the 11-year-long war against Al-Shabaab.
The contemplated reduction in US troop levels in Africa is mainly a product of two factors.
One is the political furore that erupted following the killing of four US soldiers last October during a counter-insurgency operation in Niger.
A Pentagon investigation into that attack “exposed a risk-taking culture among commandos”.
And that finding strengthened US Defence Secretary James Mattis’s inclination to reduce counter-insurgency missions in Africa, the newspaper said.
At the same time, the US is putting greater emphasis on responding to perceived military threats posed by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
A share of the special forces currently based in Africa would be reassigned to missions elsewhere in the world in accordance with that strategic reassessment.
Last year, President Donald Trump loosened restrictions on US military operations in Somalia that the Obama administration had put in place with the aim of avoiding civilian casualties.
An escalation in drone strikes ensued, along with an increase in the number of US military personnel inside Somalia.
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