a rescue efforts a winding down in many parts of quake hit southern turkey. the focus is really now shifting to relief efforts, helping the millions of people who have been left homeless and need humanitarian assistance to survive. united nation says that a $14038.00 trucks have now arrived and the rebel held north west of syria. after the reopening of a border crossing, their activists and emergency teams have criticize the slow response to last week's earthquakes. or more than 45 and a half 1000 people are confirmed, have died at more than 39000 them are in turkey here more than 5800 in syria. but that number is likely to rise. and in both countries, there are many thousands of people unaccounted for. all this is aftershocks, continue to rattle the region. turkey is disaster agents. he says there is one every 4 minutes which amounts her 4700 tremors overall since the quakes 1st struck by ned smith has moved from a temporary relief center in a dana. well, a goldman says that a 74000 buildings that are still standing but must be demolished as soon as possible. and when you talk about that, we're talking about again, homes, people's homes, not the ones that are already collapsed into the ground. 374000 people are been evacuated. many of them were living in these tense. the government's intention is for these to be very temporary. this place, for example, behind me, should be shot by monday. people are being moved from the turns into university accommodation. we've also been following developments out of pakistan today. the taliban of claim responsibility for an attack on a police headquarters in karachi, which killed at least 3 police officers and one civilian 11 others were injured in what local media reporting to be in a and a heavy exchange of gunfire between police and the attackers who stormed the compound. 3 of the attackers also died following a series of loud explosions. and in germany, world leaders are gathering there to discuss global security. the main focus at the munich security conference is russia's invasion of ukraine. and for the 1st time, russia and iran have not been invited to the summit, ukraine's present rosamille zalinski is urging his allies to speed up weapons deliveries. he says that any delay threatens their own safety. most of the headlines this our up front is the program coming up next years ago. the great the damage caused the precious gras. samantha chilling its being reversed with one of the world's biggest conservation projects. they're pretty emblematic of the patagonia and if they're plentiful and they're calm like this one is, then you know that the system is coming back and that they feel no threat. and that's why you know, i, for re wilding pass, go on al jazeera, 2022 was the deadliest year in 3 decades for journalists, mexico. the country has been grappling with cartel violence in corruption for decades. placing the journalists who report on these issues at great risk when simply trying to do their job, which is the situation at a critical point. and his journalism in mexico facing a point of no return back conversation is coming up. but 1st, ongoing fighting in the resource rich democratic republic of congo, between the army and the march 23 movement or m. 23 has left hundreds, did, and millions displaced in the countries eastern provinces. the d. r. c. government blamed neighboring rwanda for supporting him. 23 and allegation for garley has denied, but as fighting intensifies, many fear the conflict could escalate into war between the 2 countries. so what's in store for the con? believe people, and is there a path towards peace? will ask the minister of communication and spokes person for the government of the democratic republic of congo this week headliner. patrick, we are the patrick we. i thank you so much for joining me on up front. and she will tensions are flaring between the d r c animal wanda, which your government has accused of backing the armed group am 23. that's an accusation. that one has repeatedly denied, of course, despite evidence documented by the united nations and human rights watch. there's also been a war of words with ca, golly, as violence proliferate sparking fears of further escalation. rwanda has said that your government is quote, preparing for war is war with rwanda minute. thank you for your question. and i think once we are living today, it's not like for the 1st time we are in this kind of situation to respond back. in the past years, they've been fighting almost 5 time the government of democracy, public, or congo. you can remember 1996. we've asked them. then you can remember our std center and 23 didn't be doing it for years. and they always keep the same speech off denying the fact of what is what they've been doing in the early part of the year. see today, we don't even want to go on detail of that because they're read it documented report from united nations expert. they're read the white paper this year in just there. we do a lot of condemnation from always in the countries talking by united states, a key one that to stop theories to support m 23 democratic republic of congo was to present to katie. we are busy because we have some tough challenge. we need to pace in, in that condition. we don't need any will we want we need to teach for ben walks to get orders and we've been keeping people for the past year. and that's our reach you back your year. that's prison. got me because we don't think that these people are seeing on the wall that use this will ease doing that because yes. order interest such like continue looting in as 0. see me. it's a very clearly some economy arisen can interesting what the prison tagami to they use. one of the challenges here, of course, is what's happening with them. 23. there