Egypt's alternative to Trump's 'Gaza Riviera' aims to sideline Hamas

A plan for Gaza drawn up by Egypt as a counter to U.S. President Donald Trump's ambition for a Middle East Riviera would sideline Hamas and replace it with interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim and Western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

The Egyptian vision for Gaza, which is due to be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday, does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent peace deal to end the war triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Trump's plan, which envisioned clearing Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants, appeared to back away from long-standing U.S. Middle East policy focused on a two-state solution and sparked anger among Palestinians and Arab nations.

Who will run Gaza after the conflict remains the great unanswered question in negotiations over the future of the enclave. Hamas has so far rejected the idea of any proposal being imposed on Palestinians by other states.

Cairo's plan does not tackle critical issues such as who will foot the bill for Gaza's reconstruction or outline any specific details around how Gaza would be governed, nor how an armed group as powerful as Hamas would be pushed aside.

Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave, which has been devastated by the war.

"There will be no major international funding for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza if Hamas remains the dominant and armed political element on the ground controlling local governance," a preamble outlining the draft Egyptian plan's objectives said.

Details of Egypt's proposed framework for Gaza's future have not been previously reported.

Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month been scrambling to formulate a diplomatic offensive to counter Trump's plan. A number of ideas have been proposed, with Egypt's considered the frontrunner.

Reuters was unable to determine whether Arab leaders would support the plan presented by Egypt.

The plan does not specify who would run the governance mission. It said it would, "draw on the expertise of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere to help Gaza recover as quickly as possible".

The draft proposal was shared with Reuters by an official involved in Gaza negotiations who wished to remain anonymous because the draft has not yet been made public.

The plan firmly rejects the U.S. proposal for mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, which Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan see as a security threat.

"President Trump has been clear that Hamas cannot continue to govern Gaza," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said when asked about Egypt's Gaza plan and whether the U.S. would support it.

"While the President stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza, he welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region. It's clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis," Hughes said.

STABILISATION FORCE

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group knows of no such proposal by Egypt.

"The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians," he said. "Hamas rejects any attempt to impose projects or any form of non-Palestinian administration, or the presence of any foreign forces on the land of the Gaza Strip."

The Egyptian draft does not mention future elections.

Egypt's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of Israel's prime minister, whose support for any plan is seen as vital to secure a commitment that any future reconstruction will not be destroyed again.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has ruled the coastal enclave since 2007. It launched the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and started the Gaza war.

A January 19 ceasefire brought a temporary end to the fighting but the first phase of the deal expired on Saturday with no sign of an agreement to move to the second phase.

The Egyptian draft does not tackle the issue of what actions could be taken if Hamas refuses to disarm or step aside from politics.

The proposal envisions an International Stabilisation Force drawn primarily from Arab states that would take over the role of providing security from the militant group, with the eventual establishment of a new local police force.

Both security and governance bodies would be "arranged, guided and supervised" by a steering board. The draft said the board would comprise key Arab countries, members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the United States, Britain, the European Union and its member states, and others.

The plan does not detail a central governing role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which opinion polls show has little support among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

A Palestinian official told Reuters that, like the West Bank, Gaza falls under the PA's jurisdiction - and it must be run by Palestinians.

"We agreed with the Egyptians on a committee made of Palestinian experts that will help the Palestinian Authority in running the Gaza Strip for six months. The committee is made of Palestinian experts and coordinates with the PA, and doesn't answer to non-Palestinian bodies," said the official, who asked not to be named for sensitivity.

RECONSTRUCTION BILL

Since Hamas drove the Palestinian Authority out of Gaza after a brief civil war in 2007, it has crushed all opposition there. Supported by Iran, it built an extensive security apparatus and military organization based around a vast network of tunnels - much of which Israel says it has now destroyed.

The plan does not say who would pay to rebuild Gaza, a bill estimated by the U.N. at more than $53 billion. Two sources have told Reuters that Gulf and Arab states would need to commit at least $20 billion in the initial phase of reconstruction.

