Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump is discussing options including military action to take control of Greenland, the White House said Tuesday, upping tensions that Denmark warns could destroy the NATO alliance.
Trump has stepped up his designs on the mineral-rich, self-governing Danish territory in the arctic since the US military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro last weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority” for Trump to deter US adversaries like Russia and China.
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal,” she said in a statement to AFP.
The Wall Street Journal reported Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Trump’s preferred option is to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding the threats did not signal an imminent invasion.
Denmark has warned any move to take Greenland by force would mean “everything would stop,” including NATO and 80 years of close transatlantic security links.
Any US military action against Greenland would effectively collapse NATO, since the alliance’s Article Five pledges that member states will defend any of their number that come under attack.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt wrote on social media that they’d sought a meeting with Rubio throughout 2025 but “it has so far not been possible.”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said meeting Rubio should “clear up certain misunderstandings.”
And Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted that the island was not for sale, and only its 57,000 people should decide its future.
Allies have rallied around Denmark and Greenland while simultaneously trying not to antagonize Trump.
The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain joined Denmark in a statement on Tuesday saying they would defend the “universal principles” of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both sought to play down the row as they attended Ukraine peace talks in Paris alongside Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“I cannot imagine a scenario in which the United States of America would be placed in a position to violate Danish sovereignty,” Macron said.
The United States has 150 military personnel stationed at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland.
Greenland residents have rejected Trump’s threats.
“This is not something we appreciate,” Christian Keldsen, director of the Greenland Business Assocation, told AFP in the capital Nuuk. “It is not acceptable in the civilized world.”
Trump has been floating the idea of annexing Greenland since his first term. In the last year, Copenhagen has invested heavily in security, allocating some 90 billion kroner ($14 billion).
Big and strong
Still steaming over Trump’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, US legislators spoke out against the idea of military action against Greenland on Tuesday.
In social media posts, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, vowed to introduce a resolution “to block Trump from invading Greenland,” saying the 79-year-old Republican simply “wants a giant island with his name on it. He wouldn’t think twice about putting our troops in danger if it makes him feel big and strong.”
In a sharp departure from the party’s typical partisanship, Republicans also pushed back against Trump’s military-backed expansionism.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, told reporters Tuesday night that he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Washington to take military action on Greenland, Politico reported.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of the midwestern state of Kansas, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told HuffPost “it’s none of our business” and warned that the move would lead to “the demise of NATO.”
Nebraska Republican Congressman Don Bacon put it even more bluntly in a post on X: “This is really dumb. Greenland and Denmark are our allies.”
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations in agonising fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of Congo’s human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga will be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter.
The colourfully-dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking towards the sky with his right arm raised and palm open.
He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government.
They took their place in the stands in Rabat for the last-16 tie against Algeria which the Leopards lost 1-0 to a goal late in extra time.
Kuka’s pose is inspired by that of a statue of Congolese independence leader and former prime minister Patrice Lumumba which stands in Kinshasa.
Lumumba briefly served as the country’s first prime minister in 1960 and was assassinated the following year by a combination of separatists from the region of Katanga and Belgian mercenaries.
His body was dissolved in acid and never found, although it was discovered decades later that remains, including a tooth, had been kept in Belgium.
Kuka’s pose is inspired by that of a statue of Congolese independence leader and former prime minister Patrice Lumumba which stands in Kinshasa.
Lumumba briefly served as the country’s first prime minister in 1960 and was assassinated the following year by a combination of separatists from the region of Katanga and Belgian mercenaries.
His body was dissolved in acid and never found, although it was discovered decades later that remains, including a tooth, had been kept in Belgium.
The killing is one of the darkest moments in the history of relations between Belgium and its former colony.
Congolese fans at the Cup of Nations who spoke to AFP expressed pride at seeing Kuka’s tribute to Lumumba.
Kuka is “our brother”, said 30-year-old Laetitia Malula during a gathering of supporters in Casablanca on the eve of the Algeria game.
“He has chosen to imitate Lumumba…our hero. That is we why we chant his name.”
DR Congo’s participation in the Cup of Nations has come amid an ongoing conflict in the east of the country along its border with Rwanda, where conflict has flared since 2021 with the resurgence of the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.
Kuka did not speak to AFP having apparently taken himself out of the limelight due to the overwhelming media attention.
But 35-year-old Jered Bitobo, head of communication of the supporters group to which Kuka belongs, described his compatriot’s pose as “a sign of peace”.
“He is sending out a strong message, both at local and international level. The open palm is a sign of peace and we need peace in our country,” Bitobo said.
It is understood that Kuka first performed the pose several years ago during matches of leading Congolese side AS Vita Club.
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US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, citing what he described as an increased Russian and Chinese presence around the strategically located island country.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Greenland is “so strategic” and claimed that it is currently surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.
“We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said when asked about any potential US action against Greenland.
Trump also argued that US control over Greenland would serve broader Western interests, adding the European Union “needs us to have it” from a security standpoint.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has previously rejected proposals suggesting any transfer of sovereignty.
Administration has portrayed Minnesota’s Somali community as hotspot for fraud
Rights advocates have raised due process, free speech concerns over Trump policies
WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday it was auditing immigration cases involving U.S. citizens of Somali origin to detect fraud that could lead to denaturalization, or revocation of citizenship.
“Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that was first reported by Fox News and reposted by the White House on social media. Denaturalization cases are rare and can take years. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, about 11 cases were pursued per year between 1990 and 2017.
Human rights groups widely condemn Trump’s policies, saying they curb rights like due process and free speech. Trump and his allies say the policies aim to improve domestic security.
Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota’s Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates say the administration is using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday the bureau has “surged” investigative resources and personnel to Minnesota in the latest instance of the Trump administration’s fraud investigations that have targeted the state’s Somali immigrants.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services separately said on Tuesday it has frozen all child care payments to Minnesota. It said that going forward all payments from the department’s Administration for Children and Families nationwide “will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.”
In response, Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz said his state government has “spent years cracking down on fraudsters” and that Trump was “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
Rwanda has closed over 10,000 evangelical churches for failing to comply with a 2018 law designed to regulate places of worship. The law introduced new rules on health, safety, and financial disclosures, and requires all preachers to have theological training.
