Africa

Niger junta reopens borders with neighbours, excludes Nigeria

Published

1 year ago

August 2, 2023

Niger junta reopens borders with neighbours, excludes Nigeria

Niger announced overnight that it was reopening its borders with several of its neighbours, excluding Nigeria, a week after a coup that has been condemned by foreign powers.

“The land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya and Chad are re-opened from August 1, 2023,” a junta spokesperson said on state television.

Nigeria shares a 1,608 kilometres (999 miles) land border with Niger. It runs from Benin in the west to Chad in the east.

The junta closed the borders last Wednesday, at the same time that it announced that it had removed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum from power.

The borders that have reopened are mainly in remote desert areas. Niger’s key entryways for trade and commerce remain closed due to sanctions imposed by the regional bloc.

The reopening of the land borders comes as defence chiefs from regional bloc ECOWAS are scheduled to start a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to discuss the situation in Niger, where ECOWAS has threatened to use force if soldiers do not reinstate the elected president.

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A delegation from the regional bloc was also expected to arrive in Niger’s capital Niamey on Wednesday to start talks with the junta, led by General Abdourahmane Tiani.

Niger’s coup was the seventh military takeover in less than three years in West and Central Africa, where some of the coup-hit countries have banded together in opposition to the rest of the 15-nation regional bloc.

European countries started evacuating their citizens this week after Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military juntas, said they would consider any regional intervention in Niger to be a declaration of war and would come to its defence.

EUROPEANS EVACUATED

The first military planes carrying mostly European nationals landed in Paris and Rome on Wednesday.

“Things could have turned ugly but it still is nice to be back here,” a French evacuee who gave his name as Charles told Reuters TV.

“We will see how things evolve over there in the coming days and weeks. For us, who care about it quite a lot, we will follow this closely,” he said.

France, the United States, Germany, and Italy have troops in Niger on counterinsurgency and training missions, helping the army to fight groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

There has been no announcement of troops being withdrawn so far. Germany’s defence minister said on Wednesday that there were no concerns about the safety of German soldiers.

Any Western military intervention to restore democracy must be ruled out, as it would be “perceived as a new colonisation”, said Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani.

Niger is the world’s seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

The EU Commission said earlier this week that it had sufficient inventories of natural uranium to mitigate any short-term supply risks.

Niger junta reopens borders with neighbours, excludes Nigeria

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Africa

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

Published

4 days ago

November 10, 2024

Trends Admin

George Mwenda Mutegi and Lilian Achieng Aluko

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of Kenyan journalist, Lilian Achieng Aluko, whose body was discovered in a house in Kahawa West, Nairobi, Kenya.

Lilian, who was a presenter at Radio 44, a local radio station, was found dead at her boyfriend’s house with injuries on her face and a stab wound at the back on November 1, 2024.

A day before her death, the 33-year-old had informed her family that she would be spending the night at her boyfriend’s place.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a statement on Friday said the suspect, believed to be Achieng’s boyfriend, was apprehended in the Kaanwa area of Tharaka Nithi County.

The DCI worked closely with local authorities in Meru County to track down the suspect, whose movements had been monitored since he disappeared on November 1.

Police investigations revealed that Achieng and the suspect spent the evening at a local spot before heading to the suspect’s house in Kahawa West.

“George Mwenda Mutegi, the prime suspect in the monstrous murder of Ms Lilian Achieng Aluko has been arrested after days of scrupulous manhunt. Mutegi was smoked out of his hideaway at Kaanwa area of Tharaka Nithi county,” the statement read.

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“The suspect’s arrest by a combined team of hawkshaws from DCI Hqs augmented by their Meru counterparts is a culmination of days of meticulous investigations launched on 1st November, 2024, the night Mutegi is believed to have murdered his girlfriend. After the heinous killing, Mutegi disappeared and erased his footprints.

“Police and the neighbours would only wake up to a slain Achieng, whose lifeless body lay soaked in blood with a stab wound at the back of her right ear and visible injuries on her face and hips.

“Probing the case, police found out that the two lovebirds had on the fateful night had a good time at a local establishment, before retreating to the boyfriend’s place of abode in Kahawa West.

“In an ugly turn of events, the attention of the neighbours was drawn to loud screams from Mutegi’s locked house, which were quickly deafened by loud noise from his sound system.

“Unaware that the distress call was the last Achieng would ever make, the neighbours went back to their houses hoping that the duo would resolve their issues.

“That night, the life of a 33-year-old lady with a blossoming career as a presenter at a local radio station was ended.

“The suspect is currently being processed for arraignment as the DCI continues to investigate all other cases of a similar nature to ensure justice for all victims.”

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

Africa

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Published

5 days ago

November 10, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristel Nchama and Baltasar Engonga

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Cristel Nchama, one of the women appearing in viral explicit videos allegedly involving Baltasar Engonga, the former director-general of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has filed a formal complaint with the National Gendarmerie in Malabo.

Engonga has been the focus of intense public scrutiny after investigators, probing allegations of fraud, searched his home and office and reportedly uncovered approximately 400 explicit videos featuring him with multiple women.

The tapes allegedly show Baltasar Engonga with his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the country’s president, the wife of the director-general of police, and around 20 wives of ministers, among others.

The recordings, which have since gone viral, are said to have taken place in Engonga’s office, hotels, and bathrooms, purportedly with the consent of those involved.

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In her complaint, Nchama disclosed that she had been in a four-year relationship with Engonga and expressed profound distress over the public leak of the videos, which she says has harmed her reputation.

Nchama claimed that Engonga “misled” her into trusting him and that she had initially resisted being filmed, under the impression that any recordings would be deleted.

She also claimed to have been “betrayed” by Bello for publishing the videos.

“I am humiliated,” she stated. “It is my reputation, my honour. I want to know where these images came from and why he kept the images.”

In addition to filing her complaint, Nchama has demanded reparations from Engonga for the damage caused to her reputation and personal dignity.

Following the scandal, the government dismissed Engonga from his position at ANIF on Thursday.

Officials also announced the suspension of various public officials allegedly involved in sexual activities within government offices.

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Africa

Baltasar Engonga: Equatorial Guinea appoints new anti-graft agency boss

Published

7 days ago

November 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Baltasar Engonga

Baltasar Engonga: Equatorial Guinea appoints new anti-graft agency boss

Equatorial Guinea’s President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has appointed Zenón Obiang Obiang Avomo as the new Director General of the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), succeeding Baltasar Ebang Engonga, who was removed amid sex scandal.

Recall that Engonga was dismissed following accusations of “irregularities committed in the exercise of his functions,” along with inappropriate family and social behavior unfit for public office, as stated in Decree No. 118/2024, dated November 4.

The investigation uncovered over 400 video recordings in Engonga’s office, reportedly involving the wives and relatives of high-ranking officials, including ministers and police officers.

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The shocking discovery triggered widespread public outrage and prompted swift action by the government.

In response, the Equatorial Guinean government has mandated the installation of surveillance cameras across all state offices, aiming to monitor officials’ conduct and deter future misconduct.

Zenón Obiang Obiang Avomo, who steps into the role at ANIF is a graduate of the National University of Equatorial Guinea, Avomo and has held key positions, including Magistrate Judge in Malabo, Director General of Contract Studies and State Markets at the Ministry of Finance, and Secretary General for both the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Planning, and the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Energy.