Violence linked to the election is once again threatening Ivory Coast, and civil society won’t stay silent. Ange Brou, an activist with the NGO Youth Space For Peace, is one of the people calling for the youth and the politicians to have a peaceful dialogue. He is organising an event at the Belleville market in Abobo. “Youth is the driving ...
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Sudan protests against dire living conditions turn deadly
Protests in Sudan have turned deadly after one person was reportedly killed and a dozen others were wounded, according to a group of doctors linked to the movement that led to the downfall of President Omar al-Bashir. The demonstrations on Wednesday in the cities of Khartoum and Omdurman are over the country’s worsening economic situation. Protesters are also demanding justice ...
Read More »The world is watching Nigeria as ECOWAS, UN, and EU condemn EndSARS violence
All eyes are on Nigeria right now amid protests by citizens against police brutality that have turned violent, including reports of many dead. Witnesses told Reuters Tuesday that soldiers fired at the protesters in the Lekki district of the commercial capital, Lagos. Amnesty International said in a statement it had received “credible but disturbing evidence of excessive use of force ...
Read More »Nigeria’s SARS: A brief history of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad
In April last year, Kofi Bartels, a 34-year-old radio journalist in Nigeria’s Rivers State, was filming three police officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) beating another man when they and three of their colleagues turned their attention to him. In a series of tweets, he described being beaten and arrested: “They took turns to slap, punch and kick me ...
Read More »Uganda, DR Congo decide to make roads, not war
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, that to lasting peace with neighbours is layered with bitumen and straddled by high-voltage electricity lines. That appears to be the lesson from the Uganda government’s strategic shift in its regional policy towards the Democratic Republic of Congo, its large, rich, but a troubled westerly neighbour. After two-and-a-half decades of ...
Read More »These are four conflicts in Africa that Gaddafi funded or launched
If the company allows, it should be possible for Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora to have a nuanced conversation about the life and legacy of the former Libyan leader, Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi. The caveat here is important; Gaddafi divides opinion nine whole years after a section of irate Libyans killed him, ironically in Sirte, on the ...
Read More »Tanzania opposition leader suspended from campaign
Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) has barred the main opposition presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu, from campaigning for a week. It comes at a critical time with the elections at the end of the month. The NEC said its ethics committee had taken the decision following complaints from the ruling CCM party and the opposition NRA party. The parties accused Mr ...
Read More »Illegal crossings at Zimbabwe-South Africa border after reopening
Zimbabwean street vendor Memory Chauke did not get very far when she hopped over a fence into neighbouring South Africa on the first day its borders reopened after a six-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. South African patrol guards had anticipated that Zimbabweans would resume illegal crossings into the country to buy goods as soon as travel restrictions were ...
Read More »Why Nigerians are disappointed in FG – Fashola
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said Nigerians are disappointed in the present administration because they are misplacing the functions of government at different levels. While he said some expected “magic results”, Fashola argued that many Nigerians don’t know the differences between the projects expected to be executed by the federal, states, and local governments. He said ...
Read More »Lesotho: Violence against women costs economy $113 million annually
A Commonwealth report has revealed violence against women and girls costs Lesotho more than $113 million (about 1.9 billion Lesotho loti) a year. The report estimates the total cost, including loss of income and expenses associated with medical, legal and police support, equates to around 5.5 per cent of Lesotho’s gross domestic product (GDP). The cost of $113 million means ...
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