International News
Police, Clash Outside Dublin Asylum Seeker Hotel
Police in riot gear clashed with at least 1,000 protesters in southwest Dublin on Tuesday outside an asylum seeker hotel, following allegations that a 10-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.
Local media reported the 26-year-old man accused of assaulting the girl was an asylum seeker and that the incident took place on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, which houses asylum applicants in Saggart, southwest of the Irish capital.
Protesters carrying Irish flags and signs of “Irish Lives Matter” while chanting “get them out” launched bottles and fireworks at police.
A police van was set on fire as an AFP correspondent witnessed officers charging at protesters and using pepper spray to push them away from the hotel complex.
Earlier in the day, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the events were “extremely serious and very, very grave”.
A 26-year-old man appeared in court on Tuesday, charged in connection with the sexual assault, which allegedly took place at a location near the hotel.
The alleged victim was in state care at the time of the incident, with child and family agency Tusla confirming she “absconded” during a trip to the city centre and was reported missing.
Speaking in parliament, Martin acknowledged “the concern, anger and worry of many people throughout the country at what (is) alleged to have transpired here”.
“Clearly, there has been failure here in terms of the state’s obligation to protect this child,” the premier added.
Justice and migration minister Jim O’Callaghan “condemned” Tuesday’s disorder, citing the projectiles thrown at police.
“Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected,” O’Callaghan said in a statement.
Ireland and the UK have seen rising anti-immigration sentiment in recent years, with hotels housing asylum seekers common flashpoints for protests and violent riots.
In June, hotels were targeted, and dozens of officers were injured in anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland after two teenagers were arrested, accused of attempting to rape a young girl in Ballymena.
Police did not confirm the ethnicity of the accused, who had asked for a Romanian interpreter in court, prompting what authorities described as the “racist” targeting of homes and businesses by rioters.
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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