Turkish missiles used in Syria included items meant for ambulances - report
Turkish missiles used in Syria included items meant for ambulances - report
A German manufacturer of brakes exported them to Turkey with guarantees they would be “used on blood analyzing machines fitted to ambulances.”?
A new investigation has focused on?Turkey’s use of missiles?as part of its operations in Syria. These are missiles fired from Turkish drones. Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a European Union-funded organization that helps trace munitions and other items in conflict, has done important work over the years documenting weapons in other countries of the region.?
The new report concludes that “missile components documented by CAR’s investigators in?north-east Syria?show how commercial products manufactured in the EU have been diverted for use in missile production.”?
What this means is that items such as electromagnetic brakes have been sent to Turkey and used in missiles when they were intended for civilian use.?
“According to information provided to CAR by the commercial exporter,?electromagnetic brakes documented at 10 of the 17 missile strike sites in north-east Syria had ostensibly been sold for use in ambulances in Türkiye?[sic]. The end user repeatedly stated the brakes’ intended medical use in verbal and written form between 2018 and 2020. However, as CAR’s findings demonstrate, the brakes were subsequently incorporated into missiles and used for military purposes in north-east Syria.”?
This report is important because it is one of the few examples where an investigation has been carried out about Turkey’s use of drone strikes in Syria. Ankara launched several invasions of Syria beginning in 2016. These reached a height in 2018 when Turkey invaded Afrin and then in the Fall of 2019 when it also invaded an area called Serekaniya. Ankara targeted Kurdish forces and the invasion forced hundreds of thousands of Kurds and other minorities to flee their homes.?
Fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) stand atop a building at the eastern outskirts of Raqqa city, Syria June 7, 2017. (credit: RODI SAID / REUTERS)
After the October 2019 invasion, Turkey has used drones to?strike at people in eastern Syria. Most of these strikes are carried out against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the main group fighting ISIS. Ankara claims it is fighting “terrorists.”?
What did the report focus on?
The CAR report is focused primarily on the issue of munitions and components of the munitions. The report is based on pieces recovered from missiles apparently fired from drones. The CAR report notes that “in some instances, missiles have impacted up to 50 km into north-east Syria. In addition to the UN Commission of Inquiry, other non-governmental sources have identified several strikes against civilian vehicles and populated areas that resulted in reported civilian casualties.”?
Turkey arms its drones, mostly the Bayraktar series, with the MAM missile system. This missile has reportedly been exported to a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Pakistan, Qatar, and others. The CAR research looked at pieces of missiles found across eastern Syria, including areas near Kobane, as well as a dozen strikes around Qamishli.?
The report includes interesting details about the various types of MAM missiles. These have ranges of between 8-30km and have different sizes. The MAM missile has unique fins and fixed wings and its manufacturer uses a “two-backed, two-screw configuration to attach the four rear fins.”?
On some of the wreckage, a plate showing the lot number and production date of the munition has been found. The report notes that there is no evidence the companies involved in exports of products that may have ended up on the missiles were involved in wrongdoing.?
The issue of exports of western items that have ended up on things like Turkish missiles or Iranian drones is sensitive. In recent months there is growing evidence that Iran used dozens of products made in the West on its drones, now being exported to Russia. Many western countries are now focused on how civilian items end up on weapons.?
The CAR report found gyroscopes on the missile remains. These are used as part of the inertial sensor suite in the missile, the report says. These were made by a company based in the US. Circuit boards from a Chinese company were also found. The most disturbing finding of the report is that a German manufacturer of brakes had exported the brakes with guarantees from Turkey that they would be “used on blood analyzing machines fitted to ambulances.”?
CAR notified the company about the presence of its products in missiles. The company did everything it could to make sure the brakes were used for civilian purposes. The Turkish company importing the brakes even signed an end-user agreement saying these items would not be used in military activity or for human rights violations.?
This discovery is important but it likely won’t affect?Ankara’s use of the missiles?on drones, and Ankara will likely continue to be able to manufacture the missiles. However, the discovery shows how items were misdirected for use in military products and sheds light on Ankara’s drone war in eastern Syria. Not enough of a spotlight has been put on how Turkey uses drones in Syria and how it also harms civilians. Now a small tip of the iceberg of Ankara’s role in Eastern Syria has received a spotlight due to this report.??
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Egypt keen to boost strategic relations with China in all domains: Sisi tells Xi
Ahram Online?, Thursday 8 Dec 2022
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi asserted in his meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday that Egypt was keen to boost cooperation between the two countries on all levels within the collective Arab framework and also through the bilateral framework of the Egyptian Chinese Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The meeting between El-Sisi and Xi was held in Riyadh?ahead of the first China-Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia.
The Egyptian president arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier Thursday?to participate?in the first China-Arab Summit.
