Politics

Prominent Algeria opposition leader arrested as government clamps down on protesters

Published

3 years ago

April 30, 2022

One of Algeria’s leading opposition figures, Karim Tabbou, has been arrested and detained by the government in what human rights group say is a new wave of clamp on opposition figures.

Tabbou who was arrested on Friday, according to Algeria’s Human Rights League (LADDH) in a post on its Facebook page,
is one of the “country’s most-recognizable faces during unprecedented mass rallies, led by the Hirak pro-democracy movement, that began in February 2019.”

“The movement has consistently demanded a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since the country’s independence from France in 1962,” it added.

“Mr. Tabbou has been detained since Friday evening. We still don’t know the reasons for this new arrest,” the rights group said.

On Tuesday, Tabbou had published on his Facebook page an “homage” to another activist, Hakim Debbazi, who reportedly died in detention after his arrest in February.

“Physically dead, the martyrs of the just causes are more than alive,” Tabbou had posted.

He went on to blame the Algerian authorities for the death of Debbazi whom he described as a “modest and humble” activist who “committed body and soul to the Hirak.”

Tabbou who leads a small, unregistered opposition party, the Democratic Social Union (UDS), has had several brushes with the authorities in the past.

In March 2020, he was sentenced to one year in jail for “undermining national security,” but the conviction was seen as a backlash from his constant criticism of the army’s involvement in politics.

He was also detained and released on other occasions, including just before last June’s parliamentary election which the Hirak boycotted.

The Hirak protests had forced longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down while demonstrations have continued in a push for deep reforms.

More than 300 people are currently detained in Algeria over links to the Hirak or rights activism, another rights group, the National Committee for the Release of Detainees (CNLD) said in a statement.

Related Topics:Algeria Featured Opposition Protesters

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.