Home
South Africa’s ex-leader turns himself in for prison term
- Details
- Written by alib
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 832
By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
NKANDLA, South Africa — Former South African president Jacob Zuma turned himself over to police early Thursday to begin serving a 15-month prison term.
Just minutes before the midnight deadline for police to arrest him, Zuma left his Nkandla home in a convoy of vehicles. Zuma handed himself over to authorities to obey the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, that he should serve a prison term for contempt.
“President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order. He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN (KwaZulu-Natal province),” said a tweet posted by the Zuma Foundation.
Soon after South Africa’s police confirmed that Zuma was in their custody.
Zuma’s imprisonment comes after a week of rising tensions over his sentence.
Zuma, 79, was ordered to prison for contempt because he defied a court order for him to testify before a judicial commission investigating widespread allegations of corruption during his time as the country’s president, from 2009 to 2018.
The Constitutional Court ordered that if Zuma did not voluntarily hand himself over to the police then the police should arrest the country’s former president by the end of the day Wednesday.
In a last-minute plea to avoid going to prison, Zuma’s lawyers had written to the acting chief justice requesting that his arrest be suspended until Friday, when a regional court is to rule on his application to postpone the arrest.
Zuma’s lawyers asked the acting chief justice to issue directives stopping the police from arresting him, claiming there would be a “prejudice to his life.”
Zuma had also launched two court proceedings to avoid arrest after his sentence last week.
He applied to the Constitutional Court to rescind his sentence and that application will be heard on July 12.
On Tuesday, his lawyers were in the Pietermaritzburg High Court seeking to stop the minister of police from arresting him until the Constitutional Court rules on his application. The regional court will rule on that application on Friday.
Political tensions have risen in KwaZulu-Natal province as a result of Zuma’s conviction, sentence and pending arrest. Hundreds of his supporters gathered at his home over the weekend and vowed to prevent his arrest, but they left on Sunday.
The judicial inquiry into corruption during his term as president has heard damning testimony from former Cabinet ministers and top executives of state-owned corporations that Zuma allowed his associates, members of the Gupta family, to influence his Cabinet appointments and lucrative contracts. Zuma refused to comply with a court order to appear before the commission, which brought the Constitutional Court to convict him of contempt and sentence him to prison.
In a separate matter, Zuma is standing trial on charges of corruption related to a 1999 arms deal, where he allegedly received bribes from French arms manufacturer Thales. His financial adviser has already been convicted and imprisoned in that case.
Zuma has had other legal woes. In 2005, he was charged with rape but was acquitted in 2006 after the court found the sexual intercourse was consensual.
Zuma bounced back from that to become president in 2009. But by 2018 mounting evidence of rampant corruption in his administration brought his party, the ruling African National Congress, to force him from office.
Although tarnished by scandal now, Zuma had built up a reputation as a staunch opponent of apartheid, South Africa’s previous regime of harsh white minority rule. He was jailed for 10 years at the Robben Island prison where political prisoners including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu were held.
When he was released in 1973, Zuma left the country to continue his work in the African National Congress, traveling through countries like Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique.
By the time South Africa legalized the ANC in 1990, Zuma was a high-ranking official in the party and was part of negotiating the political settlement that led to the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
Zuma’s reputation in the new South Africa was further enhanced when he was deployed to his home province of KwaZulu-Natal where he helped to resolve political violence that was threatening to derail the country’s progress toward a democratic and non-racial society.
Zuma’s political reputation will be marred by the corruption scandals surrounding him, said Lesiba Teffo, lecturer in politics at the University of South Africa.
“It is very disappointing to see a man who has done so much for the country, a liberation hero, now reduced to zero,” said Teffo. “This is a man who fought hard for the liberation of this country, but like many African leaders in our continent, he fell at the altar of money.”
IS-linked group says Boko Haram leader in Nigeria is dead
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 853
By HARUNA UMAR and SAM OLUKOYA, AP 09 June 2021
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — The leader of Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has killed himself, according to a jihadi organization linked to the Islamic State group.
An audio recording purportedly from Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, said Shekau detonated explosives killing himself after a battle between the two groups.
The audio message follows media reports last month that Shekau, one of Africa’s most wanted men, blew himself up to evade capture by ISWAP fighters.
Neither Nigerian authorities nor Boko Haram have confirmed Shekau’s death.
There had been several false reports about Shekau’s death in the past, with Shekau later appearing in videos to refute them.
Al-Barnawi, a son to the founding leader of Boko Haram, the late Mohammed Yusuf, made the statement in an audio message heard this week by The Associated Press in the native Kanuri language.
