Author: Amnewsworld

The army on Thursday opened fire on demonstrators in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a small southern African country protesting the arrest of their colleagues, leaving three people injured, witnesses said. About 100 minibus and bus drivers marched through the town of Manzini to demand the release of four of their colleagues who were arrested earlier this week after an attack on a transport customer. But the demonstration degenerated when some participants looted shops and set fire to a police station, witnesses said, prompting the deployment of the armed forces. “The army opened fire on protesters who were looting a truck,” said one witness on…

In Ethiopia, the Tigray rebel authorities denied claims made this Friday by the Ethiopian government that 70% of the Tigray region is now under the control of the federal army, The exchange marked a clear resurgence of tension between the two sides, just over a week after the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels reached an agreement to end their bitter two-year conflict. Talks are still underway in Nairobi, Kenya, on the implementation of the agreement, including the disarmament of the rebels, the restoration of federal authority in Tigray and the delivery of aid. Humanitarian aid is…

Senegal’s Coordination of Press Associations (CAP) is demanding the unconditional release of journalist, Pape Alé Niang, who was arrested on the weekend. He was detained by police over allegations that he distributed information the authorities say is ‘liable to harm’ national security. Niang runs the website, Dakar Matin, which is critical of the government. His lawyer, Cire Cledor Ly, says he was arrested on Sunday afternoon and detained at the central police station in Dakar over three alleged ‘infractions’. Ly says Niang is accused of ‘having brought to the public’s attention information whose disclosure is liable to harm the national…

Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan praised on Monday the UN climate conference for including the key issue of “loss and damage” on its agenda. “The loss and damage project agenda is one which is very important. Amongst the small island states, we are definitely pushing for that because we have two main items. One is MVI, the Multi Vulnerability Index, and loss and damage”, he said at the UN climate talks in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el Sheikh. The idea that rich countries should financially support poorer sates at the front lines of climate change effects, known as loss…

Cameroon’s national team is preparing hard ahead of the Fifa World Cup, which gets underway in Qatar in just under two weeks’ time. The Indomitable Lions are led by one of their most capped players, Rigobert Song, who was appointed as coach in February after the African Cup of Nations. ‘He is a great person, as a coach and as a manager. He is always next to his players, giving advice. The feeling is easier with him, communication is key within the group,’ says Olivier Mbaizo, Cameroon and Philadelphia Union defender. The Brazilian challenge The team is placed in Group…

Two TikTok stars in Nigeria’s Kano state who mocked a government official in Nigeria have been sentenced to be whipped 20 times under Sharia law. According to local media reports, Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula allegedly insulted Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the northern state of Kano. Their video, in which they mocked Mr. Ganduje for alleged land grabbing, corruption, and sleeping on the job, was posted last week. They posted the clip on TikTok and Facebook and Muhammad, who is known as Unique Pikin online, was arrested along with Mr. Bula. Their action was ‘capable of disturbing public peace’…

A strike by Kenya Airways pilots led to dozens of flights being cancelled, affecting thousands of passengers. The airline has faced years of losses and pilots are striking over retirement funds and the payment of all salaries stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pilots announced the strike in defiance of a court order against industrial action and gave no indication of how long it will last. General Secretary of the Kenya Alliance Pilots Association (KALPA), Murithi Nyagah, they had tried to negotiate with the airline. “We worked tirelessly throughout last night and shared our revised proposals with Kenya Airways management,”…

Two generations of Cameroonians have been born under the presidency of Paul Biya who, on Sunday 6 November, was marking 40 years of undivided rule. Known as the “Sphinx”, Biya is now 89 years-old and in poor health. Some people think it may be a good time for a change but fear the instability that may follow. Shopkeeper, Muriel Ewane, says: “After 40 years nothing has changed. It’s getting worse and worse, worse and worse. With life becoming more and more expensive. “We don’t even live on hope anymore. You can’t live on hope, you can’t live on hope in…

Delegates, organizers and observers were in the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday for the start of COP27. Behind the picturesque setting, the venue has become a tightly controlled fortress as the climate conference gets underway. COP27 is being branded an “African COP” where the positions of African countries on issues like finance for adapting to climate change or adopting renewable energy sources will be central to the talks. The UN weather agency says 116 million people in Africa’s coastal states and islands face rising sea-levels and by 2050 African nations will need to spend $50 billion every…

Thousands of protesters in Mali held a rally on Friday organized by the High Islamic Council of Mali. The demonstration was in response to a social network video in which insulting remarks were made about Islam and a man trampled on a copy of the Quran. Although the government has condemned the video, many Muslims remain furious. One of the protesters, Issa Coulibaly, said: “There are people who have blasphemed our prophet, our religion, our holy book the Quran and our holy place the Kaaba. That’s why we went out to say that we don’t agree with that.” Marima Sogodo,…