NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

01

2024

Kenyan president says Haiti mission to go ahead despite court ruling

NEWS

KENYA is going to push ahead with plans to lead a U.N.-approved security mission to Haiti, despite a court in Nairobi last week blocking the deployment, Kenyan President William Ruto told Reuters. The international force is aimed at tackling rampant gang violence in the Caribbean nation, which killed nearly 5,000 people last year and is due to be initially financed by the United States. The mission was thrown into doubt after the Kenyan court ruled that it would be unconstitutional to deploy officers abroad unless there was a "reciprocal arrangement" in place with the host government. Ruto said Haiti had asked for…

Jan

31

2024

By The African Mirror

African Union urges dialogue between ECOWAS and junta-led states

NEWS

THE African Union (AU) called for dialogue between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and junta-led countries Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso who have said they will leave the bloc. The trio's decision to exit ECOWAS, which they announced on Sunday, is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended them following coups. The AU had backed ECOWAS' efforts to restore democracy. "The Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat learned with deep regret of the announcement of the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS," the AU said in a statement. "(He) calls…

Jan

31

2024

By NYASHA CHINGONO

Zimbabwe opposition leader freed from two years’ pre-trial detention

NEWS

A Zimbabwean court freed opposition politician Job Sikhala after nearly 600 days of pre-trial detention on charges of inciting public violence in 2022. Sikhala, 51, a leader in the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has been arrested dozens of times since he began his political career in 1999. He was jailed in 2022 for obstruction of justice and inciting public violence after saying that the ruling party, ZANU PF, had killed an opposition activist, which it denied. He denied all charges against him. On Tuesday, a Harare magistrate convicted him of inciting public violence but gave him a…

Jan

30

2024

By The African Mirror

Pope says Africans are ‘special case’ when it comes to LGBT blessings

NEWS

POPE Francis said in an interview published that Africans were a "special case" in the opposition of bishops and many other people in the continent to homosexuality. But he said he was confident that, except for Africans, critics of his decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples would eventually understand it. Blessings were allowed last month in a document called Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which has caused widespread debate in the Catholic Church, with particularly strong resistance coming from African bishops. "Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups," Francis told Italian newspaper La Stampa. "A special case is Africans: for…

Jan

30

2024

By The African Mirror

Ghana wants to make importing food like rice and tomatoes more costly: expert explains why it’s a bad idea

NEWS

GHANA, like many other developing nations, relies heavily on imports of food and consumer goods to feed its population. For instance, Ghana imports 55% of the rice that is consumed locally. The country’s import dependence is primarily a consequence of the production of low-value primary products without substantial value addition. SYLVANUS KWAKU AFESORGBOR, Associate Professor, Agri-Food Trade and Policy, University of Guelph To forestall over-dependence on foreign goods, the government has proposed a trade-restrictive policy via a legislative instrument on 22 major items. It has justified the policy on the grounds that it wants to reduce Ghana’s dependence on foreign…

Jan

30

2024

By NELLIE PEYTON

South Africa’s ruling ANC suspends membership of ex-leader Zuma

NEWS

SOUTH Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) said that it had suspended the membership of former president Jacob Zuma after he announced he would vote for another party in this year's general election. Zuma, whose nine years in office from 2009 were marked by corruption scandals and sluggish economic growth, said last month he would campaign for the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in the vote, which is expected between May and August. His suspension reflects deep-seated divisions in the party of liberation hero Nelson Mandela that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid. Analysts say this year's election…

Jan

31

2024

By ANGELO AMANTE and CRISPIAN BALMER

Italy’s Meloni pledges new partnership with Africa, funds limited

NEWS

ITALIAN Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed a new partnership with Africa, unveiling a long-awaited plan aimed at boosting economic ties, creating an energy hub for Europe and curbing immigration. Hosting a one-day summit attended by more than two dozen African leaders and European Union officials, Meloni outlined a series of initiatives, pledging an initial 5.5 billion euros ($5.95 billion), including state guarantees. Meloni said the summit had been a success that had produced many areas of potential cooperation, particularly concerning energy. "We are only at the beginning, there is a very long road ahead of us. This day is a restart,"…

Jan

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Uganda says judge’s dissent from World Court ruling on Israel does not reflect its position

NEWS

UGANDA has distanced itself from an opinion written by a Ugandan judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dissenting from the panel's ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel and said the remarks do not reflect Uganda's position. Julia Sebutinde was the only judge on the 17-member ICJ panel to vote against all six measures adopted by the court in a ruling ordering Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it fights Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. "The position taken by Judge Sebutinde is her own individual and independent opinion and does not in any way reflect the…

Jan

29

2024

By BOUREIMA BALIMA and TIEMOKO DIALLO

Three West African junta-led states quit ECOWAS regional block

NEWS

NIGER, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, said that they are immediately leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous joint statement on their national television channels, is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended the three following coups. The move could further weaken ECOWAS which has struggled to contain a democratic retreat in the West Africa region. In response to the withdrawal, ECOWAS said it…

Jan

29

2024

By GARBA MUHAMMAD

Nigeria Air Force owns up to 2023 bombing that killed civilians

NEWS

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said that it regretted a strike that killed dozens of civilians and injured others a year ago, accepting for the first time its responsibility for the incident investigated by Reuters. Dozens of ethnic Fulani herders died in the January 2023 aerial bombing in central Nasarawa state as they unloaded cattle retrieved from authorities in a neighbouring state, according to witnesses, local leaders and detailed complaints. In a rare acknowledgement of responsibility, the Air Force said its chief of air staff Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar had at the weekend visited affected communities after reviewing reports of the…