🇺🇸🇪🇬 Blinken says U.S. will keep pressing Egypt on human rights
The United States will continue to encourage Egypt to take steps on human rights, including freeing more political prisoners and guaranteeing freedom of expression, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Cairo.
After talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken told reporters that Egypt had taken "important strides" protecting religious freedoms, releasing some prisoners, etc.
"But the concerns that we have remain and in the spirit of candor and the spirit of the partnership we have, we expressed those very clearly," Blinken said, adding that he had raised the cases of individual prisoners.
#USA #Egypt
@africaintel
The United States will continue to encourage Egypt to take steps on human rights, including freeing more political prisoners and guaranteeing freedom of expression, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Cairo.
After talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken told reporters that Egypt had taken "important strides" protecting religious freedoms, releasing some prisoners, etc.
"But the concerns that we have remain and in the spirit of candor and the spirit of the partnership we have, we expressed those very clearly," Blinken said, adding that he had raised the cases of individual prisoners.
#USA #Egypt
@africaintel
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🇺🇸🇸🇴 US Ambassador to the UN urges donors to help Somalia
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the world’s donors on Sunday to give immediate help to a country facing deadly famine, which she described as “the ultimate failure of the international community.”
Excess deaths during what is now Somalia's longest drought on record will “almost certainly” surpass those of the famine formally declared in the country in 2011, when more than a quarter-million people died.
Speaking in a meeting with the Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the U.S. Ambassador said that while a famine had been "averted the last time around" that efforts to fight it should be ramped up now in order to avoid such an incident in March-April this year.
#USA #Somalia
@africaintel
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the world’s donors on Sunday to give immediate help to a country facing deadly famine, which she described as “the ultimate failure of the international community.”
Excess deaths during what is now Somalia's longest drought on record will “almost certainly” surpass those of the famine formally declared in the country in 2011, when more than a quarter-million people died.
Speaking in a meeting with the Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the U.S. Ambassador said that while a famine had been "averted the last time around" that efforts to fight it should be ramped up now in order to avoid such an incident in March-April this year.
#USA #Somalia
@africaintel
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🇿🇦 South African judge withdraws from Zuma corruption trial
A South African judge presiding over the corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma has withdrawn from the case - in a move likely to cause further delays. Judge Piet Koen said he wanted to avoid any risk of compromising the perception of justice, after he earlier ruled against Zuma's efforts to force out the prosecutor.
Zuma is facing 16 counts of fraud and racketeering over the purchase of fighter jets and other arms equipment when he was vice-president in the 1990s. Eighteen months ago, Zuma was given a 15-month jail term for contempt of court in connection with another corruption case. He has denied any wrongdoing.
#SouthAfrica
@africaintel
A South African judge presiding over the corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma has withdrawn from the case - in a move likely to cause further delays. Judge Piet Koen said he wanted to avoid any risk of compromising the perception of justice, after he earlier ruled against Zuma's efforts to force out the prosecutor.
Zuma is facing 16 counts of fraud and racketeering over the purchase of fighter jets and other arms equipment when he was vice-president in the 1990s. Eighteen months ago, Zuma was given a 15-month jail term for contempt of court in connection with another corruption case. He has denied any wrongdoing.
#SouthAfrica
@africaintel
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🇱🇾🇺🇦 GNU and Ukrainian military attaché discussed military cooperation between the two countries
Abd al-Hamid al-Dbeiba, Director of the Office of the Head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) discussed with the Ukrainian military attaché in Libya military cooperation between the two sides, including maintenance and repair of some weapons, warships and aircraft in Ukraine.
The Director of the Office of the Head of the GNU welcomed the Ukrainian military attaché, praising the relations of the Ukrainian Republic with the Libyan state.
He stressed the need to rebuild bridges of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the military field, which will be anchored by the military attachés of the two countries' embassies.
#Libya #Ukraine
@africaintel
Abd al-Hamid al-Dbeiba, Director of the Office of the Head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) discussed with the Ukrainian military attaché in Libya military cooperation between the two sides, including maintenance and repair of some weapons, warships and aircraft in Ukraine.
The Director of the Office of the Head of the GNU welcomed the Ukrainian military attaché, praising the relations of the Ukrainian Republic with the Libyan state.
He stressed the need to rebuild bridges of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the military field, which will be anchored by the military attachés of the two countries' embassies.
#Libya #Ukraine
@africaintel
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🇨🇩 DRC's capital is ready to welcome Pope Francis
In Kinshasa's Ndolo airport everything is ready to welcome Pope Francis, said officials.
The Holy Pontiff arrives on Tuesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa's largest catholic country. In total, Pope Francis will deliver twelve speeches and will meet, in addition to the authorities, victims of violence, displaced persons, members of the clergy and representatives of charities.
On Wednesday more than a million people are expected to attend a morning mass.
#DRC
@africaintel
In Kinshasa's Ndolo airport everything is ready to welcome Pope Francis, said officials.
The Holy Pontiff arrives on Tuesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa's largest catholic country. In total, Pope Francis will deliver twelve speeches and will meet, in addition to the authorities, victims of violence, displaced persons, members of the clergy and representatives of charities.
