Category: FERMUN 2016

Many migrants live in the deplorable conditions of the Calais “jungle” in northern France, waiting to be granted refugee status or to move to other countries. However, as Francois Hollande announced in September, the dismantling of this camp is planned for “the end of the year”, leaving only a few weeks for the local authorities to find a home for roughly 8200 migrants. However, according to Jacques Toubon, former Minister of Justice, “the system for relocating and sheltering unaccompanied minors is yet to be operational”. Indeed, there are nearly 1,000 minors in the slum, of which the majority are unaccompanied. Since their age does not allow them to apply for asylum in France, they would instead be covered by child welfare, and those with family in the United Kingdom (between 20 and 25%) could be sent. According to Bernard Cazeneuve, “conditions allowing isolated minors to be sheltered in good conditions” are still the subject of debate among French decision makers. But the end of 2016 and therefore the complete dismantling of the “jungle” is fast approaching, and it becomes more than imperative to find a solution.

©Phillipe Huguen/AFP

14 girls from FERMUN participated in Girls in ICT day! Several of them appear in this video.

The 20th of January 2017 will be the end of Barack Obama’s second mandate. The next American presidency, which will take place from 2017 to 2021, will necessarily be assured by a new president.

There is a lot of candidates to the primary but 4 of them are particularly standing out since the opening of the campaigns. This panel of 4 favorite candidates is divided in two parts: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democrats; Jeb Bush and Donald Trump for the Republicans.

Hillary Clinton, leading the surveys inside of her party, already frequented the White House as the First Lady of the United States during the presidency of her husband, Bill Clinton. The candidate has a great political career. Firstly Senator, then State Secretary in 2008 after her defeat at the primaries against the actual president of the United States.

Clinton who is considered as the future winner of the elections of 2016 should nevertheless not rest on her laurels. First, Barack Obama, who until now was supporting his former rival, changed his position after accusations of public corruption were released.  In fact, Hillary Clinton has been suspected of corruption inside her foundation, putting in danger the security of the country.

Another issue for Hillary Clinton is her status of wife of an ex-president of the United States. The “dynasty” effect is very badly perceived in the American public opinion which could be a problem for her. It could allow the other Democrat candidate to win the primary.

It’s the other candidate, Bernie Sanders, who represents the biggest danger for Clinton in the run for the primary in the Democrat party. Bernie Sanders, former mayor of Burlington, deputy in the House of Representatives, and one of the two senators of the Vermont. Besides being better than Clinton in his economic program, Sanders is also more on the side of the American public opinion.

However, the absence of political support inside of his own party and the little financing for his campaign could penalize him. The reversal of situation of the Clintons may change the results in favor of Sanders. Both announce two very different programs and the public opinion is divided about the potential winner of the elections. If some of them would like Clinton to be the first woman president of the United States, others regret her numerous errors. Moreover, her link with the former Bill Clinton might, instead of giving her benefits, disadvantaged her in the run for the presidency. On another hand, Sanders is appreciated by the public and suggest an economic program in agreement with the will of the Americans. He also admitted wanting to prioritize national policy to foreign policy what should reinforce the opinion the citizens have of him.

For the moment, despite a clear advantage for Clinton, we don’t know yet who will represent the Democrats in the election. So the doubt subsists. We must wait for the results of the primary and the national convention of Democrats who will be held respectively from February, the 1st until mid-June, and around the 25th July which will be decisive for the candidates of the Democratic Party.

On the Republican side, the first place is held by Donald Trump. Even though he never exercised a position within the policy of the State, Trump is currently the candidate who is the most publicized and who collected the most votes in the polls. Deemed to be conservative and ultra-capitalist, his strategy lies primarily in the provocation. In fact, he does not hesitate to make misogynist remarks, and even racist comments.

Although the media are strongly criticizing his words, this excessive media exposure, even if negative, may play in his favor and only participate to create the buzz, sector that he masters very well (Trump is firstly a man of business and a showman).

In second position, there is Jeb Bush. His campaign started very well in July 2015 but crushed a little as he ended with less than 4% of votes at the end of 2015. However, he significantly increased in the last polls (12^th of January) where he obtained 10,6% voting intentions.

Bush runs with the same issue as Clinton, as he is son and brother of a former president of the United States. Moreover, his brother is not held in high esteem which his opponents do not forget to remind him. A confrontation Clinton/Bush at the finals is by the way the situation the most feared by the American public opinion.

The second of the Republicans is nevertheless more pragmatic and less radical than his rival. He is also categorized by an “anti-Trump” position who he often defined as “the president of chaos” during the debates opposing the main republican candidates.

The familial argument is not really believable especially since Jeb didn’t go to the same school as his father and his brother. Furthermore, he is clearly trying to difference his politic from the one of G.H. Bush.

There is a lot of concurrence. Even though the confrontation Trump / Clinton seems to be the more plausible, the other candidates still have the possibility to change the results, in particular for Sanders who are winning more and more votes. Therefore, we are far from knowing the name of the 45^th of the United States.

Louis La Fay

Nina Bethenod

One more, as “usual”, Boko Haram has stroke in Cameroon. On wenesday 14th January, a suicide attack has taken place near the Nigerian border in a mosque, killing 13 people.
Lately, blood has been flowing at the Nigerian Border and the inhabitants are desensitised to these attacks , becoming a part of their everyday life.