President Paul Kagame has been vocal in his criticisms of the evangelical churches that have sprouted across the small country in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
“If it were up to me I wouldn’t even reopen a single church,” Kagame told a news briefing last month.
The vast majority of Rwandans are Christian, according to a 2024 census, and many now travel long, costly distances to find places to pray.
Observers say the real reason for the closures is control
The 2018 law requires churches to submit annual action plans stating how they align with “national values”. All donations must be channelled through registered accounts.
Rwanda Closes Thousands of Evangelical Churches. Photo; AFP
Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were shut down last year for failing to meet fire safety regulations, said the rules mainly affected new evangelical churches that have “mushroomed” in recent years.
But Kagame has described the church as a relic of the colonial period, a chapter of its history that the country is still grappling with.
The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country. Pastor Julienne Kabanda had been drawing massive crowds to the shiny new BK Arena in Kigali when the church’s licence was revoked.
The government had cited unauthorised evangelical activities and a failure to submit “annual activity and financial reports”.
But some say the clampdown on places of worship is linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which around 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered.
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed bout in Miami on Friday.
The fight at the Kaseya Centre, which saw both men reportedly splitting a mammoth $184 million purse, had triggered alarm across boxing due to the gulf in physical size and class between Britain’s two-time former world champion Joshua and Paul, an internet personality who has forged a lucrative career through a handful of novelty boxing contests.
In the event, however, Joshua made hard work of defeating his vastly less accomplished opponent, before his superior size and power eventually told in the later stages of the eight-round fight, with a sixth-round knockout.
A lacklustre contest descended into farce at times, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and grappling with Joshua’s legs. At one stage, even referee Christopher Young appeared to be losing patience, warning the fighters in the fourth round: “The fans did not pay to see this crap.”
As Paul tired, Joshua began to land punches with more regularity, and after knocking down the 6ft 1in American twice in the fifth round, the end came swiftly in the sixth. Joshua backed the 28-year-old into a corner and, after teeing up Paul with a crunching left, delivered the knockout blow with a right to the chin that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, admitted afterwards. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him.
Joshua Knocks Out Paul in Netflix Bout
Joshua, meanwhile, praised Paul for lasting into the later rounds.
“I want to give him his props, he got up time and time again,” Joshua said. “It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.”
Paul, meanwhile, his mouth bloodied from Joshua’s final assault, said he believed his jaw had been broken but was satisfied with his performance.
Friday’s made-for-streaming contest, which came just over a year after Paul fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a much-derided Netflix fight, was widely panned in boxing, with many warning that Paul risked serious injury.
Yet the devastating first or second round knockout by Joshua that most had predicted failed to materialise as Paul scrambled desperately to stay outside of the 2012 Olympic champion Joshua’s range.
Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, always looked the more threatening fighter, landing 48 of 146 punches, compared to Paul’s meagre 16.
The Briton is now turning his attention towards a money-spinning bout against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury next year.
President Donald Trump has suspended the US green card lottery scheme in the wake of a mass shooting at Brown University last week in which two people were killed.
The suspect, a Portuguese man who was found dead on Thursday, entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she has paused the visa scheme under Trump’s direction to “ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme”.
US officials said they believe the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, also killed Portuguese Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro earlier this week.
The programme makes up to 50,000 visas available each year through a random selection process among entries from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.
Writing on social media, Noem said Trump had previously “fought to end” the scheme in 2017 after eight people were killed in a truck-ramming attack in New York City.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect “should never have been allowed in our country”
Uzbekistan national Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic State supporter who is serving multiple life sentences for the attack, entered the US through the DV1 scheme, according to Noem.
Her comments come just hours after Neves Valente was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, from what police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said video evidence and tips from the public led investigators to a car rental location where they found the suspect’s name and matched him to their person of interest, following a six-day multi-state manhunt.
He was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence in a car nearby matched to the scene of the shooting at Brown University in Providence, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League school from the autumn of 2000 to the following spring, and was studying for a PhD in physics.
He had “no current active affiliation” to Brown, she said.
Officials said they believe Neves Valente shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, on Monday at his home in Brookline, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.
Both men had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s, police said.
Officials said the cases were linked when the suspect’s vehicle was identified via CCTV footage and a witness at Brown University.
The same car was spotted near the scene of the professor’s shooting, which happened just two days later.
Authorities have not provided any suspected motive for either of the attacks.
Two students were killed and nine others were injured as a gunman burst into Brown University’s engineering building on 13 December and opened fire during final exams.
They have been identified as Ella Cook, 19, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American who had just started at the university.
A Romanian court has sentenced Wiz Khalifa to nine months in prison for smoking cannabis on stage.
The American rapper, real name Thomaz Cameron Jibril, admitted to smoking a joint during his performance at the Beach, Please! festival last year in Costinesti.
A Romanian appeals court overturned an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession and ruled the rapper must serve the sentence in custody.
However he was sentenced in absentia. Earlier this week he was seen on stage performing with Gunna in California, and on Thursday he posted pictures and clips from his home on streaming platform Twitch and social media.
The BBC has approached the ten-time Grammy-nominated artist for comment.
Police briefly held and questioned Jibril after the concert on 13 July 2024, and prosecutors later charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use.
Romanian investigators said he was in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed an additional amount on stage.
In a written decision, the Constanța Court of Appeal judges said they overturned the original fine because the artist had sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct” and thereby encouraged “drug use among young people”.
Calling it an “ostentatious act”, the judges said the rapper was “a music performer, on the stage of a music festival well known among young people” who “possessed and consumed, in front of a large audience predominantly made up of very young people, an artisanal cigarette”.
“They [the authorities] were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time.”
Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told BBC News that there was little-to-no chance of the US extraditing Jibril, and described the sentence as “unusually harsh”.
“Given the defendant’s wealth and connections, Romania’s lack of real negotiating power on extradition, and the legal and political status of cannabis in the US, it is highly unlikely that Wiz Khalifa will be sent to serve a prison sentence in Constanța, even though a formal judicial request will be submitted to the United States,” Mr Zaha said.