During the meeting, both leaders discussed?integration between China’s Belt and Road initiative and various?development projects?in Egypt, including?projects in?the?Suez Canal Economic Zone and other infrastructure projects in?roads?and ports as well as energy sector,?according to a statement released by?the Egyptian Presidency.
The Egyptian president expressed his aspiration to boost Chinese tourism to Egypt as well as to encourage Chinese companies to boost their investments in the country, especially in the fields of localising industrialisation and the transfer of high technology.
El-Sisi and Xi?also exchanged views concerning various?developments?and challenges facing?the Middle East.
For his part, the Chinese President expressed his appreciation for the leading Egyptian role in preserving peace, security and stability in the region through its counter-terrorism and counter-radicalism efforts, as well as fostering??political settlements for the different crises in the region.
The Chinese president also congratulated his Egyptian counterpart on the successful organisation of the COP27.
He added that?China always seeks to elevate its partnership with Egypt in all fields, according to the statement.
For his part, President El-Sisi?congratulated the Chinese president for his recent re-election as secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party for the third time.
Egyptian-Chinese ties have witnessed noticeable growth?in the past several years in?the domains of infrastructure, energy, trade and others.
El Sisi visited China seven times during 2014-2022 to promote comprehensive strategic partnership and Chinese investments in Egypt.
China has recently lauded the economic and structural reforms in the country in addition to the developmental accomplishments achieved in Egypt, including major national projects that contributed to increasing the rates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?and exports.
China also lauded the country's efforts to?boost?the investment environment, shrink?unemployment rates, raise its?credit classification and foster?trust of the international financial institution in the ability of the Egyptian economy to continue growth and face internal and external challenges.
China has asserted its keenness to contribute to major national projects in Egypt and benefit from the unique geographic position of Egypt, especially?the Suez Canal, to push forward the?Belt and Road?Initiative and boost trade between its contributing countries.
According to a report released by the?Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on Thursday on the eve of the China-Arab Summit, Egypt's exports to China registered $1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2022, compared to $1.1 billion in the same period of 2021, marking an increase of 36.7 percent.
CAPMAS stated that Egypt's imports from China hit $11.1 billion from January to September 2022, against $10.7 billion in the corresponding period of 2021, recording an increase of 3.8 percent.
The agency stated that trade exchange between Egypt and China hit $12.7 billion from January to September 2022, versus $11.9 billion in the same period of 2021, recording an increase of 9.8 percent
It explained that China's total investments in Egypt hit $563.4 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2021/2022, compared to $485.2 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2020/2021, marking an increase of 16.1 percent.
CAPMAS also pointed out that the total remittances of Egyptians working in China stood at $12.7 million in FY 2020/2021, against $12.8 million in FY 2019/2020.?
Cooperation fields between Egypt and China include electricity, petroleum, natural gas, railways, highways, ports, mineral industries, construction materials, chemical industries, lighting equipment, textile and home appliances.
According to an earlier statement by the Egyptian Presidency, El-Sisi’s participation in the China-Arab Summit reflects Egypt's keenness to strengthen and develop the distinguished historical relations between Arab countries and China.
El-Sisi's participation also aims to strengthen joint action mechanisms to achieve common interests, the presidency added.
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The Exchange. African fintech boom attracting global investments
From the number of fintech to the size of funding, African fintech is the newest investment magnet.
Sector studies show that the African fintech industry has almost tripled in just one year (2020-2021). The estimated number of tech start-ups in Africa is now at 5,200; no surprise, almost half of these are fintechs.
According to the study, as of 2020, African fintechs are reeling in annual revenues in excess of US$6 billion, enough to describe the industry as booming.
The African fintech story only makes sense as the financial services sector on the continent has moved from reliance on traditional funding options like banks to smaller, more accessible and less stringent funding options.
The African fintech industry has also mushroomed riding on the pandemic-caused economic slowdown. While banks struggled to stay afloat, even with fiscal cushioning from governments, African fintech filled the gap.
On a continent where cash is still king, African fintech is scooping in huge amounts and exhibiting even larger potential growth. Notably, one of the fastest-growing African fintech hubs in East Africa is Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, S. Sudan, Tanzania and now, DR Congo.
The seven East African Community (EAC) countries are leading the continent’s fintech growth, and sector pundits are estimating that if the trend maintains the current trajectory as projected, then the African fintech industry revenues are expected to multiply almost tenfold by 2025.
According to the?McKinsey analysis, it is estimated that Africa’s financial-services market could grow at about 10 per cent per annum, reaching US$230 billion in revenues by 2025.
The fintech industry is the fastest-growing start-up industry in Africa thanks to the exponential penetration of smartphone use and expanded network coverage.
This fact is perpetuated further by the remoteness of a large portion of the continent which has previously limited the scope of services that banks can offer.
