EU observers to Nigerian elections shun troubled North

Less than three weeks to the general elections, the European Union (EU) said it would not send its election observers to the North-East states because of the security challenges in the zone.
With one of the presidential candidates
 
This is even as the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that it stands by the peace accord signed by the 14 presidential candidates and their parties in Abuja on the general elections.

Ugandan rebel leaders makes appearance at ICC

Photo: ICC-CPI

Dominic Ongwen at his first appearance hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague 

 

A child soldier-turned-commander in the feared Lord's Resistance Army has made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court. Dominic Ongwen faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Seeming calm and composed, Dominic Ongwen appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) Monday for an initial hearing to confirm his identity and inform him of the charges against him.

Still on Tanzania where parents can sell their albino children for up to £50,000

Tanzania's albinos are being 'hunted down like animals' as greed for money and influence drives families to turn on their own loved ones in a trade allegedly fuelled by some of the country's most powerful people.

It is believed albino body parts will bring a person wealth, or luck - and for that, people are willing to pay as much as $3,000 or $4,000 for a limb, or as much as $75,000 - about £50,000 - for the 'full set', a whole body.

People with albinism are regularly attacked by people who chop their limbs off - an act which either leaves them severely mutilated, or dead.  

Albinism, a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, affects one Tanzanian in 1,400, often as a result of inbreeding in remote and rural communities, experts say.

Nollywood actress named on Yahoo's list of "The 10 Highest Grossing Movie Stars in the world." just as she celebrates her 20th year in the industry

Photo: Capital FM

Actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde 

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has been breaking boundaries for some time now. The gorgeous actress, who is currently celebrating 20 years in the movie industry, was recently put on Yahoo's list of "The 10 Highest Grossing Movie Stars in the world." This list named high grossing actors around the world.

Ghanian senior official hits back at critics after wearing wife's coat on official visit

Mr Nketia (right) was mocked for wearing the fur-trimmed winter coat

A senior official in Ghana's ruling party has laughed off criticism for wearing his wife's coat during an official visit to Germany, it's reported.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, general secretary of the National Democratic Congress, was snapped wearing a camel-coloured, fur-trimmed number on the trip, and was promptly ridiculed by fellow politicians and social media users, the Graphic website reports. Mr Nketia says nobody in Germany mentioned his choice of attire, but it was a different story back home in Ghana, where one opposition politician seized on the fashion choice as evidence of a "totally confused" administration. 

Libya Islamist group leader confirmed dead

Mohammad al-Zahawi's death is said to have resulted from wounds sustained in a battle in October

Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia has confirmed that its leader Mohammad al-Zahawi has died. In a statement, the group said "we mourn the death of the emir", without giving further details. 

 

His death is thought to have resulted from wounds sustained in a battle with Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi last October.
The group is blamed for the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, in which the US ambassador was killed. Three other Americans also died.

SA President's son Edward Zuma evades arrest

President Jacob Zuma’s son, Edward Zuma, has managed to evade arrest for the past seven months after failing to respond to several subpoenas to appear in court for child maintenance.

According to the Sunday Independent, the warrant of arrest was issued on 23 June by the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court and had to be served by police in Durban North where Edward lives.

Meet Adiat Disu one of Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa.

Adiat Disu, daughter of former Nigerian international, Mr. Tajudeen Disu, was among the six young Nigerian entrepreneurs honoured in the United States for their contributions to high society fashion. 

Adiat, along with five other Nigerians, made Forbes’ list of 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa. Other Nigerians who made the list are Ada Osakwe, Toyosi Ogunsiji, Amy, Rimini Makakama, and Yasmin Bello-Oagie.

A graduate of Boston University, USA, Adiat is the founder, African Fashion Week, New York. She is also the international publicist and founder of Adiree, a New York-based communications and brand strategy company. 