Egypt's proposal envisions that states on the steering board could establish a fund to support the interim governing body and arrange donor conferences to seek contributions for a longer-term reconstruction and development plan for Gaza.

The plan does not contain any specific financial pledges.

Oil- and gas-producing Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could be vital sources of funding from the region.

The United Arab Emirates, for instance, sees Hamas and other militant groups as an existential threat and is unlikely to offer any funding until Hamas has been sidelined.

The foreign ministries in Qatar and the UAE and Saudi Arabia's international media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Egypt's plan, or to questions about their willingness to commit funds to rebuild Gaza.

The draft plan also calls on the steering board to coordinate with a Civil Society Advisory Board, consisting of academics, NGO leaders and other notable figures.

Reuters

I have always liked the polished demeanour of Senator Marco Rubio. Not for him the belligerence of some others who see themselves as avatars of the Republican crusade against the woke people in the progressive Democratic camp who must be shouted down with all the vigour that could be mustered. And I do not think or believe that this mild and milder disposition detracts in any significant sense from his convictions about the Republican and conservative principles and values which he shares and tries to embody publicly. Rather he comes through as a more thoughtful person, not only desirous of maintaining cordial relationships with others, but ready to listen to them and endeavour to work out things in a bipartisan way without sacrificing his own core beliefs and values. This has made him to be able to have and maintain good relationships with many Democratic Party senators even while remaining a Republican Party star!

The depth and relevance of the polished nature and disposition of Marco Rubio could not but find abundant expression and display when the U.S. Senate historically confirmed Rubio with 99-0 unanimous vote as secretary of state just hours after President Trump took his oath of office January 20, 2025; thus making the Miami native, to be sworn in to a role that stretches back to Thomas Jefferson, the first U.S. secretary of state, and is now the highest-ranking Hispanic American official in U.S. history; and the first cabinet member who was confirmed in the second Trump Administration.

What was significant here was that quite uncharacteristically, his nomination drew strong support from a number of Senate Democrats, who called their colleague highly qualified for the role. During his confirmation hearing, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Rubio “well-qualified to serve as Secretary of State,” which commendation and support was unprecedented coming from the other side of the aisle.

As he traverses the international landscape since assumption of office, Rubio has remained his debonair self, polished in his deliveries, always ready to listen to the other side and always shows in his responses that he could see and understand the point of view of others without losing sight of or necessarily lessening the US position. In a fair but true acknowledgment of the positivity that Rubio radiates and brings to the processes of US foreign relations because of his polished disposition, Senator Jim Risch, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has this to say: “I am confident that if anyone can end this war, it’s President Trump. And Marco is the right man to help ensure it is done in a way that guarantees security and stability for Ukraine, the U.S., and our allies, and prevents Russia from launching another war; though this is one of the hardest jobs in America, I am confident you are the right person we need to take on these threats.”

There is every reason to believe that America is fortunate to have a person with the positive and polished disposition of Marco Rubio at the head of its foreign relations infrastructure and bureaucracy at this point of unprecedented changes in the workings of the international system. It is a reflection of the abiding importance of shared values and aspirations that there are people like Rubio who are able to relate to others well without sacrificing or jettisoning personal and organizational values and positions. It shows that it is not impossible to want to listen to others and to really be able to show that there is a common humanity holding all together in spite of differences which could serve as basis for greater good and understanding in the world. Rubio is showing that there is more to life than belligerence and that listening to others does not detract from us in the last analysis or take away our conviction or make us less committed to goals and principles and values.

