Dozens kidnapped in northwest Nigeria after bandits invite them to talks

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By Reuters and Posted by TOE Armed bandits in northwest Nigeria abducted dozens of villagers whom they invited to a meeting ‌about potential peace negotiations, authorities and residents said on ‌Monday, highlighting the region’s worsening security. Police said 39 people were seized on Sunday ​when they went to a meeting in the forest near Magamin Diddi village in the Maradun municipality of northwest Zamfara State. Some local residents and officials said the number could be as ‌high as 50. According to ⁠a Zamfara State Police Command statement, the victims were meeting relatives of a bandit leader in ⁠an attempt to broker peace and ease restrictions on movement imposed on the community. Zamfara is at the centre of a long-running security ​crisis in ​which armed groups, locally referred ​to as bandits, carry ‌out mass kidnappings, killings and village raids. The violence has disrupted farming and displaced thousands. Security forces have deployed personnel and...
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Peru evacuates 1,600 tourists from Machu Picchu amid protest

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Peru has evacuated around 1,600 tourists from a train station that serves the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu after a local protest escalated into clashes with police.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, the ancient fortified complex receives around 4,500 visitors a day, many of them foreigners, according to the tourism ministry.

Visitors travel some 110 kilometers (68 miles) by train from the city of Cusco — the Inca empire’s ancient capital — to the Aguas Calientes train station, then take a bus to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Residents placed logs and rocks on the tracks Monday to demand that their interests be represented in the bidding process for the new bus operator, after the previous firm’s 30-year concession expired.

Authorities on Tuesday evening evacuated 156 visitors, adding to the approximately 1,400 that were brought out before.

A police statement said 14 officers were injured in clashes with protesters during Monday night’s temporary unblocking of the tracks.

Tourism Minister Desilu Leon said earlier Tuesday that around 1,400 tourists had been evacuated while another 900 were stranded.

Later in the day, Oscar Luque — representative of the Ombudsman in Cusco — told AFP that evacuations had resumed and protests paused until Wednesday morning.

“Right now, I’m on a train with all the tourists who were stranded at Machu Picchu,” he said.

– Architectural marvel –

Among the foreign tourists were French, Japanese, American, Polish, Brazilian, German, and Portuguese nationals, according to the list seen by AFP.

Luque said that any other stranded tourists will be moved by Wednesday morning, adding some had chosen to remain at the site.

The protest is organized by the Machu Picchu Defense Front, which announced in a Sunday statement that it would continue its action indefinitely until the new transport company started operations.

It argued that the new bus operator should be owned by one of the communities involved in the protest.

Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at an altitude of 2,500 meters (about 8,200 feet) on orders from the Inca ruler Pachacutec.

It is considered a marvel of architecture and engineering, but has repeatedly been the scene of protests by locals pressing social demands.

Tourism is key to the economy of Peru.

SOURCE: AFP AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/hKb2FwJ

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