The artist, known for songs like Black and Yellow, See You Again and Young, Wild & Free, is often pictured smoking on his social media and founded his own marijuana brand in 2016.
Cannabis is legal recreational and medical use in some US states, but remains illegal under federal law.
Sporadic gunfire and explosions have been reported as M23 rebels advance towards a key city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in an offensive that has forced thousands to flee across the border into Burundi.
Residents and military sources said soldiers were fleeing the assault on Uvira, the last government-held city in the mineral-rich region.
US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal last week between DR Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame to end the long-running conflict but fighting has continued.
Shops and schools have closed, with terrified residents staying indoors amid fears that rebels had taken control of some government buildings.
But South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi dismissed reports that the rebels were in the city as “completely unfounded rumours”.
Residents told the BBC that Uvira was in lockdown on Wednesday, with some reporting gunfire in the city that is just 27 km (17 miles) from Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura.
A local rights official told AP news agency that there was a “risk of a massacre” if the remaining soldiers mounted strong resistance.
“It’s chaotic, nobody’s in charge. Uvira is done for,” a Burundian officer told AFP news agency.
“Three bombs have just exploded in the hills. It’s every man for himself,” a resident told AFP, while another added: “We are all under the beds in Uvira – that’s the reality.”
Military and security sources said the rebel fighters advanced from the north, near the Burundian border.
In an interview with UN-backed Radio Okapi, Purusi denied Uvira had fallen to the M23, saying the city remained under the control of government forces.
The US, European Union, and eight European nations have accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel offensive, and have called for an immediate halt to the fighting
In a joint statement, they voiced “profound concern” about the violence, and said it had a “destabilising potential for the whole region”.
They urged the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) to “immediately halt offensive operations” in eastern DR Congo, and called on its troops to withdraw from the region.
But Rwanda has denied any involvement in the fighting, accusing DR Congo’s government and its ally, Burundi, of violating a ceasefire.
In a statement on X, the Rwandan foreign ministry said the ceasefire violation “cannot be placed on Rwanda” and said the Congolese and Burundian armies had “systematically” bombed villages close to Rwanda’s border.
UN experts say Rwanda’s army is in “de facto control of M23 operations”.
About 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern DR Congo since the latest round of fighting started early this month, the UN says.
It said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 admitted to hospital with wounds.
A Burundian administrative source told AFP that he had recorded more than 8,000 daily arrivals over the past two days, and 30,000 arrivals in one week.
The latest offensive comes nearly a year after the M23 rebels seized control of Goma and Bukavu, the other two main cities in eastern DR Congo.
The M23 is not part of the US-brokered peace deal, and is in separate talks with DR Congo’s government in mediation efforts led by Qatar.
In a national address on Monday, Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of “deliberate violations” of the peace accord.
“This is a proxy war aimed at challenging our sovereignty over a highly strategic area, rich in critical minerals and economic potential that is crucial to the future of our nation,” Tshisekedi said.
For its part, Rwanda accused the armies of DR Congo and Burundi of bombing villages near its border, forcing more than 1,000 civilians to flee into its territory.
Eastern DR Congo has been wracked by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Several peace deals going back to the 1990s have collapsed.
Numerous armed groups have competed with the central authorities for power and control of the potential fortune in this vast nation.
All tourists – including those from Britain – will have to undergo a social media screening before being allowed entry into the US under new plans being considered by the country’s border force.
At the moment, Britons are among those who can visit for up to 90 days without a visa. They just have to obtain an electronic travel authorisation, known as an ESTA, for $40 (£30).
The potential social media mandate being proposed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would apply to anyone visiting, whether they require a visa or not.
According to a notice published in America’s federal register on Tuesday, foreign tourists would need to provide their social media from the last five years.
Image: Pic: iStock
It will be “mandatory” to hand over the information, and other details – including email addresses and telephone numbers used in the last five years, as well as the names, addresses, numbers, and birthdays of family members – will also be required.
Currently, as part of the ESTA application process, a tourist from Britain would have to provide an email address, home address, phone number, and emergency contact details. If approved, the ESTA lasts for two years.
CBP is proposing that moving forward, ESTA applications would require a selfie.
It further wants to collect biometrics – face, fingerprints DNA and iris – as part of the ESTA application. It currently only records face and fingerprints upon arrival at the US border.
The proposed changes are open for public consultation for 60 days.
Image: An ESTA application form. Pic: iStock
So much for free speech?
There have been several reports of travellers already having been denied entry into the US over social media posts and messages found on their personal devices after President Donald Trump took office in January.
This includes a French scientist who was turned away at the US border in March after messages “that reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism” were found on his phone.
Despite Mr Trump vowing to “restore freedom of speech” on online platforms and end “federal censorship” when he took office, he has found himself at the centre of various free speech rows since.
In September, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was taken off-air by Disney-owned ABC over comments he made about the assassination of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.
Mr Kimmel accused the Trump administration and its allies of “working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk”, with the president among those to pin it on left-wing extremism.
Image: President Donald Trump has been at the centre of several free speech rows. Pic: AP
At the time, Mr Trump suggested certain networks should have their licenses revoked over a lack of support for him.
Mr Kimmel’s show was reinstated less than a week after his suspension following widespread backlash from celebrities and viewers.
And in April, Harvard University sued the Trump administration for seeking “unprecedented and improper” control of the school, after it froze $2.6bn (£1.9bn) of its federal funding.
Harvard’s lawsuit accused the government of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a list of 10 demands from a federal antisemitism task force, which included sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions.
A judge ruled in September that the Trump administration’s freeze of billions in research funding to Harvard was unconstitutional and retaliatory, a decision the US government vowed to appeal.
An agreement has not yet been reached, so the fight between the Ivy League university and Mr Trump rages on.
Lionel Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award on Tuesday after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.
Messi became the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and only the second player in the league to capture two MVP awards after Preki in 1997 and 2003.
“I’m happy to receive this award and be the first in the history of this league to win it in two consecutive years,” Messi said. “I’m very thankful.”
The 38-year-old forward, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup crown, scored 29 goals in the regular season — the fourth-most in any MLS campaign — and set up 19 others to claim the MLS Golden Boot.
