Africa News and Discussions

User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Ethiopian Court Extends 3-month Detention of AP Journalist
March 18, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/ethiopia ... ournalist/

Introduction:
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP via Courthouse News) — An Ethiopian court has extended the three-month detention without charges of journalist Amir Aman Kiyaro to give police 11 more days to interview witnesses, saying after that the state must formally charge him or release him.

Kiyaro, a freelance journalist accredited to The Associated Press, has been in detention since November. The next court date for Kiyaro's case was set for March 29.

“The Associated Press is dismayed by the court’s decision today to continue to detain Amir Aman Kiyaro. He continues to be held without charges," AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said.

“We urge the Ethiopian government to release Amir immediately and end his unjust detention,” Pace said. "As we have said, it is clear he is being targeted for his independent journalism.”

The video journalist was detained Nov. 28 in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, under the country’s war-related state of emergency powers. The state of emergency was lifted in February as the government cited changing conditions in the deadly conflict between Ethiopian forces and those of the northern Tigray region.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

In Water-scarce Zimbabwe, Free Muslim Water Wells are the ‘Kiss of Life’
by Audrey Simango
March 29, 2022

https://baptistnews.com/article/in-wate ... s-of-life/

Introduction:
(Baptist News Global) Decades of water corruption, mismanagement and climate change mean Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, is one of Africa’s thirstiest cities. In some neighborhoods, Muslim families, building on the altruism of their faith, are erecting free, clean public water wells on the doorstep of their properties.

“It’s the kiss of life, the Muslim water!” explained Natasha Bande, 23, a Presbyterian Christian and university student at Harare Institute of Technology who depends on the Muslim-provided free public water to cook and drink safely.

The absence of clean municipal water has defined Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe where nearly 4 million residents live. Climate-change-induced droughts; brazen theft of water purification and pumping funds; an exodus of qualified engineers — all have sealed the city’s water fate.

Worse, 30% of the water piped by authorities is lost through illegal connections and leaks on suburban distribution pipes. The results have not been pretty. On the few days water comes out of city home pipes, the liquid is dirty and smelly. It can be used only for bathing or watering vegetables.

In 2008, hundreds died in the city from contracting cholera, a Medieval disease, by consuming dirty municipal water. This was the worst cholera outbreak in Africa in 15 years.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

International Criminal Court Kicks Off First Trial Over Sudan Conflict
by Molly Quell
April 5, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/internat ... -conflict/

Introduction:
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Courthouse News) — More than 15 years after the U.N. Security Council sent the situation in Darfur for investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the first trial over war crimes in Sudan has begun.

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan compared Tuesday’s hearing to iftar, the Muslim celebration of breaking the fast during Ramadan — which began over the weekend — saying it was an “iftar of sorts for the millions who have been waiting for this day to come.”

Former militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, told the International Criminal Court he was innocent of 31 counts of murder, pillaging, rape and torture in the Darfur region of western Sudan at the start of the hearing.

“I reject all of these charges, I am innocent of all of these charges,” he told The Hague-based court. He fidgeted with his blue suit and red tie while Khan played a series of videos about the now decades-old conflict.

The 72-year-old is alleged to have led the government-backed Janjaweed militia in western Darfur, targeting non-Arab ethnic groups in a conflict that is still ongoing. According to prosecutors, he helped recruit and organize the Arab militia group that engaged in an ethnic cleansing program and specifically directed attacks against four villages — Kodoom, Bindisi, Mukjar and Deleig — between 2003 and 2004. Kushayb surrendered to authorities in the neighboring Central African Republic in June 2020 and has been in ICC custody ever since.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Ivory Coast Prime Minister and Government Resign
April 13, 2022

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/1 ... er-resigns

Introduction:
(Al Jazeera) Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi has tabled his resignation and that of his government as President Alassane Ouattara plans to slim down the size of the cabinet, Ouattara has said.

Ouattara said he would reduce the government to about 30 ministers from the current 41, with new appointments to be made next week.

A slimmer cabinet will be more efficient and in tune with the global economic climate, Ouattara said during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday at which he accepted the government’s resignation.

“It is imperative to reduce state spending and re-focus on social and security resilience,” he added.

He did not specify which ministerial positions would be cut.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

caltrek wrote: Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:22 pm Ivory Coast Prime Minister and Government Resign
April 13, 2022

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/1 ... er-resigns

Introduction:
(Al Jazeera) Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi has tabled his resignation and that of his government as President Alassane Ouattara plans to slim down the size of the cabinet, Ouattara has said.

Ouattara said he would reduce the government to about 30 ministers from the current 41, with new appointments to be made next week.

A slimmer cabinet will be more efficient and in tune with the global economic climate, Ouattara said during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday at which he accepted the government’s resignation.

“It is imperative to reduce state spending and re-focus on social and security resilience,” he added.

