Author: Amnewsworld

Ethiopia’s athletics boss on Thursday urged the federal government to ease access to the war-torn region of Tigray, which is home to several medalist from the recently concluded World Athletics Championships. Three of Ethiopia’s four gold medalists and one silver medalist from the championships held in the US city of Eugene earlier this month hail from Tigray, including the women’s marathon winner Gotytom Gebreslase. In Amharic, Sahle-work Zewde, President of Ethiopia,  voiced are frustration on the ongoing situation in the east African nation. “There is the winner in Ethiopia. This is the Ethiopia we know and wish. However, Ethiopia is…

Benin has freed 30 opposition supporters arrested during the 2021 election that handed President Patrice Talon a second term, a senior judicial source said on Wednesday. The decision came during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron who met with Talon in the country’s commercial capital Cotonou. The move came a surprise to many but highly welcomed. Jean-Marie Avodagbe, moto-taxi driver, couldn’t hide his joy. “After the meeting with Boni Yayi and Nicephore Soglo, the two former presidents who had in his time demanded the release of political detainees, and with the visit of the French president, we see that President…

The Civil Society Organizations , CSOs on Thursday, expressed pain over closure of both public and private schools in Abuja-Nigeria. The closure of both public and private schools in Abuja meant terrorists are gaining upper hand with their reign of terror according to the convener of the organization. The Civil group further highlighted that the agenda for the terrorist is to abolish Western education, and so if the terrorists are succeeding even without bombing the schools, government facilities and government is already shutting down the schools, it means a win situation for the insurgent group. Fear looms over the consequences…

Protests against Guinea’s junta and its handling of plans to return to democracy brought the capital to a standstill Thursday, with organizers claiming that one person was killed. Clashes broke out Thursday morning between young demonstrators and the police in several areas seen as opposition strongholds in the capital. The protest began ahead of comments by the chair of a regional bloc who claimed to have persuaded the junta to shorten its timeline for a return to democracy. Umaro Sissoco Embalo, president of Guinea Bissau and current chairman of ECOWAS, speaking during Macron’s visit to his country said: “I was…

Benin President Patrice Talon on Wednesday dismissed criticism that his government was holding political prisoners after the jailing of two opposition leaders late last year. The West African state sitting between Nigeria and Togo was long praised for its thriving multi-party democracy, but critics say freedoms have steadily eroded under Talon, a 64-year-old cotton magnate first elected in 2016. Talon was speaking during a one-day visit by President Emmanuel Macron to Benin’s economic capital Cotonou after the French leader had travelled to Cameroon. “In Benin, there are no political detainees, no one is detained in Benin for their political opinion,”…

At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed in coordinated “terrorist” attacks in Mali, the country’s army said Wednesday, this is the latest deadly violence to rock the Sahel state. In Kalumba, near the Mauritanian border, “the death toll on the friendly side is 12, including three civilians from a road construction company”, the army said in a statement. The army death toll in Sokolo, in central Mali, was six with 25 others wounded, five of them seriously. The army claims to have killed 48 attackers and “neutralized three terrorist pick-up trucks 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Sokolo with…

Nigeria labor is accusing the authority in Nigeria of unfulfilled pledges adding that the leaders have for long neglected the education sector and allowed it to suffer. The president of the Nigeria labor congress, Ayuba Wabba and some activists led hundreds of protesters on Wednesday in Abuja against the continued shutdown of Nigeria universities. The protesters who converged at the Unity Fountain, Abuja marched to the National Assembly chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with various inscriptions. The labor union says that the country’s public university system has been shut for five months is not a good commentary adding that…

Protesters took to the streets for a third consecutive day after at least 15 people were killed and dozens of others injured during the previous two days of demonstrations in Congo’s east against the United Nations mission in the country. The UN said Tuesday one peacekeeper from Morocco and two international policemen from India serving with the UN peacekeeping force were slain and a policeman from Egypt was injured at the UN base in Butembo in North Kivu province when “violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police” and fired on UN personnel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence…

A new Tunisian constitution has been approved by 96.4 percent of participants in a referendum with 30.5 percent turnout, the head of the Independent High Electoral commission announced Tuesday evening. Saied’s rivals accused the electoral board controlled by Saied of “fraud” and said his referendum, held Monday, had failed. Most of Saied’s rivals called for a boycott, and while turnout was low, it was higher than the single figures many had expected. For some Tunisians, his moves sparked fears of a return to autocracy, but they were welcomed by others, fed up with high inflation and unemployment, political corruption and…

One of Kenya’s two leading presidential candidates, Raila Odinga, will not take part in an upcoming electoral debate, his campaign team said Sunday, accusing his principal rival of trying to avoid certain topics such as corruption. Odinga, 77, a former prime minister, and Deputy President William Ruto, 55, are the leading contenders in the August 9 presidential poll. But in a statement announcing Odinga would boycott Tuesday’s debate, his campaign spokesman accused Ruto of trying to dodge discussion of key issues. Ruto “has demanded that the debate not focus on corruption, integrity, ethics, and governance — the key existential questions…