opposition leader - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Chad opposition figure was likely shot at point-blank range

A prominent Chadian opposition leader, who was killed in February by government troops, appears to have been shot in the side of the head at close range, according to five forensic experts who reviewed a photo of his dead body for Reuters. The experts' findings, based on the location and nature of the wound visible in the image, call into question statements by Chadian officials that Yaya Dillo was shot dead in an exchange of fire on February 28 when security forces tried to arrest him at his party's headquarters in the capital, N’Djamena. Professor Derrick Pounder, a U.K.-based pathologist…

Mar

2024

By HELGA DICKOW

Chad presidential election: assassination of main opposition figure casts doubt on country’s return to democracy

NEWS

THE assassination of Chad’s main opposition leader, Yaya Dillo, is hanging heavy over presidential elections due in early May. Dillo was killed on 28 February when the headquarters of the opposition Party Socialiste sans Frontières (Party of Socialists without Borders) in the Chadian capital N'Djamena was besieged by the newly formed Rapid Reaction Force. It’s not the first violence meted out to the opposition. In October 2022 Chadian security forces killed hundreds of protesters. They were protesting the extension of the transition to democracy from 18 to 36 months and the decision of transitional president Mahamat Idriss Déby to stand…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal opposition leader backs off promise to create national currency

NEWS

SENEGAL will seek to implement a reform of the West Africa region's CFA franc currency at a regional level first and if that fails, will consider creating a national currency, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko said. Speaking at a joint press conference with presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye a day after they were both released from jail, Sonko's comments seemed aimed at easing concerns after their election campaign, which promised to introduce the new currency if Faye wins. Faye is one of the main candidates in Senegal's March 24 presidential election. He is backed by the popular firebrand Sonko, who was disqualified from…

Feb

2024

By The African Mirror

Tunisia opposition leader Ghannouchi begins hunger strike in prison

NEWS

IMPRISONED Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi went on a hunger strike in solidarity with other anti-government figures waging a protest fast to demand their immediate release, a team of opposition lawyers said. Ghannouchi, 82, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied and head of the Ennahda main opposition party, was jailed last year on charges of incitement against police and plotting against state security. Earlier this month in a separate case a judge sentenced him to three years in prison on charges of accepting external financing. "While he is fighting the 'empty stomach' battle, Ghannouchi calls on Tunisians to adhere to a democratic Tunisia…

Feb

2024

By The African Mirror

Tunisian opposition leader Ghannouchi sentenced to three years in prison

NEWS

A Tunisian judge sentenced opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, to three years in prison on charges of accepting external financing, his lawyer Monia Bouali told Reuters. Ghannouchi, 82, head of the Ennahda main opposition party, has been in prison since April. Last year he was sentenced to a year in prison on charges of incitement against police. Bouali added that the court also imprisoned Ghannouchi’s son-in-law Rafik Abdessalem who is a senior Ennahda official, to three years in prison in the same case, in addition to fining the Islamist party $1.1 million. Ennahda in a statement…

Jan

2024

By NYASHA CHINGONO

Zimbabwe opposition leader freed from two years’ pre-trial detention

NEWS

A Zimbabwean court freed opposition politician Job Sikhala after nearly 600 days of pre-trial detention on charges of inciting public violence in 2022. Sikhala, 51, a leader in the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has been arrested dozens of times since he began his political career in 1999. He was jailed in 2022 for obstruction of justice and inciting public violence after saying that the ruling party, ZANU PF, had killed an opposition activist, which it denied. He denied all charges against him. On Tuesday, a Harare magistrate convicted him of inciting public violence but gave him a…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Chad opposition leader Masra appointed PM of transitional govt

NEWS

CHADIAN opposition leader Succes Masra who recently returned to the central African country following a deal with the ruling junta, was appointed as prime minister of the transitional government, the presidency said. His appointment could be seen as a move by the junta to appease the opposition after a constitutional referendum in which most opposition political parties have either called for a boycott or a "no" vote. Masra, a staunch opponent of the junta which seized power in April 2021, fled the country after dozens were killed and hundreds injured as security forces cracked down on demonstrations in the capital N'Djamena on…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Senegal court orders opposition leader Sonko to be reinstated on electoral list

NEWS

A Senegal court has ordered jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to be reinstated on the electoral register, a ruling that could pave the way for him to run in a February presidential election, Sonko's lawyer Cire Cledor Ly said. Sonko has faced a flurry of court cases over the past two years for charges including libel and rape, which he denies. The cases against him have triggered deadly violence in the West African nation. Sonko, 49, was cleared of rape in June, but sentenced to a two-year jail term after a court found him guilty of an offence described in the penal…

Nov

2023

By CARIELLE DOE and ALPHONSO TOWEH

Peaceful Transition of Power: Liberian president concedes defeat

NEWS

LIBERIA President George Weah has conceded election defeat to opposition leader Joseph Boakai after a tight race, ending a presidency marred by graft allegations but helping to ensure a smooth transition of power in the once volatile African nation. Boakai, 78, a former vice president who lost to Weah in the 2017 election, led with 50.9% of the vote over Weah's 49.1%, with nearly all the votes counted, the country's elections commission said on Friday. The result marks a stark turnaround from 2017, when global soccer legend Weah, buoyed by a wave of hope, trounced Boakai with 62 percent of…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Liberia opposition leader takes slight lead in run-off vote – early results

NEWS

LIBERIAN opposition leader Joseph Boakai has a slight lead over President George Weah in a run-off election after results from about 22% of polling stations, the West African country's elections commission said. Boakai and Weah emerged neck-and-neck from the first round of the presidential election but below the 50% needed to secure an outright victory. The run-off is also expected to be closely fought. Boakai is so far on 50.71% of the vote, while Weah has 49.29%, the commission said, based on results tallied from 22.33% of polling stations. Weah has asked voters for more time to make good on…