Metro

Scores of Sudanese civilians killed while fleeing war-torn Darfur for Chad

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2023

Eyewitnesses have reported that scores of civilians fleeing from the war in Sudan’s Dafur city of El Geneina have been killed by militia fighters as they try to escape by foot to Chad.

A survivor who gave his name as Ibrahim, told undercover reporters on Wednesday that repeated militia attacks from Arab nomadic tribes along with members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on fleeing civilians, had escalated in El Geneina over the past two months since the war between the military and the paramilitary forces began.

“A large number of people tried to seek protection near the army headquarters in El Geneina on June 14 but were blocked by the militia who shot at them and killed many people,” Ibrahim said.

“All of a sudden, the militias came out and sprayed people with gunfire. We got surprised by thousands of people running back. People were killed. They were trampled. Many people also sustained gunshot wounds,” he added.

Medical charity, MSF, also said some 15,000 people had fled West Darfur over the past one week, with many reporting seeing people shot and killed as they tried to escape El Geneina.

“It was a collective decision of the people of El Geneina to leave. Most of them fled on foot heading northeast of El Geneina, but many of them were killed on this route,” the charity said.

“People decided to flee when the state governor of West Darfur was killed on June 14, hours after he accused the RSF and allied militias of genocide,” the MSF said.

According to the United Nations, the war which broke out on April 15 has seen more than 300,000 people killed and 2.5 million displaced despite several ceasefire deals which have been repeatedly broken by the two warring factions.

Related Topics:#CHAD Civilians Featured Fleeing civilians Militias Sudan

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Metro

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

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

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.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

8 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.