Africa

Coup: Gambia sentences soldier to 12 years jail term

Published

6 months ago

November 2, 2023

Coup: Gambia sentences soldier to 12 years jail term

A Gambian court sentenced a soldier to 12 years in prison for conspiring to stage a coup in the West African country that has restored democracy after 22 years of dictatorship.

According to a judgment viewed by AFP on Wednesday, the court found Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera guilty of treason on Tuesday.

While the area has seen a series of military coups since 2020, Gambia has had a democratic re-establishment.

Former dictator Yahya Jammeh held sway over the tiny state for 22 years until he was unexpectedly defeated in presidential elections in December 2016 by political newcomer Adama Barrow.

The court judgment said Fadera — who denied the charges — had wanted to involve several low-ranking soldiers, an officer and some civilians.

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Out of around 10 people initially questioned last December, four were charged and went on trial.

Three of those were acquitted on Tuesday on the charge of not reporting what Fadera was planning.

According to the judgment, Fadera was a disgruntled navy laboratory technician, who said he wanted to bring the people out onto the streets to support him.

It said that during the planning he had consulted a marabout, or religious leader, in both Gambia and Mali.

The judge, in his sentencing, said, “There was no violence employed in the commission of the offence,” and took into consideration the defendant’s young age, which was not given, and lack of previous convictions.

Coup: Gambia sentences soldier to 12 years jail term

AFP

Africa

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

Trends Admin

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

After 13 years of residing in the United States of America, a Kenyan man has expressed his strong desire to return to his homeland.

The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, reportedly relocated to the US in 2011, initially serving in the military for four years before transitioning into corporate employment.

During his time in the US, he held various positions, including a deployment in Afghanistan, and was earning a substantial salary of $12,000 per month.

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However, despite the financial security, he found himself grappling with a sense of unfulfillment, realizing that he was sacrificing his most valuable asset (time) for a pursuit that left him with little satisfaction.

In December of the previous year, he reportedly resigned from his corporate job and delve into entrepreneurship, seeking freedom and autonomy in his endeavors.

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

Africa

23 killed in violent clashes over cattle in South Sudan

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

At least 23 people were killed and 44 were injured in violent clashes between different ethnic groups over cattle theft in South Sudan, a local official said on Tuesday.

Heavily armed cattle thieves attacked a village in the state of Eastern Equatoria, a local administration spokesman said.

Hundreds of cattle were stolen during the raid.

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Seven children and five women were also abducted during the attack.

Members of the Murle ethnic group were armed with machine guns and other rapid-fire weapons, he said.

The latest incident comes after other, deadly attacks relating to cattle theft in South Sudan.

Several ethnic groups in South Sudan breed cattle, with farming not only key for economic reasons and critical to prosperity, but also deeply embedded in their culture.

23 killed in violent clashes over cattle in South Sudan

(dpa/NAN)

Africa

Electricity crisis forces Energy minister to resign

Published

5 days ago

April 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Electricity crisis forces Energy minister to resign

Following weeks of disruption, electricity supply has been finally restored in most cities across Sierra Leone after a part payment was made for the $48m (£38m) utility bill it owed to a Turkish company, Karpowership.

The payment of the sum of $18m comes as the country’s energy minister, Kanja Sesay announced his exit from government, saying he took full responsibility for the crisis.

Most electricity supplies to the capital, Freetown, is generated from a Turkish ship floating off the country’s coast.

Last week, Karpowership said it had severely cut supplies to the city, from 60 megawatts to 6 megawatt, citing backlog of unpaid bills.

Residents of the country’s main cities have been going for days on end without any power and hospitals have also been affected.

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At least one infant has died because of a lack of power, while medics have been using mobile phones to provide light as they carry out procedures, Reuters news agency quotes a doctor as saying.

“How do you iron your clothes, how do you make your food, how do you go to sleep? We pay our electricity bills so I don’t see why we should be forced to live like this,” BBC quoted a second-year engineering student in Freetown, Fatmata Gassim as saying.

Following the resignation of Sesay, the office of President Julius Maada Bio said the energy ministry would now fall under the direct supervision of the president.

Karpowership previously cut supplies to Sierra Leone in September over unpaid bills.

It is one of the world’s biggest floating power plant operators, with several African states relying on it for electricity.

In October, it briefly cut power to Guinea-Bissau, saying it had no option “following a protracted period of non-payment”.