** Olaitan, Professor of Political Science, was Vice-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

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At age 15, I got my second-ever job as a cashier at a fast-food restaurant. I hated clocking in every day — the thick smell of burgers and old frying oil made me sick, and customers were often rude, especially during the lunch rush and at the drive-thru. That made it difficult to apply myself. 
But Indeed CEO Chris Hyams says even a fast-food cashier role can be fulfilling if you have the right attitude.
Growing up, his grandfather gave him a cardinal piece of career advice that he still holds on to today: “Every job is the most important job in the world, and you should treat every job as if it’s the most important job in the world.”
After graduating college, Hyams worked with young addicts and alcoholics in a Los Angeles psychiatric hospital. He later moved to Vermont and couldn’t find another role in the recovery industry, so he spent two years teaching special education at a public high school, he says. 
Hyams tried multiple other jobs, too. He worked full-time at his grandpa’s small production business while being a drummer in five bands on the side. “Tried to become a rockstar. Failed. Would do it all over again,” Hyams’ LinkedIn profile currently reads.
He went back to school, getting a master’s degree in computer science, and worked as a software developer at a tech company called Trilogy — where he rose to become vice president of product development, according to his LinkedIn profile. He launched and shuttered a tech startup before landing another VP role at Indeed in 2010.
″[My grandfather] told my brothers and I, at a very young age, that work is a sacred thing. ... It’s more than a paycheck,” Hyams says. “It’s where you find meaning and purpose in your life. ... It doesn’t matter if you’re an astronaut or sweeping the floor at NASA. [Work] is where we get pride and dignity.”
Looking back on that fast-food job, I can honestly say it wasn’t all bad. I was friendly with a lot of my coworkers and had a couple of regulars who I’d chat with on Saturday mornings as they sipped their coffee. I took pride in being the go-to ice cream cone maker.
Perhaps if I focused on those positives a bit more, I’d have been able to put the same effort into my job that Hyams puts into his, and I may have actually enjoyed coming to work.

CNBC

The Nigerian stock market closed February 2025 on a positive note, with the All-Share Index rising 3.18% to reach 107,821.39 points by month-end, up from 104,496.12 points at the beginning of the month. This gain was driven primarily by steady performance in mid-cap stocks.

Despite the index growth, trading volume declined to 9.2 billion shares, representing a 27.30% decrease from January's 12.6 billion shares. Market capitalization, however, showed robust growth, increasing from N64.7 trillion to N67.1 trillion during the month.

Market Performance

The market maintained positive momentum throughout most of February, with the All-Share Index surging above 108,000 points in the second week. After moderate gains in the third week, the index retreated slightly in the final week, closing at 107,821 points.

Key Highlights

The NGX Premium Index recorded a notable 7.43% gain, boosted by DANGOTE CEMENT's impressive 20%+ increase, alongside smaller advances in LAFARGE and MTNN. The NGX 30 Index also posted a 1.55% increase.

Sectorial Performance

The Industrial Goods Index emerged as the standout performer, climbing 10% on the back of substantial gains in DANGOTE CEMENT and BETAGLASS. The Consumer Goods Index also performed well, rising by 1.70%.

In contrast, the Oil & Gas Index declined by 4%, dragged down by OANDO's 15.13% drop. The Banking and Insurance sectors also fell, slipping by 2.07% and 0.87% respectively.

Top Gainers

PZ CUSSONS led the gainers with a remarkable 53.91% increase, closely followed by UPDC at 53.48%. Other significant gainers included ETERNA (52.17%), HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS (43.00%), and LIVESTOCK (40.19%).

Top Losers

UNION DICON SALT topped the losers' list with a 28% decline, matched by LEARN AFRICA's identical 28% drop. Other notable decliners included EUNISELL INTERLINKED (27%), UNIVERSITY PRESS (18.75%), and DARRCOMM (17.95%).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa has claimed that Nigerian elections are heavily influenced by money, suggesting that those with sufficient financial resources can secure electoral victory. Udenwa, who served as Imo State's governor from 1999 to 2007, made these remarks during an appearance on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by popular On-Air Personality Edmund Obilo.

Expressing concern over the role of money in Nigeria's electoral process, Udenwa criticized the declining moral standards in the country's political landscape. He lamented that voters no longer prioritize a candidate's track record, character, or capabilities. "If you say 'vote for me,' people no longer ask what you can do, what your antecedents are, or what kind of character you have. These questions are no longer considered," he said.

