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Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)

Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from a conference at African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa commemorating the 31st anniversary of Rwanda's genocide against the Tutsi, two diplomats told AFP on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear why Ambassador Avraham Neguise was asked to leave the event on Monday, held to mark the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead in 1994.

Neguise participated in the first part of the event, a solidarity march inside AU headquarters, an Arab diplomat said.

"After that, the AU commission chairperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, refused to start the event inside the hall in the presence of the Israeli ambassador and asked him to get out," the diplomat said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"The Israeli ambassador left."

Another diplomatic source said the ambassador had been "sitting in a very visible seat, close to the Americans, and everything was delayed until he was asked to leave".

The source said it was unclear whether the move was a protest by AU member states over Israel's war in Gaza.

The Times of Israel quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying: "It is outrageous that at an event commemorating the victims of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to which the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa was invited, (Youssouf) chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements."

Youssouf's spokesperson did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

It is not the first time Israel's presence has stirred criticism within the pan-African organization.

In 2022, the AU failed to conclude discussions on the contested accreditation of Israel as an observer country.

Algeria and South Africa, two financial heavyweights of the organization, particularly argued against the move.

Both countries have rifts with Israel: Algeria has no diplomatic ties with Israel, in protest over its treatment of the Palestinians, while South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

In 2023, an Israeli diplomat was also expelled from the AU assembly.

Youssouf, a Djiboutian national, took office as AU commission chairperson in February after serving nearly 20 years as foreign minister of the small Horn of Africa country.

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World

Spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces Warns Trump Against Taking Action Against Khamenei

The state bank building burned during Iran's protests, on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 19, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
The state bank building burned during Iran's protests, on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 19, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces Warns Trump Against Taking Action Against Khamenei

The state bank building burned during Iran's protests, on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 19, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
The state bank building burned during Iran's protests, on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 19, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A spokesman for Iran’s armed forces on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump not to take any action against the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, days after Trump called for an end to Khamenei’s nearly 40-year reign.

“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi said.

His comments came after Trump, in an interview with Politico Saturday, described Khamenei as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people” and added that “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.”

Tension between the US and Iran has been high since a violent crackdown by authorities on protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy on Dec. 28. Trump has drawn two red lines for the countyr — the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran conducting mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations.

A US aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been in the South China Sea in recent days had passed through the Strait of Malacca by Tuesday, ship-tracking data showed. Multiple US media reports quoting anonymous officials have said the Lincoln was on its way to the Middle East. It likely would still need several days of travel before its aircraft would be in range of the region.

The death toll from the protests has reached at least 4,484 people, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Tuesday. The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The AP has been unable to independently confirm the figure.

The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. Although there have been no protests for days, there are fears the number could increase significantly as information gradually emerges from a country still under a government-imposed shutdown of the internet since Jan. 8.

Iranian officials have not given a clear casualty figure, although on Saturday, Khamenei said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blamed the United States. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties.

A further 26,127 people have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Comments from officials have led to fears of some of those detained being put to death in Iran, one of the world’s top executioners.

Iran’s national police chief, Gen. Ahmad Reza Radan, said Monday that people turning themselves in would receive more lenient treatment than those who don’t.

“Those who were deceived by foreign intelligence services, and became their soldiers in practice, have a chance to turn themselves in,” he said in an interview carried by Iran’s state television Monday. “In case of surrender, definitely there will be a reduction in punishment. They have three days to turn themselves in.”

He did not elaborate on what would happen after the three days.

World

Europe’s Leaders Stand Firm in Davos as CEOs Warn on Emotions

France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
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Europe’s Leaders Stand Firm in Davos as CEOs Warn on Emotions

France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)

European leaders, rattled by Donald Trump's latest global gambit, are looking to present a united front in Davos, as CEOs warned against an emotional response to the US president's ambition to take over Greenland.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the European Union should not bend to "the law of the strongest", adding that it was "crazy" that the bloc was having to contemplate using its "anti-coercion instrument" against the United States.

"We do believe that we need more growth, we need more stability in this world, but we do prefer respect to bullies," Macron told the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, the day before Trump's arrival in Switzerland.