The audio message, which last about 28 minutes, had what is reportedly al-Barnawi’s voice, lacing his speech with quotes from the verses of the Quran. The audio was obtained from a former jihadist who provides intelligence to the government and is familiar with al-Barnawi’s voice.
“He never thought this would happen to him even in his dream, but by the power of God we destabilized him; he became confused and fled to forest where he spent five days, wandering and stranded,” he said. “We followed him again where we faced him with heavy fire. He ran away, then our troops called on him to surrender so that he would be punished.”
Shekau was asked to surrender in order to be pardoned or reinstalled as a leader.
“We kept assuring him that we were not out to kill him, but he refused. To him it’s better to die than to surrender,” he said.
He went out to describe Shekau as “a defiant and corrupt leader” whose fighters were celebrating instead of mourning his death.
“This was someone who committed unimaginable terrorism. How many has he wasted? How many has he killed? How many has he terrorized?” he said.
ISWAP broke off from Boko Haram in 2016 following a dispute between Shekau and al-Barnawi. Both jihadi groups have also been fighting each other over territory since they fell out.
The Nigeria-based Boko Haram has been waging a bitter war against Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad since 2009.
Boko Haram under Shekau’s leadership has carried out numerous suicide bombings targeting markets, crowded bus stations, churches, mosques and media houses. A Boko Haram bombing in 2011 at the U.N. building in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, killed 21 people and wounded 60 others.
Boko Haram attacks on towns and villages mainly in northeast Nigeria have left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced more than 2.3 million others.
In February 2014, Boko Haram killed 59 male students in an attack at the Federal Government College Buni Yadi. Two months later, the group shocked the world when it abducted 276 teenage schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. Shekau appeared in a video saying that the girls would be forced into marriage because girls as young as 9 are suitable for marriage. While many of the girls have either escaped or been released, 112 of them are still missing.
The Boko Haram leader was notorious for using underage boys as child soldiers, while underage girls and young women have been used as suicide bombers in recent years.
Some gruesome Boko Haram videos have shown captives, including security personnel, aid workers and others, executed — sometimes by beheading.
Shekau had bounties on his head, with a reward of up to $7 million offered by the United States in 2012.
If indeed Shekau, the driving force behind Boko Haram, has died, that will likely weaken Boko Haram and make it possible for ISWAP to take over vast territories under Boko Haram control in Nigeria’s northeastern states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa.
A stronger ISWAP will be bad news for the Nigerian military, as the group appears to constitute a greater threat against the Nigerian army, carrying out attacks on highly fortified military bases.
Many attribute ISWAP’s recent successes to new tactics of buying over the local population with food and money.
Grave concerns over 'dire' and deteriorating situation in war-torn Tigray region
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 831
NEW YORK - UN humanitarians expressed deep concern on Friday about serious and ongoing abuses carried out against displaced civilians who are also facing dire food insecurity in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, after months of conflict.
In an alert, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, said that it was aware of “gross violations”, including gender-based violence in the war-torn north.
Vile attacks
“The situation of women and adolescent girls in Tigray and border areas of Amhara and Afar remains dire”, said UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem. “We see alarming levels of sexual violence, and thousands of women lack access to health and protection services.”
In a related development, the Office of the High Commissioner for refugee agency (UNHCR) condemned the reported abduction of “at least several hundred” youths from camps for displaced people in Tigray earlier this week.
This echoed prior comments by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi, who condemned the reported arbitrary arrests, beatings and ill-treatment by soldiers of more than 200 people during night-time military raids on internal displacement camps in the region on Monday.
Ms. Sozi noted that the affected sites of Tsehaye and Adi Wonfito in Shire town were home to 12,000 internally displaced persons in total.
Trauma and distress
“The situation is traumatic and distressing, not only for the relatives of the missing, but for all the displaced communities residing in Shire”, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists in Geneva, adding that the agency was in contact with the Ethiopian authorities on the issue. “It is crucial that all parties to the conflict recognize the civilian and humanitarian character of these sites hosting displaced people”.
Fighting began in Tigray on 4 November last year between national Government forces and regional power brokers loyal to the former national ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Needs are growing
Some parts of the war-torn region have remained accessible but overall, “grave” needs are outstripping capacity, with most rural areas “cut from communications and electricity”, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The Central Area – which is the most populated, with some 1.8 million people –remains largely inaccessible, Ms. Sozi’s team noted.
If nothing is done to improve aid access immediately, UN humanitarians believe that there is a high risk of mass severe acute malnutrition looming in the next few months.