Udenwa went further to assert that even if voters do not support a candidate, money can still ensure victory. "If you have the right amount of money, you can buy your way through," he stated. When asked whether politicians could influence institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, the army, and even the electorate, Udenwa responded bluntly, "You can buy everybody."

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Udenwa also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of exacerbating the internal crisis within the PDP. While acknowledging that the PDP faces its own challenges, he claimed that external forces are actively working to destabilize the party. "There are external hands trying to destroy the PDP through internal sources. We are still battling this problem, but I believe the PDP will not be destroyed," he said.

Udenwa's comments highlight growing concerns about the integrity of Nigeria's electoral system and the influence of money in politics.

In a daring early-morning raid, gunmen masquerading as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives abducted ten individuals from White Hill Hotel on Shiroro Road in Chanchaga Local Government Area, Niger State. The incident, reported by Zagazola Makama—a publication specializing in counter-insurgency in the Lake Chad region—took place at approximately 4:58 a.m. on February 27.

According to the report, the assailants, dressed as EFCC officials conducting an authorized operation, stormed the hotel and disabled its CCTV surveillance system. They then systematically entered guests’ rooms, abducting ten people and fleeing to an undisclosed location.

Makama quoted authorities urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity, while efforts are underway to uncover the details of the incident. The assistant commissioner of police from the State Intelligence Department confirmed to the publication that an investigation has been launched to identify the culprits and rescue the victims.

Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo threatened to expel a political mission sent to his country by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the political and economic bloc said on Sunday.

A dispute over when Embalo's presidential term, which began in 2020, should end has heightened tensions that risk unrest in a nation with a history of military coups.

The tiny West African nation's political opposition says Embalo's term should have expired last week, while the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that it ends on September 4.

Embalo, who chaired ECOWAS from mid-2022 to mid-2023, said on February 23 that presidential and legislative elections would not be held until November 30.

ECOWAS said in a statement on Sunday it had deployed a mission from February 21 to 28 together with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) to help reach a consensus on how to conduct an election this year.

But it added: "The Mission departed Bissau in the early morning of 1st March, following threats by Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it."

On Wednesday, Embalo visited Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony that gained independence in 1974.

Reuters

Egypt says Gaza reconstruction plan ready, pushes efforts for ceasefire's second phase

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday that Egypt's Gazareconstruction plan, which ensures Palestinians remain in their land, is ready and will be presented at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo on Tuesday.

Arab states, which were swift to reject President Donald Trump's plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians, are scrambling to agree on a diplomatic offensive to counter the idea.

Trump's plan, announced on February 4 amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, appeared to back away from longstanding U.S. Middle East policy focused on a two-state solution and sparked anger among Palestinians and Arab nations.

Abdelatty said Egypt would seek international backing and funding for the plan and emphasised Europe's crucial role, particularly in the financing of Gaza's reconstruction.

"We will hold intensive talks with major donor countries once the plan is adopted at the upcoming Arab Summit," he said in a press conference with the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica.

Israel on Sunday blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated. Abdelatty said the use of aid as a weapon of collective punishment could not be permitted.

The first phase of the fragile ceasefire agreement expired this weekend. Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the originally agreed ceasefire that had been scheduled to move into a second phase. "It will be difficult, but with goodwill and political determination, it can be achieved," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said earlier that it had adopted a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods.

Abdelatty said after Tuesday's summit, foreign ministers of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation would hold an urgent meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to present the plans.

"We will ensure that the results of the Arab summit are presented to the world in the best possible way," he said.

Reuters

 WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

UK, European leaders join forces to draft Ukraine peace plan to take to US

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, a vital step for Washington to be able to offer security guarantees that Kyiv says are essential to deter Russia.

At a summit in London just two days after Volodymyr Zelenskiy clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump and cut short a visit to Washington, European leaders offered a strong show of support to the Ukrainian president and promised to do more to help his nation.