Without referring directly to Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted a need to respond to seismic shifts in the world and said the speed and scale of change had driven a consensus in Europe on independence.

"It is time to seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe," she said in a speech.

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the ‌27-member bloc was "at a ‌crossroads" where it must decide on how to get out of a "very bad position" ‌after ⁠trying to appease ‌Trump to get his support for the Ukraine war.

"So, we should unite and we should say to Donald Trump ... 'You're crossing red lines here.' We either stand together or we will stand divided," De Wever said on a panel discussion.

EUROPEANS AT ODDS OVER HOW TO RESPOND TO TRUMP

Trump announced tariffs on Saturday on imports from European allies that oppose the US acquiring Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark.

European governments, which are facing growing challenges from populist, nationalist parties, have been at odds over how to respond to the tariff threat while maintaining US support for Ukraine.

Macron said Europe should not accept a world where might was right and called for bold moves to defend ⁠European industries.

"Let's not be shy. Let's not be divided. Let's not accept a global order, which will be divided by those who claim to have the bigger voice," ‌Macron said.

Macron also appeared to see an opportunity for Europe in Trump's chaotic ‍policies.

"We have a place where the rule of law ‍and predictability is still the rule of the game, and my guess is that it is under-priced by the market," he ‍said in his speech.

However, some senior bankers and executives in Davos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they saw the response from European leaders to Trump's moves as emotional rather than pragmatic. Two suggested the continent needed to look beyond the way the US president delivers his message and have a negotiation.

"But they won't even want to have that conversation, because they're so offended by the style. And so, what you have in Europe is a very, very, delicate balance of a continent that cannot move together," one senior banker told Reuters.

European countries say Trump's threat of new tariffs would violate a trade deal reached with ⁠the US last year, and EU leaders are set to discuss possible retaliation at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, however, voiced confidence that the United States and European countries would find a solution and avoid what some have warned could become a prolonged trade war.

"Why are we jumping there? Why are you taking it to the worst case? ... Calm down the hysteria. Take a deep breath," he said.

UKRAINE PUSHES FOR SECURITY GUARANTEES, RECONSTRUCTION PLAN

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that he was ready to join other global leaders in Davos, but only if the US was ready to sign documents on security guarantees for Ukraine and a post-war prosperity plan.

"Ukraine is ready for meetings ... if those meetings are actually effective," he wrote on X.

His comments came as CEOs, including finance industry executives, are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss post-war reconstruction, a source familiar with the matter said.

But any decisions were unlikely, the source told Reuters, adding: "You need peace in order to reconstruct the place."

Zelenskiy urged the US to pile more ‌pressure on Russia after its latest massive air attack on Ukraine cut heating to half of the capital and affected substations the United Nations' atomic watchdog said are vital for nuclear safety.

World

Trump Says Agreed to Greenland Meeting in Davos

United States President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
United States President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Agreed to Greenland Meeting in Davos

United States President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
United States President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had agreed to a meeting of "various parties" at the Davos gathering of global elites about his bid to seize Greenland.

Trump's attempt to buy the Danish autonomous territory has rocked the global order, with the US president stepping up pressure on European leaders over their pushback against his plan to seize the strategic Arctic island.

"I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back - On that, everyone agrees!"

Trump has insisted that the United States needs Greenland's vast territory, with Russia and China increasing military activities nearby and Arctic ice melting due to climate change.

In a separate post, the US president shared an AI-generated image of himself holding an American flag next to a sign that read "Greenland - US territory est. 2026," flanked by his Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump, who is due in Davos on Wednesday, shared another AI-generated image of world leaders at a meeting at which he presents a map with the American flag covering the United States, Canada, Greenland and Venezuela.

An emboldened Trump has ramped up threats to Greenland after sending US forces to remove Venezuela's leftist president Nicolas Maduro.

He has also vowed to annex Canada and routinely refers to country as the 51st US state.
Trump also wrote on Truth Social that he had a "very good telephone call" on Greenland with NATO chief Mark Rutte.

The US president posted a screenshot he claimed showed a message from Rutte saying he was "committed to finding a way forward on Greenland."

Trump said he did not think European leaders would "push back too much" on his attempt to seize the territory, telling reporters on Monday: "They can't protect it."