Metro

Senegalese court jails former rebel leader, Cesar Atoute Badiate, for life

Published

2 years ago

June 15, 2022

A former Senegalese rebel leader, Cesar Atoute Badiate, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in the country alongside two other of his henchmen after they were found guilty of murder and armed insurrection over a massacre that claimed 14 lives.

Badiate, who was the leader of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), a rebel group fighting for autonomy in the southern Senegalese region, was sentenced in his absentia for the killings on Tuesday as he has been on the run since the massacre in 2018.

The two other convicts, Omar Ampoi Bodian, and a journalist, Rene Capain Bassene, were present in court to receive their sentence, their lawyer, Cire Cledor Ly, told reporters.

Ly said his clients had been the victims of a “judicial swindle,” arguing that those who had escaped the massacre had not recognized the accused, and that some of the defendants had been tortured.

The court in Ziguinchor, the main city in Casamance, also handed down six-month suspended sentences to two other defendants and acquitted 11 others.

The cases, according to local media, was as a result of an uprising on January 6, 2018, when 14 men were rounded up and executed by Badiate’s men as they went to cut wood in a protected forest near Ziguinchor.

The Casamance rebel fighters used the forest as a base and the Senegalese authorities accuse them of financing their activities by trafficking the wood, as well as in cannabis.

But the rebel group has consistently denied any involvement in the massacre, accusing corrupt local officials of carrying out the attack only to implicate them.

Casamance, Senegal’s southernmost region, is almost separated from the rest of the country by the state of The Gambia and has a distinct culture and language derived from its past as a former Portuguese colony.

The MFDC has led a low-intensity separatist campaign since 1982 that has claimed several thousand lives, but the conflict was mostly dormant until Senegal launched a major offensive last year to drive out the rebels.

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Metro

World Bank pledges $3b to support Zambia’s development goals

Published

5 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The World Bank Group has pledged to avail Zambia with approximately $3 billion to support the country’s development goals under the new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2025-2029, with nearly half of the funds already disbursed.

World Bank Country Manager, Achim Fock, who made this known at the CPF launch at the Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka on Wednesday, outlined the global lender’s focus areas, which included enhancing jobs, human capital, and climate resilience.

Fock highlighted that $200 million had been approved to strengthen Zambia’s social protection programs, including the Refugee and Host Community Project.

He also expressed optimism for upcoming approvals, including the Climate and Economic Resilience Financing and the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector.

Zambia’s Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, who also spoke at the event, noted that 2.3 million Zambian households have so far benefited from social protection interventions such as the Cash for Work Programme, emphasizing the government’s commitment to safeguarding lives amid crises like the recent drought.

Musokotwane further reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting lives during times of crises such as the recent drought.

“More than two thirds of the Zambian population was affected by the drought. It was the government’s view that the first priority was to save lives,” Musokotwane stated.

Metro

Chinese mining giant CNMC set for $1.6 billion investment in Zambia

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A Chinese mining giant, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC), has announced the investment of over $1.6 billion in Zambia, following successful discussions with President Hakainde Hichilema at the State House on Tuesday.

CNMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wen Gang, who held the discussions with Hichilema along with the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Han Jing, confirmed the company’s commitment to furthering Zambia’s economic development.

“We are actively investing in critical sectors of Zambia’s economy,” Gang said after the meeting.

He noted that CNMC was currently pumping water from Shaft 28 at Luanshya Copper Mine, where 29.9 million cubic liters have been cleared as part of intensified dewatering efforts, adding that the company plans to inject an additional $200 million to develop a greenfield mine on the Copperbelt.

President Hichilema who welcomed CNMC’s commitment, highlighted the potential economic impact of the firm’s investment which will include job opportunities for Zambians.

“This $1.6billion investment, alongside advanced technology and expansion, will extend operations and create more jobs and opportunities for Zambians, especially in mining contracting and supply,” the President said.

He also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for their shared commitment to fostering growth and cooperation between the two countries.