NEWS - The African Mirror

Dec

14

2020

Sudan’s offer to broker ceasefire in Tigray “unnecesary”

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ SUDAN’S Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has visited Ethiopia briefly with what three senior Sudanese government officials said was an offer to broker a ceasefire in its northern Tigray region, a proposal Ethiopia said was unnecessary because fighting had stopped. Hamdok, who was accompanied by Sudanese security officials, planned to present his concerns about threats to Sudan's security along its border with Tigray during the visit, the officials said. However, Hamdok returned within a few hours from what Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had earlier described as a two-day trip. Fighting erupted on November 4 between Ethiopia's government and…

Dec

14

2020

By The African Mirror

Warm tributes to South African soccer star killed in a car crash

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH Africa’s football community is mourning the tragic death of one of the country’s rising stars, Motjeka Madisha, who died after a horrific high-speed crash. Fellow soccer stars, fans and football clubs have offered condolences to Madisha (25), a Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender. Madisha,who won many titles with Sundowns and seemed destined for greater things in football, died after an accident in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg. The accident took place hours after the club celebrated its 50th anniversary at a gala dinner. It also took place two days after his former team mate, Anele…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

“Kid tech” – the youngster with ideas to impact Africa

NEWS

NJODZEKA DANHATU EACH morning when 18-year-old Awa Bless Chi steps outside his family's home in Douala, Cameroon, crowds of youngsters gather around, curious to see what new invention he’s come up with overnight. Chi is the de-facto "tech guru" of the community - but it isn't this way by design. His foray into the tech world was accidental and emerged from a burning desire for toys. In 2007, when he was about 4, Chi's parents couldn’t afford to buy him a toy he really wanted, So, at that young age, he decided to build one for himself. Then, he built…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO ‘heartbroken’ by Congo sex abuse probe findings

NEWS

THE World Health Organization was "heartbroken" by the findings of an independent commission on sex abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the agency regional director for Africa. "We in the WHO are indeed humbled, horrified and heartbroken by the findings of this inquiry," Matshidiso Moeti said at a news briefing. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a news conference after a ceremony for the opening of the WHO Academy, in Lyon, France, September 27, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the commission's report made for "harrowing reading". The commission found that some 21…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

U.N. aid chief to Ethiopia on famine in Tigray: ‘Get those trucks moving’

NEWS

MCHELLE NICHOLS UNITED Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths has assumed famine has taken hold in Ethiopia's Tigray where a nearly three-month-long "de-facto blockade" has restricted aid deliveries to 10% of what is needed in the war-torn region. Griffiths told Reuters during an interview that his request was simple: "Get those trucks moving." "This is man-made, this can be remedied by the act of government," he said. War broke out 10 months ago between Ethiopia's federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls Tigray. Thousands have died and more than two million people have been…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

“Don’t worry,” says jailed Egypt rights researcher as he is driven from court

NEWS

NADEEN EBRAHIM A jailed Egyptian human rights researcher told supporters on Tuesday not to worry, as he was driven away from a courtroom where he is standing trial in a "fake news" case that has resonated in Italy where he was based. Patrick Zaki, 30, a graduate student at the University of Bologna, has been held for 19 months since being arrested on a trip home from Italy and accused of spreading false information, over an article he wrote about the plight of Egypt's Christians. His handcuffs were removed in a courtroom cage at the start of his appearance at…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

First NGO aid gets to Ethiopia’s Tigray, businesses to re-open

NEWS

THE first non-governmental aid convoy since fighting has arrived in the capital of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, as the government ordered businesses to re-open and officials to return to work. The federal government restricted access to Tigray after fighting began on November 4 between its troops and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party that ruled the province. So far the conflict in Africa's second-most populous nation is believed to have killed thousands of people and displaced around 950,000. But the tempo of fighting seems to have slowed since the government announced the capture of the regional capital…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Motor racing-Hamilton says Bahrain ‘death row’ letter hit home

NEWS

ALAN BALDWIN LEWIS Hamilton said he had been moved by a letter from the son of a man facing the death penalty in Bahrain and assured activists on Saturday he would not let rights issues go unnoticed. Campaigners sent letters to the seven-times Formula One world champion last month before the first of two grands prix in Bahrain. In them, they urged Hamilton to meet activists, wear a T-shirt with a message of support and discuss matters with the Crown Prince. Hamilton had said he needed time to digest the content of the letters. Asked for an update ahead of…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Algeria rejects Trump’s stance on Western Sahara

NEWS

ALGERIA has rejected a decision by outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, saying the step would undermine efforts to end the decades-long conflict over the desert territory. Trump's administration said it was recognising Moroccan claims to Western Sahara as part of a deal under which Morocco agreed to normalise its relations with Israel. In Algiers, the Foreign Ministry said the U.S. decision "has no legal effect because it contradicts U.N. resolutions, especially U.N. Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara". "The proclamation would undermine the de-escalation efforts made at all levels in order to pave…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian military in firefight with gang who kidnapped students

NEWS

THE Nigerian military had located and exchanged fire with gunmen who kidnapped scores of secondary school students in northwestern Katsina state, according to a statement from the president. The gang, armed with AK-47s, stormed the Government Science secondary school in Kankara district at about 9:40 p.m. on Friday, police and locals said. A parent and school employee told Reuters that roughly half of the school's 800 students were missing. President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement that the military had located the kidnappers in a forest and was exchanging fire with them, aided by air support. In the statement, Buhari…