Politics

Ex-Sierra Leone President Koroma charged for treason over failed coup

Published

11 months ago

January 3, 2024

As part of the ongoing inquiries into the unsuccessful military takeover attempt in Sierra Leone in November, former President Ernest Bai Koroma has been charged with treason.

This follows gunmen’s attacks on military barracks, a prison, and other locations in Sierra Leone on November 26 which resulted in the release of approximately 2,200 prisoners and the deaths of over 20 people, a court in the country’s capital, Freetown.

Authorities subsequently claimed that Koroma’s bodyguards were primarily responsible for the failed coup. In early December, they called the former president in for questioning. Some of his supporters sobbed in the courtroom as the charges were read to the former president as he stood in the dock.

Since Bio was re-elected in June in an election that major opposition candidates and international allies like the US and EU questioned, there have been tensions in Sierra Leone, which is still recovering from a civil war that claimed over 50,000 lives between 1991 and 2002.

Concerns have been raised over the wave of coups that have swept through Africa in the last three years, particularly in the West African sub-region. The subregion witnessed two military takeovers of democratically elected governments in 2023—in Niger and Gabon.

Related Topics:#COUP Featured Sierra Leone West Africa

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Politics

Mali: 7 Russian mercenaries killed

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

An al Qaeda offshoot in North Africa has claimed responsibility for the attack in central Mali, killing at least seven mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private military contractor company.

Wagner earlier lost a battle in July with mostly Tuareg rebels and Islamists close to Mali’s Algerian border, exposing the perils faced by mercenaries used by military juntas in the Sahel area of West Africa.

The separatists and strong branches of Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which have taken over large areas of the Sahel over the past 12 years, are difficult for Mali and its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger to control.

The al Qaeda offshoot JNIM claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack, according to a statement from SITE Intelligence Group, which keeps an eye on extremist activity in the area. According to SITE, JNIM captured several weapons and killed seven Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Following an attack, the bodies of at least five white males wearing army fatigues were seen laying near a military truck in a video obtained by Reuters. The validity of the footage could not be confirmed by Reuters.

SITE Intelligence posted images allegedly from JNIM that showed many crates of weapons and ammo together with the dead and bloodied bodies of troops.

Although two local officials acknowledged the incident, a Malian army source claimed to have seen seven dead bodies, including Russian fighters. Five Wagner warriors were slain, according to one of them.

At least six Russians have been murdered in the attack, which was carried out by Katiba Macina, a division of JNIM, according to a consultant working on security in the area.

The expert referred to the Russians as Africa Corps warriors, a paramilitary group under Kremlin leadership that has taken Wagner’s position in Africa throughout the previous 12 months.

Mali has previously said that Russian servicemen trainers are assisting local troops with Russian-purchased weaponry rather than mercenaries.

Politics

Mauritius’ Prime Minister to double as Finance Minister

Published

2 days ago

November 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In an effort to maintain a tight eye on the economy, Mauritius’ Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who took office this month following a resounding election victory, said on Friday that he would retain the position of finance minister for himself.

“We are doing an audit of the economy to see to what extent the outgoing government has destroyed it,” Ramgoolam told reporters in the capital Port Louis after he presided over the swearing-in of other ministers.

Ten years after he stepped down as prime minister, the seasoned politician returned to the position when his Alliance du Changement (ADC) alliance won 60 of the 62 seats in the national legislature.

The 77-year-old Ramgoolam said earlier this week that he would be auditing governmental finances. Before this, he was prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

Ramgoolam started a campaign in 2006 to streamline taxes and reduce bureaucracy to diversify the $10 billion economy beyond exports of sugar, textiles, and tourism.

Since then, the 1.3 million-person nation, which positions itself as a bridge between Africa and Asia, has developed into a major offshore financial hub and has been rated by the World Bank as the easiest location to do business in Africa regularly.