Characterizing the situation as “complex and unpredictable”, OCHA said that civilians, who continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, have been forced to move to towns including Shire, Axum and Adwa.
“The main road between Adigrat and Axum was blocked from 10 to 22 April due to hostilities, impacting several humanitarian convoys, including emergency food aid, as well as the provision of medical supplies to Axum and Adwa Hospitals”, the UN humanitarian body reported.
Release call
In her appeal for the immediate release of those arbitrarily arrested from Shire’s displacement camps, Ms. Sozi said that serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law must be promptly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.
“We, along with our partners, are ready to engage with military commanders to ensure the protection of civilians”, the Humanitarian Coordinator said on Thursday.
Lava destroys homes in DR Congo after volcanic eruption
- Details
- Written by northsouth
- Category: Africa
- Hits: 861
KINSHASA - Lava from a volcanic eruption in DR Congo has destroyed homes on the outskirts of Goma but the city of two million has been mostly spared after thousands fled in the night.
Residents said there was little warning before the dark sky turned a fiery red, leading to fears that the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo could cause the same kind of devastation as the last time in 2002 when hundreds died.
There was no official word on deaths or injuries amid the scramble to flee the city late on Saturday.
The UN peacekeeping mission said that it did not appear the lava was flowing towards Goma based on reconnaissance flights but untold thousands still set off in search of safety.
Some boarded boats on to Lake Kivu while others attempted to reach Mount Goma, the highest point in the area. At least 3,000 fled across the nearby border into Rwanda.
On Sunday, residents ventured out to assess the damage after a night of panic. Smoke rose from smouldering heaps of lava in the Buhene area near the city.
“We have seen the loss of almost an entire neighbourhood,” said Innocent Bahala Shamavu. “All the houses in Buhene neighbourhood were burned and that’s why we are asking all the provincial authorities and authorities at the national level as well as all the partners, all the people of good faith in the world, to come to the aid of this population.”
Elsewhere, witnesses said lava had engulfed a highway connecting Goma with the city of Beni. However, the airport appeared to be spared the same fate as 2002 when lava flowed on to the runways.
Goma is a regional hub for many humanitarian agencies in the region, as well as the UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO.
While Goma is home to many UN peacekeepers and aid workers, much of surrounding eastern DR Congo is under threat from a myriad of armed groups vying for control of the region’s mineral resources.
Main News
latest news
- UN says it has no more food or tents for nearly 2m people in Gaza
- facial recognition cameras trial catches 100 alleged offenders
- Palestinians mark their original 'catastrophe' with eyes on the war in Gaza
- Magician David Copperfield accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women
- Zelensky cancels all foreign trips as Ukraine pulls back troops
- Slovakia PM shooting - in life-threatening condition
- EU to extend Mozambique military mission despite setbacks
- ‘No water, food, health care, toilet’: Desperation deepens in Gaza
- France: Manhunt after two prison officers killed in ambush to free drug dealer
- Biden sharply hikes US tariffs on an array of Chinese imports
- Orcas sink sailing yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
- Israeli forces back in old Gaza battlegrounds as doubts over war aims grow
- US is still falling behind on electronic warfare, special operators warn
- How to connect Africa’s universities to its tech ecosystems
- Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks hit 'stalemate', Qatar says
- 'Outrage’: US condemns Israeli settlers’ attack on Gaza aid trucks
- MERA25 parties launch European Elections campaign on Nakba Day in Athens
- Palestinians mark 76 years of dispossession as catastrophe unfolds in Gaza
- Calls for sustained peace efforts in Yemen as cholera outbreak worsens
- Misinformation and politicisation of migration is ‘clouding public discourse’
- Complementary admissions for refugees reach record highs: UNHCR report
- Rights experts urge Iran to revoke death sentence against activist
- Fighting in Eastern DR Congo has reached new heights
- UN security staff killed in Gaza; Guterres calls for probe
- OpenAI just made ChatGPT cheaper and twice as fast
Europe
facial recognition cameras trial catches 100 alleged offenders
Zelensky cancels all foreign trips as Ukraine pulls back troops
Slovakia PM shooting - in life-threatening condition
France: Manhunt after two prison officers killed in ambush to free drug dealer
