Politics

Chadian government suspends seven opposition parties after protests that left over 70 dead

Published

2 years ago

October 22, 2022

The Chadian government has responded to the bloody anti-government protests that broke out in the country on Thursday which claimed the lives of over 70 protesters by suspending seven political parties and placing them on a government watch.

The announcement of the clampdown on the opposition which was made on Friday by a government spokesman said the suspension was for the next three months.

A frontline opposition leader, Succes Masra, the leader of Les Transformateurs Party, posted on Twitter that the national headquarters of his party was ransacked by security forces who forced their way in for an “illegal search.”

“After having 70 people shot, and arrested, wounded, tortured more than 1,000 others, they are now attacking buildings and documents,” Masra, whose party was listed as number one on the suspended list, tweeted.

The peaceful protests which turned bloody when security forces were called in to disperse the demonstrators, broke out in N’Djamena, and several other cities as the protesters took to the streets to protest against interim leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby, extending his tenure by two more years.

Mahamat Deby who became Head of a Transitional government after his father, former President Idriss Deby Itno, was killed by terrorists in April 2021, after clinging on to power for over 30 years in power.

He has initially agreed to an 18-month transition which would have ended last Thursday but a week before the expiration of the transition period, the government, however, announced that Deby would stay in power for another two years, prompting the protests.

The peaceful protest was truncated when security forces fired teargas and live bullets on the demonstrators, mostly in N’Djamena, killing 30 people.

In the country’s second-largest city, Moundou, a morgue official confirmed that he counted 32 dead bodies that were brought in following the confrontation with the security forces.

Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo later defended the government’s use of force against the protesters, telling reporters the demonstration was “an attempted coup.”

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Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

5 hours 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.

Politics

Egyptian court upholds ex-presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawy’s sentence

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Former presidential candidate, Ahmed Tantawy, and his campaign manager, Mohamed Abou El-Diar, were found guilty of faking election paperwork, and given a one-year jail term with labour by an Egyptian court, Tantawy’s legal team announced Tuesday.

Last year, Tantawy was the most well-known candidate to run against Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for a third term, winning 89.6% of the vote.

To avoid receiving the necessary number of public endorsements to be on the ballot, he halted his campaign before to the election, alleging harassment and arrests directed at hundreds of his family members and associates.

Egyptian authorities criticised Tantawy’s tactic of distributing unapproved copies of endorsement forms to garner popular support, but they denied any misconduct.

Egypt’s Misdemeanour Appeals Court upheld the May court ruling on Monday, which prohibits Tantawy from seeking public office for five years and mandates that he pay a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($395).

Tantawy’s defence team member and well-known human rights attorney Khaled Ali said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the appeals procedure was riddled with anomalies.

Ali said lawyers struggled for months to confirm court dates, with hearings appearing absent from official schedules and case files missing from court registries.

The public prosecution was not immediately available to comment on the ruling or on Ali’s allegations over the process.