NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

20

2024

Tunisia opposition leader Ghannouchi begins hunger strike in prison

NEWS

IMPRISONED Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi went on a hunger strike in solidarity with other anti-government figures waging a protest fast to demand their immediate release, a team of opposition lawyers said. Ghannouchi, 82, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied and head of the Ennahda main opposition party, was jailed last year on charges of incitement against police and plotting against state security. Earlier this month in a separate case a judge sentenced him to three years in prison on charges of accepting external financing. "While he is fighting the 'empty stomach' battle, Ghannouchi calls on Tunisians to adhere to a democratic Tunisia…

Feb

20

2024

By DJAFFAR AL KATANTY

Eastern Congo residents scramble for food and safety as conflict intensifies

NEWS

AN intensifying conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) army and the Tutsi-led M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has disrupted food supplies to the eastern city of Goma, affecting over two million residents and displaced individuals. Clashes have escalated since the start of the year in towns and villages around the provincial capital as rebels seized territory, forcing thousands to seek refuge in the city. The use of heavy artillery and shelling has killed dozens, and hospitals in Goma have struggled to cope with the influx of injured civilians. The United Nations and other aid agencies have warned that the…

Feb

19

2024

By The African Mirror

Pope Francis appeals for an end to Sudan’s civil war

NEWS

POPE Francis appealed to Sudan's warring factions to put an end to a 10-month conflict that has seen millions displaced and prompted warnings of famine. "I ask again the warring parties to stop this war, which causes so much damage to the people and the future of the country", Francis said during his Angelus message. "Let's pray so that avenues of peace will soon be found for the future of beloved Sudan", he added. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end the civil war in Sudan that pits the country's armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In his…

Feb

20

2024

By ISAAC ANYAOGU and FELIX ONUAH

Nigeria fuel tanker union begins strike to protest rising costs

NEWS

NIGERIA'S fuel tanker drivers began a strike over rising operational costs due to the recent second devaluation of the naira currency within a year and over the state of the country's roads, a union official said. The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), which groups thousands of truck owners and drivers responsible for fuel distribution in Africa's most populous nation, are pushing for higher freight charges from fuel marketers due to rising costs. Africa's biggest economy is grappling with a cost of living crisis, with the inflation rate hitting almost 30% in January - the highest in nearly three…

Feb

19

2024

By The African Mirror

US condemns worsening violence in east of DR Congo, accuses Rwanda

NEWS

THE United States condemned worsening violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), blaming it on M23, an armed group it said is backed by Rwanda. A statement from the U.S. State Department called on M23 to cease hostilities immediately and withdraw from its current positions around Sake and Goma. "The United States condemns Rwanda's support for the M23 armed group," the statement said. It called on Rwanda to immediately withdraw all of its military personnel from the DRC and remove surface-to-air missile systems, saying these threatened the lives of civilians, U.N. and other regional peacekeepers, humanitarian workers and…

Feb

19

2024

By MAXWELL AKALAARE ADOMBILA

Ghana lawmaker says jailing LGBT offenders would encourage sodomy in prison

NEWS

A Ghanaian legislator has asked parliament to replace jail terms for gay sex with non-custodial sentences including counselling, saying the anti-LGBT bill currently making its way through the legislature would only encourage sodomy in prisons. A coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders have sponsored the legislation, which is favoured by most lawmakers and would punish the promotion of LGBT rights with up to 10 years in prison. Gay sex is already punishable in Ghana by up to three years in prison. Ruling-party lawmaker Alexander Afenyo-Markin said on Thursday that imprisoning people for LGBT offences would encourage sodomy in prisons…

Feb

18

2024

By PORTIA CROWE and NGOUDA DIONE

Senegal’s Sall promises to hold delayed presidential vote as soon as possible

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall said that he would fully abide by a court decision that overturned the postponement of the presidential election to December, pledging to hold consultations to organise the vote as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the February 25 poll and plunged the country into electoral uncertainty was overturned on Thursday by Senegal's Constitutional Council. Sall "has taken note" of the council's decision and request for the election to be held as soon as possible, the presidency said in a statement on Friday. "The president intends to fully execute the constitutional council's decision," it added. Sall has…

Feb

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Egypt denies allegations of participating in any process involving displacement of Gazans into Sinai

NEWS

EGYPT categorically denied allegations of participating in any process involving the displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip into the Sinai Peninsula, the country's State Information Service (SIS) said. Four sources told Reuters that Egypt, as a precautionary measure, is preparing an area at the Gaza border which could accommodate Palestinians in case an Israeli offensive into Rafah prompts an exodus across the frontier. The news was also reported by other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal. "Egypt's decisive stance since the beginning of the aggression ... is to completely reject any forced or voluntary displacement of Palestinian brothers from the Gaza…

Feb

18

2024

By BENOIT NYEMBA and ANGE ADIHE KASONG

Thousands homeless after DR Congo’s worst floods in sixty years

NEWS

IN a makeshift camp for people displaced by floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo, father-of-three Cyprien Seka anxiously watched his baby nap on the floor of a crowded tent and wondered if it would ever be safe to return home. Torrential rains swelled the Congo River to its highest level in over 60 years in late December and forced around 500,000 people to flee the rising waters. "It's been almost a month since we left our homes because of the flooding... We are suffering," Seka said at the camp on the grounds of a Catholic church on the outskirts of the…

Feb

19

2024

By The African Mirror

Returning sea migrants to Libya is illegal, Italy’s top court says

NEWS

ITALY'S top appeals court has established that sending sea migrants back to Libya is unlawful, a ruling hailed by charities and human rights groups. The Court of Cassation upheld the conviction of the captain of an Italian towboat, Asso 28, who in 2018 rescued 101 migrants from a rubber dinghy and returned them to Libya. The rescue took place in international waters about 105 km off Libya, the court said. Pregnant women and children were among the migrants, it added. The captain - whose name was blacked out in the ruling for privacy reasons - was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for…