“I’m thankful for this recognition,” Messi said. “It’s always nice to receive individual awards but I want to share it with my teammates. I was also fortunate to win the MLS Golden Boot thanks to the help of my teammates.”
Messi, who signed a three-year contract extension with Miami in October, also became only the second player to lead the league in regular-season goals and assists, joining Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.
Messi also netted six goals and created nine others in this year’s MLS playoffs, which concluded last weekend with Inter Miami beating Vancouver 3-1 for its first MLS Cup title, Messi delivering two key assists in the triumph to claim MLS Cup MVP honors.
It’s the latest award in a trophy haul for the South American maestro that includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Best Player awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.
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Messi was a runaway season MVP award winner with 70.43 per cent of total voting compared to 11.15 per cent for runner-up Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC. Messi took 83.05 per cent of media votes, 73.08 per cent of club votes and 55.17 per cent of player votes.
He became the first MLS player with 10 multi-goal games in a season, breaking the old mark of eight shared by Stern John in 1998, Mamadou Diallo in 2000 and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2019.
In 2024, Messi won the MLS MVP award with 20 goals and 16 assists over 19 matches.
Messi joined Inter Miami in July 2023 and helped the Herons hoist the Leagues Cup, a tournament for MLS and Mexican League clubs, that year and take the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield with a league-best 74 points in the regular season.
US President Donald Trump warned Europe Monday “to be very careful” over the $140 million fine the European Commission imposed on American social media company X over breaches of transparency rules.
“Oh, that’s a nasty one. Elon has not called me to ask for help on that one. But no, it’s a tough thing. I don’t think it’s right,” Trump said at a White House event, referring to his one-time political aide Elon Musk, who is also the owner of X.
“I’ll speak about it later. I’m going to get a full report on it. Look, Europe has to be very careful. They’re doing a lot of things. We want to keep Europe, Europe,” he added.
The European Commission issued its €120 million (nearly $140 million) fine against X on Friday, citing multiple breaches of the EU’s Digital Services Act, marking the first non-compliance decision under the landmark regulation.
According to the commission, X misled users through the “deceptive design” of its blue checkmark feature, failed to meet transparency requirements for its advertising repository, and blocked researchers from accessing public data.
The commission found that X’s blue checkmark system — where users can pay for “verified” status — misrepresents verification.
This, regulators said, exposes users to scams and impersonation, violating Article 25(1) of the DSA, which prohibits deceptive design practices.
Two senior military officers in Benin who were taken captive during a coup attempt were freed early on Monday, just one day after the government announced it had prevented the takeover with assistance from Nigerian forces.
Cotonou, the economic centre of Benin, appeared peaceful, and traffic began to return to normal after a group of soldiers declared on national television the previous day that they had deposed the president.
In a television broadcast later on Sunday, President Patrice Talon reassured the nation that the situation was “completely under control.”
Talon, 67, is set to relinquish power in April after serving two terms as leader of the West African nation, which has faced increasing insurgent activity in the northern regions in recent years.
This coup attempt comes in the wake of a series of military takeovers across West Africa, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and, most recently, in Guinea-Bissau last month.
The Beninese government quickly called for assistance from its neighbour, Nigeria, which announced late on Sunday that it had conducted military strikes in Cotonou and deployed troops to the country.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also pledged military support for Benin and will convene in Abidjan on Monday. The bloc had threatened to intervene during the coup in Niger earlier in 2023, but ultimately chose not to act.
According to two military sources, the two senior officers who were captured during the coup attempt were released overnight from Sunday to Monday. Chief of Army Staff Abou Issa and Colonel Faizou Gomina, the army chief, were freed near the National Guard’s base in Cotonou.
As of Monday, it remained unclear how many individuals participated in the coup attempt or how many were still missing.
In his address late Sunday, Talon said the country had “stood firm” and “cleared the last pockets of resistance”.
“This treachery will not go unpunished,” he said, while military sources said that around a dozen soldiers had been arrested.
Benin Frees Hostage Officers After Failed Coup
A source familiar with the situation reported that the coup’s leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, is currently at large.
More military tanks were also spotted in various locations throughout Cotonou, and although several roads remained closed, others had reopened.
The Economic Community of West African States announced that troops from Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone were being sent to Benin to assist the government in maintaining “constitutional order.” The regional body, along with the United Nations, former colonial power France, and the African Union, condemned the coup attempt.
According to the constitution of Benin, Talon is ineligible to seek a third term, but his chosen successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is viewed as the frontrunner for the upcoming presidential election in April.
The main opposition party has been barred from the ballot because its candidate lacks sufficient sponsors.
While Talon has been praised for fostering economic growth, critics denounce his authoritarian tendencies in a country once celebrated for its democratic vitality.
About 100 children who were abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria last month have been freed, authorities say.
Niger state’s police chief, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, and Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is in charge of the school as the local leader of the Catholic community, both told the BBC that they had received confirmation of the students’ release.
They said the news had been confirmed by the president’s national security advisor, but Bishop Yohanna said it was not clear when the children would be reunited with their parents.
More than 250 students and 12 staff were kidnapped from St Mary’s Catholic school in Papiri, the latest in a wave of mass abductions.
Bishop Yohanna said he presumed the authorities may need time to process the pupils and provide necessary support before announcing a formal handover. He added that he did not know the students’ current whereabouts.
Details about their release remain unclear, including whether it was secured through negotiation or by force, and whether any ransoms were paid.
The governor of neighbouring Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, told local media that the federal government had played a key role in securing their release, adding that the behind-the-scenes efforts could not be disclosed for security reasons.
Last week, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu visited Papiri and met a delegation led by Bishop Yohanna, assuring them the children would soon be rescued and reunited with their families.
Schools and places of worship have increasingly been targeted in the latest wave of attacks in north and central Nigeria.
The attack on St Mary’s, on 21 November, was preceded by mass kidnappings just days earlier: on 18 November, two people were killed and 38 abducted in an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara state, and a day before that, two were killed and 25 Muslim students abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School in Kebbi state.
All those taken in the Kwara and Kebbi attacks have since been freed.
