NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

14

2023

Benin constitutional court affirms election win for ruling coalition

NEWS

BENIN'S constitutional court affirmed the ruling coalition's win in last weekend's legislative election and the return to parliament of opposition after boycotts and exclusions in previous elections. The final tally showed the two parties already in power - Union Progressiste le Renouveau and Bloc Republicain - came first and second with 37.56% and 29.23% of votes respectively. The party of former President Thomas Boni Yayi, Les Démocrates, came third with 24.16%. Yayi's supporters led demonstrations in 2019 after opposition parties were blocked from the legislative vote for failing to meet strict new eligibility criteria. None of the remaining four parties…

Jan

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Amhara forces withdraw from parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, army says

NEWS

DAWIT ENDESHAW ETHIOPIA'S army said forces from the Amhara region, who fought in support of the federal government during the two-year war in neighbouring Tigray, have withdrawn from a major Tigray city in line with an African Union-backed ceasefire. However, a humanitarian worker in the city of Shire said Amhara forces were still there in "significant numbers." It was not immediately possible to verify the situation on the ground. Ethiopia's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a guerrilla force-turned-political party that dominates the region, agreed on November 2 to stop fighting following talks. The withdrawal of Amhara forces…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Tigray forces give up heavy weapons to Ethiopian army

NEWS

DAWIT ENDESHAW TIGRAY forces, who fought a two-year war against Ethiopia's federal government, began handing over heavy weaponry to the national army as part of an African Union-led peace process. The demobilisation of Tigray forces is seen as central to the November 2 ceasefire agreement, alongside the restoration of services, resumption of humanitarian aid and withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who fought alongside Ethiopia's army but were not party to the truce. The conflict created famine-like conditions for hundreds of thousands of Tigray's population killed thousands and displaced millions across northern Ethiopia. The handover in the town of Agulae, around 30…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Rape victim testifies in Swiss court as Liberian war criminal appeals conviction

NEWS

EMMA FARGE A woman cried as she testified to a Swiss court that a former Liberian rebel commander had raped her repeatedly during the country's civil war, on the first day of his appeal to overturn 22 convictions for war crimes. While Alieu Kosiah is appealing the 2021 ruling Swiss prosecutors are arguing that he also committed crimes against humanity, which could increase his 20-year sentence if his conviction is upheld and he is found guilty on these counts. Kosiah, who fought against former Liberian president Charles Taylor's army in the 1990s, was convicted on charges including rape, murder and…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s female bouncers show their strength fighting stereotypes

NEWS

SEUN SANNI and TEMILADE ADELAJA FOR years, Emem Thomas' body drew snarky remarks from slimmer classmates in southern Nigeria that shattered her confidence and natural affability. As teasing and taunts marred her teenage years, she gave up on dreams like competing in a local beauty pageant. Then she found a niche that values what Thomas now proudly describes as her "plus-sized" body type: the "Dragon Squad Limited", a team of female bouncers. "I love what I see dragons do in movies," she said. "They are also a symbol of power and protection." Founded in 2018, Thomas only employs women of a…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Transnet to tender for locomotive repairs after ‘impasse’ with Chinese supplier

NEWS

SOUTH Africa's state-owned logistics company Transnet said it reached an "impasse" in talks with Chinese rail equipment manufacturer CRRC E-Loco, despite last year's settlement over procurement contracts. The two have engaged in legal battles after Transnet halted the supply of 1,064 locomotives from four original equipment suppliers, including CRRC, saying that 2014 contracts worth 54.4 billion rands ($3.20 billion) had been unlawfully awarded by the previous board and management. On Thursday, without giving details, Transnet said CRRC had shown unwillingness to engage with South African authorities to "normalise its operations" in the country. A CRRC spokesperson did not immediately respond…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Uganda agrees oil exploration deals with two firms including Australia’s DGR Global

NEWS

UGANDA'S cabinet has agreed for the energy ministry to sign production-sharing agreements (PSA) for two oil exploration blocks with two oil firms, including a unit of Australia's DGR Global, the government said. A cabinet meeting on Monday had approved the signing of an agreement with DGR Energy Turaco Uganda Limited, owned by Australia's DGR Global, for the Turaco exploration area, according to a statement issued by Godfrey Kabbyanga, a junior information minister. The 637-square-kilometre exploration area is located in Uganda's Albertine Rift basin near the border with Congo. A different unit of DGR Global already owns an exploration property in…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

KENYA: Islamist fighters kill four road workers

NEWS

FOUR workers from Kenya's highways agency were killed in an ambush by suspected Islamist militants near the country's eastern border with Somalia, police said. The workers were leading a three-car convoy from the town of Garissa to Bura when they hit an explosive device planted in the road by suspected members of the Somali insurgent group al Shabaab, according to a police report. "A vehicle with four employees of the Kenya National Highway Authority was attacked with an IED, all the four died on the spot," said John Otieno, a local government administrator. Spokespersons for al Shabaab could not immediately…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Flights ban: Morocco to skip tournament in Algeria

NEWS

MOROCCO will not take part in a soccer tournament being held in Algeria after the Algerian government rejected its request for the team to fly there directly on Morocco's national airline, the Moroccan football federation said. Algeria closed its airspace to Moroccan aircraft in 2021 after it unilaterally severed diplomatic ties with its North African neighbour. Morocco is the title holder of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) for players under 23 who still play in African countries. The tournament starts on Friday and finishes on February 4. Soccer authorities in Rabat had written to the Confederation of African Football to…

Jan

12

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

NEWS

DAWIT ENDESHAW AFRICA should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of a five-country Africa tour. Qin visited facilities of the African Union in Addis Ababa, including the new headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. China financed the complex's construction, as it previously did for the headquarters of the AU itself, also based in the Ethiopian capital. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for over a decade. It competes for influence with the…