NEWS - The African Mirror

Sep

30

2023

Britain urged to swiftly return politician’s loot to Nigeria

NEWS

BRITISH and Nigerian civil society groups have urged the British government to return funds confiscated from Nigerian politician James Ibori, a convicted fraudster, to his country in a swift and transparent way so the money can benefit ordinary Nigerians. In a letter to Britain's home and foreign affairs ministers, a coalition of close to 50 NGOs said the long-delayed confiscation process had undermined the strong anti-corruption message sent by Ibori's conviction over a decade ago. "The years of disruption and delay in recovering and returning these stolen assets means this message has so far rung hollow for the Nigerian people,"…

Oct

01

2023

By The African Mirror

Congolese opposition leader Fayulu confirms he will run for the presidency

NEWS

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo opposition leader Martin Fayulu confirmed he will submit his candidacy for the December presidential election, where he is expected to be one of the main challengers to President Felix Tshisekedi. The 66-year-old former Exxon Mobil executive came second to Tshisekedi in the contentious 2018 election. His party, the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, the African Union and Congo's influential Catholic Church questioned the outcome and Fayulu challenged the results in court. Since then he has remained a vocal critic of Tshisekedi's presidency, threatening to boycott the Dec. 20 ballot in protest at alleged fraud linked…

Oct

01

2023

By The African Mirror

Burkina junta leader: Security first before promised elections

NEWS

THE leader of Burkina Faso's military junta said promised elections would only be held once the security situation permits, as hundreds of his supporters rallied in the capital on the first anniversary of the coup. Supporters gathered at the Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou waving Burkinabe flags. Some held signs with pictures of the young interim president, Captain Ibrahim Traore. Traore grabbed power on September 30 last year, ousting the leader of another coup who had overthrown president Roch Kabore eight months earlier amid a worsening security crisis fuelled by armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Britain backs undersea cable to tap Moroccan renewable power

NEWS

BRITAIN has designated a plan to build a subsea cable carrying renewable energy from Morocco as a project of "national significance", which could help smooth planning hurdles. Xlinks, a company chaired by former Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, wants to build 3,800 kilometres (2361.21 miles) of subsea cables to supply solar and wind power from the Sahara to 7 million British homes by 2030. While Xlinks called the government's recognition of its project "a major milestone", many challenges remain. As well as needing to build the world's longest high-voltage direct current subsea cable, Xlinks needs to secure more funding, agree on…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Suicide bomber kills at least 7 in Somali tea shop; al Shabaab claims responsibility

NEWS

A suicide bomber set off an explosion at a shop selling tea in Somalia's capital, killing at least seven people, a witness and medical personnel. Police put the number of dead at five. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Arabic media unit Shahada News Agency, the SITE Intelligence Group reported on Friday. It put the number of dead at 11 and wounded at 18; its numbers on casualties in attacks often differ from government figures. The Friday afternoon blast occurred at a checkpoint on a road leading to the parliament and…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

African football fans won’t be able to watch the big matches on TV – what went wrong and how to fix it

NEWS

THE sale of television rights is the prime source of revenue for footballing organisations worldwide but is particularly critical to Africa. Yet the Confederation of African Football (Caf) keeps making headlines for sacking its broadcasting partners. It faces potential litigation for recently terminating a US$415 million deal with the Qatari-based beIN Sports, the second TV contract in four years that the governing body of African football has unilaterally scrapped. We asked sports communications and media expert Chuka Onwumechili to unpack why this is happening and what impact it has. CHUKA ONWUMECHILI, Professor of Communications, Howard University How important are TV…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Tunisian opposition leader Ghannouchi starts a three-day hunger strike in prison

NEWS

JAILED Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, has begun a three-day hunger strike in support of other imprisoned opposition figures, his Islamist Ennahda party said on Friday. Ghannouchi, 82, was sentenced to a year in jail in May on charges of incitement and plotting against state security. More than 20 other opposition figures have been detained this year. They say Saied's shutting down of the elected parliament in 2021 and moves to rule by decree amounted to a coup. Saied, who enshrined his new constitutional powers in a referendum with a low turnout last…

Sep

30

2023

By GWLADYS FOUCHE

Nobel Peace Prize: who has won and who missed out?

NEWS

THE winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 6 in Oslo. Here are some past winners - and one person who did not but should have. MARTIN LUTHER KING The leader of the U.S. civil rights movement was "the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence," according to the then chairman of the awarding body, Gunnar Jahn. "He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Broken infrastructure, drought cause power rationing in Tanzania, official says

NEWS

MAINTENANCE issues and climate change-induced water shortages have caused a 400-megawatt electricity shortfall in Tanzania, triggering power rationing across the East African nation, the state power supplier said. Tanzania's national grid, which has an installed capacity of more than 1,900 MW, was suffering from broken infrastructure at gas wells and gas-fired power stations, as well as reduced water levels at hydropower dams, said Gissima Nyamo-Hanga, managing director of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO). TANESCO, which is wholly owned by the government, expects to complete maintenance operations and resolve the shortfall by the end of March next year, Nyamo-Hanga told…

Sep

30

2023

By ESA ALEXANDER and LUNGA MASUKU

Eswatini holds parliamentary elections under monarch’s control

NEWS

VOTERS in Eswatini queued under the hot sun on Friday morning to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections whose outcome will make little difference to the politics of a country controlled by Africa's last absolute monarch. King Mswati III has ruled the southern African kingdom of about 1.2 million people since 1986 when he inherited the crown from his father, Sobhuza II. Political parties are banned, but individual candidates can run for seats in the House of Assembly every five years. The power of the politicians elected in these polls consists mainly of being able to make suggestions to the…