With mobile phone penetration into the interiors of Africa, mobile money services have ferried fintechs to creating financial inclusion for Africa’s most excluded communities.
Not only are mobile money and other fintech services more accessible, they are by all means up to 80 percent cheaper, less conditioned and offer up to three times more interest in savings.
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With financial inclusion in mind, governments are taking notice and offering more supportive regulatory frameworks, ever further assuring that the African fintech industry growth rivals that of more mature markets, the likes of Vietnam, Indonesia, and India.
Despite the high potential seen in East Africa, with countries like Kenya standing out, South Africa still commands approximately 40 per cent of the industry revenues.
On the western part of the continent, too, in places like Ghana, growth is at 15 per cent per annum and will only get higher all through 2025. Then you have the larger economies coming in; Nigeria and Egypt are both expected to enjoy annual growth rates of 12 per cent over the same period.
While growth rates at this early stages are higher in less developed East African countries, economies with more mature financial systems and digital infrastructure, the likes of South Africa stand a greater chance of executing more innovation in the fintech industry and implementing security measures such as regulatory technology including anti-money laundering.
However, in these younger East African markets where financial systems and digital infrastructures are still in their infancy, fintech services will continue to reign in large amounts offering services ranging from underwriting, insurance, banking-as-service, and buy now, pay later services in retail and lending for SMEs.
.The African fintech industry has multiple positive effects and multiplier effect on economies. The industry is creating much needed jobs, increasing technical skills in digital revolution and increasing financial inclusion altogether.
African fintech industry, financial inclusion key to ending poverty
Also Read:?Mobile money stands strong in Africa?
As the continent experiences digital transformation, studies show that over 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa alone will require digital skills by 2030, making the ongoing skill adoption even more meaningful and necessary.
Further still, the growth of the fintech industry and the related digital transformation is also improving healthcare, education systems and even agriculture and an overall increase in financial inclusion.
With such growth rates and such widespread impact, it is imperative for regulators to create assurance for Africa investors further. For example, investors need assurance that governments will maintain favourable policies over time.
With digital transformation, there is also a need to formalize data systems and invest in digital ecosystem securities, including identification and tracking systems as well as the already mentioned need for stringent money laundry measures to protect African investors.
There is also a need for capacity building both in terms of human resource training for the digital era that is at hand with specifics for fintech needs but also for the wider interconnectivity of industries.
Since fintechs are creating financial inclusion, governments must build the foundation for the fintech structures that are being built at such tremendous scales. Regulators must support the digital ecosystems necessary to keep the ongoing fintech growth in par with international stands and align them with their national development priorities.
All said and done, investors in African fintech are enjoying tasty returns from the sweet welcoming embrace that African SMEs and individuals have offered.
There is still huge room for growth; the demand is high, with large underserved communities still at large. While there may be bumps on the road ahead as regulators and other players wake up to this fintech boom, growth is inevitable.
Investors eyeing an opportunity in Africa will do well to venture into the fintech industry that is creating financial inclusion. That said, regulators in Africa should also put more effort towards empowering local investment in fintech, including placing favourable policies for domestic investors entering the sector and fostering overall digital transformation.
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The Exchange: A stronger private sector can boost African trade
By JAMES NDWARU
Among the various ways to strengthen the private sector and thus promote African trade, African governments must enable the private sector to play an active role in realising regional integration objectives.
Regional African trade is still low
Regional trade remains low despite the African Union establishing and operationalising the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). While there are significant improvements, Brookings indicates that?intraregional trade?accounts for just 22 to 25 per cent of Africa’s overall exports. One of the primary explanations for the low African trade performance has been the lack of a vibrant and dynamic private sector to take advantage of the available opportunities in the trading system.
Africa’s private sector faces several challenges compounded by regional integration initiatives for boosting trade focus on processes, including removing trade barriers, without proper attention to build productive capacities for private sector development to address the prevailing challenges effectively. Thus, moving away from these direct and process-based tactics towards an improved development focus is necessary.
The private sector plays a significant role in ensuring regional integration works for Africa. Although governments sign trade agreements, the private sector understands businesses’ challenges and can take advantage of the prospects created by such contracts for regional trade. Among the various ways to strengthen the private sector and thus promote African trade, African governments must enable the private sector to play an active role in realising regional integration objectives.
Access to finance to boost African trade
Studies suggest that access to finance remains one of the significant challenges hindering Africa’s private sector development. African private businesses have a hard time accessing affordable finance for their businesses. Thus, access to financial assets is a crucial area requiring creative solutions.
Only 23 per cent of?African enterprises?can access loans or credit lines compared to 46 per cent for non-African developing countries. Still, even this 23 per cent can only access loans at interest rates that are 5–6 per cent higher than their counterparts in other regions globally. Moreover, these high-interest rates often come with forbidding collateral requirements.