European leaders agreed they must spend more on defence to show Trump the continent can protect itself, and the European Commission chief suggested the bloc could ease rules that limit debt levels.

Starmer, who welcomed a visibly shaken Zelenskiy on Saturday with a warm hug, said Britain, Ukraine, France and some other nations would form a "coalition of the willing" and draw up a peace plan to take to Trump.

"This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act. Time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace," Starmer said.

Leaders did not provide details of their plan. Before the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron told newspaper Le Figaro that the plan would involve a one-month ceasefire that would apply to air and sea attacks but not to ground combat.

European troops would be deployed if a more substantial peace agreement was reached, he said. It was not clear whether other nations had agreed to the terms.

Zelenskiy told reporters that Ukraine would not cede any territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement and said he was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the United States.

Zelenskiy said he believed he could salvage his relationship with Trump after Friday's shouting match, but that talks would have to take place behind closed doors.

"The format of what happened, I don't think it brought something positive or additional to us as partners," he said.

Europe is scrambling to ensure that Kyiv is not squeezed out of any talks after the Oval Office clash raised fears that the U.S. could pull support for Ukraine and impose a peace plan negotiated with Russia.

Several European leaders said they must increase defence spending - something that could help bring Trump on side to offer a U.S. security guarantee in the event of peace.

"After a long time of underinvestment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive body, told reporters.

Europe needs to turn "Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders," she said.

LACKING WEAPONRY, STOCKS

Europe, which lacks the weaponry and depth of ammunition stocks of the U.S., hopes to convince Trump that it can defend itself but that Russia will only adhere to a peace deal if it comes with the backing of the United States.

Talks with the U.S. have centred on Washington providing a so-called backstop for a European peacekeeping role, possibly in the form of air cover, intelligence and surveillance and a greater but unspecified threat if Russian President Vladimir Putin again sought to take more territory.

Crucial to getting any agreement from Trump is for European nations to increase defence spending and signal they would take part in any peacekeeping role - something Starmer acknowledged was difficult to get unanimity on.

Starmer increased the UK's defence spending before his visit to Washington last week, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said some European leaders had privately set out new plans on defence spending at the meeting but he declined to give details.

'UNCOMFORTABLE VIEWING'

Trump has upended U.S. policy on the three-year-old war since he returned to the White House in January, casting doubt on U.S. military and political support for Ukraine - and Europe - and ending the isolation of Moscow.

"We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country - So that we don't end up like Europe!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network late on Sunday.

Trump had blindsided Europe by calling Putin without warning and sending a delegation to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russia without including Ukraine or Europe. Trump criticised Zelenskiy for not being grateful for U.S. aid.

Zelenskiy's clash with Trump ended a week when Europe had appeared to be in a better position in its drive to encourage Trump to continue to offer support to Ukraine after cordial visits to Washington by Macron and Starmer.

Starmer described watching the spat between Zelenskiy and Trump in the Oval Office as uncomfortable viewing, but he was keen to push the conversation forward by offering himself as a go-between for Europe and the United States.

In a further show of support for the Ukrainian leader, Zelenskiy later on Sunday flew to meet King Charles at his private residence in eastern England.

The Trump administration on Sunday continued to criticise Zelenskiy. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz told CNN that the U.S. needs a Ukrainian leader who is willing to secure a lasting peace with Russia, but that it is not clear Zelenskiy is prepared to do so.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump's "common sense" approach and accused European countries of seeking to prolong the conflict by propping up Zelenskiy "with their bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units".

Starmer said the leaders on Sunday also agreed to work to ensure Kyiv is at the table of any peace talks and boost the country's own defence capabilities.

"Europe must do the heavy lifting, but to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing," Starmer told a news conference.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

UK, Canada, Germany supply the deadliest weapons to Ukrainian Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of Ukraine receive their most lethal weapons from the UK, Canada, Germany, and Italy, Chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin said in an interview with TASS.

