Metro

State of emergency declared in Chad as floods submerge 636 communities, 465,000 hectares of farmlands

Published

2 years ago

October 20, 2022

President Mahamat Idriss Deby of Chad has declared a state of emergency in the country after floods submerged 636 communities, destroyed 465,000 hectares of farmlands and displaced over one million people in less than three months.

In a televised nationwide address on Wednesday, said the floods have caused serious devastation in the country and the need to declare a state of emergency had become necessary.

“Starting now, a state of emergency will be instituted to better contain and manage this natural disaster.

“The flooding has affected 636 localities in 18 out of 23 provinces in the country. The worst affected are the southern provinces of Mayo Kebbi Est, Logone Occidental, Tandjile, Moyen-Chari and Mandoul.

“The floodwaters have also swallowed up more than 465,000 hectares of fields and 19,000 heads of livestock. Over one million people have been rendered homeless.

“The government has put in place a response plan to provide shelter, food and sanitation,” Deby said.

Hamid Abakar Souleymane, a hydrologist at Chad’s National Meteorological Agency who was interviewed by a local radio station said though floods are not uncommon during Chad’s rainy season, which usually runs from May to October in its southern regions, this year’s floods is the worst the country has ever experienced as the “rains came early and were the heaviest in decades.”

“Chad has two main rivers, the Chari and Logone, which flow through its southern provinces and empty into Lake Chad, at the border area with Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.

“This year, the lake was fed early on by other tributaries and its water level became higher than that of the two rivers, causing them to flow instead into surrounding towns and villages.

“You will have noticed that all the countries which share Lake Chad are also flooded and the phenomenon will continue until the end of the year,” Souleymane said.

Related Topics:#CHAD Featured Flooding State of Emergency

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Metro

Finnish authorities to file charges against Nigerian separatist Simon Ekpa

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Finland authorities have set a May 2025 deadline for prosecutors to file charges against Nigerian separatist, Simon Ekpa, who was arrested last week on allegations of engaging in terrorism-related activities.

A statement issued by a Senior Detective Superintendent in the Finland National Bureau of Investigation,
Mikko Laaksonen, confirmed that Ekpa’s case was gradually progressing in the Päijät-Häme District Court.

Ekpa, a self-styled Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), was arrested by Finland’s Central Criminal Police last week alongside four other individuals on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses, incitement to violence and of financing terrorist activities.

In a statement on his arrest, the police in the European country alleged that Ekpa utilised the social media to incite violence in Nigeria’s South-East region, targeting civilians and government officials.

Giving a timeline on nature of the investigation into the case, Laaksonen, stated that the court has given a May 2025 deadline for the prosecutors to file charges against the suspects.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional information can be shared. The district court has scheduled May 2025 for the prosecution to present possible charges,” Laaksonen said, adding that both Ekpa and the Finnish authorities could request a re-evaluation of the case after two weeks.

“In typical remand situations, a re-evaluation hearing can occur no earlier than two weeks from the last hearing, should the involved parties request it.

“International cooperation is part of the investigation due to the nature of the case, but no further comments can be made at this stage,” he explained.

Metro

Zambia: Sampa abandons legal challenge in PF’s leadership tussle as Registrar of Societies recognizes Chabinga

Published

1 day ago

November 27, 2024

Isaac Dachen

President of a Patriotic Front (PF) faction, Miles Sampa, has withdrawn his legal challenge against two of his adversaries, Robert Chabinga and Morgan Ng’ona, in a dramatic twist in the leadership saga of the faction.

The Matero Member of Parliament took the steps in documents filed on November 25, opting to abandon his interim injunction which had sought to stop Ng’ona, who claims to be PF’s General Secretary, from holding an elective meeting on August 11.

Sampa also dropped contempt of court applications against Chabinga, who had defied a November 9 High Court injunction by holding a press briefing at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka, where he controversially declared himself the acting president of the PF.

Earlier this month, Sampa had sought permission from the court to initiate contempt proceedings against Chabinga, Ng’ona, and the Registrar of Societies.

His action followed allegations that the Registrar had altered PF’s official leadership records, removing Sampa as president and recognising Chabinga in a senior leadership capacity.

The tensions within PF escalated further when Chabinga expelled several top party officials, including former Republican President and PF leader Edgar Lungu, Sampa, and other prominent members, citing gross indiscipline.

In response to the purported expulsion, Sampa had accused Chabinga, Ng’ona, and the Registrar of Societies of deliberately flouting court orders and showing blatant disregard for judicial authority.