are the military challenges there, the legitimate threats that you've raised. another piece of this though is the actual war of words that has been escalating president to 2nd he called rwandan president of paul could. guy may a war monger, he also referred to his actions as diabolical that kind of language. that type of rhetoric certainly doesn't de escalate the tension. is it adding fuel to the fire? no, we don't change, you know, years since the beginning of this war we've been talking with quantities from the past in july. first, it was in brenda and then we went to the name, it will be 2 or 3 times one new york state prison, my wife everywhere, and ear the prison to 60. it is known by being a demo, or someone would been fighting to get in power. they were actually to the prison. got me, you can just look back on that. then you know what kind of liter east? so under president got me, but the question i'm less asking about the type of leader he is more about if the language that's being used is making matters worse. if the goal is peace and language using doesn't. doesn't mean anything. if you have to compare it with what's present dummy and he's true, i mean there's been years. see, especially let me give you an example. the last no proper. she was a kid almost 20200 people were men. the woman lady in the correct condition, it's not yours balance loads each about the act of violence they've been doing and all the international community can then work that i think issues. so there is certainly ample documentation of m. 23, committing human rights violations. summary executions, raped a force, recruitment of people into the rank. you reference some of the stuff yourself. to date. however, your government has also been accused of backing militias with similarly poor human rights records. i'm talking about groups like the democratic forces for the liberation of wanda, the f d l arm. they've been accused of killing hundreds of civilians. they've been accused of widespread sexual violence president just 2nd. he has said that he opposed any alliance between the congo, leave army and militias. but there are reports, credible reports, the document, the supply of arms is applied ammunition, food, all to these groups. you know, why is your government backing these militias? i think we must make things clear because there is a lot of money relation and bad news, especially one of the especially of special needs or fund governments bringing bad news news. what must be clear, that speaking about the 1st place, those people are there, we've been fighting them since 1996 just to day. we continue to fight them because they force, there are, is security for them for companies, people in the past years. unfortunately, they are a mom of those people who killed the cell number in the region. so we cannot walk. those people were called you said you cannot. you cannot work with f l r, but there is credible evidence. when i look at reports from human rights watch, just as one example, there are credible reports of people who say that the congress army has supplied armed groups with aid and weapons of one f l. our fighter, for example, told human rights watch in october of 2022, that he himself witnessed for transfers of ammunition. and he says that it's the government quote that would always provide us with ammunition. he was specifically referring to the troops. he said they also gave us uniforms and then we have these level of reports of armed groups getting support from chicago army. how do you respond to this? oh no, i don't see. don't let, let's, let's be clear on that question. there is no cooperation between our army and any news. so non take for granted that don't give credit to all those people. oh, some of them can be by there right there for you to make sure they are like complicated because right. i knew that he was, are you, are you disputing or are you just using human rights watch? we have often criticized. we were wanting government as have other people in your government. one of the places that they have looked to, to just to verify their claims of the violence in atrocity committed by the rule wanting government and groups like m 23 has been human rights watch. now the same organization which people have trusted human rights watch is saying that your government have done the very same thing, are very similar things. examples of the cognitive army supplying arm groups with, with arms and 8 ammunition uniform boots. this has come on multiple occasions from multiple people, people from f, the alarm fighters from the my, my car, we don't militia also make claims that cargo army supplied them with, with, with ammunition across the board were hearing these claims. are you disputing human rights watch account, and if so, why? you must need clear. but you cannot make any comparison between am plenty a tree which is like a property of one than different forces and a movement like failure. m 23 doing or p fission. by doing my secor on people that the 1st point is, be clear, you cannot make any comparison between there is no preparation between army and need to show. but they've made some reforms. in some situation. here you might just the point to make it a genuine position. there is no, like a common plane between army and meet. you shop it, bounce back, getting old, doing things. it gets one o. m 33 inside your seat, which is very different. we've. i'm 23, fighting with one and different forces killing equal doing soccer. there have been a number of talks and initiative aimed at brokering in into the fighting most recently at the east africa community summit in burundi earlier this month. these initiatives have largely failed to yield any real results and of course the violence has continued