"Together with the Ministry of Defense, we are documenting the facts of the supply of foreign weapons and other equipment. Moreover, the most lethal weapons are supplied by the UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, Romania, Estonia, and a number of other countries," he said.

According to Bastrykin, Storm Shadow cruise missiles, artillery shells and mounts, tank shells, mortar rounds, aerial bombs, and cartridges are being supplied from Europe. In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces receive drones, which are widely used not only in combat operations, but also in attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Reuters/Tass

Comprising five of the country’s 36 states, South-East Nigeria is the site of resilient atrocity. In the eight years from the middle of 2015 to the end of 2023, the monitoring coalition, Nigeria Mourns, confirmed about 3,000 killings in this theatre from open source records but unofficial estimates suggest that there may be up to five killings missed for each counted. The worst of the killings have occurred since 2019 and the worst hit state in the zone over that period is Anambra.

Many erroneously date the origins of this to the radicalisation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the aftermath of its proscription in 2017. In reality, the escalation has lasted for over a quarter of a century dating back approximately to the assassination in Enugu in 1998 of Igwe Amobi IV of Ogidi.

The annual Conflict Barometer by the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research identifies the South-East as one of eight different conflicts of concern in Nigeria, describing it as a “violent crisis of secession” and ranks it on a par with the crisis of armed pastoralism in the Middle Belt of the country; ahead of the crisis of resource militancy in the Niger Delta; and only below the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and the armed bandits in the north-west of Nigeria.

Three framings define the crisis in South-East Nigeria in the popular narrative. One is that it is about secession. A second is that most of the fatal incidents connected with it are perpetrated by “unknown gunmen.” The third is that the response to the situation is predominantly kinetic. Each of these is flawed. Together, they miss the underlying issues, with the result that they have turned an otherwise manageable crisis into an interminable atrocity.

Let’s begin with the first. The simplicity of the secession narrative is appealing at both the emotive and pecuniary levels. The former unites other Nigerians with subliminal appeal against a historical “Igbo question”. The latter enables the managers of expeditionary military deployments in the region to finagle more money for themselves using the excuse of preserving Nigeria’s territorial integrity. This would not be so if the situation were to be understood as a policing preoccupation with crime and criminality.

What’s the reality? IPOB’s business model does not stand a snowball’s chance in hell in any of the truly deadly sites of atrocity in South-East Nigeria. Awkuzu, host to the most horrendous atrocities in the region, is the site of “Nigeria’s most brutal police station” where hundreds, if not more, detainees have been killed extra-judicially. In Obosi, the ancient city on the banks of the Idemili River; and in Awka, the state capital, hundreds of young men routinely exterminate one another in murderous inter-cult and inter-gang warfare. In Ogbaru, located between the banks of Oguta Lake and the floodplains of River Niger, organised gangs mobilise deadly violence in sophisticated operations to rustle hydrocarbons. Lokpanta, the point along the Enugu-Port-Harcourt motorway where all the states of South-East Nigeria come close to sharing common borders is an ungoverned territory where commercial kidnapping meets atrocity liquidation. None of these square with the convenience or simplicity of the secession narrative or with its profitability.

Turning to the second popular narrative about the situation in South-East Nigeria, the mythical “unknown” perpetrator is a figure of considerable antiquity in Nigeria. It has been around since the inconclusive judicial inquiry into the attack on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic in February 1977 blamed the incident on the “unknown soldier”. In 2011, the traditional ruler of Ihembosi, a community in Anambra State, was disappeared by “unknown gunmen.” They were also to blame in the violent abduction and subsequent disappearance in May 2014 of Chike Okoli, former Commissioner in the same state.

The legend of the unknown perpetrator in Nigeria has over the years emerged as both metaphor and measure of what is widely seen as state incapacity and leadership indifference to the scourge of impunity in the country. Far from an affirmation of unknown actors, Nigeria’s legend of the unknown perpetrator signposts a sense of popular despondency or loss of belief in the capacity of the state to end impunity for atrocities.

