NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

25

2024

Tunisia court sentences ex-president Marzouki to 8 years in absentia

NEWS

A Tunisian court sentenced former President Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia on charges of assaulting the state security and inciting Tunisians against each other, a judicial official said. This is the second prison sentence against Marzouki, who resides in Paris after a judge sentenced him in 2021 to four years in absentia. Mohamed Zitouna, the spokesperson of the Tunis court, said the verdict was based on statements by Marzouki that included incitement in a speech he gave in Paris, without giving further details. Marzouki, who was president from 2011 to 2014, is a fierce critic of President…

Feb

27

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

Ethiopian police arrest French journalist, employer says

NEWS

ETHIOPIAN police have arrested a French journalist on suspicion of "conspiracy to create chaos", his employer said. Antoine Galindo was arrested last Thursday while on assignment in the capital Addis Ababa, the Africa Intelligence publication said in a statement. It said a judge on Saturday prolonged Galindo's detention until March 1. Africa Intelligence said Galindo "has been suspected of 'conspiracy to create chaos in Ethiopia' and was brought before a judge on 24 February." The publication said its lawyer attended the hearing and was told about the charges. "Africa Intelligence condemns the unjustified arrest ... and calls for his immediate…

Feb

25

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

In Ethiopia, a secret committee orders killings and arrests to crush rebels

NEWS

WARNING: This story contains disturbing visual content. A secretive committee of senior officials in Ethiopia’s largest and most populous region, Oromiya, has ordered extra-judicial killings and illegal detentions to crush an insurgency there, a Reuters investigation has found. Reuters interviewed more than 30 federal and local officials, judges, lawyers and victims of abuses by authorities. The agency also reviewed documents drafted by local political and judicial authorities. These interviews and documents for the first time shed light on the workings of the Koree Nageenyaa – Security Committee in the Oromo language - which began operating in the months after Prime Minister…

Feb

26

2024

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s governing ANC promises ‘better life’ at manifesto launch

NEWS

SOUTH Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa said that his party, the African National Congress (ANC), would build on the successes of the last three decades and work to resolve the country's challenges of high unemployment, crime and poverty should it win decisively at the polls. Ramaphosa outlined his party's six priority areas at its election manifesto launch in Durban, a coastal city in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Recent polls suggest the ANC is at risk of losing its parliamentary majority in the May 29 election for the first time since Nelson Mandela led the country through its first democratic elections at…

Feb

25

2024

By EDWIN WAITA

Kenya marathon hero Kiptum honoured at funeral as unique talent and family man

NEWS

Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, whose dreams of breaking the race's two-hour barrier were ended by a car crash earlier this month, was remembered for his talent and humility at a funeral service in western Kenya. The service in the Rift Valley village of Chepkorio was attended by political and sporting dignitaries, including Kenyan President William Ruto and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. The 24-year-old Kiptum had only run three international marathons but each was among the fastest seven times ever recorded. He set the world record in Chicago last October in two hours and 35 seconds, shaving 34 seconds off his…

Feb

25

2024

By FELIX ONUAH

West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

NEWS

THE West African regional bloc said that it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union - a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met to address a political crisis in the coup-hit region that deepened in January with military-ruled Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali's decision to exit the 15-member bloc. After closed-door talks, ECOWAS said it had decided to lift Niger sanctions including border closures, the freezing of central bank and state assets, and the…

Feb

25

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegalese President Sall’s opposition rivals reject talks

NEWS

SENEGALESE opposition presidential candidates rejected an invitation to join talks that President Macky Sall says are necessary before a delayed presidential election can be scheduled. On Thursday, Sall promised to step down when his mandate ends on April 2 but said he could not yet set a new date for an election despite pressure to end a three-week electoral crisis that has fuelled unrest and fears of democratic backsliding. He said political parties and civil society first needed to take part in talks scheduled for Monday, a day after the presidential vote was originally meant to be held. Sixteen of the 19…

Feb

25

2024

By EMMA FARGE

Sudan’s warring sides commit abuses, including strikes on fleeing civilians, UN report says

NEWS

BOTH sides in Sudan's civil war have committed abuses that may amount to war crimes including indiscriminate attacks on civilian sites like hospitals, markets and even camps for the displaced, the U.N. human rights office said. Efforts have so far failed to end the 10-month-old conflict that pits Sudan's regular armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Thousands of people have been killed and some eight million forced to flee their homes, making it the country with the largest displaced population in the world. "Some of these violations would amount to war crimes," Volker Turk, the U.N. High…

Feb

24

2024

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Mike Tyson lands knockout punch on Gaddafi-era boxing ban with Libyan visit

NEWS

THE starting buzzer is ringing for boxing's long-awaited revival in North Africa as former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson set social media aflame with news that he would appear at a boxing event in Benghazi next Friday. The expected presence of the iconic Tyson marks a watershed moment for the sport in Libya. Boxing was banned in the oil-rich nation for decades by the country's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Tyson, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time and a 'knockout king', shared the news on his Instagram page, posting: “Hey boxing world, I’m pleased to…

Feb

24

2024

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Francophone Africa tech hubs grow their investor appeal, footballers join the fray

NEWS

WHILE Africa’s ‘big four’ tech hubs of Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt maintained their top spots in a difficult funding year, their 2023 rankings were increasingly challenged by Francophone countries according to recent reports. Partech’s 2023 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report shows that Francophone Africa recorded a 3% rise in funding, against a wider 50% drop among the 'big four". Similarly, the number of French-speaking tech hubs among Africa's "top ten' also rose, with five slots now filled by Francophone countries. “In 2023, Francophone Africa distinguished itself as a dynamic and growing force in the tech sector, defying broader…