Last week gunmen abducted at least 20 people in two separate attacks – at a newly established church in central Kogi state, where a pastor, his wife and some worshipers were taken, and in the mostly Muslim northern Sokoto state, where a bride and her bridesmaids were among those kidnapped.
The paying of ransoms has been made illegal in Nigeria in an attempt to cut the supply of funds to the kidnap gangs but it is widely believed that in many cases money is still handed over.
Nigeria’s security crisis attracted the international spotlight last month after US President Donald Trump threatened to send over troops if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians”.
Nigerian officials and analysts say that members of all faiths are victims of the violence and kidnappings and say it is not true that Christians are being targeted.
Benin’s interior minister has appeared on national TV to announce that an attempted coup in the West Africa nation has been thwarted.
Earlier, a group of soldiers, led by Lt-Col Pascal Tigri, had made a broadcast saying they had ousted President Patrice Talon and suspended the constitution.
In social media posts, the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the residence of the president in the main city of Cotonou, which is the seat of government. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that they had heard gunshots and some journalists working for the state broadcaster were held hostage.
A presidential adviser has since told the BBC that the president is safe and is at the French embassy.
“Early on Sunday morning, 7 December 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou said
“Faced with this situation, the Beninese armed forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic. Their response allowed them to retain control of the situation and foil the attempt,” he said.
“The government therefore urges the population to go about their activities as normal.”
Helicopters have been seen flying over Cotonou and roads are blocked with a heavy military presence on several streets in the city.
Benin, a former French colony, has been regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies.
It is one of the continent’s largest cotton producers, but ranks among the world’s poorest countries.
The French and Russian embassies have urged their citizens to stay indoors for their safety.
The US embassy’s advice was to stay away from Cotonou, especially the area around the presidential compound.
The soldiers leading the attempted coup justified their actions by criticising President Talon’s management of the country.
“The army solemnly commits to give the Beninese people the hope of a truly new era, where fraternity, justice and work prevail,” said a statement read by one of the soldiers.
Talon, who is 67 and regarded as a close ally of the West, is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office, with elections scheduled for April.
A businessman known as the “king of cotton”, he first came to power in an election in 2016. He promised not to seek a third term and has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his successor.
Talon has been praised by supporters for overseeing economic development, but his government has also come in for criticism for suppressing dissenting voices.
In October the electoral commission barred the main opposition candidate from standing on the grounds that he did not have enough sponsors.
Last month, several constitutional amendments were passed by MPs, including the creation of a second parliamentary chamber, the Senate.
Terms of office for elected officials were extended from five to seven years, but the presidential two-term limit remained in place.
President Patrice Talon, a businessman known as the “king of cotton”, has said he intends step down next year after two terms in office
This coup attempt in Benin comes just over a week after Umaro Sissoco Embaló was overthrown as president in nearby Guinea-Bissau.
In recent years, there have been several coups in West Africa, including in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, heightening fears that the security of the region could worsen.
Russia has strengthened its ties with these Sahel countries over recent years – and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have left the West African regional bloc Ecowas to form their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States.
According to BBC Monitoring, news of the coup attempt was hailed by several pro-Russian influencer accounts on social media.
Benin has seen a rise in jihadist activity in recent years, as groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda spread to the south.
Ecowas and the African Union (AU) have condemned the latest coup attempt in Benin.
AU Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Yousouf reiterated the pan-African organisation’s “zero tolerance stance toward any unconstitutional change of government, regardless of context or justification”.
“He warns that these trends erode citizens’ trust in public institutions, weaken state authority, and endanger collective security,” the AU statement said.
JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — The United States and South Africa have been trading barbs, especially after President Donald Trump announced in November that Washington would not send a delegation to the Group of 20 (G20) summit held in Johannesburg, publicly boycotting the host nation.
Tensions further escalated as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola issued pointed open letters on Wednesday and Thursday, highlighting the deepening diplomatic rift.
NEW ROUND OF WAR OF WORDS
The latest round of rhetorical clashes began when Washington openly boycotted the G20 summit hosted by South Africa.
On Nov. 7, Trump wrote on social media that U.S. officials would not attend the summit in Johannesburg and again accused the South African government of discriminating against the white minority. In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the U.S. absence was “their loss” and that a boycott would only backfire.
In the days before the summit, the United States formally notified Pretoria that it would not take part and opposed issuing any G20 outcome document based on consensus without Washington’s consent. South Africa countered that the U.S. boycott had cost Washington its voice at the meeting and that Pretoria would not bow to American pressure.
The G20 summit opened in Johannesburg on Nov. 22 as scheduled and, for the first time, adopted a joint declaration on the opening day. Because the United States insisted on sending only its charge d’affaires to the handover ceremony for the rotating presidency, South African officials called Washington’s failure to send a representative of the appropriate rank “unacceptable” and refused to hold the handover at the summit venue.
The handover was instead held in a low-key manner on Nov. 25. The next day, Trump said South Africa would not be invited to next year’s G20 summit in Miami. Pretoria called the decision “regrettable” and said it was based on false information about South Africa.
On Dec. 3, Rubio issued a statement again attacking South Africa’s domestic policies and its leadership of the G20, and threatened to replace South Africa with Poland in the grouping.
Ramaphosa said on Dec. 4 that although media reports claimed South Africa had been excluded from the Miami summit, Pretoria had received no formal written notice.
“We are yet to receive anything formally, and we will deal with that when it comes,” he said, adding that South Africa would not try to rally other countries to boycott the U.S.-hosted summit next year.
DETERIORATION OF RELATIONS
Since Trump began his second term this year, relations between the United States and South Africa have deteriorated rapidly. Analysts note that South Africa’s positions on major international issues have diverged from Washington’s, including Pretoria’s 2023 case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and its close ties with Iran.
In February, Trump denounced South Africa’s new land law, accusing the government of seizing land in a way that discriminated against white citizens, and issued an executive order cutting off U.S. aid. He later expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States after the envoy publicly criticized him.
On May 21, during Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House, Trump suddenly showed videos and newspaper clippings alleging a “white genocide” in South Africa. Ramaphosa rejected the claims, saying the assertion that white South Africans were fleeing violence and racist laws was unfounded.