Financial access challenge is especially an issue for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) since banks usually target large enterprises. Domestic financial institutions rarely prioritise meeting the financing needs of SMEs. Nevertheless, there are ways in which governments could collaborate with the private sector to improve the financial infrastructure and boost African trade.
Value chain financing and currency unions
Consequently, the private sector must explore innovative and mutually beneficial ways of addressing the hurdles against access to credit for SMEs. For instance, SMEs and the private sector could use value chain financing and asset leasing to overcome the collateral challenge.
Agricultural sectors in Ghana and Mozambique have successfully used value-chain finance. This model involves input suppliers offering inputs, including fertilisers, on credit to farmers or members of an agricultural cooperative with the understanding that they will repay after harvesting.
Regional development finance institutions may also play an essential role in improving SMEs’ access to financing since their operations are often funded by governments and development agencies, allowing them to provide loans at a?cheaper cost.
The plurality of inconvertible currencies within fragmented political units raises risk and reduces trust in intraregional transactions. Currency unions may assist African countries in reducing payment risks related to currency inconvertibility. Currency unions would also reduce the transaction costs of using different?currencies, boosting regional trade.
African nations are stepping up their efforts toward currency unification by establishing institutions and laws to ensure a complete currency union in the medium to long term. Governments should explore expanding integration in payment structures in the near term to cut transaction costs and thus improve African trade.
Infrastructure development
It is estimated that Africa’s weak infrastructure affects business productivity by 40 per cent and per capita production growth by roughly 2 per cent. This significantly impacts Africa’s private sector’s competitiveness since it restricts access to markets, increases trade costs, and diminishes productivity.As a result, regional and global production and trading capacity diminish. Given their limited financial resources, most African governments must?find methods to harness private investment in infrastructure.
Until recently, most private investment in Africa was in the telecommunications industry, with less going into equally important sectors such as transportation and energy. In this scenario, governments and stakeholders must encourage more significant private investment in the energy and transportation sectors to promote regional trade.
Governments should also look at new and creative methods to attract investment in infrastructure projects across the continent. Kenya and South Africa, for instance, have effectively utilised infrastructure bonds to fund road projects. Other African governments should examine this possibility while considering its influence on debt sustainability.
African nations with abundant natural resources, such as Botswana, Chad, Ghana, Libya, and Nigeria, have established sovereign wealth funds. These funds might be used to build regional and continental?infrastructure. Regional development finance organisations like the African Development Bank (AfDB) may also help fund infrastructure development.
Strengthening public-private sector consultation
Although businesses and governments should be equal partners in trade, the communication gap between the two is frequently a significant obstacle to effectiveness and mutual understanding.
A credible system for successful public-private sector cooperation must be established to harness private sector potential, strengthen productive capacity, and improve chances for expanding African trade,
In this sense, African governments must have frequent talks with the business sector to understand better the challenges they confront and how to overcome them. Such information is essential in developing effective strategies to encourage entrepreneurship and improve intra-regional trade.
Purposeful and reliable leadership remains crucial in developing confidence between governments and the private sector. Leadership creates an atmosphere that can increase and maintain communication. Governments must ensure that engagement with the private sector is conducted to benefit society as a whole.
Checks and balances are critical in ensuring that a?close public-private partnership does not foster rent-seeking behaviour. Transparency in interactions with the private sector, as well as the engagement of civil society in business-government dialogues, is an effective method to reduce the possibility of?corruption.
Cross-border trade facilitation
More than 100 bilateral boundaries separate African nations. These boundaries impede continental trade and integration by imposing financial costs on businesses and creating uncertainties.
Measures including border control coordination, travel assurance programs, and pre-arrival customs processing may help cross-border trade, but they also need cooperation among neighbouring nations.
However, several African regional economic communities have already launched ambitious trade and transportation facilitation programs to stimulate cross-border trade. Governments and stakeholders must enhance these regional programs and include Africa’s private sector in their execution.
Peace and stability paramount
Achieving security and peace is Africa’s most urgent development concern. It must be an essential component of any meaningful policy package to strengthen private sector growth and boost African trade.
Civil conflicts and political turmoil are two examples of insecurity. Africa has made significant progress in the last decade. However, several countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have recently had civil conflicts. These conflicts have detrimental effects on infrastructure development, private-sector investment, and entrepreneurship.
It also has significant implications for national risk premiums and, as a result, intra-African trade financing. Experts believe that trade reduces by as much as 12-25 per cent in the first year of a conflict. After that, it might take up to 25 years for the nation to revert to pre-crisis levels.
Governments must pay more attention to security and peace concerns. These are necessary prerequisites for fostering Africa’s private sector growth on the continent, which is critical for strengthening African trade.
About: James Ndwaru
I am a writer based in Kenya with vast knowledge in Business, Economics, Blockchain, Law and Environmental Conservation.
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