NEWS - The African Mirror

Apr

25

2024

US sanctions militant leaders over hostages in West Africa

NEWS

THE U.S. imposed sanctions on leaders of militant groups over the taking of hostages, including Americans, in West Africa, the Treasury and State departments said. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The sanctions on leaders of the West African branch of al Qaeda, called Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), and Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun come as Washington has sought to deter and punish detentions of U.S. citizens abroad. West African countries have been destabilized in recent years by Islamist insurgencies that took root in Mali in 2012 and spread across the Sahel region despite costly, international backed-military efforts. KEY QUOTES "We will not hesitate…

Apr

25

2024

By The African Mirror

Twenty-one dead, 23 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast, UN agency official says

NEWS

TWENTY-ONE migrants died and another 23 are missing after a boat carrying 77 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the second such incident in two weeks, the United Nations migration agency said. The boat's occupants included children, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a post on social media platform X. Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa, especially from Ethiopia and Somalia, leave the continent through Djibouti, aiming to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations to find work, according to IOM. Many fail, and thousands are stranded in Yemen where they live in…

Apr

24

2024

By The African Mirror

Top UN officials call on UK to reconsider plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda

NEWS

TWO United Nations top officials called on the UK to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda, warning the move would have a harmful impact on human rights and refugee protection. In a joint statement, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the UK to instead take practical measures to address irregular flows of migrants and refugees. "The new legislation marks a further step away from the UK's long tradition of providing refuge to those in need, in breach of the Refugee Convention," said Grandi.…

Apr

23

2024

By The African Mirror

Contaminated cough syrup in Africa no longer available – WHO

NEWS

A contaminated batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup is no longer available in the African countries where it was sold, the World Health Organization said. Earlier this month, Nigeria recalled a batch of the children's cough and allergy medicine after tests found that it contained unacceptable levels of the toxin, diethylene glycol. Five other African countries have also pulled the product from shelves - Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where the drug was made. The recalled batch of Benylin syrup was made by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) in South Africa in May 2021, although Kenvue (KVUE.N) now owns the brand after…

Apr

23

2024

By The African Mirror

Gunmen kill six Nigerian soldiers in ambush

NEWS

SIX soldiers of the Nigerian army were ambushed and killed by gunmen while on patrol in the northern Niger state, the army said, the latest loss inflicted on the military by armed criminal gangs. Beyond fighting Islamist militants in the northeast, Nigeria's military has been called upon to tackle the threat in northern and central regions posed by criminal gangs who kill and kidnap villagers and schoolchildren. Nigerian Army spokesperson Major General Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement late on Sunday that troops of the 1st Division were on a fighting patrol in Karaga village in Niger's Shiroro local government…

Apr

24

2024

By NAFISA ELTAHIR and KHALID ABDELAZIZ

Truce crumbles in Sudanese army’s last Darfur holdout

NEWS

ATTACKS around the Sudanese city of al-Fashir have shattered a truce that protected it from a year-old war, leading to warnings of a new wave of inter-communal violence and humanitarian risks for 1.6 million residents crammed into the North Darfur capital. Al-Fashir is the last major city in the vast, western Darfur region not under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF and its allies swept through four other Darfur state capitals last year and were blamed for a campaign of ethnically driven killings against non-Arab groups and other abuses in West Darfur. The fight for al-Fashir, a historic centre…

Apr

24

2024

By KATE HOLTON

UK’s Sunak says nothing will stop Rwanda policy; migrants die in channel

NEWS

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed that nothing would prevent him from sending asylum seekers to Rwanda after parliament finally approved the divisive policy that is designed to deter migrants from travelling in small boats to Britain. Hours after the bill passed, a French newspaper reported that at least five migrants had died in an attempt to cross the Channel. The French coast guard could not confirm the details but said there were several "lifeless bodies". Tens of thousands of migrants - many fleeing wars and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia - have reached Britain in recent years by…

Apr

24

2024

By OPE ADETAYO

African leaders call for rethink on tackling violent extremism

NEWS

AFRICAN leaders at a security summit in Nigeria called for a revamp of institutions fighting violent extremism on the continent and the setting up of a standby military force and greater control over peace-keeping efforts. Groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda have been carrying out routine attacks in Africa, including the Sahel, Somalia and Mozambique, targeting civilians and the military. Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said while the Sahel suffered the most attacks on civilians, coastal states like Togo were facing growing threats. "I say this with prudence and regret, but I think the institutions that have been in…

Apr

23

2024

By SARAH YOUNG and ELIZABETH PIPER

‘No ifs, no buts’, UK’s Sunak promises to start Rwanda flights

NEWS

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks, telling the upper house of parliament he would force the new legislation through despite its opposition to the plan. Sunak said the government had booked commercial charter planes and trained staff to take migrants to Rwanda, a policy he hopes will boost his Conservative Party's flagging fortunes before an election later this year. After weeks of opposition in the House of Lords upper house which wants to introduce safeguards to the divisive legislation, Sunak said the government would force parliament to sit…

Apr

22

2024

By The African Mirror

UN in Libya urges probe into death of detained activist

NEWS

THE United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL) urged authorities in the eastern-ruled part of the country to investigate the death of an activist who had been in detention since last year. Siraj Dughman died while in custody at Rajma military camp in Rajma town, about 27 km (17 miles) east of Benghazi, UNSMIL said on social media platform X. The mission said it was "deeply saddened" and called on authorities to conduct a transparent and independent investigation into his death. Benghazi's Internal Security Agency said in a video statement that Dughman died after he fell on his head while climbing sewage…