On Wednesday more than a million people are expected to attend a morning mass.
#DRC
@africaintel
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🇲🇱 Mali investigators finally see breakthrough in murder mystery
Investigations into a string of beheadings in southern Mali have scored a breakthrough, judicial and police sources said on Monday.
Ten people in the cotton-growing town of Fana have been decapitated since 2018, sparking fears of ritual killings.
"We have arrested the main suspect," local prosecutor told. He is a 42-year-old unemployed Malian man with no fixed address. A police official revealed the suspect had been arrested a year ago but had only confessed last week to the grisly murders. Neither the prosecutor nor the police official revealed the possible motive for the crimes.
The victims included a former soldier, a housewife, a five-year-old albino child and a two-year-old girl, and had apparently nothing in common.
#Mali
@africaintel
Investigations into a string of beheadings in southern Mali have scored a breakthrough, judicial and police sources said on Monday.
Ten people in the cotton-growing town of Fana have been decapitated since 2018, sparking fears of ritual killings.
"We have arrested the main suspect," local prosecutor told. He is a 42-year-old unemployed Malian man with no fixed address. A police official revealed the suspect had been arrested a year ago but had only confessed last week to the grisly murders. Neither the prosecutor nor the police official revealed the possible motive for the crimes.
The victims included a former soldier, a housewife, a five-year-old albino child and a two-year-old girl, and had apparently nothing in common.
#Mali
@africaintel
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🇰🇪 Kenya seeks to protect water resources from attacks
Kenya's government has launched a police unit to protect its water resources against vandalism and terrorism.
Kenya’s Interior Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that all critical water infrastructure would now be under the protection of the Critical Infrastructure Police Unit.
Making the announcement, Kindiki said that there had been attempts to access this infrastructure by criminals for economic reasons and "to attack our country’s security".
In recent years, Kenya has faced constant attack and threats of attack, especially from the al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabaab, whose raids on schools, public places and public transport have killed hundreds of people.
#Kenya
@africaintel
Kenya's government has launched a police unit to protect its water resources against vandalism and terrorism.
Kenya’s Interior Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that all critical water infrastructure would now be under the protection of the Critical Infrastructure Police Unit.
Making the announcement, Kindiki said that there had been attempts to access this infrastructure by criminals for economic reasons and "to attack our country’s security".
In recent years, Kenya has faced constant attack and threats of attack, especially from the al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabaab, whose raids on schools, public places and public transport have killed hundreds of people.
#Kenya
@africaintel
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🇧🇫 Burkina Faso says at least 28 soldiers, civilians killed in rebel attacks
At least 28 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in two attacks by armed assailants in Burkina Faso.
The army said on Monday that a combat unit in Falagountou, in the north of the country near its border with Niger, came under attack and that 10 soldiers, two fighters of the volunteer force and a civilian were killed. The army said the bodies of 15 assailants were found after the attack.
In a separate statement governor of the country’s Cascades region in the south near the border with Ivory Coast, said the bodies of 15 men, all civilians, had been found following an attack on Sunday. The governor added armed men had stopped two transport vehicles carrying eight women and 16 men. The women and one man were freed, he said.
#BurkinaFaso
@africaintel
At least 28 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in two attacks by armed assailants in Burkina Faso.
The army said on Monday that a combat unit in Falagountou, in the north of the country near its border with Niger, came under attack and that 10 soldiers, two fighters of the volunteer force and a civilian were killed. The army said the bodies of 15 assailants were found after the attack.
In a separate statement governor of the country’s Cascades region in the south near the border with Ivory Coast, said the bodies of 15 men, all civilians, had been found following an attack on Sunday. The governor added armed men had stopped two transport vehicles carrying eight women and 16 men. The women and one man were freed, he said.
#BurkinaFaso
@africaintel
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🇿🇦 South Africa considers state of disaster for power crisis
South Africa is considering declaring the power crisis in the country a national disaster. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday said the governing ANC party had recommended that a national state of disaster be declared to ensure sufficient resources were allocated to alleviate the problem.
This would be similar to the state of disaster declared in 2020 to manage the effects of the Covid pandemic, he said in his closing remarks at an ANC strategy meeting. “A national state of disaster will enable us to have the instruments necessary to fully implement the challenges that our nation faces,” he added.
#SouthAfrica
@africaintel
South Africa is considering declaring the power crisis in the country a national disaster. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday said the governing ANC party had recommended that a national state of disaster be declared to ensure sufficient resources were allocated to alleviate the problem.
This would be similar to the state of disaster declared in 2020 to manage the effects of the Covid pandemic, he said in his closing remarks at an ANC strategy meeting. “A national state of disaster will enable us to have the instruments necessary to fully implement the challenges that our nation faces,” he added.
#SouthAfrica
@africaintel
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🇱🇷 Liberia's current President declares bid for re-election
Liberia's President, George Weah, has announced that he is standing for re-election. In his annual state of the nation address, Weah said he would be calling on Liberians to renew for a second time the mandate they gave him six years ago.
