NEWS - The African Mirror

Oct

21

2020

Lagos imposes 24-hour curfew amid protests against Nigeria’s police

NEWS

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM and LIBBY GEORGE THE Nigerian state of Lagos has imposed a 24-hour curfew, saying protests against alleged police brutality had turned violent after a police station in the commercial capital was set on fire. A business group said the demonstrations had cost Nigeria $1.8 billion. Thousands of Nigerians demanding an end to alleged police brutality have taken to the streets every day for more than a week across the country, posing a challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the curfew would affect all parts of the state, including Lagos - Africa's largest city with 20…

Oct

20

2020

By The African Mirror

Witnesses say 15 people died after Nigerian police opened fire with live ammunition on unarmed protesters

NEWS

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM and LIBBY GEORGE SOLDIERS opened fire on Nigerians protesting against police brutality in the Lekki district of the commercial capital Lagos on Tuesday, and at least two people were shot, four witnesses told Reuters. Thousands of Nigerians have demonstrated nationwide every day for nearly two weeks against a police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), that rights groups had for years accused of extortion, harassment, torture and murders. The unit was disbanded on October 11 but the protests have persisted with demonstrators calling for a raft of law enforcement reforms. "They started firing ammunition toward the crowd. They…

Oct

20

2020

By The African Mirror

“Prophet” Shepherd Bushiri and wife in custody in connection with R102-million fraud

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SHEPHERD Bushiri, one of Africa’s influential and rich religious leaders and his wife are in police custody after they were arrested by the South African law enforcement authorities in connection with a R102-million fraud and money laundering case. Bushiri, head of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) and his wife Mary are expected to appear in court on Friday, where they are expected to apply for bail. Bushiri's wife was arrested at their Sandton home while Bushiri, who was suspected of attempting to evade arrest, handed himself over at the Silverton Police Station in Pretoria. The arrest of…

Oct

20

2020

By The African Mirror

Suspected Islamists free 1,300 prisoners from east Congo jail

NEWS

ERIKAS MWISI KAMBALE ARMED men freed more than 1,300 prisoners from a jail in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a coordinated attack yesterday, the town's mayor said, blaming an Islamist militant group operating in the area. Only 110 of 1,456 inmates, including a number of militia fighters, remained following the simultaneous early-morning assaults on the Kangbayi central prison in Beni and the military camp defending it, said Modeste Bakwanamaha. "The attackers, who came in large numbers, managed to break the door with electrical equipment," Bakwanamaha told Reuters. "We believe it was the ADF who did this." The Allied Democratic…

Oct

20

2020

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia hunts for children forced to work, marry during pandemic

NEWS

EMELINE WUILBERCQ ETHIOPIA has set up a network of committees to identify children forced into work or marriage during the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure schools are safe to re-open this week although campaigners fear it will be hard to reverse the damage done. Yohannes Wogasso, school improvement program director at the Ministry of Education, said authorities realised the closure of schools in March to stop the spread of COVID-19 had led to a rise in child marriage, child labour, and gender-based violence. But he said reopening schools from October 19 should go some way to reversing the negative impacts,…

Oct

20

2020

By The African Mirror

TRUMP: U.S. to remove Sudan from state terrorism sponsors list after $335-million payment to victims

NEWS

MATT SPETALNICK, NAFISA ELTAHIR and KHALID ABDELAZIZ President Donald Trump announced on Monday the United States would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside $335-million for payments for American victims and their families. The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, a U.S. official told Reuters, following similar U.S.-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The details and timing were still being worked out, the source said. Though Trump made no mention of Israel in his tweet announcing…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Scottish court told evidence was flawed in Lockerbie bombing trial

NEWS

ESTELLE SHIRBON SCOTLAND’S High Court has been told that the conviction of a Libyan man over the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing, the deadliest militant attack in British history, rested on evidence that was badly flawed. The family of now-deceased Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the bombing that killed 270 people, have launched a posthumous appeal, supported by some victims' relatives who say the truth has yet to come out. Pam Am Flight 103 was blown up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988 en route from London to New York, carrying mostly Americans on their…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Sierra Leone anti-corruption body questions former president

NEWS

SIERRA Leone's former President Ernest Bai Koroma has been questioned in a secure location in connection with investigations into alleged corruption after his lawyer cited concerns over his safety, the anti-corruption commission said. The case concerns alleged wrongdoing in connection with mining, construction and procurement contracts during Koroma's 2007-2018 tenure. Koroma denies the allegations, and has said corruption allegations are part of a long-running smear campaign. This questioning is the latest move in a campaign by Koroma's successor, President Julius Maada Bio, to investigate the previous administration that Maada Bio says took the country to the brink of economic collapse.…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Both sides claim gains in Ethiopia war, Tigrayans accused of massacre

NEWS

ETHIOPIA’S state-appointed rights watchdog accused a Tigrayan youth group on Tuesday of killing hundreds of civilians as federal and local forces both claimed advances in a three-week war in the country's mountainous north. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government said enemy soldiers were surrendering as it advanced towards the regional capital, but the Tigrayans reported they were resisting and had destroyed a prestigious army division. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission published findings into a November 9 attack in Mai Kadra in southwest Tigray - first reported by Amnesty International - where it said a youth group called Samri killed at least…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

African countries among leaders in the race for gender-balanced cabinets

NEWS

ANASTASIA MOLONEY and NITA BHALLA U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to appoint a diverse cabinet that "looks like America," promising to bring more women into the top echelons of government. The incoming Democrat has named Avril Haines to be director of national intelligence and Janet Yellen as secretary of the Department of Treasury - both would be the first women to hold those positions. Biden's promise of a more gender-balanced cabinet follows examples set in several countries spanning the globe. Here are seven countries already leading the way: RWANDA The small East African nation of Rwanda boasts by far…