Orcas sink sailing yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
MERA25 parties launch European Elections campaign on Nakba Day in Athens
Russia says it downs 16 Ukraine-launched missiles, 31 drones
West not doing enough to push Israel to agree on truce, Erdogan says
German-African Energy Forum in Hamburg 15-16 May
Firmly committed to two-State solution: UK, France
Sweden has more billionaires per capita than the US and here’s why
Most British people regret Brexit
Deserted islands
Orban Meets With Xi, Calls China 'One Of The Pillars Of New World Order'
How countries rank by military spending
Pro-Palestinian protests set for Eurovision final after Israel qualifies
David Cameron says UK will not withhold arms sales to Israel
Protesters rally in Sweden against Israel’s participation in Eurovision
EU deal will release £2.6bn frozen Russian assets to Ukraine yearly
Pro-Palestine student protests turn spotlight on EU research funding for Israel
Yanis Varoufakis sues the German state
EU Commission hosts antisemitism seminar as Israel launches Rafah offensive
Russia launches 'massive' missile and drone attack on Ukraine's energy facilities
Ukraine’s parliament approves plan to recruit prisoners to fight Russia
Russian defence attaché to be expelled from Britain for spying
Asia
Hundreds killed in flash floods in northern Afghanistan
Indian court grants temporary bail to opposition leader Kejriwal to campaign in elections
China's third aircraft carrier completes first sea trial
Asia is heating up faster than the global average
Scientist who gave world the Covid sequence is locked out of his lab by Chinese
Philippines accuses China of damaging its vessel in disputed South China Sea shoal
Indian Authorities Stop Australian Journalist from Covering Elections
China's Xi to visit France, Serbia and Hungary, aims to boost EU ties
Five killed as tornado strikes Guangzhou in southern China
China skips red-carpet welcome for Blinken
India's poll panel seeks responses to complaints against Modi, Rahul Gandhi
Amid China tensions, India delivers supersonic cruise missiles to Philippines
Asia is most climate disaster-impacted region, UN
India's Modi accused of anti-Muslim campaign hate speech
Nature-based solutions for flood management in Asia and the Pacific
Gunmen kill 7 customs officials in western Pakistan in two attacks
In Modi’s India, opponents and journalists squeezed ahead of election
Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44 billion fraud
People blown from apartments as typhoon-like winds ravage southern China
North Korea says it tested a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile
Strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan, killing 9 people
India rejects China's renaming of 30 places in Himalayan border state
An Indian court sends opposition leader, Arvind Kejriwal, to jail until April 15
Pakistan court grants Imran Khan appeal of graft conviction, sentence suspended
India's Modi questions rival Congress about island ceded to Sri Lanka
Africa
EU to extend Mozambique military mission despite setbacks
How to connect Africa’s universities to its tech ecosystems
Fighting in Eastern DR Congo has reached new heights
Africa CEO Forum in Kigali 16-17 May
First UN civil society forum held in Africa heralds ‘inclusive’ Summit of the Future
Unprecedented flooding displaces hundreds of thousands across East Africa
EU opens data pact talks with Kenya, in first for Africa
Niger joins Africa’s oil producer club
Mozambique’s ruling party picked Daniel Chapo as candidate for president
Mali: Armed Groups, Ethnic Militias Commit Atrocities
Chad to hold presidential election Monday
UN agencies warn of imminent starvation risk in Sudan’s Darfur region
Attacks on civilians in DR Congo
Niger: Russian military deployed at airbase housing American troops
The world needs Africa’s critical minerals
Kenya’s president is under pressure over flood response
East and Southern Africa: Journalists targeted amid ongoing crackdown on media
US losing influential edge to China in Africa, poll
DR Congo conflict could spell catastrophe
Ecobank Group reports profit before tax of $581 million
AI in Africa opens up new battlefront for China, US
TotalEnergies CEO says Namibia could be next Guyana
Dubai Firm Pledged $13 Billion for 20 Years of South Sudan Oil
IDA Africa lifeline
Namibia's NAMCOR signs deal with Chevron to develop offshore block
Americas
Magician David Copperfield accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women
Biden sharply hikes US tariffs on an array of Chinese imports
US is still falling behind on electronic warfare, special operators warn
Wildfires rage in British Columbia
Blinken delivers strongest public criticism of Israel’s conduct of war in Gaza
UN expert raises alarm over unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian student protesters in US
Campus protesters are being silenced – where are the ‘free speech’ defenders now?
