NEWS - The African Mirror

Nov

19

2020

Kenyan police bust child trafficking ring

NEWS

NITA BHALLA KENYAN police have arrested three hospital staff in a probe into the theft and sale of babies, accusing some public hospitals and care homes of colluding with organised crime. Authorities acted after a BBC investigation revealed how Kenyan child trafficking syndicates - from street clinics to a government-run hospital - were stealing babies from vulnerable mothers to be sold for as little as $400. Kenya's Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai said three medical officers from a public hospital had been arrested, with a high possibility of more arrests to come. "During an operation by police to unearth…

Nov

19

2020

By The African Mirror

Ethiopian troops push for regional capital, rebels promise ‘hell’

NEWS

GIULIA PARAVICINI ETHIOPIA predicted swift victory but northern rebels promised them "hell" on Wednesday in a two-week war threatening the vast nation's unity and further destabilising the Horn of Africa. The war has killed hundreds, sent 30,000 refugees into Sudan, and called into question whether Africa's youngest leader can hold together Ethiopia's myriad fractious ethnic groups. Rebuffing appeals for talks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government says its forces are marching on Tigray's capital Mekelle and will soon triumph over the local ruling Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which he accuses of revolt. The rebels say they have captured tanks and…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Shepherd and Mary Bushiri arrested in Malawi

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER A week after they skipped bail and fled South Africa self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary are now in custody in Malawian and are expected to appear in court soon. Malawian Police have confirmed that Bushiri and his wife handed themselves over to the law enforcement agencies. In a statement, the police said they had been looking for the Bushiris with an intention to arrest them on the strength of a warrant of arrest which was issued on Tuesday by the Pretoria Magistrates Court. This development came a day after the Pretoria High Court issued…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Malawian protesters demand tougher penalties for rape

NEWS

CHARLES PESULO HUNDREDS of Malawians took to the streets on Monday to demand tougher rape penalties following months of protests over sexual abuse in the country, including a high-profile case involving the head of the public broadcaster. The demonstrators presented a petition to city authorities in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, calling on the government to set up a sex offenders registry, women's shelters, special courts for sexual crimes and overhaul school sex education. "Not much being done... to send an absolutely clear message to Malawian men that sexual violence will not be tolerated and the consequences of such crime will…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Semenya to take fight to European Court of Human Rights

NEWS

SOUTH African double Olympic 800-metre champion Caster Semenya is to take her fight with World Athletics to the European Court of Human Rights, her lawyers have confirmed. Semenya is one of a number of female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) competing in races ranging from 400 metres to a mile, who World Athletics insist must reduce their naturally high levels of testosterone in order to run. This can be done either through the use of drugs or surgical interventions. Semenya has vowed to fight the regulations, but has already lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Army patrol discovers 29 bodies in eastern Congo

NEWS

A military patrol has discovered 29 bodies in a region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where civilians are facing a sharp rise in attacks by Islamist militants, local authorities have revealed. The victims were found in the Beni territory of North Kivu province, local army spokesman Anthony Mualushay said, without giving further details or saying who was believed to be responsible. The province's deputy governor, Lumoo Kahumbo, said initial findings showed the ADF, a Ugandan Islamist militia, were responsible for the massacre. "The provincial government of North Kivu strongly condemns this latest slaughter of civilians," Kahumbo said in a…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Full-scale’ humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia – U.N.

NEWS

EMMA FARGE A major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia, the United Nations refugee agency has warned, with more than 27,000 people now having fled heavy fighting to Sudan. The pace of the exodus, some 4,000 a day, may also indicate huge uprooting of people within the Tigray region, U.N. agencies said, adding that teams on the ground were overwhelmed. "People are coming out of Ethiopia really scared, afraid, with stories saying they have been fleeing heavy fighting and there's no sign of the fighting stopping," Babar Baloch, spokesman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a Geneva…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Prosecutors hail jail sentence for Nigerian family of sex traffickers

NEWS

NELLIE PEYTON NIGERIA has jailed three family members for forcing a teenager into prostitution in Russia, the country's anti-trafficking agency has said, as officials and prosecutors hailed a rare prison sentence for human traffickers. Two siblings - Vivian Omoyemwen Ehiozee, 31, and Endurance Ehiozee, 37 - were jailed for 14 years and their mother - Helen Ehiozee, 54 - was given a 10-year sentence, said the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). For decades, scores of Nigerian women and girls have been targeted by traffickers, sent to Europe with promises of work, then trapped in debt…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Cyril Ramaphosa’s call with Joe Biden

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICAN Union chairperson and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is hopeful of a strong partnership between the United States and the African continent in promoting peace and stability in international relations and advancing multilateralism. Ramaphosa expressed these sentiments after he had a call with US President-Elect Joe Biden on Tuesday. During the call Ramaphosa and Biden discussed ways to strengthen US-Africa relations and overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. President-Elect Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris have identified Africa as a major player in international affairs and in the advancement of multilateralism. Ramaphosa’s office said the leaders recalled a visit…

Nov

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia to push on Tigray’s capital as surrender deadline passes

NEWS

GIULIA PARAVICINI ETHIOPIA's prime minister has warned that a deadline for rebel northern forces to lay down arms had expired, paving the way for a final push on the Tigray region's capital in a two-week conflict destabilising the Horn of Africa. "The three-day ultimatum given to Tigray Special Forces and the militia to surrender ... has ended today," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Facebook. "The final critical act of law enforcement will be done in the coming days." Africa's youngest leader and the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Abiy launched air strikes and a ground offensive on Nov. 4…