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Firece fighting continues in DRC despite ceasefire agreement with M23 rebels

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Fierce fighting has continue in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite an agreement reached on March 3 in Luanda on a new ceasefire between government forces and the M23 rebels, military officials said on Tuesday.

According to a statement by Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Ndjike, thecl spokesman for the army in North Kivu, the fighting resumed on Monday morning between the army and the M23 on the northern and southern fronts in the province of North Kivu, leaving several civilians dead and injured.

On Tuesday morning, as the ceasefire was scheduled for 10:00 GMT, clashes continued with both sides accusing each other of launching attacks on their positions.

“The M23 terrorists and their sponsors from the Rwanda Defence Force, the Rwandan Army, launched an attack which targeted the Burundian contingent recently deployed as part of the regional force of the East African Community (EAC)”, Ndjike said.

He added that the mortar attack had also targeted a camp for displaced persons and the city of Mubambiro, causing enormous damage, 20 km west of Goma.

A spokesman for the M23 rebels, Willy Ngoma, however, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Congolese army on Monday attacked “all its positions simultaneously” and that the rebels was still under attack on Tuesday morning. He added that M23 militants only acted “in self-defence.”

The ceasefire deal which was agreed in Angolan, had designated the African Union as a mediator in the crisis and had announced a new timetable for the cessation of hostilities, starting on March 7 with the cessation of fighting in the entire eastern region of the DRC top of the agenda.

The newly announced ceasefire came after the failure of all previous regional initiatives launched to end the advance of the M23 in recent months in North Kivu.

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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