Female Egyptian activist killed during protest in Cairo yesterday

A female demonstrator (pictured) was killed in clashes with Egyptian police during a protest in central Cairo on January 24th on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak. A health ministry spokesman said Shaima al-Sabbagh died of birdshot wounds, which fellow protesters said were fired by police to disperse the march. Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said al-Sabbagh's death was being investigated and vowed that 'whoever committed a mistake will be punished, whoever he may be.' (UK Daily Mail)

Edgar Lungu to serve as Zambia's President till 2016

Edgar Lungu will serve as president until 2016 when a new election will be called

Zambia's presidential election has been won by Defence and Justice Minister Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front. Mr Lungu won by a 48.3% majority, the election commission said, after an election race marred by delays.

 

His rival, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, who earlier denounced Tuesday's election as a sham, came close with 46.7% of the vote.
The election was called after the death of President Michael Sata last October.
Mr Lungu, who will be sworn in on Sunday, said he aims to complete economic development projects begun by his predecessor.

On Saturday, Mr Hichilema called the "election" stolen, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating the results to favour Mr Lungu, a former lawyer. 

BBC

Spanish police detain two set of brothers of Moroccan decent for terror related offences

Spanish police are deployed in the El Principe suburb of Ceuta, hours after they arrested four alleged jihadists. Photograph: Reduan/EPA

Police in Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta arrested two pairs of brothers on Saturday suspected of belonging to a militant Islamist network that may have been planning an attack on the Spanish mainland.

Spain has stepped up security as well as efforts to prevent the radicalisation of young Muslim citizens following attacks in Paris this month in which Islamist gunmen killed 17 people.

Zambian opposition complains of irregularities

Photo: Zambia Reports

Voters line in Zambia's presidential election.

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) yesterday lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) alleging discrepancies in the released results of some constituencies.
UPND Presidential candidate, Hakainde Hichilema with other officials from his party were locked up in a meeting with ECZ officials, PF officials and others for more than an hour to address the complaints.
Mr Hichilema told journalists after the meeting that his party was concerned about the irregularities of results from some constituencies.
"There are many issues of the results we have discussed which affect the integrity of the final results and it is important that they are not released until the concerns are addressed," Mr Hichilema said.
He said if the concerns were not addressed they could create problems and affect the credibility of the results.

He disclosed that the parties and ECZ had agreed that no results would be announced until the complaints lodged were addressed. He said that the duration of when the results would be released was not an issue but more anarchy would be created if wrong results were declared

The Democratic Republic of Congo senate has amended a controversial census bill

The protests were biggest in Kinshasa and the eastern city of Goma

The Democratic Republic of Congo senate has amended a controversial census bill following four days of violent nationwide protests.

The new version, to be approved by the lower house, removes the requirement to hold a census before the next election. The opposition had said this was a way for President Joseph Kabila to extend his time in office rather than stand down next year as planned.
Hundreds of students took to the streets to celebrate the news.

Nigeria does not need the help of UN or African Union troops to take on Boko Haram

Nigeria's army has so far failed to contain the insurgency during the state of emergency

Nigeria does not need the help of UN or African Union troops to take on Boko Haram, the country's national security adviser has told the BBC.

Sambo Dasuki said Nigeria, and its neighbours were in a "good shape" to take on the insurgents.
But he acknowledged the group, which is fighting to create an Islamic state, were a "real security threat".
Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry says he plans to visit Nigeria in a couple of days.
Mr Kerry made the announcement in a speech discussing how to tackle violent extremism at the Davos economic conference.
Since the Nigerian government declared a state of emergency 20 months ago in three north-eastern states to deal with the insurgency, Boko Haram has strengthened and now controls several towns, where it has declared a caliphate.
The militants gained worldwide notoriety after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls in April last year - who have yet to be rescued.

Ghanaian President moves tough on Boko Haram

Ghanaian President John Mahama tells DW that he believes there is no longer any room for negotiation with the Nigerian Islamist terror group Boko Haram. "I don't think negotiations have gone anywhere," he says.

Mahama points out that all previous attempts at talks have failed. "We cannot say we are waiting for negotiations and dialogue while the group continues to abduct and kill people," he says.