him 23 asking for direct negotiations with your government. is your government willing to talk to them? we don't, we cannot negotiate but we, i agree that we can talk with them but their condition, it was my end of state just back at what happened in wanda, in november 20 tree. in november 23. there was a meeting between entre state of the eastern african community and last week on the french menu, or mark in english, in one initial was chief failure, cease fire, evacuating like local, etc. and then these are moments. and then after the or process, we can see the way we can talk am 23 guys. and the way we can deal with the rundown government because we want to stay in the state of war for the rest of our life. so we can, we move, i mean we are able to don't we fund that or to talk we am 20 tree after new with respect was the road map of one. recommend this friday or reach rate from new territory the summer months. and then we can see the way we can talk, it will be done just if they can respect what the state we amended after the meeting glenda. and it was back in the united states, united nations. and in patrick re, i thank you so much for joining us on upfront and to sir, ah, mexico was known as one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world. the country experienced a record number of journalists, deaths in 2022 criminal cartels and corruption have played the country for decades . continuing a cycle of violence, even with some efforts to protect the press. the fact remains, journalists, and mexico are facing undeniable threats to their lives and their livelihoods. so what does the future hold for journalism in the country? joining me to discuss this is award winning investigative journalist than the author of norco land, the mexican drug lords, and they're godfathers, annabel hernandez, she is currently living in exile after receiving death threats because of her investigative work on a boat. thank you so much for joining me. on up front. 2022 was an awful year. in fact, it was the deadliest year on record for journalists in mexico, according to the press freedom group article owed 19. there was an attack on a member of the press, every 14 hours violence by drug cartels. it's not new journalists are often targeted for their reporting, but the number of journalists killed last year had a record high. is the situation for the press in mexico getting worse? absolutely. it is very sad and am i speaking to explain these but just absolutely a ease in getting worst these attacks, these, the threats, these violence against them. jordan released and had been in increasing in the last 20 years, even at the same time that the drug could be that, that they want between that got this scabbing, gracing so even in one way you have these wadlington that got this awning and know that way at the same time, in almost in this same sea piece, where these wire east had been inc, a cure hours so dead. so there of the journalist and sadly, no one, even the government or all the air force of all these and none convert them it over never own organizations can have been able to stop these violence. i can say just there's a growing number of areas inside of mexico that have gone silent, you know, places that have become information dead zone where the press is effectively silence because of the intimidation that they receive from the cartels and other actors as well. oh, what does the emergence of these zones of silence mean for the people living inside of those communities? really affects and deeply that them will cressy, of course. because if you don't catch me via that a report there's that are able to inform to their society what is happening, not he just in them out there. so of polk safety or so there might, there's of government accountability, all these things that are necessary to have a healthy democracy. most of the journalists in mexico, every there are fighting to protect the right of the people to having permission. the problem is that they are clock and fighting alone their media, many times are corrupted. their media, many times receive money from them, from the government group that people of, from the got this. and even better judgment is one to 2 public day information. they media many times said know all that, oh many, many other times they generally have a very low salary. they even don't, doesn't have life insurance, they need the support of the government. they need the support of the society, they need the support of the media. so i have been talking with many of my colleagues in different parts of mexico, even in the spots like for example, them only past that each one of the biggest states where this silence is there for at least 10 years. and when i talk with these journalists, they want to do their job, they want to public information. but if they don't have deb platforms movie at all, orse oh, all or safety places to public. they. they are not capable to do they job even if they want to, and they are suffering. and not because this much of the violence against journalists in mexico was happening at the local level in smaller cities and towns in august for staff members at a local radio station and see that what is a were shot and killed. and what is just one of several recent violent incidents there seems to be a pattern of violence in areas away from bigger cities, especially against journalists who work independently or for smaller outlets. in your view, why is local journalism bearing the brunt of this violence? is really, it's really very, very hard to try to explain these complicated question in mexico in just few words . but you have to understand that in mexico currently at this moment are over 18109 creamy, not organisations. some of them are the beek guard this