First Independent Mena Newspaper
The trial of Ousman Sonko, a Gambian ex-interior minister accused of crimes against humanity committed under the regime of a former dictator Yahya Jammeh from 2006 until 2016, began in a federal court in Switzerland on Monday (8 January). Sonko is the highest-ranking official under Jammeh’s dictatorship, to be prosecuted for widespread rights abuses. Sonko […]
Salem Bazoum, the son of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been imprisoned with his parents at the presidential residence since the coup in July 2023, was provisionally released on Monday (8 January), the country’s military tribunal said in a statement. The military tribunal in Niamey granted the 23-year old son of the former president […]
At least 12 people have been killed by Tropical Cyclone Alvaro which hit Madagascar at the beginning of this month, the country’s disaster management agency said. The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said Tuesday that the victims include a mother and her three children who were buried under the rubble after a landslide. […]
The diplomatic row between Algeria and Mali ended in disgrace for the Algerian regime which is floundering as it has strained relations with all its neighboring countries. Algeria, controlled by a military junta, is known for its impulsive, frivolous and unstable diplomacy raising serious regional and international concerns. During the past few years, Algeria had […]
Mauritania has hiked customs duty on goods entering the country from the Guerguarat border crossing with Morocco, triggering the wrath of local consumers who see the move as a hit to Mauritanians purchasing power. Most goods transiting through El Guerguarata to Mauritania and the wider West African regions are fresh produce. The hike meant that […]
The junta-led government in Gabon has increased by three per cent the 2024 budget allotted for armed forces, up from $30 million of last year. The 2024 budget will cover clothing and food for the troops, as well as fuel for the various vehicles of the armed forces. The increase, Gabon Review reports, follows several […]
la Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), the football governing body of the African continent, unveiled Monday January 8 the first names that include Egyptian Ahmed Hassan, the four times AFCON winner, to be signed up in the newly-established CAF Ambassadors program. Hassan is joined by Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf and Nigeria’s magician […]
Niger’s military court released Monday on bail Salem Mohamed, son of Niger’s deposed leader Mohamed Bazoum held since July 26 by a junta that has been running affairs in the West African country. The investigative judge of the court ordered Salem Mohamed released and instructed him to be available for justice in the event of […]
The UN-authorized, Kenya-led multinational armed force that is expected to begin arriving in Haiti in early 2024 to assist the national police in its fights against gangs besieging much of the country will face multiple challenges, a recent report published by the Belgium-based International Crisis Group (ICG) warns. The Kenyan-led multinational mission that was approved […]
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed a law that “nullifies” the contentious memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and a breakaway Somaliland region in a largely symbolic move expressing his government’s displeasure over the deal to grant port access. As part of the deal that was announced on 1 January, the landlocked Ethiopia will gain […]