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Ukraine: Zelenskiy Appoints Ex-deputy Defense Minister as Ground Forces Chief

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and newly appointed top military commanders after a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and newly appointed top military commanders after a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
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Ukraine: Zelenskiy Appoints Ex-deputy Defense Minister as Ground Forces Chief

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and newly appointed top military commanders after a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and newly appointed top military commanders after a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed Oleksandr Pavliuk, former first deputy defense minister, as the new commander of Ukraine's ground forces, according to a decree published on Sunday.
Pavliuk, a lieutenant-general who served in the ministry role for a year, replaces Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after he was tapped this week as commander of Ukraine's armed forces.
On Saturday, Zelenskiy announced five other senior military appointments, filling out a rebooted team to bolster Ukraine's defense against Russia's nearly two-year-old invasion.
Ukraine is experiencing a shortage of men and equipment as it heads into 2024 having made few battlefield gains throughout the past year. It also faces a disruption in military aid from the United States, its biggest backer.

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Mexican Authorities to Seal Secret Tunnel on US Border

A National Guard agent inspects an illegal tunnel bound to El Paso in US, at the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
A National Guard agent inspects an illegal tunnel bound to El Paso in US, at the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Mexican Authorities to Seal Secret Tunnel on US Border

A National Guard agent inspects an illegal tunnel bound to El Paso in US, at the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
A National Guard agent inspects an illegal tunnel bound to El Paso in US, at the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 18, 2025. (AFP)

A clandestine tunnel discovered on the US-Mexico border allowing entry from Ciudad Juarez into the Texan city of El Paso will be sealed by Mexican authorities, an army official said Saturday, adding that its construction was under investigation.

Discovered on January 10 by US and Mexican security agencies, the tunnel measures approximately 300 meters (1,000 feet) in length on the Mexican side and is equipped with lighting, ventilation and is reinforced to prevent collapses.

Hidden in a storm sewer system operating between both cities, its access is about 1.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide (6 feet high and 4 feet wide), making for easy passage of people or contraband, said General Jose Lemus, commander of Ciudad Juarez's military garrison, which is guarding the tunnel.

The tunnel's construction "must have taken a long time... it could have been one or two years," Lemus told reporters, declining to give details about how long it had been operating as well as its possible builders and operators.

He said the Mexican Attorney General's Office was responsible for the investigation and would be in charge of determining if there was complicity by the authorities due to the fact that it was built without them noticing.

Lemus also said clues about the tunnel's existence and location were discussed by human traffickers on social media platforms like TikTok.

Ahead of the US presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, both sides of the US-Mexico border have reinforced security measures, as the returning Republican has vowed a massive deportation of migrants soon after he takes office.

In the state of Chihuahua, which includes Ciudad Juarez, authorities reported a fire in a temporary camp for undocumented migrants, which led to the evacuation of 39 adults and 17 minors, according to the state police.

According to the Mexican newspaper Reforma, the fire was started by some of the migrants who were camping there to resist attempts by immigration authorities to detain them and transfer them to Mexico City for later deportation.

The National Institute of Migration did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.