that everyone knows it's in ela. got they got been cali schooner back in, in a she on all of these beak on this, but also exceed medium and small carcass that had gone through in every town in the country. so when i look i journalist one to do corporately, they job, they got not capital to do it because in one point you have the lookout. betty local am a gang a criminal organization that control is 3 by street and these gang many times most of the times arctic connected with a major of the c d without don't use of the c d. even if this it is very small. so these group shown m and really makes to their, to their, to their dormitories, almost impossible to do their job without risking their lives. that's, that's why what is happening in mexico is a human right. it writes an emergency, and that's why, since many years ago, many journalists, as, as me, we are asking to today contain the national community to, to pay attention is when, what and what is happening there? because now we have, again, i repeated 109 creamy lands i sessions controlling all the country. a decade ago, a mexico introduced a set of protection mechanisms for journalists, referred to l as l. mckinney. small are providing thing like police protection and relocation services. in cases of extreme violence, now at least 9 reporters have been killed while enrolled in this program. udella, nevada roberto general, director of t one as magazine data said that mckinney small, obviously does not work. many of my colleagues who were killed in mexico were under the protection mechanism when they were murdered. ah, why is that mckinney small not working? well, i can tell you in my inexperience, because i am also inside their mcneese. i cannot believe in mexico the because these make any doesn't works obviously. but what can i tell you is 1st, that really de golden and the federal government doesn't care about the jobs, at least now we have the president, and that is my know, look this rather that almost every day in he's ever in. he's in a frank press conference at that journalist at back there media because they the one that anyone a can, it could be good thanks. p b, do creek school games him. so for they, they're part of the state that are very could hook that, that don't that, that the one that they don't really do their job for that god, there's that one also to keep silent to the journalist if they see that just a precedent. a man who supposedly have some breast baked about their democracy about that point. ability about dave, freedom expression. if you see that the pressure than is the 1st one that is attacking every day to they don't release of course in one way or another. the depression then even you permit to do whatever you want to do again, they jordan is that's why that's why last year became the most terrible dupont, the germans, according with united nations anesco night, 2 journalists in mexico were more there in mexico. this is the crisis when you talk about the government's role in this, there's the president in his words, for sure. but there are many people who argue that the government and security forces are also complicit in what's happening to journalism that i'm thinking about in 2015. for example, jose moisture, sanchez said ethel was killed after he published content that was critical of the local government in in better cruise, where he lived in 2022, a bear lopez vasquez was shot a day after he published a story, accusing a local politician of corruption, people to say no more afraid of the government, at least some journalists are therefore afraid of the government, then the cartels. what do you make of that? i mean, if you go to the is to buy straight and you asked for to i journalist who is smaller than gears a chapel was man the head of this in the look got been or the governor or the major of the ordered the chief of the police, they did, children's will tell you that the out 30, the members of the government, i'm more dangerous because they also can do these with all they impunity given, given what you're saying. you know, the violence, the impunity, the structural deep structural problems that we're seeing throughout mexican society. do you think we'll see a new generation of journalists actually emerge in the country that, that, that, that, that be so one kind of a miracle, you know, because for example, many times i go back to mexico to continue my work. and many times i gave a gong friends in universities, and most of the time, all these em classrooms are full of young junk students that want to be came journalists, even they got a freight e been, they know that this salaries are not good for me. it really is that huge hop, see they face this of the german is that even all these tragedy that is happening again, journalist, they want to became a journalist and they want to serve to the, to the society and that they also want to the offense. they right of the society to have the information to try to save aware betty, a quick democracy annabel hernandez, thank you so much for joining us, an offer. thank you. everyone that is our show up front will be back. ah, with a with wherever you go in the world, one airline goes to make it for you. exceptional katara always going places pick up on counting the call staff, the devastating earthquakes in to clear and syria, how all the nations economies co thank you and very much needed a to syria. but it's a little too late. and what is the financial state of new crime? almost one year after rush was invasion, counting the calls on al jazeera. we know what's happening in our region. we know how to get to places that others can on. i want to be a guy by the on purpose and i'm going, i'm with the way that you tell the story is what can make a difference. ah.