The explosion took place in the Koyapé mosque, a small village from the Kolofata distric. The terrorist has mixed with the faithful before making the explosive he was carrying on him go off, leading to the death of thirteen people in addition to his own This attack is a new form of savagery and is of symbolic importance.
Boko Haram have, in fact, assaulted the islamist preachers who did not shared the same vision of their religion. The Islam is known as a peaceful and tolerant religion, that is to say, far away from the insurectionnal and terrorist movement of salafist jihadist ideology.
For a few months, the attacks have been directed towards the muslim population which has caused all the region to be terrified

It is sadly not the first attack of groups of people.

Not counting the 14th january’s terrorist attack, the sect as launches attacks on the 10th January in Madali, which is situated in the North-East Nigeria. More than seven persons died, and around ten houses were also burnt down.
In addition,we must remind of the last 28th december where two suicide bomber women exploded themselves on a market place, killing thirty persons. In the space of a small number of months, the terrorist group murdered a considerable number of people, and seeing the origin of the acts that were comitted, it is to assume that more murders will be achieved.

The girls seized on the 14th April 2014, have still not been found and only 57 had succeeded in getting away on the firt days that followed their kidnapping. The families remain without news, and accuse the government of having lied with their promess to find their daughter again and bring them back. The families desperatly want to know if their are still alive or not, whatever so they can mourn.

They just want to know.

In total, the Boko Haram insurrection has taken more then 17 000 lifes and, since 2009, the immigration of more then 2,5 millions of people, that is to say, a considerable number.

The government is getting really worried because, as was said twice by the National Assembly’s president, Cavayé Yéguié Djibril, Boko Haram are “among us “. A member of an humanitarian NGO, residing in Maroua has also assured that “When one well observes, suicidal bombers are usually intercepted at the time during which they are already in the Cameroonian villages, rarely at the Nigerian border. As if they did not come “from far”. The sect is gaining more and more importance in Cameroon, a situation that is likely to worry more and more the population and to alert the authorities.

Nina Bethenod

Last monday, a humanitarian convoy finally entered the city of Madaya.

The operation has finally succeeded after the massive spread of pictures on the internet these last weeks, showing the horror of life in the besieged city of Madaya in Syria, at the borders of Lebanon. This non-censured spread of a ghost city created a live reaction that quickly became international in the media and social media which finally allowed the NGOs to act. Since July 2015 the Syrian Army and the Lebanese Hezbollah took control of the city which has a population of 40 000. They mined the fields around the city and controled all food entries at the doors of Madaya. The corrupt military sell on the food using overinflated prices. For instance these last weeks a kilo of flour cost 90€.

These measures had for consequence an extreme famine ; according to Médecins sans frontières (MSF) 28 peoples, including six children died from hunger since the first December of 2015. The boss of humanitarian operation at UNO, Stephen O’Brien announced that UNO had demanded the Syrian government authorization to evacuate 400 civilians particularly ill, suffering mostly from malnutrition. In beginning of winter, the situation considerably worsened due to the fall of temperatures. These last weeks the population was left to eat stray cat and dogs or water mixed with spices. The rare health centers and doctors have no more medicine and can give as only remedy salty water to their patients. The representative of the high commission for refugees, Sajjad Malik from Damas declared « What we have seen is horrible enough, there was no more life. All was very calm. Credible reports state that people died of hunger. »

Due to the urgency of the situation (last convoy brought by a humanitarian institution was in October) last Monday, the Syrian Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN distributed food into the city. According to the UNO, only 10% of the humanitarian convoy obtains the right to entry into besieged communities in Syria. This right of entry does not depend on the organization itself but on a political accord between the armed forces. Another difficulty resides in the bringing of food ; the famine creates tensions. On the 7th of January 2016, a distribution of food in Madaya almost turned into a mutiny.

According to the United Nations, almost 400 000 Syrians are being besieged today in the whole country, of which a large majority by jihadists from ISIS mostly in the East of the country. A bit less than 200 000 civilians are under the control of this regime. On the 25th of January a meeting between the representatives of the regime and the rebels is being organized by the UNO. The organization would like to revive the negotiations between rebels and the regime. The negotiations seem difficult as the regime denies the situation. Syrian ambassador Bachar Jaafari even declared : “No civilians died of starvation in Madaya.” opposing himself once again to the authenticity of the images. However the seeing of these skeletal children with empty faces, announcing that they have not eaten in five days, can only haunt and give the will to react.

Julia Lazarus

Sarah Ben Ammar

Yesterday around 3.45 pm, a group of twelve skiers was victim of an avalanche at Deux Alpes in Isère. Some students of the scholar group Saint-Exupéry of Lyon were among the victims who died during this avalanche. In fact, we count until now at least 3 deaths, of which 2 students and a tourist and several seriously injured people. Ten high school students accompanied by their teachers, who were in this place for a school trip, were victims of this avalanche that lead some of them to death and others to hospitalization. Moreover, we count, for the moment, the death of a tourist whose nationality is still unknown. However, despite the difficulty of the work due to the thickness of the snow slide, the national police haven’t stopped the researches. According to the police, “a helicopter equipped with a thermal camera is engaged and the Mure’s squad is in charge of the investigation” in order to rescue as many people as possible. The people who escaped the catastrophe are now in safety.

The French politics didn’t hide their emotions towards the gravity of the situation. In fact, Manuel Valls and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem expressed their deep sadness after the avalanche: “All our thinking goes to the victims and to those who are fighting for their life” declared the prime minister on Twitter. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem went on site yesterday evening at Saint-Exupéry High School in Lyon in order to welcome the students who are going to be repatriated by bus.

Basma Boujid

Sarah Ben Ammar

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