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Court jails Malian prof for criticizing military junta in new book

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A court sitting in Bamako, Mali, has sentenced a Professor of Economics, Etienne Fakaba Sissoko, to two years in prison, with one year suspended, for criticizing the military junta in a newly published book.

Sissoko’s lawyer, Ibrahim Marhouf Sacko, who announced the verdict of the court in a statement, however, said the legal team plans to appeal the conviction of the renowned economist.

“We are not surprised, even if we said we had faith in the justice system,” Sacko said in a video released on social media

Sissoko, a professor at the University of Bamako, was arraigned on charges of “harming the state’s reputation, defamation, propaganda, agitation and harassment, and spreading misinformation for his 2023 book on government communication during Mali’s transition.”

The “transition” refers to the period the army leaders said they needed to stabilize the country before returning power to civilian rule. They have already missed their first March 2024 deadline and no new date has been set.

Local media reports that the book details the government’s “aggressive” use of “propaganda, agitation, manipulation and even lies” to win over public opinion.

An online review of the book notes that it critically examines the military government’s use of what it terms propaganda, manipulation and even lies to influence public opinion, particularly during the promised transition period leading back to civilian rule.

“But the junta missed their initial deadline of March 2024 for a return to democracy, with no new date set,” the online review said, with Sissoko arguing that his work contained factual evidence and expert analysis.

This is not however, not Sissoko’s first run-in with the authorities. In 2022, the Professor, formerly an advisor to the ousted president, spent months in jail for criticizing the government’s stance on Christmas celebrations and questioning the validity of his academic credentials.

But Sissoko’s lawyer suggests the real trigger for his recent imprisonment was his public commentary on the economic impact of sanctions imposed on Mali by neighbouring West African nations.

Culture

Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

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South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour where he hopes to spread humour and bring his social commentary to audiences across the globe.

The former host of “The Daily Show”, who made the disclosure on his social media pages, said he would kick off his tour on July 29 in Europe.

The multi-award winning comedian known for his insightful commentary, took to his social media platforms on Thursday to share the news of his upcoming international tour.

“Love that we were able to add some US & Canada shows for 2024! See… there’s still a chance for us CA, NJ, CT & Ontario!” he wrote.

According to the itinerary he put up, the tour is set to kick off in countries like Monaco in France, Germany, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, bringing his captivating comedic style to audiences across the country.

Noah’s announcement of the “Off the Record” tour was met with enthusiastic responses from his devoted followers, who took to social media to express their joy and anticipation.

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UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

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The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed
Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World Heritage sites in Danger after citing positive results achieved by the West African country and its formal commitment to reappraise plans to the development of the property.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took the decision during its meeting in New Delhi, India, made the announcement on Wednesday July 24, saying it was satisfied with measures taken by the country to allocate considerable resources to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning.

The park, which is located in a lush area along the banks of the Gambia River, was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007 as poaching, basalt mining and other human activities were becoming growing threats.

The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba are home to a rich wildlife, including the world’s largest antelopes.

According to UNESCO, since then, monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up and considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock.

The body also commended the setting up of a mine pollution control system, and hailed Senegal for work that has been carried out to improve the fight against the invasive species Mimosa pigra.

The World Heritage Committee called on Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years in so as to improve the National Park which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

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