ISTANBUL: Turkish police were holding 67 people Monday after a mob went on the rampage in a central Anatolian city after a Syrian man was accused of harassing a child.
A group of men targeted Syrian businesses and properties in Kayseri on Sunday evening, with videos on social media showing a grocery store being set on fire.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the latest bout of violence against Turkiye’s large community of Syrian refugees.
“No matter who they are, setting streets and people’s houses on fire is unacceptable,” he said, warning that hate speech should not be used for political gains.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Syrian national, identified only by his initials as I.A., was caught by Turkish citizens and delivered to the police.
Yerlikaya said on X that the Syrian man was suspected of harassing a Syrian girl, who was his relative.
He said Turks who gathered in the area acted “illegally” and in a manner “that does not suit our human values,” damaging houses, shops and cars belonging to Syrians.
Sixty-seven people were detained after the attacks, he said.
“Turkiye is a state of law and order. Our security forces continue their fight against all crimes and criminals today, as they did yesterday.”
In one of the videos a Turkish man was heard shouting: “We don’t want any more Syrians! We don’t want any more foreigners.”
Local authorities called for calm and revealed the victim was a five-year-old Syrian national.
Turkiye, which hosts some 3.2 million Syrian refugees, has been shaken several times by bouts of xenophobic violence in recent years, often triggered by rumors spreading on social media and instant messaging applications.
In August 2021, groups of men targeted businesses and homes occupied by Syrians in the capital Ankara, after a brawl which cost the life of a 18-year-old man.
The fate of Syrian refugees is also a burning issue in Turkish politics, with Erdogan’s opponents in last year’s election promising to send them back to Syria.
Turkiye arrests 67 after mob attacks Syrian properties
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Turkiye arrests 67 after mob attacks Syrian properties
Sudan defense minister welcomes UN sanctions on RSF leaders as ‘long overdue’
- Yassin Ibrahim said charges against commanders who perpetuated “atrocities of a kind rarely seen across broad stretches of history” were a “step in the right direction”
- Among those targeted were RSF deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, Brig. Gen. Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as “the butcher of El-Fasher,” deputy commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim
LONDON: Sudan’s Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim on Wednesday called UN sanctions on Rapid Support Forces leaders “long overdue,” but a “step in the right direction.”
“Imposing sanctions on individuals or leaders of the Rapid Support Forces is long overdue. Nevertheless, it remains a step in the right direction,” he said.
“These crimes constitute war crimes, genocide and atrocities of a kind rarely seen across broad stretches of history. There should be far more charges brought forward, with arrest warrants issued not only against senior leadership but also against mid-level commanders operating on the ground — in addition to members of the ‘government of establishment,’ which serves as the political wing of the Rapid Support Forces.
“A new commander has recently joined their ranks within the ‘government of establishment,’ now operating in coordination with the Rapid Support Forces; the forces of Abdelaziz Al-Hilu and Joseph Tuka in Blue Nile.”
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on four RSF leaders over atrocities in the western Sudanese city of El-Fasher. Among those targeted were RSF deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and Brig. Gen. Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as “the butcher of El-Fasher.” RSF deputy commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim were also targeted.
The move, which followed recommendations by the US, UK and France, was submitted on Feb. 17 and aimed to include the leaders within the sanctions system established under Resolution 1591. The measures include travel bans and asset freezes to help curb the violence in Sudan.
The RSF’s capture of El-Fasher in October was one of the most brutal episodes of Sudan’s nearly three-year civil war. Last week, a UN fact-finding mission concluded that the takeover bore the hallmarks of genocide.
In a related move, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned three RSF commanders for actions in El-Fasher, accusing them of “perpetrating a horrific campaign of ethnic killings, torture, starvation and sexual violence.” Those targeted were Idris, Gedo and Tijani Ibrahim.
The sanctions followed a UN Security Council statement on Tuesday that “strongly condemned” the RSF’s assault and destabilization in the Kordofan region and “all forms of violations and abuses committed against the civilian population.”
The UN council called on the warring parties to “immediately halt the fighting,” warning that deliberate attacks on humanitarian personnel “may constitute war crimes.”
Members also expressed “grave concern” over conflict-induced famine and extreme food insecurity in parts of Sudan, warning the crisis risks spreading.
The RSF has acknowledged “violations” in El-Fasher and said that it is investigating, but insists the scale of atrocities has been exaggerated by its enemies.