Weah has been accused of economic mismanagement during his time in office. He promised to end endemic corruption, but to this day corruption remains huge problem for the country.
Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on a number of senior Liberian officials over corruption allegations, including Weah's chief of staff.
Elections in Liberia are scheduled for October.
#Liberia
@africaintel
Liberia's President, George Weah, has announced that he is standing for re-election. In his annual state of the nation address, Weah said he would be calling on Liberians to renew for a second time the mandate they gave him six years ago.
Weah has been accused of economic mismanagement during his time in office. He promised to end endemic corruption, but to this day corruption remains huge problem for the country.
Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on a number of senior Liberian officials over corruption allegations, including Weah's chief of staff.
Elections in Liberia are scheduled for October.
#Liberia
@africaintel
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🇨🇩🇷🇼 DR Congo expels Rwandan officers from regional force
The military in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it has expelled Rwandan soldiers attached to the command of the East African Community Regional Force based in the eastern town of Goma.
The Rwandan soldiers were expelled from the force “for security reasons” and “have already left Congolese soil”, the military said.
The regional force consists of soldiers from several East African countries who have joined the Congolese army, with the support of UN peacekeepers, in fighting rebel groups in eastern DR Congo.
The Congolese army claimed that Rwanda had in response recalled all its officers from DR Congo, but the authorities in Rwanda have denied the claim.
#DRC #Rwanda
@africaintel
The military in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it has expelled Rwandan soldiers attached to the command of the East African Community Regional Force based in the eastern town of Goma.
The Rwandan soldiers were expelled from the force “for security reasons” and “have already left Congolese soil”, the military said.
The regional force consists of soldiers from several East African countries who have joined the Congolese army, with the support of UN peacekeepers, in fighting rebel groups in eastern DR Congo.
The Congolese army claimed that Rwanda had in response recalled all its officers from DR Congo, but the authorities in Rwanda have denied the claim.
#DRC #Rwanda
@africaintel
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🌍🇨🇩 Southern Africa countries to discuss DR Congo crisis
Leaders from the southern African bloc of nations, SADC, are gathering in Namibia for a meeting that will focus on the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Angola, one of the member states, has been trying to firm up peace efforts between Rwanda and DR Congo
The summit in Windhoek is also expected to issue a statement over the recent killing of a pro-democracy activist in Eswatini. Eswatini's King Mswati III won't be at the summit, but Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini will be expected to deliver a report on the political crisis and tension in the small kingdom
It is expected to discuss the state of peace and security in the region, with special focus on developments in the DR Congo and Mozambique.
#DRC
@africaintel
Leaders from the southern African bloc of nations, SADC, are gathering in Namibia for a meeting that will focus on the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Angola, one of the member states, has been trying to firm up peace efforts between Rwanda and DR Congo
The summit in Windhoek is also expected to issue a statement over the recent killing of a pro-democracy activist in Eswatini. Eswatini's King Mswati III won't be at the summit, but Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini will be expected to deliver a report on the political crisis and tension in the small kingdom
It is expected to discuss the state of peace and security in the region, with special focus on developments in the DR Congo and Mozambique.
#DRC
@africaintel
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🇪🇹 15 sources of media are banned in Somali region of Ethiopia
Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali region have banned 15 media practitioners working for foreign organizations - including the BBC’s and the Voice of America’s Somali language services - that they said were operating without the necessary permits.
The move follows a letter written by the federal media regulator Ethiopian Media Authority to regional officials stating it had found out that some international media organization representatives based in the region were working without the required accreditations.
#Ethiopia
@africaintel
Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali region have banned 15 media practitioners working for foreign organizations - including the BBC’s and the Voice of America’s Somali language services - that they said were operating without the necessary permits.
The move follows a letter written by the federal media regulator Ethiopian Media Authority to regional officials stating it had found out that some international media organization representatives based in the region were working without the required accreditations.
#Ethiopia
@africaintel
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🇳🇬 32 Boko Haram militants were killed in a counter-terrorism operation by local forces in the Borno State, Nigeria.
#Nigeria
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#Nigeria
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🇿🇼🇧🇾 Zimbabwe and Belarus signed agreements
The leaders of Zimbabwe and Belarus have signed agriculture and defense agreements. Agriculture agreement includes a deal to supply the southern African country with $60m worth of tractors.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said the offer to Harare was part of a farm mechanization programme worth around $66 million.
On a visit to the capital Harare Lukashenko said relations between the two countries had developed as a result of the western sanctions they are both under. He also accused the West of using economic sanctions to suppress both countries.
#Zimbabwe #Belarus
@africaintel
The leaders of Zimbabwe and Belarus have signed agriculture and defense agreements. Agriculture agreement includes a deal to supply the southern African country with $60m worth of tractors.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said the offer to Harare was part of a farm mechanization programme worth around $66 million.
On a visit to the capital Harare Lukashenko said relations between the two countries had developed as a result of the western sanctions they are both under. He also accused the West of using economic sanctions to suppress both countries.
#Zimbabwe #Belarus
@africaintel
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