In August, the U.S. State Department’s 2024 human rights report said South Africa’s human rights situation had “significantly worsened,” arguing that the new land law marked a “worrying step” toward expropriating white-owned land and further harming minority rights. South African officials dismissed the accusations as baseless and inaccurate.
Beginning Aug. 7, the United States imposed a 30 percent tariff on South African exports, making South Africa the sub-Saharan African country facing the highest U.S. tariff rate.
WILL RELATIONS WORSEN FURTHER
Looking ahead, South Africa may be largely absent from major G20 activities during the U.S. presidency. In the near term, relations between the two governments are likely to feature both political confrontation and limited cooperation in specific areas.
Washington’s hostile posture toward the South African government is unlikely to change soon, and further political bullying or economic coercion cannot be ruled out. Pretoria is expected to continue relying on Global South forums and BRICS to counter U.S. pressure. The two countries are unlikely to restore ambassador-level relations in the short term.
At the same time, the two sides share interests in areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, counterterrorism intelligence, combating transnational crime and developing mineral resources. Cooperation in these fields can help prevent ties from spiraling out of control.
Both countries also have incentives to continue working together on global agendas such as food security, climate change and public health, making a complete “decoupling” unlikely.
Next year’s U.S. midterm elections and South Africa’s local elections may also influence policy adjustments. The Trump administration may ease tariffs on South African agricultural and automotive products to win support from U.S. voters, while maintaining a manageable relationship with Washington remains essential for stability within South Africa’s governing coalition.
Relations between the two countries are likely to worsen to some degree, with political confrontation forming the core of the relationship. Even so, cooperation in certain areas will continue to cushion the impact.
Tanzania’s police said on Friday that nationwide demonstrations expected next week would be illegal, setting the stage for possible renewed clashes after bloodshed during protests over elections last month.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the landslide winner of the October election after her main challengers were excluded, prompting protests that were partly driven by what activists said was a wider crackdown on dissent.
Rights groups, opposition parties and the United Nations have said hundreds of people were likely killed in clashes between the protesters and security forces. The government denies suppressing dissent and disputes those figures as exaggerated.
Tanzanian riot police officers walk, following a protest a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two leading opposition candidates at the Namanga One-Post Border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania, October 30, 2025. Photo credit: REUTERS
Police Spokesperson David Misime said they were yet to receive any formal notifications from anyone wishing to hold demonstrations, after social media posts circulated calling for protests on December 9.
“The Police Force is banning these demonstrations, which have been given the name of ‘unlimited peaceful protests’, from taking place,” he said in a statement.
Misime said those mobilising for protest were, among other things, urging participants to seize property, disrupt services at hospitals and to stay on the streets for an unlimited time to paralyse economic activity.
On Wednesday, a United Nations human rights experts group urged Tanzanian authorities and security forces to protect people’s right to assembly and prevent any more violations ahead of the planned demonstrations.
Hassan has promised to investigate the election violence and offered condolences to bereaved families, her most public acknowledgement of the turmoil, which has led to the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.
“We hear there is another one planned … whenever they come, we are prepared,” Hassan told a meeting of elders in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, referring to the planned demonstrations.
The United States said on Thursday it was reviewing its relationship with Tanzania due to concerns over religious freedom, free speech, obstacles to U.S. investment and violence against civilians.
Tanzania’s foreign ministry said on Friday it had noted with concern separate statements by the European Union delegation, the U.N. Human Rights Council and several countries including the United States, Ghana, Belgium, Canada and Denmark.
“Tanzania remains committed to constructive international cooperation for peace and development and respectfully calls upon all stakeholders to allow national mechanisms to implement steps and measures taken by the government,” it said in a statement.
A Kenyan parliamentary report has accused British troops training in the country of widespread killings, sexual abuse and human rights and environmental abuses, following years of accumulated complaints from local communities.
The report, published on Wednesday, found that serious misconduct by British soldiers caused them to be viewed as something of an “occupying force” by local people.
For the past 60 years, British soldiers in the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) have routinely trained in the East African nation, favoured for its temperate weather and realistic combat scenarios. However, they have attracted rising numbers of accusations of gross violations, ranging from killings to neglectful disposal of military grade chemicals. The most notorious case was the murder of a 21-year-old Kenyan woman, Agnes Wanjiru, which gained international media attention.
Community activists who have for years sought redress in Kenyan courts told Al Jazeera the report’s publication represented an “enormous victory” not just for Kenya, but for other African countries which host foreign military bases on their territory, but are wary of regulating them.
“The Kenyan parliament has demonstrated that the British Army is not above the law,” said James Mwangi, founder of the grassroots advocacy group, Africa Centre for Corrective and Preventive Action (ACCPA), which has been at the forefront of bringing community grievances to Kenyan courts, and which advised lawmakers during their investigation.
“The impunity that has been perpetrated by these forces has been appalling. The world has seen that African parliaments can take measures to combat injustices by these forces, and Kenya has become the first country in Africa to do such a thing,” he added.
Here’s what we know about the report, the most serious allegations against the British troops, and what will happen next:
Soldiers are seen during a training session under the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), at a camp in Laikipia, Kenya, September 30, 2018 [File: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters]
What is BATUK?
BATUK (British Army Training Unit in Kenya) is a permanent training force based in Nanyuki, central Kenya. It has been stationed there since Kenyan independence from the UK in 1963 and has about 100 permanent staff and some 280 rotating short-term troops from the United Kingdom.
The unit trains British troops and provides anti-terrorism training for Kenyan troops fighting the al-Shabab armed group, as agreed in the UK-Kenya Defence Cooperation Agreement, which, since 2015, allows both armies to share intelligence and training.
In 2022, the UK government reported that BATUK had contributed more than 5.8 billion Kenyan shillings ($45m) to the local economies in which its garrisons are based, and that it employed more than 550 local staff. Local businesses close to BATUK training sites also benefit from the unit’s presence, it said.
However, there have been numerous complaints from local people about the conduct of the troops. They say mishandling of dangerous training material and unexploded bombs left in the ground have caused serious injuries, and they have complained about how British soldiers behave towards Kenyan women in the area.
