Region
UN: 40 people killed in ethnic clashes in West Darfur
At least 40 people have been killed in Sudan’s West Darfur region after three days of ethnic clashes that have prompted the government to declare a state of emergency, the United Nations announced Monday. The clashes in El Geneina, which is close to the border with Chad, also left at least 58 people wounded. Fighting among members of the Arabi Rizeigat and Masalit tribes in El Geneina began after armed men shot two people and wounded two others in the Masalit tribe, according to the U.N. While authorities have yet to determine the cause of the shootings, gunfire exchanges between the two tribes continued into Monday, claiming at least 40 residents. Residents told Agence France-Presse they heard fresh gunfire accompanied by loud explosions at dawn Monday as the violence spread to the suburb...
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan launch new Nile dam talks in DRC
A new round of African Union-mediated talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan has begun aimed at resolving a years-long dispute over a massive dam built by Addis Ababa on the Blue Nile, a main tributary of the Nile river. The three-day talks that kicked off on Saturday are taking place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current chair of the AU. Foreign and irrigation ministers of the three nations were attending the talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), along with AU experts, according to Ethiopia’s Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele. A Sudanese diplomat was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the experts from the three countries and the AU met on Saturday, ahead of ministers who would meet on Sunday and Monday. He s...
ECWA: Terrorists tactically taking over Northern Nigeria
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has raised the alarm, saying terrorist groups are tactically expanding their activities and making incursions into other parts of the North. Addressing a press conference in Jos on Wednesday on the insecurity ravaging the country, ECWA President, Dr. Stephen Panya, said “Boko Haram and ISWAP have destroyed tens of thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Nigerians and many Christians and Christian communities have been deliberately targeted and destroyed. “It is clear that these terrorist groups are gradually but tactically expanding their activities and making incursions into other parts of the north and even beyond, and the apparent lack of unity in the fight against these terrorist groups, and the inability of government to deal...
Suez Canal reopens after stranded ship is freed
Traffic has resumed in Egypt’s Suez Canal after a stranded container ship blocking it for nearly a week was finally freed by salvage crews. Tug boats honked their horns in celebration as the 400m-long (1,300ft) Ever Given was dislodged on Monday with the help of dredgers. Hundreds of ships are waiting to pass through the canal which links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. It is one of the world’s busiest trade routes. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch salvage company Boskalis, said the Ever Given had been refloated at 15:05 (13:05 GMT) on Monday, “thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again”. Egyptian officials say the backlog of ships waiting to transit through should be cleared in around three days, but experts believe the knock-on effect on global shipping could take w...
Ohanaeze faction opens own office
The division in Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership following January 10th election has deepened with the faction opposed to the Prof. George Obiozor- led leadership opening a parallel office opposite the Akanu Ibiam International Airport as its operational base. The Engr. Chidi Ibeh-led faction had while inspecting the main Ohanaeze Secretariat at the Park Avenue, Enugu, recently, declared it as uninhabitable and vowed to secure another secretariat to run the affairs of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization. Meanwhile, the Ibeh group has declared April 22, 2021 as “Atonement Day of Ndigbo”. According to Ibeh, on the issue of atonement, “this land must be purified; our prayerful men and women will be assembled together, all the clergy in Igbo land will come together and pray for the cleansing o...
Thousands flee to Thailand after Myanmar army’s air strikes on villages
About 3,000 villagers from Myanmar’s southeastern Karen state fled to Thailand on Sunday following air attacks by the army on an area held by an ethnic armed group, an activist group and local media said. Myanmar’s military launched air strikes on five areas in Mutraw district, near the border, including a displacement camp, the Karen Women’s Organization said. “At the moment, villagers are hiding in the jungle as more than 3,000 crossed to Thailand to take refuge,” a statement from the group said. Thai PBS reported about 3,000 had reached Thailand. Thai authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. At least two soldiers from the Karen National Union were killed, said David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation. “We haven’t had air strikes ther...
Sudan and rebel group sign agreement on separation of religion and state
The Sudanese government and a major rebel group from its southern Nuba Mountains on Sunday signed a document which paves the way for a final peace agreement by guaranteeing freedom of worship to all while separating religion and the state. The signing is viewed as a crucial step in efforts by the power-sharing government headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to reach accords with rebel groups across the country and end decades of conflicts that left millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead. Last year Sudan signed a peace agreement with many groups, including from the Western region of Darfur. But a key faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, did not join in last year’s agreement because it stuck to its demand that Sudan dispens...
Senator Abaribe: It’s shameful that Ihejirika joined APC
The Senator Representing Abia South Senatorial zone, Sen Enyinnaya Abaribe, says it is a shame that a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), campaigned for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Aba. Speaking in a radio interview, Abaribe described APC as a party that has so much disdain for the South East. He added that with the level of insecurity the country is being faced with, no APC Senator from the region has summoned the courage to speak up. “PDP government recognized Igbos in the military by making him the Chief of Army Staff for the first time in history.” “The same man is supporting a party that has so much disdain for Igbos. That Ihejirika is with APC that has pushed out our people to a point that you hardly see any Igbo in the top rank of the military and ot...
Interpol: Fake coronavirus vaccines are being sold online
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has warned against the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines online. INTERPOL noted that criminals have started producing and selling fake vaccines through online platforms. The law enforcement organisation, in a statement published on its website, said members of the public that purchase such fake vaccines are at risk of serious health hazards. “With criminal groups producing, distributing and selling fake vaccines, the risks to the public are clear: these can include buying a product which not only does not protect against COVID-19, but poses a serious health hazard if ingested or injected. Such products are not tested, regulated or safety-checked,” the statement read. “Legitimate vaccines are not for sale. They are strictly administered ...
AFCON: Aston Villa congratulate Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso on qualification
Premier League side Aston Villa have congratulated Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso after qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite playing a 0-0 draw against Uganda on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Kamou Malo’s men booked a place in Cameroon with a game to spare. That will be the 13th time the West African country would reach the finals since their maiden appearance at Ghana 1978 – where they finished in eight position. The Villa Park giants have taken to social media to celebrate their winger and his country on their recent success. “Congratulations to Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 with a goalless draw against Uganda on Wednesday!” a tweet from the club read. Burkina Faso – who currently lead Gr...
Niger Delta agitators urges South South governors to work with Senator Akpabio to develop region
A coalition of Niger Delta agitators, weekend, called on governors of South South to work with Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to develop Niger Delta region and its people. The group meanwhile, called out governors of Niger Delta states, saying recent revelation by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, that they (governors) collected N100 million each as Covid-19 palliative has exposed their hypocrisy. Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Patrick Ayo Akinyelure, last week, told reporters in Abuja that NDDC officials told the committee that each of the nine governors of the Niger Delta states got N100 million as Covid-19 palliatives. Coordinator of the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, 2...
2023: Why South South should produce next president – Edo deputy governor, speaker
Deputy Governor of Edo state, Comrade Philip Shaibu, and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Marcus Onabun, Saturday said the South-South geo-political zone is ripe to produce the next president of Nigeria and while calling on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its presidential candidate slot to the region. The two spoke at an event to celebrate the emergence of Chief Dan Orbih as the South-South national Vice Chairman of the party held at the Benin residence of late Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih. Shaibu said, “We voted for President Buhari again and he had a second term. South-South must produce the next President of Nigeria. “Chief Dan Orbih being National Vice Chairman South-South of the PDP from our state is not by m...