He did not specify which ministerial positions would be cut.
Sounds like decent reasoning...I wish they'd move the money to infrastructure and science. Useless government positions are generally blowing into the wind.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Bitcoin becomes official currency in Central African Republic
Source: BBC
The Central African Republic (CAR) has approved Bitcoin as legal tender - just the second country to do so.

CAR is one of the world's poorest countries, but is rich in diamonds, gold and uranium.

It has been wracked by conflict for decades and is a close Russian ally, with mercenaries from the Wagner Group helping fight rebel forces.

Lawmakers voted unanimously to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, said a statement from the CAR presidency.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61248809
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Nigerian Women Fight Skin Bleaching, Colorism in Africa
by Violet Ikong
April 15, 2022

https://www.amjamboafrica.com/auto-draft-3/
(Amjambo Africa!) The sale and usage of skin bleaching cosmetics was banned by the Rwandan government in 2019. South Sudan implemented a similar prohibition in the same year. In South Africa, skin bleaching, also known as skin lightening or skin whitening, was banned in 1990, and in Ghana, it was banned in 2017.

Among Africans with a dark complexion, particularly women, skin bleaching is a prevalent practice. Even in countries where it is prohibited, the practice is widespread among Black women who believe that lighter skin tones are more attractive than darker ones, and that light skin brings privileges and opportunities unavailable to those with dark skin.

In 2011, the World Health Organization reported that 40% of African women bleached their skin. In Nigeria, 77% of women engaged in skin bleaching; in Togo, 59%; in South Africa, 35%; in Senegal, 27% and in Mali, 25%.

In the U.S., $2.3 billion was spent on purchases of skin bleaching creams in 2020. Experts project the global skin bleaching market will reach $12.3 billion by 2027.

“Many people in Africa attribute being light-skinned to ‘pretty privileges’ and success,” said Anita Benson, a Nigerian dermatologist and founder of Embrace Melanin Initiative, a nonprofit that works to eradicate colorism and harmful skin practices in Africa.
caltrek's comment: It is quite sad to read that prejudice based on skin tone is apparently quite prevalent even in Africa.

On a lighter note, it reminds me of an observation I made to my co-workers in a largely Hispanic community in which I worked for a couple of years. That is that White women often bought tanning products and deliberately exposed themselves to the sun to darken their skin color, while Hispanic women often bought and applied make up products to lighten up their skin color.

Outside prejudice aside, it would seem that no one is happy with who they are, and that the grass is always greener for another group. :D
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Somalia's New President Elected by 327 Members of Parliament
by Mohamud Ali
May 16, 2022

Introduction:
(BBC) Somalia's former leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been elected president after a final vote that was only open to the country's MPs.

He defeated the current president, Mohamed Abudallahi Farmajo, who has been in office since 2017.

The ballot was limited to Somalia's 328 MPs due to security concerns over holding a wider election, and one of them did not cast a vote.

Mr Mohamud received 214 votes, defeating Mr Farmajo who won 110 votes.

Three MPs are reported to have spoiled their ballots.
Read more from the BBC here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61438047


Prior to the selection of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Amjambo Africa! had an interesting background article: https://www.amjamboafrica.com/a-sense-o ... president/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Somalia is an instance where the invocation of a noninterference doctrine on the part of the United States government might not be such a bad idea.

Human Rights Group Urges Civilian Safeguards as Biden Sends Troops Back to Somalia
by Brett Wilkins
May 21, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Human Rights Watch on Friday implored the U.S. military to prioritize protecting Somali civilians after President Joe Biden signed off on the re-deployment of hundreds of Special Forces troops to the war-torn African nation, where American drone and other airstrikes have killed at least scores of noncombatants in recent decades.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced earlier this week that a "small, persistent U.S. military presence" of around 500 troops would return to Somalia 17 months after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the approximately 750 American service members who were in the country waging and supporting the so-called War on Terror under United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). The U.S., which has been targeting the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab since the 2000s, most recently bombed Somalia in February.

"U.S. officials should be very clear on how their forces will avoid harming Somali civilians during military operations," Laetitia Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. "They will need to work closely with Somali and African Union authorities to avoid repeating past laws of war violations and promptly and appropriately respond to civilian loss."

The U.S. has carried out at least 200 drone strikes and an indeterminate number of other aerial bombardments of Somalia since 2004, according to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The U.K.-based monitor group Airwars says at least 68 and as many as 143 Somali civilians have been killed by U.S. drones and warplanes since 2007.

"Human Rights Watch reported on two U.S. airstrikes, on February 2 and March 10, 2020, that killed seven civilians in apparent violation of the laws of war," HRW notes. "While the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) acknowledged responsibility for the February 2 incident, which killed a woman and injured her two sisters, both children, and her grandmother, none of them received compensation."
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/ ... ck-somalia
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Africa News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Children among 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria
Source: AP

By CHINEDU ASADU

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness said the dead included a pregnant woman and many children.

The stampede at the event organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such events are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow the locked gate was broken open, creating a stampede, she said.






Read more: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-stam ... d350e3dd34
Post Reply