Politics

Ghanaian parliament passes law to protect witches

Published

1 year ago

July 29, 2023

Ghana’s parliament has passed a law that makes it a crime to accuse persons of witchcraft and ostracize them from their communities.

The law was passed following the lynching of a 90-year-old woman in Kafaba, East Gonja Municipality, Savannah Region, in July 2020, which drew widespread criticism from regional and global human rights organizations.

The Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, stated on the floor of Parliament that, “The law will provide a legal framework to prosecute offenders… and give confidence to victims… to reintegrate into their communities and unite with their families.”

The Ghanaian government launched a campaign to dismantle all witch camps in the nation in 2014, with the help of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection and its allies but not much was achieved with that as many camps still exist.

However, the new legislation now mandates the demolition of temporary settlements where individuals ostracized by their communities seek sanctuary.

Amnesty International estimates that 500 people, mostly elderly women, and children, reside in five similar camps in the country’s north.

Belief in witchcraft is widespread in Africa, as in other parts of the world. Ghanaian researcher, Emmanuel Owusu in a study in 2021 established that witchcraft-fuelled abuse is endemic in Ghana, and the worst victims were children and older women of low socio-economic background.

The commonest forms of mistreatment and violence resulting from belief in witchcraft are murder and torture, forcible confinement and enslavement, neglect, and child labour.

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days 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.