Africa
Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others
Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others
The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior leaders on Monday, accusing them of human rights violations and corruption.
The penalties, which prohibit any US-based property and unofficial travel to the United States, replace stiffer, two-decade-old sanctions against Zimbabwe.
“The changes we are making today are intended to make clear what has always been true: our sanctions are not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
“We are refocusing our sanctions on clear and specific targets: President Mnangagwa’s criminal network of government officials and businesspeople who are most responsible for corruption or human rights abuse against the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the new measures were part of a “stronger, more targeted sanctions policy” on the Southern African country, as he voiced concern over “serious cases of corruption and human rights abuse.”
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“Key individuals, including members of the government of Zimbabwe, bear responsibility for these actions, including the looting of government coffers that robs Zimbabweans of public resources,” Blinken said in a statement.
“Multiple cases of abductions, physical abuse, and unlawful killing have left citizens living in fear.”
Mnangagwa, whose party has been in power for over four decades, was declared the winner of a new term in an August election that international observers deemed undemocratic.
He is the Southern African country’s second consecutive leader to face US sanctions, following veteran President Robert Mugabe.
Hopes for a thaw rose temporarily when Mnangagwa ousted Mugabe in 2017, but Western powers and rights groups say the new leadership has also cracked down on dissent and protesters.
In a statement issued on Monday, President Joe Biden stopped an earlier sanction programme on the Southern African country imposed in 2003 by George W. Bush, who had urged for a bigger global drive of sanctions against the country under Mugabe.
Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others
Africa
Ghana President Akufo-Addo’s address disrupted as ADC collapses (Video)
Ghana President Akufo-Addo’s address disrupted as ADC collapses (Video)
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s last State of the Nation address in Parliament on Friday was interrupted when his aide-de-camp (ADC) collapsed.
In a viral video, the ADC, identified by Ghana Web as Colonel Isaac Amponsah, fell midway into Mr Akufo-Addo’s address before the Ghana parliament
Before he collapsed, Mr Amposah showed discomfort but could not help himself from falling to the ground.
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The incident briefly interrupted the President’s address but he resumed his presentation after a few minutes, after the ADC was carried to a corner of the auditorium for medical attention.
The aide-de-camp of the Vice President, a police officer immediately took over to stand behind the president.
As at the thime of this report, the cause of Amponsah’s collapsed is yet to be ascertained.
The President's bodyguard collapses in parliament as Akufo-Addo reads the State of the Nation address.#TV3GH #SONA pic.twitter.com/0ZhDYuhr6T
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) January 3, 2025
Ghana President Akufo-Addo’s address disrupted as ADC collapses (Video)
Africa
Panic as huge space object crashes into Kenyan village
Panic as huge space object crashes into Kenyan village
A massive, fiery object fell from the sky into a remote village in Kenya on Monday afternoon, causing alarm among locals and prompting an immediate investigation by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA).
The KSA confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the object was a fragment of a space object. The debris, described as a metallic ring, landed in the village of Mukuku in Makueni County. Measuring approximately 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) in diameter and weighing 500 kilograms (about 1,100 pounds), the object has been taken into custody by the agency.
“The Agency wishes to clarify that the object, a metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing about 500 kg, is a fragment of a space object,” the KSA stated.
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Preliminary analysis suggests the object could be a separation ring from a rocket, according to the agency. It noted that such space debris typically burns up in the atmosphere or falls into the ocean.
This incident highlights the increasing congestion of Earth’s orbit, with satellites and other objects creating challenges for managing space debris.
Julius Rotich, Mbooni Sub County Police Commander, told the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation that the object was still hot when officers arrived. Residents were kept at a safe distance until the debris cooled.
The broadcaster aired footage of the object, showing it entangled in trees and surrounded by police tape, as curious villagers looked on.
The KSA is continuing its investigation to determine the origin of the debris. While the agency suggests this is an isolated incident, it underscores the growing risks associated with falling space objects.
Panic as huge space object crashes into Kenyan village
CNN
Africa
Niger’s president faces fire at home over attack on Nigeria
Niger’s president faces fire at home over attack on Nigeria
Niger’s President Abdourahmane Tchiani is facing a backlash of criticism from his fellow countrymen following his recent allegation of a conspiracy by Nigeria against his country.
Tchiani in a Christmas Day interview claimed, among other things, that Nigeria had provided a base for French soldiers near Lake Chad had established training camps for terrorists in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states, all aimed at destabilising Niger.
The Federal Government has dismissed the allegations as baseless, with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, being the latest government official to debunk the claims.
Many Nigerien citizens reacting on social media to Tchiani’s claims against Nigeria say there is no credibility whatsoever in the allegations.
Some of them are of the view that the Nigerien leader was only looking for an excuse to hang his failure in office on after 17months of ousting his predecessor, Mohamed Bazoum, in a palace coup.
One Nigerien critic even alleged that loyalists of the Niamey military regime are under instruction to spread falsehood that France in collaboration with Nigeria and other neighbouring countries plans to invade Niger.
A Nigerien commentator, Maidalili Namu, spoke of alleged frustration of the Tchiani regime to stabilise the country as they promised to do after deposing Bazoum.
Namu claimed on Muduba Mugani podcast that the country is being ruined by those he branded 16 generals.
“You have been in power for 17 months, confined to the villa and fed with false information that clouds your judgment,” PR Nigeria quoted Namu as saying of Tchiani in a video recording.
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Namu also accused the Nigerien strongman of fostering animosity both regionally and internationally, sowing seeds of discord with Niger’s neighbors and other nations.
He said: “When it was announced that you would address the nation at 8 pm on December 25, 2024, in Hausa, Zabarma and French, the prevailing rumour was that your speech would lack originality, filled only with the usual condemnation of France, ECOWAS, Nigeria and others as our adversaries.
“Some even wagered that they would give goats or cash if you didn’t mention France in your address.
“Nigeriens are fed up with your repetitive statements that yield no progress.
“What is most frustrating is that you vindicated their predictions. Some even began to tally how many times you mentioned France, Nigeria and ECOWAS, suggesting they are conspiring to destabilise Niger.
“You have accused numerous countries, both within and outside Africa, of undermining Niger, leading some to question your mental fitness for leadership.
“Your diplomatic failures are evident. You have insulted numerous leaders from various countries, implicating at least 20 nations in a conspiracy against Niger, many of whom we have no direct relations with.
“The real issues affecting Nigeriens—economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, fuel scarcity and the rising cost of living—were overlooked.
“Instead, we heard the same old narrative of external threats and unfounded claims of terrorist camps supervised by the French.
“You asserted that camps have been established for training terrorists in Burkina Faso and Niger—concluding that by the end of 2024, at least 400 terrorists will be trained under French supervision.
“If you possess accurate information about these camps, why do you not coordinate efforts to dismantle them instead of using this information merely as a talking point?
“You must recognise that none of the leaders you’ve insulted have retaliated; you have disparaged leaders from countries like Tanzania, Mauritania, Chad and others. If your assertions hold any truth, how can we possibly survive more than 24 hours amidst the threats you mention?
Niger’s president faces fire at home over attack on Nigeria
THE NATION
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