Metro

Three UN aid workers, 11 civilians, killed in South Sudan attacks

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2023

Three United Nations aid workers and 11 civilians have been reportedly killed in separate attacks by gunmen in South Sudan in the early week of January, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Wednesday.

The Head of OCHA Mission in South Sudan, Peter Van der Auweraert, in a statement, said two of the aid workers were victims of an attack by armed men, which left others dead on January 2 in a village in the oil-rich Abyei administrative area.

“In the first days of the year, three South Sudanese aid workers who were helping others paid the highest price with their lives,” said der Auweraert.

The third aid worker, according to der Auweraert, was killed in the same week while monitoring humanitarian supplies in the east-central state of Jonglei.

“These three deaths are in addition to the nine killed last year and five in 2021. OCHA has urged the authorities to strengthen the protection of its staff in this oil-rich country, which is among the poorest in the world,” he said.

A spokesman for the Abyei administrative area, Ajak Deng, who also confirmed the incident, said a total of 14 people, including women and children, died in the attack, which was attributed to youths from the neighbouring Twic county.

The disputed region, which is under the protection of the United Nations, has been on the border between Sudan and South Sudan since the latter declared independence in 2011. with conflicts erupting every now and then.

Since independence in 2011, South Sudan has been plagued by crises, including a five-year civil war between President Salva Kiir’s loyalists and Vice President Riek Machar’s forces, with an estimated 400,000 deaths, and millions displaced and forced to flee from their homes.

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

5 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.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

Metro

Zambia: President Hichilema urges traditional leaders to invoke rainmaking powers amid drought

Published

23 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, has called on traditional leaders to call upon their rainmaking powers by praying for rain as the nation continues to face the menace of drought.

Hichilema, who made the plea while speaking during the Shikaumpa traditional ceremony of the Ila people in Namwala on Sunday, expressed hope for divine intervention and sufficient rains.

“We pray that this year, God will give us rains, sufficient rains, so we can grow more food, so we can take care of the things, the assets that we keep,” the President stated.

He noted that he was informed of certain chiefs known for their rainmaking abilities, including Senior Chief Mwamba of Northern Province, Chief Sailunga of North-Western Province and Mwami Monze from the Southern Province and urged them to use their powers to invoke rain, adding that the chiefs should continue their prayers for rain, believing that “God will hear our cry.”

The President also encouraged not only the chiefs but also the churches and the entire nation to join in prayers for rain.

“All of us, the churches, everybody, we must pray for rains so that we can take care of God’s people properly,” he said.

The head of state further urged farmers to intensify efforts at planting crops and maximizing their harvest for national food security once the rain comes.

The drought in Zambia in recent
seasons have left 84 districts severely impacted, leading to food shortages and a worsening electricity deficit due to low water levels.