In the face of these tendencies, therefore, the third idea that the country or region can shoot its way out of this crisis is worse than wishful thinking. The complex landscape of drivers and factors in the situation in South-East Nigeria does not lend itself to such over-simplifications. To reprise a useful metaphor, it is more deserving of a scalpel than a hammer.

Over 24 months from 2022 to 2024, Bianca Ojukwu, the current minister of state for Foreign Affairs, and I, led a Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (TJPC) into the causes of the crisis in South-East Nigeria, the perpetrators, the consequences and possible solutions. The Commission met and consulted with hundreds of victims and witnesses, including the security services, community leaders, clergy, politicians, vigilante elements as well as various armed militias in the region.

Two things were evident. One is that the situation in the South-East is fundamentally a crisis of governance and of popular lack of belief in the legitimacy of many in political office in the region. The second is a clear desire on the part of most people to recover their communities and address the tasks of reconstruction and healing from the traumas of the violence.

There are no easy answers to these but there are common threads. Rather perversely, the perpetrators who insist on rendering the region uninhabitable and the security providers who feed the secessionist trope are both engaged in a mutually profitable joint enterprise. Neither wishes insecurity in the South-East to end. This is why the audacity of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo in enacting the new Anambra State Homeland Security Law, 2025 is welcome, because it evinces a durable solution to the crisis. The law establishes a complementary security provider for the state called “Agun’echemba” (sentinel at the gate) and launches Udo g’Achi(peace shall reign) targeting atrocity insecurity.

Several aspects of the new law have come under scrutiny. In particular, section 18 which targets transactional ritualism, has drawn attention, with claims that it lacks the clarity required to pass constitutional muster and discriminates against traditional worship. For context, the TJPC, which I led, met twice with Juju priests. Separately, I met privately with some senior exponents of the trade. They were united in acknowledging that some amongst them had chosen to parlay their skills in support of atrocity and insecurity, and made detailed proposals, including asking the government to help root out such practitioners, prohibit infiltration, and regulate and support legitimate practitioners.

The TJPC report diagnosed this phenomenon as “transactional accultism”, which it identified as enabling “violent cultism” and “the crisis of insecurity”. The report argues that this is “a major component of the psychological armor plate of impunity” providing the perpetrators of the violence with deadly rituals which lead them to believe that they have “an aura of both impenetrability to projectiles and invincibility in the field of atrocity, an immense psychological boost in an environment of impunity.”

The law also targets the compounded deficit of legitimate political leadership as an underlying driver of the crisis of insecurity in the region. In 2005, the New Humanitarian reported on the situation in South-East Nigeria that “rigged elections increase disenchantment”, explaining that sympathy for separatism “has been growing since the general elections of April and May 2003, which were marred by widespread allegations of vote rigging.” Office holders who are widely seen as lacking legitimacy are liable to be compromised when confronted with atrocity insecurity. Instead, they get reduced to belligerents instrumentalising the violence, rather than seeking to end it. In this law, Governor Soludo shows he is different.

Above all, this law also addresses the need to rebuild the capacity to administer criminal justice fairly and effectively, beginning with responsible policing; capable magistrates, coroners and the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In many states in the region, the police have been rendered destitute of confidence, denuded of the trust of communities. Similarly, most magistrates are desolate and DPP’s offices in the region are unfunded, leaving prosecutorial personnel at the mercy of self-interested parties or of adversaries who threaten them into being ineffectual. The result is that in much of region, all sides glamourise summary, arbitrary or extra-judicial killing as the solution to crime or deviance, disagreement or dissonance.

None of these is easy to implement. As a programme, it confronts organised opposition from those who have profited so far from the over-simplification in a single-narrative of secession that has bedeviled the search for solutions to the situation. This present Government of Anambra State has demonstrated single-mindedness in ending this. For that it deserves support and other states in the region can adapt this model.