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Rwanda Genocide: Witness confesses Félicien Kabuga could have stopped hate speech broadcast

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As the trial of one of the leading suspects, Félicien Kabuga of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide continues in the Hague one of the witnesses testifying, reiterated his position confirming Kabuga’s influence in the bloody event.

The witness said on Wednesday that Kabuga as the proprietor of the radio station which was airing hate messages that led to outrage turn genocide should have stopped the propaganda broadcast.

The anonymous witness, who worked at the Rwandan Ministry of Information at the time, told the court that if one is in charge of an institution and members of the institution commit faults, the chief is the first one to be responsible

The witness, who was a staff at the Rwandan Ministry of Information at the time further revealed that “the chairman of the RTLM was indeed the first person who needed to make sure that the sub-paragraph of the article in question was complied with by the staff”

The witness continued, that despite warnings from the ministry, the “RTLM did not correct anything but rather redoubled its efforts to propagate its divisionist propaganda.

“This hatred and division continued to such an extent that members of the Tutsi population were killed throughout the country,’ the person added.

Mr. Félicien Kabuga who was captured in Paris two years ago after decades on the run is accused of aiding and abetting hit squads in the slaughter of about 800,000 persons from the Tutsis ethnic in just 100 days, and of using a radio station to incite hatred against them.

Judges at the United Nations tribunal revealed last week that the hearing will proceed although Kabuga was not attending the opening of the three counts of genocide in Rwanda.

The presiding judge, Iain Bonomy, confirmed Kabuga’s presence though virtually for Wednesday’s hearing

“I note the presence of Mr. Kabuga this morning by video link from the UN detention unit. I confirm having been advised that he is able to view the proceedings and to hear them in the Kinyarwanda language”

Africa’s rich ethnic diversity is not void of clashes such as the Rwanda genocide. Other African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all had and still share ethnic conflict.

Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

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Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

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Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

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The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.

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