Many Kenyan women say they have been left to care for children alone after British soldiers they began relationships with left the country at the end of their training.
There has been no mechanism within the UK or Kenyan justice systems to hold British soldiers under BATUK to account. On that basis, the UK government initially pushed back against Kenyan authorities’ attempts to investigate the troops’ behaviour.
In April 2024, therefore, the Kenyan parliament voted to amend the defence agreement with the UK to allow for local prosecutions of British soldiers.
What does the new report say?
The 94-page inquiry into the conduct of BATUK troops was released following a one-and-a-half-year investigation by the Kenyan parliament’s defence, intelligence and foreign relations committee.
The report examined complaints from residents in Laikipia and Samburu counties in central Kenya, close to where the BATUK camp is. Lawmakers began conducting public hearings to hear evidence in June 2024, with victims detailing harrowing accounts of mistreatment by BATUK soldiers. BATUK did not cooperate with the parliamentary investigation, the committee noted.
The report found that BATUK soldiers showed a “disturbing trend” of sexual misconduct, including rape, assault and the neglect of children fathered by the troops.
It found that an internal inquiry by BATUK in 2003 had mishandled evidence and failed to provide justice for women who brought complaints.
BATUK, which the report said does not conduct environmental impact assessments for its field exercises, has also caused serious environmental damage. In at least one case, a major fire killed livestock and destroyed 4,900 hectares (12,000 acres) of vegetation. BATUK also illegally dumped military waste and toxic materials openly, breaking Kenyan environmental law, the report concluded.
Additionally, the Kenyan parliament said British troops showed “gross negligence” in the way they handled unexploded ordnance during their training and that their neglect had led to multiple deaths and injuries.
Communities were routinely not informed about loud training drills, leading to shock, injury or trauma in some cases.
Kenyan workers hired to clean up ammunition debris were not provided with protective gear in line with Kenyan labour laws, the report added.
Complainants who brought claims of injuries to BATUK were not fairly compensated, the report found.
A British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) signage stands next to the road, as Kenya’s parliament accuse British soldiers of decades of sexual abuse, killings, human rights violations and environmental destruction while training in the country, in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, Kenya, December 4, 2025 [Monicah Mwangi/Reuters]
What other abuses is BATUK accused of?
Thousands of serious allegations against BATUK members have been made by locals. At the public hearings which parliament conducted, the mother of a young woman testified in June 2024 that her daughter had been the victim of a hit-and-run incident involving a BATUK truck, which left her wheelchair-bound. BATUK paid for the daughter’s hospital bills for two years, but did not compensate the family beyond that, she said.
Another mother, who attended a hearing holding her five-year-old daughter, narrated how she had been abandoned by a British soldier with whom she had been in a consensual relationship when he discovered she was pregnant. The soldier is believed to have since left Kenya. The woman said she needed child support.
Survivors of a huge March 2021 wildfire, which started at the privately-owned Lolldaiga Conservancy nature reserve in Laikipia, where BATUK carries out trainings, also brought complaints. The nature reserve houses wildlife like elephants, buffalo, lions, and the endangered Grevy zebra.
The blaze, which raged for four days, is believed to have started after BATUK used white phosphorus, a lethal chemical, during a training exercise. The resulting fire ripped through the nature reserve’s grounds, burning 4,900 hectares (12,000 acres). It killed livestock and pushed fleeing wild animals to swaths of farm land further afield. Community members said the smoke was so heavy that it lingered for days and caused eye and breathing problems.
One man named Linus Murangiri was crushed by a moving vehicle as he rushed to help put out the fire, the BBC reported.
In 2022, the UK’s Ministry of Defence claimed that the fire was likely caused by a camp stove that had been knocked over during an exercise.
In August 2025, the UK agreed to pay what it called a “generous” settlement to the 7,723 claimants who sued BATUK over the incident with the help of organisations like ACCPA. The BBC reported that compensation amounted to just 2.9 million pounds ($3.9m).
The British government has also supported the restoration of burned areas on the conservancy where BATUK exercises continue to be held.
What happened to Agnes Wanjiru?
Agnes Wanjiru’s killing in March 2012, allegedly by a British soldier, was the most high-profile BATUK case.
Wanjiru, the mother of a five-month-old girl, disappeared on the night of March 31, after last being seen with British soldiers at the Lion Court Hotel bar in Nanyuki. Her naked body was found two months later in a septic tank on the hotel grounds, close to the room where the BATUK soldiers had been staying. The group of soldiers had left Kenya by the time her body was discovered.
A post-mortem determined Wanjiru had been stabbed in the chest and abdomen, had a collapsed lung, and had suffered from blunt force injury to her chest. She had been beaten and was likely still alive when she was placed in the tank, it said. It was not clear whether she had been sexually assaulted.
In June 2012, the Kenyan police asked that nine soldiers be questioned by the British Royal Military Police, but say they did not receive a response. Wanjiru’s family attempted to sue BATUK in Kenya, but the UK government argued the Kenyan court had no jurisdiction over UK troops.
Wanjiru’s murder case resurfaced in October 2021 after a Sunday Times investigation revealed that a British soldier had murdered her, and that BATUK bosses knew about the involvement of the soldier in her killing, but tried to cover it up.
One soldier who went to top officials after hearing a colleague, identified at the time as Soldier X, confess to the killings was told to “shut up”. The soldier said Soldier X took him to the septic tank and showed him Wanjiru’s body. Soldier X, who was not among the nine soldiers the Kenyan police initially identified, also poked fun at the murdered woman in Facebook posts, the Times reported.
The revelation brought renewed attention to the case and, this time, UK government officials agreed to cooperate with a new investigation.
In September 2025, a Kenyan court ordered the arrestand extradition of a British national, and in November, the UK government arrested a 38-year-old suspect, Robert Purkiss. The case could mark the first time a former or current British soldier will be extradited to face trial in a foreign country, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
Purkiss served as a medic in the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, an Infantry Regiment based in the northwest of England, and was in Kenya for a six-week training exercise at the time of Wanjiru’s death.
He appeared in a Westminster court on November 7, where a prosecutor alleged that Purkiss and others had regularly paid local women for sex and that they had been “drinking heavily” the night of Wanjiru’s murder, The Guardian reported.
