October, 2020 - The African Mirror

Oct

2020

Catholic NGO boss accused of racism and abuse in Sudan

MOHAMMED AMIN, BEN PARKER and PAISLEY DODDS IN the wake of George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, Catholic Relief Services told its staff it was launching an initiative to stamp out racism within the NGO, one of the world’s largest charities. Soon after, its American boss in Sudan sent staff a reminder for the launch. The same day – 28 July – he was arrested on a charge of verbal abuse for calling a security guard a “slave”. The allegations of racism weren’t the first against Driss Moumane – at least three whistleblower complaints had…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Politician and CEO expected to join corruption suspects in the dock

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER A senior South African politician, who allegedly received kickbacks from a company that won tenders worth millions from his department, is expected to join in the dock four senior officials who have been arrested and charged with fraud and corruption. Brian Hlongwa, a former Gauteng MEC of Health, was found by a probe by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), to have had a corruption relationship with Gavin Payne, the CEO of 3P Consulting. The charges brought against the four officials, who appeared in court on Thursday, are based on the findings of the SIU. The SIU found…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

UK lawmakers hear more reports of aid worker sex abuse in Congo

HUMAN RIGHTS

NELLIE PEYTON BRITAIN’S charity watchdog said it has received reports of at least eight cases of sexual assault and abuse by aid workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, vowing to ensure "robust action". It said the incidents were reported both before and after an investigation published last month by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian in which more than 50 women accused Ebola aid workers of demanding sex in exchange for jobs. "We can confirm that these include allegations of serious sexual assault, the exchange of jobs or money for sex and sexual harassment," the Charity Commission's…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Refusing to wear a mask in Ethiopia could cost you two years in jail

COVID-19

DAWIT ENDESHAW ETHIOPIA can jail people for up to two years if they deliberately violate restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, the attorney general's office said, amid concern that citizens are becoming lax after a state of emergency was lifted. The restrictions prohibit shaking hands, not wearing a mask in a public place, seating more than three people at a table or not keeping "two adult steps" - around six feet - apart. "Now it is as if COVID is no longer there, the public is not taking care," Health Minister Lia Tadesse tweeted on Thursday. "This will…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Afreximbank ready to raise up to $5 bln for COVID-19 vaccines for Africa – CDC head

BUSINESS

DAVID LEWIS and GIULIA PARAVICINI THE African Export-Import Bank is ready to raise up to $5 billion to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for African countries, according to the head of the continent's disease control body. John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Africa needs to be pro-active in the race to secure vaccines for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 41 million people globally. COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), will only be able to secure shots for less than 10% of the continent's…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Six killed in Ivory Coast town ahead of presidential election

NEWS

AT least six people have been killed in a port town in southern Ivory Coast this week, the mayor said on Thursday, as supporters and opponents of President Alassane Ouattara trade blame for rising violence ahead of the October 31 election. The authorities decreed a curfew on Wednesday night in response to the killings in Dabou, which Mayor Jean-Claude Niangne said were carried out by men armed with assault rifles and machetes. Violence has broken out sporadically since August when Ouattara announced his candidacy for a third term, a move his opponents say violates the constitution. In all, more than…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Voting begins in Seychelles parliamentary and presidential polls

NEWS

VOTING has began in presidential and parliamentary elections in Seychelles, with the economy battered by COVID-19 and President Danny Faure, in power since 2016, facing voters for the first time. The Indian Ocean archipelago nation is expected to see its tourism-dependent economy contract by 14% this year, according to ratings agency Fitch, reversing some fragile progress since the government defaulted on its debt in 2008 and sought an International Monetary Fund bailout. The same party has been in power since 1977. Faure was previously vice president and became president when his predecessor resigned after a constitutional amendment was passed limiting…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Mali’s ousted president returns home after treatment abroad

NEWS

MALI’S ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has returned home after spending six weeks in the United Arab Emirates getting medical treatment, the head of his party said. Keita - who was overthrown in a military coup in August - did not make a statement and his Rally for Mali (RPM) party did not give any details on what his next move would be. The 75-year-old was toppled after weeks of protests against his government's failure to rein in violence by Islamist militants and ethnic militias, amid widespread anger over alleged corruption and the sluggish economy. He was hospitalised six days…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Pope’s ‘yes’ to same-sex civil unions will lead to a more open and equal Catholic Church

RELIGION

FRANCIS DEBERNARDO GENE and Bill had been partners for more than 50 years when I first heard their story. The two men met and fell in love when they were both 22. Because of the socially oppressive climate, it was not safe to live together as a couple, so they moved in as “roommates.” After one brief year, Bill developed a debilitating disease that required full-time nursing care and he moved to a skilled facility. He remained there his entire life. Gene visited him every day but was unable to let staff or residents know the true nature of their…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s president urges end to street protests as gunfire heard in Lagos after protest crackdown

NEWS

FELIX ONUAH and LIBBY GEORGE NIGERIAN President Muhammadu Buhari has called for an end to street protests in the country, as authorities in the commercial capital Lagos struggled to enforce a curfew imposed to contain anger over a crackdown on anti-police protesters. Gunshots rang out and smoke rose from at least two fires in the commercial capital's affluent Ikoyi neighbourhood, witnesses said. A fire broke out in the district's prison, the state government said. Video footage showed a blaze in a shopping mall in another part of Lagos. Violence in Lagos, Africa's biggest city - where witnesses on Thursday reported…