Israel may have broken International Law in Gaza, State Dept. Says
Another climate record: Extreme heat, hurricanes, droughts ravage Latin America and Caribbean
US paused bomb shipment to Israel over concerns of Rafah assault
Mexico is heading towards its most violent election ever
UNDP's Achim Steiner on why the G20 should care much more about debt
Democratic lawmakers tell Biden evidence shows Israel is restricting Gaza aid
Fresh chaos, arrests on US college campuses as police flatten camp at UCLA
Biden cancels $6.1 billion in debt for 317,000 students
Over 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested across US campuses
2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas 6-9 May
Chinese-owned fintech sees valuation rise
Most Americans see TikTok as a Chinese influence tool, Reuters/Ipsos poll
Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University
Pro-Palestinian supporters and counter-protesters clash on UCLA campus over Gaza
Alarming rise in enforced disappearances ahead of Venezuela poll
Ottawa negotiations bring global plastics treaty one step closer
Dozens arrested at Columbia University as New York police disperse Gaza protest
Columbia protesters barricade themselves inside university building
Australia & Pacific
Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy
Sydney rocked by second mass stabbing as knifeman attacks bishop
Three dead, 1,000 homes destroyed in Papua New Guinea quake
Australia and UK sign defense and security treaty
Australia tightens student visa rules as migration hits record high
Global food crisis and the effects of climate change need urgent action, IFAD
Indonesia, Australia to sign defence pact within months
Australia to ban doxxing after pro-Palestinians publish information about hundreds of Jews
Australia launches inquiry into why Cabinet documents relating to Iraq war remain secret
Australia says AI will help track Chinese submarines under new Aukus plan
China warns Australia to act prudently in naval operations in South China Sea
Christopher Luxon sworn in as new prime minister of New Zealand
Australian Intelligence Report Identifies China as Major Backer of Cyber Crime
Thousands in Australia join pro-Palestinian march over Gaza
Australia rejects Indigenous referendum in setback for reconciliation
Qatar Airways CEO says Australian decision to block flights ‘very unfair’
Moroccan Othmane El Goumri wins Sydney marathon
More than half of Australians oppose Indigenous panel in constitution, poll
Three US Marines die in 'tragic' Australia helicopter crash
Australian bus carrying wedding guests rolls over killing 10 and injuring 25
Guam, where America’s next war may begin
Women most victims of islamophobia in Australia
Time to step up investments in rural communities in the Pacific islands
Australia’s ‘quiet diplomacy’ approach to human rights in India has failed
Public support high in Australia and NZ to accept more Rohingya
MENA
UN says it has no more food or tents for nearly 2m people in Gaza
Palestinians mark their original 'catastrophe' with eyes on the war in Gaza
‘No water, food, health care, toilet’: Desperation deepens in Gaza
Israeli forces back in old Gaza battlegrounds as doubts over war aims grow
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks hit 'stalemate', Qatar says
'Outrage’: US condemns Israeli settlers’ attack on Gaza aid trucks
Palestinians mark 76 years of dispossession as catastrophe unfolds in Gaza
Calls for sustained peace efforts in Yemen as cholera outbreak worsens
Rights experts urge Iran to revoke death sentence against activist
UN security staff killed in Gaza; Guterres calls for probe
Israel moves deeper into Rafah
Nearly 360,000 people forcibly displaced from Rafah, UNRWA says
Hundreds protest in Tunisia demanding date for fair presidential elections
Egypt to join South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel
Donors pledge $2 billion for Gaza at Kuwait conference
Fighting rages across Gaza as death toll passes 35,000
Israeli strikes Bureij refugee camp
Four people, including a child, killed in Rafah attack
Gaza health services could collapse 'within days' as fuel runs out
Palestinian public sector salaries squeezed as Israel withholds tax revenue
UNRWA staff ‘not going anywhere’ despite forced closure of East Jerusalem compound
UNGA presses SC to give ‘favourable consideration’ to full Palestinian membership
Israel orders central Rafah residents to evacuate as major offensive looms
Palestinian civilians in Rafah ‘awaiting execution’
Palestinian prisoners strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: whistleblowers
Videos
-
Future of car-plane, see it to believe it
-
Mehdi Hasan: Islam is a peaceful religion
-
Python swallows antelope whole in under an hour
-
Sangoku dance
-
flying 3 kites wonder!
-
Korea has talent
-
Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma
-
Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent
-
Twist and Pulse - Britain's Got Talent
-
Shaheen Jafargholi (HQ) Britain's Got Talent
High-Quality clip of 12-year-old singer Shaheen Jafargholi auditioning on Britain's Got Talent 2009. First he sings Valerie by The Zutons, as performed by Amy Winehouse, but, after Simon interrupts him and asks for a different song, he just blew everyone away. -
David Calvo juggles and solves Rubik's Cubes
-
Outdoor 'bubble pod' hotel unveiled