Friends of Wanjiru, a hairdresser, reported that she had told them she was going out to “hustle” (earn extra money) for her daughter, prosecutors told the UK court.
The court also heard that Purkiss confessed to a colleague that he murdered Wanjiru over “sex that went wrong”.
Purkiss denied the allegations. His next hearing is set for December 9.
Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, elder sister to Agnes Wanjiru, 20, holds photographs of Agnes at Rose’s house in the Majengo informal settlement in Nanyuki, Kenya, November 4, 2021 [File: Brian Inganga/AP]
How has the UK government responded to the report?
The British High Commission in Kenya responded in a statement on Wednesday, claiming that BATUK had not been sufficiently represented during the parliamentary hearings.
The commission said it had submitted written statements which were not taken into consideration in the report, and added that it was ready to investigate new allegations against BATUK “once evidence is provided”.
“While we deeply regret the challenges which have arisen in relation to our defence presence in Kenya, we are disappointed our submission to the Committee was not incorporated into the report’s conclusions,” the statement said.
What will happen next?
The parliamentary report recommended that Kenya’s Attorney General should immediately work with the UK government to extradite Purkiss to Kenya for the ongoing trial of Wanjiru’s murder. It also ordered inquiries into other deaths of local people suspected to have involved BATUK soldiers.
Negotiations should begin with the UK within three months to hold ex-BATUK soldiers who have neglected their children to account, the report said, and compensation and psychosocial support should be provided to victims of sexual offences committed by BATUK soldiers.
More broadly, the parliamentary report also recommended that government agencies should have more direct oversight over foreign troops stationed in the country by developing a code of conduct highlighting zero tolerance of gender-based violence and environmental degradation.
Kenya similarly hosts two US military bases with fluctuating numbers of personnel. The country often hosts US-Africa military drills along with several other African countries.
Mwangi of ACCPA told Al Jazeera that the parliament’s move was a step forward for communities which have to deal with foreign militaries in Kenya and elsewhere. Injustices committed by BATUK towards local communities, he said, dated back to Kenya’s colonial history with the UK, but officials have historically been wary of interrogating soldiers due to fears that development aid from the UK government could be affected.
Kenya is a top recipient of British aid, which mostly supports healthcare and humanitarian efforts. The country was also allocated a 24.6-million-pound ($33m) development budget in 2023.
US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal Thursday, even as fresh violence raised questions about the accord to end one of Africa’s longest wars.
Trump said the United States was also signing deals on critical minerals with the two countries as he hosted Paul Kagame, the longtime president of Rwanda, and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in Washington.
“I think it’s going to be a great miracle,” Trump said after the signing — held in a peace institute which his administration has just renamed after him.
Speaking of the two leaders, he added: “They spent a lot of time killing each other, and now they are going to spend a lot of time hugging, holding hands and taking advantage of the United States of America economically, like every other country does.”
But the African leaders both took a more cautious tone, as fighting raged in eastern DRC where the M23 armed group — which the UN says is backed by Rwanda — has been gaining ground in recent weeks against Kinshasa’s forces.
“There will be ups and downs on the road ahead, there is no doubt about it,” said Kagame, whose allies have taken a decisive edge on the ground against his country’s turbulent neighbor.
The DRC’s Tshisekedi called it the “beginning of a new path, a demanding path.”
– ‘A lot of money’ –
Trump has boasted that the eastern DRC conflict, where hundreds of thousands of people have died over several decades, is among eight wars he has ended since he returned to office in January.
The US president has made no secret of his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump said the agreement will pave the way for the United States to gain access to critical minerals in both countries. The violence-torn eastern DRC in particular has reserves of many of the key ingredients in modern technologies such as electric cars.
It is the latest in a series of deals in which the billionaire Republican has negotiated a stake for US firms to extract rare earth minerals, including in Ukraine.
“We’re going take out some of the rare earth,” Trump said. “And everybody’s going to make a lot of money.”
The signing comes more than five months after the countries’ foreign ministers also met Trump and announced another deal to end the conflict.
The long-simmering conflict exploded in late January as the M23 captured the major cities of Goma and Bukavu.
After the June agreement, the M23 — which denies links to Rwanda — and the Kinshasa government pledged a ceasefire following mediation by US partner Qatar, but both sides have since accused the other of violations.
– ‘Many dead’ –
Violence continued on the ground even on the day of the signing.
An AFP journalist at the scene heard weapon fire ring out on the outskirts of Kamanyola, an M23-controlled town in South Kivu province near the borders with Rwanda and Burundi.
“Many houses have been bombed, and there are many dead,” said Rene Chubaka Kalembire, an administrative official in Kaziba, a town also under M23 control, on the eve of the signing.
After several days of clashes around Kaziba, fighter jets bombarded the town again on Thursday morning, a local civil society representative who requested anonymity told AFP.
Explosions could also be heard coming from the Bugarama border post in Rwanda across the border in neighboring Burundi, with Rwandan police temporarily shutting the frontier post on Thursday.
AFP was unable to obtain a verifiable toll from the fighting from independent sources.
Local sources reported a massive build-up of M23 reinforcements, accompanied by armored cars, in the high plateau of South Kivu.
Passage through the mountainous region would allow its troops to encircle Uvira, the last major town in South Kivu to evade the M23’s capture.
The Trump-brokered deal meanwhile comes as both countries are in talks with his administration on its priority of taking in migrants amid the president’s sweeping deportation drive.
![Soldiers are seen during a training session under the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), at a camp in Laikipia, Kenya, September 30, 2018 [File: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters]](https://cms.kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_4648.webp)
![A British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) signage stands next to the road, as Kenya’s parliament accuse British soldiers of decades of sexual abuse, killings, human rights violations and environmental destruction while training in the country, in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, Kenya, December 4, 2025 [Monicah Mwangi/Reuters]](https://cms.kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_4649.webp)
![Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, elder sister to Agnes Wanjiru, 20, holds photographs of Agnes at Rose’s house in the Majengo informal settlement in Nanyuki, Kenya, November 4, 2021 [File: Brian Inganga/AP]](https://cms.kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_4650.webp)
