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Trump’s ‘board of peace’ appears to seek wider mandate beyond Gaza

Trump’s ‘board of peace’ appears to seek wider mandate beyond Gaza

United States President Donald Trump has begun to invite world leaders and other prominent figures to be part of his so-called “board of peace“, reportedly outlining a wider vision for a long-term body that responds to global conflicts beyond Gaza. Trump had initially unveiled the board as part of phase two of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, envisioning that the body would oversee “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation” in the enclave. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list But letters written by Trump, which were posted to social media on Saturday by two leaders invited to be part of the board – Argentinian President Javier Milei and Paraguay’s leader, Santiago Pena – pointed to wider ambitions. A so-called “charter” that accompanied the letter also pointed to loftier goals, according to several reports. In Trump’s letter to Milei, the US president said the board would seek to “solidify Peace in the Middle East”, adding that it would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict” at the same time. The Financial Times, meanwhile, quoted the accompanying “charter” as saying that “the Board of Peace is an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”. “Durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” said the charter, which did not directly reference Gaza, according to the newspaper. Advertisement Two diplomatic sources also told the Reuters news agency that the invitations included a “charter” that outlined a wider mandate for the body. “It’s a ‘Trump United Nations’ that ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter,” one diplomat aware of the ‌letter told the news agency, A senior US official, meanwhile, told The Associated Press news agency that an expanded role for the board of peace remains “aspirational”. The official added that Trump and his advisers believe such a role is possible, particularly as Washington and other UN members have repeatedly expressed frustration with the international organisation. However, the official said the board of peace was not intended to replace the UN. Gaza focus To be sure, the Trump administration has so far publicly said that the board of peace will initially focus on Gaza. On Friday, Trump announced that Tony Blair, the United Kingdom’s former prime minister, would be among the board’s founding executive members, alongside Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Also initially announced were Marc Rowan, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and Robert Gabriel, a US deputy national security adviser. Many of those figures were also named to a separate “Gaza executive board”, which is set to oversee a technocratic committee of Palestinians, named the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). The committee is expected to handle day-to-day governance in Gaza in lieu of Hamas. The 11-member executive board includes Blair, Kushner and Witkoff, as well as Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi, UN Middle East peace coordinator Sigrid Kaag, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay. Beyond Argentina’s Milei and Pena, Turkiye and Egypt have confirmed their respective leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, have been invited to join the wider board of peace. A European Union official said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also been invited to represent the EU. Four sources told Reuters that the leaders of France, Germany, ⁠Australia and Canada were also invited to sit on the board, although there was no official confirmation. The White House said it would announce more members in the coming weeks. Still, the initial announcement of board members sparked outrage among many in the Middle East for not including any Palestinians, but instead elevating staunch supporters of Israel. Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, raised opposition to the Gaza executive board on Saturday, saying its composition “was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy”. A statement from Netanyahu’s office did not specify what exactly it opposed about the board’s makeup. Adblock test (Why?)

Military leader Doumbouya sworn in as Guinea’s president

Military leader Doumbouya sworn in as Guinea’s president

Doumbouya was declared victor in the West African country’s first election since he led the 2021 military takeover. By News Agencies Published On 18 Jan 202618 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Mamady Doumbouya, a general who led a 2021 military takeover in Guinea, has been sworn in as the West African country’s president. The Saturday event, which took place in front of tens of thousands of supporters and several heads of state, came after Doumbaya was declared the victor in last month’s election. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The vote was the first since Doumbouya toppled President Alpha Conde four years ago. Although he initially pledged not to run for president after seizing power, Doumbouya ultimately stood for election against eight other candidates. However, his most prominent opponents remained in exile, with the opposition calling for a boycott of the poll. The West African country’s Supreme Court later said Doumbouya received 86.7 percent of the vote. Dressed in a traditional gown, Doumbouya swore an oath to uphold the constitution – which had recently been altered to allow him to stand – during an hours-long ceremony at the General Lansana Conte Stadium on the outskirts of the capital, Conakry. “I swear before God and before the people of Guinea, on my honour, to respect and faithfully enforce the Constitution, the laws, regulations and judicial decisions,” he said. Heads of state from Rwanda, The Gambia, Senegal and other African countries joined the event, as did the vice presidents of China, Nigeria, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, as well as officials from France and the United States. Assimi Goita, a general who has led neighbouring Mali since a military takeover in 2020, was also in attendance. Advertisement The election came after Guineans approved a new constitution in September that permitted members of the military leadership to run for office. It also lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years, setting a two-term limit. Doumbouya has said the military takeover was justified due to alleged corruption and economic mismanagement under Conde, who in 2010 became the country’s first freely elected president since its 1958 independence. During four years in power, the military dissolved state institutions and suspended the constitution, as it negotiated with regional bodies, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), over a return to democratic civilian government. Doumbouya has cracked down on civil liberties, banned protests and targeted political opponents during his time as leader. With about 52 percent of the population living in poverty, he has promised to tap the country’s vast natural resources, which include untapped iron ore deposits, as well as the world’s largest bauxite reserves. Adblock test (Why?)

Guatemala prisoners take workers hostages in riots across three facilities

Guatemala prisoners take workers hostages in riots across three facilities

Officials say 46 workers are being held, with gang members behind the riots seeking better conditions. By News Agencies Published On 18 Jan 202618 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Prisoners in Guatemala have taken at least 46 workers hostage in riots across three detention centres, according to authorities. Officials said the incidents, which began on Saturday, appeared to be coordinated by gang members in response to their leader seeking a transfer to another facility for better conditions. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list There were no reported deaths ​or injuries among the hostages, Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda said at ‍a news conference. Villeda said those behind the riots were members of the Barrio 18 gang, while the Interior Ministry described the unrest as a “direct reaction” to its moves to revoke privileges from gang leaders. “I am not going to make any deals with any terrorist group. I will not give in to this blackmail, and ​I will not restore their privileges in exchange for them ‌stopping their actions,” Villeda said. The hostages are mostly guards, but also include a psychologist, a prison official said. At the Renovacion 1 maximum security prison in Escuintla in Guatemala’s south, police and soldiers formed a perimeter around the prison, as ambulances and firetrucks were ‌standing by to intervene if necessary. Inmates, some wearing jumpsuits but most in tank tops and shorts, their faces covered ‌by masks improvised with pieces of clothing, watched from ⁠above, perched in the prison’s patrol towers. One masked inmate, speaking from behind barbed wire, said they were not safe at the prison and were demanding to be moved. “They can’t even guarantee their own security, ‌so how are they supposed to guarantee ours?” he said, referring to prison authorities. Guatemala has struggled to control its prison population in recent years amid rampant gang influence. Inmates, meanwhile, have reported harsh and dangerous conditions. Advertisement In October, President Bernardo Arévalo accepted the resignations of three top security officials after 20 gang members escaped over a period of days. “The link between the prison system and the criminality outside has to be cut,” Arevalo said in an interview with The Associated Press news agency earlier this week. “That’s why all this effort to regain control of the prison system is very important.” Adblock test (Why?)