Ugandan Rebel leader tranfered to Hague

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Ongwen in 2005

Top Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has arrived in The Hague to stand trial on war crimes charges.

Mr Ongwen, a feared commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), was taken into US custody in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this month.
Uganda agreed that he should be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC), despite being a fierce critic of The Hague-based court.
US and African forces had been searching for Mr Ongwen since 2011.
He is said to be the deputy to LRA commander Joseph Kony, who is still on the run.
The ICC said in a statement that Mr Ongwen would be held in a detention centre in the Netherlands until his trial.
He was due to undergo a medical visit upon his arrival and a date would soon be set for his first court appearance, the statement added.
The UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon both issued statements welcoming Mr Ongwen's transfer. Mr Ban called it "a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the thousands of victims of LRA violence".

Nigeria reduces petrol pump prices from N97 to N87 per litre

The Nigerian Government on Sunday night announced a reduction in the price of premium motor spirit (petrol)from N97 to N87 per litre.

The reduction follows the crash in the price of crude oil in the international market.
The Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, made the announcement on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, on Sunday night. She spoke from the presidential villa apparently after consultations with President Goodluck Jonathan.

She said: "I will like to announce the reduction in the price of Premium Motor Spirit by N10. Therefore, the reduction would be from N97 per litre to N87 per litre and this would be effective from midnight Sunday, January 18, 2015. In line with this I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, and the Directorate of Petroleum Resources to ensure that there is strict adherence of this regime as it takes effect from midnight Sunday, January 18. I do hope that the entire country will benefit immensely from this reduction of the pump price."

BBC report says a grenade is cheaper than a bottle of coke in Central African Republic

Packaging of a 2006 consignment traced by researchers showed that a batch of more than 25,000 Type 82.-2 grenades was manufactured in China

The grenades come from China, or Bulgaria. The mortars are Sudanese. The rocket launchers were made in Iran. The bullets are British, or Belgian or Czech. Spain and Cameroon provided the shotgun rounds. And so it goes on.

A detailed survey of the weapons currently circulating in the Central African Republic (CAR) offers some intriguing insights into the global arms industry, and the extent to which its output continues to find its way - legally or otherwise - into the hands of rebel armies.
The impact of the weapons trade can be lasting and devastating.

When arms were obtained by the Seleka - a coalition of largely Muslim insurgents that swept to power in CAR in 2013 - a civil war was triggered that went on to displace hundreds of thousands of civilians.

"Type 82-2 hand grenades are among the most widespread military item in CAR," says the report, compiled by Britain's Conflict Armament Research group, for the European Union.

"They are so common that they reportedly can be bought for the equivalent of around $0.50-$1.00 (£0.33-£0.66) each, less than a bottle of Coca-Cola," the report says. 

"Small and easily concealed, they have had a significant security impact, causing civilian injuries and deaths in Bangui and elsewhere throughout 2014."

culled

Zambians go to the polls to vote a new President

There was a long queue of voters when polls opened in the Lusaka suburb of Kanyama

Voters in Zambia are going to the polls in a presidential election caused by the death of Michael Sata last year.

The vote is expected to be a close contest between Edgar Lungu from the governing Patriotic Front and Hakainde Hichilema from the United Party for National Development.
The BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Lusaka says candidates have vowed to improve the education system and create jobs.
The winner will serve out the remaining 18 months of Michael Sata's term.
Zambia is due to hold a general election in 2016.

Group captured from Cameroon by Boko haram free

Cameroonian soldiers pursued the militants towards the Nigerian border

At least 24 of up to 80 people taken hostage by Boko Haram militants in Cameroon at the weekend are reported to be free.

Some escaped from their captors while Cameroon said others were freed "as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria".
Many of those kidnapped in the cross-border raid were said to be children.
It was one of the biggest abductions by Boko Haram outside Nigeria and raised fears that it is expanding its attacks.
The militant Islamist group has seized control of towns and villages in north-east Nigeria and has begun threatening neighbouring countries.
Chad, which also borders Nigeria, has recently sent soldiers to help Cameroon tackle the militants.