NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

02

2024

Six killed in disputed region bordering Sudan, South Sudan

NEWS

SIX people including a senior local administrator were killed in an ambush by armed men in the Abyei region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, local officials said. The oil-rich region experiences frequent bouts of violence, where rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group - Twic Dinka from South Sudan's neighbouring Warrap State, and Ngok Dinka from Abyei - are locked in a dispute over the location of an administrative boundary. Abyei Deputy Chief Administrator Noon Deng and his team came under attack along the road from Abyei to Aneet town when they were returning from an official visit…

Jan

02

2024

By ANGE ADIHE KASONGO

Congo’s Tshisekedi fights poll fraud accusations with ‘spirit of openness’

NEWS

WHEN Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner of another disputed election, he pledged to be a leader for all its 100 million people. However, accusations by opposition leaders of electoral fraud and political repression will likely cloud his second term as it did the first. His main rivals rejected Sunday's outcome before it was announced and called for a rerun. Speaking to supporters at his campaign headquarters in Kinshasa, Tshisekedi appealed for unity. "It is with a spirit of openness that I'll govern during this second term," Tshisekedi told a jubilant crowd, adding that he would focus…

Jan

03

2024

By BOUREIMA BALIMA and ABDEL-KADER MAZOU

Military-led Sahel states rally thousands to support alliance

NEWS

THE prime ministers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali affirmed their commitment to a shared future under an alliance that has seen the three junta-led countries distance themselves from the larger West African political bloc since their coups. The three neighbouring states are all ruled by military officers who have seized power in coups since 2020. This has put them at odds with the rest of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is urging them to return to democratic rule. "From now on, we say, whether you're from Mali, Niger or Burkina, we have the same destiny. We're…

Jan

02

2024

By The African Mirror

Chad opposition leader Masra appointed PM of transitional govt

NEWS

CHADIAN opposition leader Succes Masra who recently returned to the central African country following a deal with the ruling junta, was appointed as prime minister of the transitional government, the presidency said. His appointment could be seen as a move by the junta to appease the opposition after a constitutional referendum in which most opposition political parties have either called for a boycott or a "no" vote. Masra, a staunch opponent of the junta which seized power in April 2021, fled the country after dozens were killed and hundreds injured as security forces cracked down on demonstrations in the capital N'Djamena on…

Jan

02

2024

By The African Mirror

UN peacekeeping mission in Mali completes its withdrawal

NEWS

THE U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, is poised to complete its withdrawal from the country, the United Nations said in a statement. Security experts warn the area could now become the focus of a struggle in the north as rebel groups and the army seek to take areas that the U.N. has left, further destabilising Mali, where Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State also roam. Violence in Mali has spiked since June when the military junta which took power in a 2021 coup ordered the U.N.'s decade-old peacekeeping mission to leave. The U.N. said only a small team will…

Dec

31

2023

By The African Mirror

Two South Koreans released after being kidnapped in Nigeria

NEWS

TWO South Koreans kidnapped by gunmen in Nigeria earlier this month have been released safely, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The two men were taken after gunmen ambushed their convoy in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta on December 12, killing four soldiers guarding the group and two civilian drivers. "On Friday, we secured custody of the two abducted Korean citizens," the ministry said in a statement. "Both people are currently in good health, and after a hospital checkup, they moved to a safe area and spoke with their families." Attacks by militants in the Niger Delta have dwindled over the years. But the region…

Dec

31

2023

By The African Mirror

Aid agencies report looting, suspend operations in Sudanese state

NEWS

TWO international aid organisations say that their facilities have been looted and they have suspended operations in an area of Sudan where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) recently advanced in its war with the army. The halting of operations by the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) and Medical charity MSF in El Gezira risks exacerbating a humanitarian crisis caused by more than eight months of war. The WFP said it had been forced to pause distributions of aid in El Gezira state where it said a warehouse containing enough stocks to feed 1.5 million people for a month had…

Jan

01

2024

By ANGE ADIHE KASONGO

Congo President Tshisekedi re-elected, election commission says

NEWS

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi has been re-elected for a second term after getting more than 73% of the vote in this month's presidential election, the country's election commission said. Announcing the results on Sunday in the capital Kinshasa, Denis Kadima, the head of Congo's national election commission known as the CENI, said Tshisekedi was elected with 73.34% of the vote having obtained over 13 million votes out of over 18 million valid votes. Turnout in the disputed election was at over 43%, Kadima said. Earlier on Sunday a group of Congo's main opposition presidential candidates asked supporters…

Jan

01

2024

By CAMILLUS EBOH

Nigerian lawmakers pass 2024 budget after Tinubu seeks extra funds

NEWS

NIGERIAN lawmakers approved a 28.77 trillion naira ($34 billion) budget for 2024, accepting a funding increase that the government had sought due to higher revenue forecasts and a weaker currency. President Bola Tinubu had initially presented a 27.5 trillion naira budget to lawmakers, projecting a deficit of 3.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) and assuming an average exchange rate of 750 naira per dollar. But at a special sitting on Saturday, the Senate and House of Representatives separately debated the budget and resolved to adopt it with the changes sought by the government. The government said it expected more revenue from government-owned…

Dec

30

2023

By WENDELL ROELF and TOBY STERLING

South Africa files genocide case against Israel at World Court

NEWS

SOUTH Africa asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its crackdown against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. The ICJ, sometimes known as the World Court, is the United Nations' venue for resolving disputes between states. Israel's foreign ministry said in a reaction the suit was "baseless." South Africa's filing alleged Israel was violating its obligations under the treaty, drafted in the wake of the Holocaust, which makes it a crime to attempt to destroy a people in whole or in part. It…