South Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar Charged with Murder and Treason South Sudan’s First Vice-President Riek Machar has been charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity. The charges against Machar relate to an attack committed by a militia linked with the vice president in March. His house arrest since then has deepened the rift between him…
Ghana Accepts First West African Deportees from the US Ghanaian President John Mahama announced that the first group of West African deportees from the United States has arrived in Ghana. The deportation agreement comes amid the U.S. levying increased tariffs on Ghanaian products. Mahama said that Ghana had accepted 14 people, including several Nigerians…
Ivory Coast’s Former First Lady Simone Gbagbo Cleared to Run for President Ivory Coast’s former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, was unexpectedly cleared as one of five candidates to contest the 25 October presidential election. She is set to run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband,…
Miguel da Silva, Group Executive: Business Banking at TymeBank, examines the developments affecting South Africa’s SMEs as international finance leaders gather in Johannesburg. Johannesburg Hosts Global SME Finance Forum Alongside G20 Proceedings The Global SME Finance Forum takes place in Johannesburg from 15 to 17 September, bringing together more than 1 200 participants from over…
Tunisia Denies Drone Attack on Greta Thunberg’s Gaza Aid Boat Tunisian authorities denied claims that a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying activists, including Greta Thunberg, had been struck by a drone while anchored off Sidi Bou Said. The organisers of the flotilla, Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said that the Portuguese-flagged vessel had been struck by…
DR Congo Announces New Ebola Outbreak The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) confirmed its 16th Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Kasai province, where 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, have been reported. The index case is a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to the hospital with symptoms including high fever…
Sudan Govt Denies U.S. Accusations of Chemical Weapons Use A report published by Sudan’s army-backed government said that there is no evidence of chemical contamination, two months after the United States imposed sanctions over chemical weapons allegations. The ministry said the report was based on field tests and forensic reviews carried out since April,…
Burkina Faso Passes Law Criminalizing Homosexual Acts Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament passed a bill banning homosexual acts, a year after the cabinet adopted a draft of an amended family code criminalising homosexuality. The law, unanimously approved, imposed prison sentences of two to five years and fines, with foreign nationals facing deportation. Justice Minister Edasso…
Landslide Kills 1,000 in Sudan After Heavy Rains At least 1,000 people were killed in a landslide in the Marra Mountains of western Sudan after days of heavy rain triggered the disaster, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. The landslide struck the village of Tarasin, leaving only one survivor and destroying much of the settlement. …
Nigerian Forces Capture Two Senior Ansaru Terrorist Leaders On 16 August, the Nigerian government announced that it had captured two senior Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Usman (Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (Mallam Mamuda), after a months-long intelligence-led operation. Abu Bara’a, described as the “Emir of Ansaru,” coordinated sleeper cells across Nigeria, masterminded kidnappings and terrorist…
