Suspected witchdoctors arrested over attempt to ‘bewitch’ Zambia’s President

Two men were detained in Zambia on charges of being “witchdoctors” tasked with attempting to bewitch the president. 

The police stated they had arrested Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri in Lusaka.

“Their purported mission was to use charms to harm” President Hakainde Hichilema, according to the police statement issued on Friday.

Many individuals in the southern African country believe in and dread witches.

The police stated Mr. Candunde and Mr. Phiri were hired by Nelson Banda, MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda’s younger brother.

The MP was reportedly arrested last month in nearby Zimbabwe on robbery allegations, which he denies, but he has not been seen in public since.

He is also accused of escaping from detention in August while waiting to appear in court.

The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), led by z, has previously claimed that the charges are politically motivated.

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Emmanuel Banda, who has been an independent MP since 2021, previously worked with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hichilema that same year.

The police stated the MP’s younger brother, Nelson, was “currently on the run” in their statement.

Mr. Candunde and Mr. Phiri face charges under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act for “possession of charms,” “professing knowledge of witchcraft,” and “cruelty to wild animals.”

The pair was found with “assorted charms,” including a live chameleon, according to the authorities.

According to the police statement, they claimed they had been given more than 2 million Zambian kwacha (£58,000; $73,000) for their “mission.”

The accused are in jail and will appear in court “soon,” according to the police, although no specific date has been set for the hearing. They have not yet responded in public to the charges.

Suspected witchdoctors arrested over attempt to ‘bewitch’ Zambia’s President

Military airstrike kills over 100 in Sudanese market

A Sudanese military air strike on a market in North Darfur killed more than 100 people on Monday, a pro-democracy lawyers’ group said Tuesday, in a war marked by claims of atrocities on all sides.

The emergency Lawyers said Monday’s air strike also left hundreds injured in Kabkabiya, a town about 180 kilometres (112 miles) west of El-Fasher, the state capital that has been under siege from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since May.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced in a 20-month war between the RSF and Sudan’s military that has left the northeast African country on the brink of famine, according to aid agencies.

“The air strike took place on the town’s weekly market day, where residents from various nearby villages had gathered to shop, resulting in the death of more than 100 people and injury of hundreds, including women and children,” said the lawyers’ group, which has been documenting human rights abuses during the conflict.

In footage sent to AFP purporting to show aftermath of Monday’s strike, people were seen sifting through rubble as the charred remains of children lay on scorched ground.

The footage was supplied by civil society group the Darfur General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees and AFP has not been able to verify its accuracy.

The lawyers group said in a separate incident on Monday evening three neighbourhoods were hit with barrel bombs in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, without reporting casualties.

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Darfur, a region the size of France, is home to around a quarter of Sudan’s population but more than half of its 10 million are displaced.

A UN-backed report in July said famine had taken hold in a major refugee camp in North Darfur after a months-long RSF siege disabled nearly all trade and aid access.

‘Escalation campaign’

The lawyers group said they “condemn in the strongest terms the horrendous massacres committed by army air strikes” in Kabkabiya.

They flagged another incident in North Kordofan state in which drone that had crashed on November 26 exploded on Monday evening, killing six people.

They said recent strikes across Sudan were part of an “escalation campaign… deliberately concentrated on densely populated residential areas”, contradicting claims by warring parties that they only target military objectives.

Both the army and the RSF have been accused of indiscriminately targeting civilians and deliberately bombing residential areas.

Last week, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for immediate international action to address Sudan’s deepening crisis.

Fletcher said he had heard “heart-rending stories” from refugees fleeing the conflict during a recent visit.

Nearly 26 million people — about half the population — face the threat of starvation, with both sides accused of using hunger as a weapon of war.

“These numbers are staggering, and we cannot turn our backs,” Fletcher said.

Military airstrike kills over 100 in Sudanese market

Ghana’s election results management system borrowed from Nigeria – INEC chair

The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has lauded Ghana’s electoral system for its innovative practices and political stability, which contributed to the smooth conduct of its 2024 presidential election.

Former Ghanaian President John Mahama emerged victorious in the election held on Saturday, December 7, 2024. His main challenger, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat in a statement where he congratulated Mahama, the candidate of the National Democratic Congress.

“The people of Ghana have spoken, and they have voted for change at this time. We respect this with all humility,” Bawumia said.

According to reports from AFP, Ghana’s Electoral Commission is expected to announce the official results by Tuesday.

Prof. Yakubu, who observed the election, highlighted the enduring political stability in Ghana’s democratic system. He attributed this to the steadfastness of political parties and the loyalty of their supporters, a feature he said is crucial to fostering consistency in governance.

“Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election. So, that is important. It provides stability. It also provides their supporters (with) stability. So, there are people who have supported political parties for many years. So, whether the party is in power or opposition, they stick to the political party,” Yakubu stated in a video seen on Sunday.

Yakubu also referenced the perseverance of key political figures in Ghana, such as President Nana Akufo-Addo, who contested multiple elections before eventually securing office.

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Innovations Inspired by Nigeria
Yakubu commended Ghana’s recent adoption of a decentralised system for managing election results, which he noted was inspired by practices in Nigeria.

Previously, both parliamentary and presidential results in Ghana were sent to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra for announcement.

The country has since shifted to a system where constituency-level officers announce parliamentary results locally, while only presidential results are sent to the capital.

““The second thing for me is the lesson that Ghana also learnt from Nigeria in the area of managing constituency election results. Until the last election in Ghana, all results come to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra; which is parliamentary and presidential.

“Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learnt from Nigeria where you have returning officers who announce results for parliamentary elections in the various constituencies around the country. Only the presidential election results come to Accra.

“In Nigeria, this is what we have done and they borrowed a leave from us, and this is the second time they are implementing that. That is why, as you can see, the declaration of the presidential election result was a lot faster than it used to be in the past,” he explained.

He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election, saying, “We are grateful that the election has gone very well. The process and its outcome so far have been commendable, and we continue to support our colleagues in Ghana’s Electoral Commission.”

The election marked the end of two terms in office for the governing New Patriotic Party under President Akufo-Addo, whose tenure faced challenges, including economic crises, high inflation, and a debt default.

Ghana’s election results management system borrowed from Nigeria – INEC chair