Metro

DRC militia kill 15 villagers in Ituri province

Published

1 year ago

August 29, 2023

A deadly militia group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Codeco, has reportedly killed at least 15 people and injured dozens of others in an attack in the Ituri province in north-east region of the country.

The attack, according to the president of a local civil society group, Charité Banza, occurred on Sunday in Bahema Nord, an administrative entity in the province, when the Codeco militiamen attacked a fishermen’s camp in Gobu.

“The attack lasted just over two hours and left at least fifteen people dead and several others injured,” Banza told reporters on Tuesday.

Banza, who called on the DRC military to deploy its forces to the area to protect the people, said the Codeco militiamen had been operating in the province unchecked as they were “neither attacked nor hunted down.”

“Nine civilians, one soldier and four Codeco militiamen were killed,” a chief in the Bahema Nord chiefdom, Pilo Mulindo, who also confirmed the incident, said.

The DRC Army spokesman, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, who was interviewed by journalists, also accused the Codeco militia group of attacking civilians who were praying on Sunday in their church in Gobu, on the shores of Lake Albert.

“Our forces retaliated to this attack, and the militiamen are being pursued,” Ngongo said.

The Coopérative pour le développement du Congo, also known as Codeco, is one of the dozens of militia groups operating in the north-east region of DRC near the country’s border with Uganda, claiming to protect the Lendu tribe from rival tribe, the Hema, as well as from the DRC army.

But local media often associate them with criminality and recurrent attacks in Ituri, mainly north of Bunia which is rich in mineral resources, where thousands of people have been killed while over a million others have fled for safety.

Related Topics:Attacks Codeco Militia Democratic Republic of Congo Ituri Province Killings. Featured

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

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The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.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

21 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.