NEWS - The African Mirror

Apr

28

2024

Let us press on with UK migrant plan, Rwanda tells critics

NEWS

RWANDAN President Paul Kagame's government said that it would take as many migrants as Britain sends its way and urged "shouting" critics of the deportation plan to now let both nations proceed. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expects first flights to leave in 10-12 weeks after parliament passed legislation this week to sidestep legal objections that the migrants could be sent back to nations where they may face mistreatment. "No matter what number is announced to arrive here tomorrow or after tomorrow ... we are capable of receiving them," deputy government spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told Reuters, adding that Rwanda did not yet know dates…

Apr

27

2024

By WAAKHE SIMON WUDU

South Sudanese comedians find laughs in painful past

NEWS

WHEN Isaac Anthony Lumori launched South Sudan's first weekly comedy show at the height of a civil war in 2014, his performers' quips about different ethnic groups were not always well received. "They had ... (a) few attacks because of some of the jokes they made," said Lumori, better known by his stage name MC Lumoex, citing one comedian's remarks about the bowel habits of a particular tribe. A decade on, with South Sudan officially at peace and audiences accustomed to the comedians' equal-opportunity digs, the reception has grown considerably warmer. The 25 comedians from the troupe Kilkilu Ana, which…

Apr

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Burkina Faso says it is investigating northern killings

NEWS

BURKINA FASO is investigating killings in two northern villages in February, a government spokesperson said, dismissing a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report about the Burkinabe army's alleged execution of 223 people there. Citing telephone interviews with witnesses, civil society and others, the HRW report on Thursday accused the military of executing residents of Nodin and Soro, including at least 56 children, as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants. Government spokesperson Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo rejected HRW's allegations as "peremptory" and denied that the ruling junta was unwilling to look into the alleged atrocities. "The killings in…

Apr

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Bird interview with: The producers of Jumping for Change

NEWS

AS African basketball presenter and correspondent Silaei Shani found out, Jumping for Change is far more than a basketball film. Against the backdrop of Kenya's Maasai community, it delivers a strong message about societal norms and embracing change, while staying true to one's heritage. A winner at the esteemed Films for Fans NBA Awards, it explores the transformative power of sport within the rich tapestry of African culture. Silalei Shani interviewed the film's producers, Becky Muikia and Rahma Saif, for bird story agency, in Nairobi. The interview has been edited for length. SS: So, we’re here to talk about your…

Apr

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Burkina Faso suspends BBC, VOA radio broadcasts over killings coverage

NEWS

BURKINA Faso has suspended the radio broadcasts of BBC Africa and the U.S-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks over their coverage of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing the army of extrajudicial killings, authorities said late. In the report based on its own investigation, the rights watchdog said the West African country's military summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, in February as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants. HRW said the Burkinabe army has repeatedly committed mass atrocities against civilians in the name of fighting terrorism, and it called…

Apr

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Kenya Airways says Congo is harassing airline after its staff detained

NEWS

KENYA Airways accused authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of harassment over the continued detention of two of the airline's staff for alleged customs violations despite a court ordering their release. A senior Kenyan government official said Kenya had also objected to what he said was their arrest and detention. Officers from Congo's military intelligence detained the pair on April 19 for allegedly failing to complete customs documentation related to valuable cargo that was meant to be transported a week earlier, the airline said in a statement. The airline workers have been granted only one short visit…

Apr

26

2024

By NGOUDA DIONE and ZOHRA BENSEMRA

I thought I would be next – survivor of migrant sea disaster

NEWS

ADFIFT on the Atlantic Ocean, the migrants from West Africa resorted to drinking seawater to quench their unbearable thirst. Then they started dying one by one. Disposing of the bodies became a daily trial for those still alive on the brightly painted wooden fishing boat. “I thought I would be next, that one morning, I too would be dead and in the sea,” said Birane Mbaye, one of 101 men and boys who set off from a fishing village on a wild stretch of Senegal’s coastline last July hoping to reach Europe. They never made it. Back home in Fass Boye,…

Apr

26

2024

By CAMILLUS EBOH and OPE ADETAYO

More than 100 inmates escape after rain damages Nigerian prison

NEWS

AT least 118 inmates escaped from prison after heavy rains damaged the facility in Suleja near the Nigerian capital, a prison service spokesperson said. The downpour, which lasted several hours, wrecked parts of the medium-security prison, including the perimeter wall and surrounding buildings, spokesperson Adamu Duza said in a statement on Thursday. Service agents were hunting the fugitives and had so far recaptured 10 of them with the help of other security agencies. "We are in hot chase to recapture the rest," Duza said. He assured the public the authorities were on top of the situation. "The public is further…

Apr

27

2024

By ABDI SHEIKH

Somalia detains U.S.-trained commandos over theft of rations

NEWS

SOMALIA'S government said it had suspended and detained several members of an elite, U.S.-trained commando unit for stealing rations donated by the United States, adding that it was taking over responsibility for provisioning the force. The Danab unit has been a key pillar of U.S.-backed efforts to combat the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab. The United States agreed in February to spend more than $100 million to build up to five military bases for Danab. Somalia's defence ministry said in a statement late on Thursday that it had notified international partners of the theft and would share the outcome…

Apr

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Moroccan man guilty of murdering man in UK in revenge for Gaza

NEWS

A Moroccan man who stabbed to death a passer-by in the street in northeast England in what he later told police was revenge for Israeli action in Gaza was found guilty of murder. Ahmed Alid, 45, who had sought asylum in Britain, killed his 70-year-old victim after approaching him from behind on a road in Hartlepool in the early hours of October 15 last year, having previously attacked his housemate with two knives, prosecutors said. After his arrest, he told detectives he had committed the acts because of the conflict in Gaza, and in revenge for Israel killing innocent children,…