NEWS - The African Mirror

Apr

15

2024

DR Congo landslide kills at least 12, more than 50 still missing

NEWS

AT least 12 people were killed and more than 50 are still missing after heavy rain caused a ravine to collapse onto a river in the southwest Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official and a civil society leader said. The landslide occurred around midday on Saturday in Dibaya Lubwe commune in Kwilu province. It sent a cascade of clay and debris down to the banks of the Kasai River, where a boat was docking and people were washing clothes. Interim provincial governor Felicien Kiway said 12 bodies had been pulled from the rubble so far, including nine women, three…

Apr

16

2024

By ANDREW MACASKILL and MICHAEL HOLDEN

British PM Sunak’s Rwanda scheme set to pass parliament but challenges await

NEWS

THE British parliament is set to finally approve a divisive law this week to pave the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda, but further legal hurdles could yet hold up or derail one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's key policies. Sunak has invested huge political capital in the Rwanda scheme whose success or failure might be crucial to his Conservative party's fortunes in an upcoming election, given his promise it will stop tens of thousands of people arriving without permission in small boats across the Channel. The new legislation is poised to get lawmakers' approval, unamended, by…

Apr

16

2024

By MAHAMAT RAMADANE

Chad interim president Deby kicks off campaign for vote set to end junta rule

NEWS

CHAD'S interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby kicked off his presidential campaign for an election next month meant to end three years of military rule on a promise to strengthen security and boost the economy. Deby's government is one of several juntas that seized power in West and Central Africa since 2020, drawing concerns of a democratic backslide. Chad is the first of these to organise elections despite regional and international pressure to swiftly hand power back to civilians. "Today we are at the final turn on the road to constitutional return," Deby told a large crowd gathered in scorching weather…

Apr

14

2024

By The African Mirror

Malian parties reject junta’s suspension of political activities

NEWS

MALIAN political parties and civil society groups jointly rejected the ruling junta's order to suspend political activities and vowed to mount a legal challenge to what one opposition politician called the "dictatorial" move. The West African country has been under military rule since a coup in 2020. Tensions have risen in recent weeks, leading major parties and other organisations jointly to call out the junta on March 31 for not scheduling elections within the promised time frame. The authorities issued a decree on Wednesday suspending until further notice all activities by political parties and groups on the grounds of maintaining public order. Joining forces…

Apr

14

2024

By CAMILLUS EBOH

Nigerian military swoops on militants and oil thieves in week-long operation

NEWS

NIGERIA'S military said it had inflicted heavy losses on Islamist militant groups in the north and oil thieves in the south, arresting hundreds, seizing weapons and rescuing kidnap victims in a week-long operation. Defence spokesperson Major-General Edward Buba said in a statement that troops had killed or wounded 188 militants and arrested 330 suspects across different locations in the country. Security forces also arrested 36 suspected oil thieves in the Niger Delta region and freed 133 kidnap victims, seizing around 270 weapons and more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition during the entire operation. "The armed forces are working decisively to…

Apr

16

2024

By The African Mirror

South Africa recalls J&J’s cough syrup sold in six African nations after suspected toxicity

NEWS

SOUTH Africa's health regulator said that it is recalling batches of Johnson & Johnson's children's cough syrup after the detection of high levels of diethylene glycol. The affected batches were sold in South Africa, Eswatini, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria, the statement added. The recall follows a report by the regulator's Nigerian counterpart on Wednesday, which first detected the toxin in a batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup. Kenya and Nigeria have already issued recalls for the same syrup, which is used in the treatment of hay fever and other allergic conditions affecting the upper respiratory tract. Kenvue, which now owns the Benylin brand…

Apr

14

2024

By BOUREIMA BALIMA

Niger and China sign crude oil MOU worth $400 mln

NEWS

NIGER has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese state-owned oil giant China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) worth $400 million linked to the sale of crude oil from its Agadem oilfield, Niger state television RTN reported late on Friday. RTN did not provide details on the agreement. Niger's military authorities and CNPC could not be reached for comment. "China is a great friend to Niger; we can never say it enough," Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine said at the signing ceremony, which was broadcast by RTN. "This signature demonstrates the friendship ... and…

Apr

14

2024

By BUKOLA ADEBAYO and NOAH ANTHONY ENAHORO

Girls suffer most as Nigeria kidnap scourge hits school attendance

NEWS

A kidnapping crisis in northern Nigeria is costing girls an education as parents choose safety over school a decade since the mass abduction of 276 female students in the town of Chibok caused global outrage. Jihadist group Boko Haram carried out the 2014 Chibok raid, but since then hundreds of children have been seized by criminal gangs using the same tactic of mass school kidnappings to seek ransom payments from parents. For some families, sending their children to school is a risk they cannot take. "We now have a situation where children are starting to choose between going to school and staying…

Apr

13

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Local manufacturing of drones is on the rise in Africa

NEWS

RISING demand for unmanned aerial vehicles used in various commercial applications is fueling the growth of the local drone manufacturing industry as startups and governments ramp up production within the continent. Following South Africa's successful test flight of the Milkor 380, a groundbreaking unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of carrying up to 1300 kilograms among other unique capabilities, the landscape is witnessing a proliferation of local manufacturing hubs, with recent developments emerging in Nigeria and Morocco. In February, a drone manufacturing facility was unveiled by TerraHaptix, a Nigerian technology and robotics startup. The 1,400 square meter facility in Abuja was…

Apr

13

2024

By The African Mirror

Why is Sudan still at war a year on?

NEWS

A conflict in Sudan that erupted a year ago has wreaked havoc across swathes of the country, unleashed waves of ethnic violence in Darfur, driven millions into extreme hunger and created the world's largest displacement crisis. WHAT TRIGGERED THE VIOLENCE? Tensions had been building for months before fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in the capital Khartoum on April 15, 2023. The army and RSF had been in a fragile partnership after toppling a civilian government in an October 2021 coup, a move that derailed a transition from the rule of Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who was…