Agency Reporter

South Africa’s ex-president Jacob Zuma, on Sunday, lashed out at the judges who gave him a 15-month jail term for absconding from a corruption inquiry.

Zuma compared them to the white minority apartheid rulers he once fought.

He spoke at his home in Nklandla, in a rural part of Kwazulu Natal province, where hundreds of his supporters, some of them armed, were gathered to prevent his arrest.

“The fact that I was lambasted with a punitive jail sentence without trial should engender shock in all those who believe in freedom and the rule of law,’’ Zuma told journalists.

“South Africa is fast sliding back to apartheid rule.’’

The constitutional court sentenced Zuma on Tuesday for contempt of court for failing to appear at a hearing in February of the inquiry led by Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo.

On Saturday it agreed to hear his challenge to the jail term, suspending it until after a hearing on July 12.

The sentence was seen as a sign of just how far Zuma, once revered as a veteran of the struggle against white minority rule, has fallen since embarking on a presidency beset by multiple sleaze and graft scandals between 2009 and 2018.

Earlier on Sunday, gunshots rang out across Nklandla, as some of his supporters fired their weapons into the air, while others danced with spears and ox-hide shields – the traditional weapons of Zuma’s Zulu nation.

“I fought and went to prison so there must be justice and the rule of law.

“No honest person can accuse me of being against the rule of law,’’ Zuma told journalists.

The former president’s legal woes have divided the ruling African National Congress between his camp and that of his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zuma gave in to pressure to quit and yield to Ramaphosa in 2018.

READ ALSO: Zuma gets 15-month jail term

He has since faced inquiries into allegations of corruption, dating from his time as president and before.

The Zondo Commission is examining allegations that he allowed three Indian-born businessmen, Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta, to plunder state resources and traffic influence over government policy.

He and the Gupta brothers, who fled to Dubai after Zuma was ousted, deny any wrongdoing.

Zuma also faces a separate court case relating to a $2 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was deputy president.

He denies the charges.

On Sunday, the former president reiterated his view that he is the victim of a political witch hunt and that Zondo is partial.

“Judge Zondo began to … treat me unfairly and with bias,’’ Zuma said.

The 79-year-old has applied to the court for the sentence to be annulled on the grounds that it is excessive and could expose him to COVID-19, which “would put him at the highest risk of death’’.

He told a news conference that he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. (Reuters/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Onsi Sawiris, the patriarch of a family of billionaire businessmen who launched a group of multinational companies under the Orascom umbrella, died on Tuesday at 90.

Chairman of Coptic Christian General Authority Sherif Doss announced on the incident Facebook.

Sawiris received an engineering degree from Cairo University and started his construction firm in 1950.

In 1976, he established the Orascom General Contracting and Trade Company, which later became Orascom Construction Industries.

READ ALSO: Egyptian firm plans gold mining investment in Nigeria

His conglomerate is one of the country’s largest contractors for building roads and waterways.

It was expanded in the 1980s and 1990s by working in tourism, hotels, computer and mobile phone services.

Onsi Sawiris is the father of famous Egyptian businessmen Naguib, Nassef, and Samih.

According to Forbes, Sawiris’s net wealth is estimated at 993.8 million U.S. dollars while his son Nassef is Egypt’s richest person with 7.1 billion U.S. dollars fortune.(Xinhua/NAN)

By Samson Oti

New Consul General to the Littoral and West Regions, Efe A. Clark Omeru, has received a heroic welcome from the Duoala-based Nigerian community.

She replaces Ambassador Safiu Olaniyan, who is the new Nigeria Ambassador to Sudan.

Omeru is already in Douala to familiarise herself with people and her new working environment.

She was warmly welcomed by officials from the Consulate General in Douala, Nigerian High Commission in Yaounde, the Consulate General in Buea and the Nigerian union and business community in Douala.

The women’s wing of the Nigerian community was especially excited to welcome a fellow woman, mother, sister and someone they believe would better understand their plights as women.

“The consulate is your home, the consulate is our home, it is home for every and all Nigerians, thank you very much for the warm welcome, I am coming all the way from South Africa, God bless you,“ Omeru told Nigerians upon arrival in Douala.

Before moving to Douala, She has been Minister II of the Economic, Trade and Investment Department at the Nigeria High Commission in South Africa.

Omeru is expected to consolidate the fraternity that exists between the over – two million Nigerians living in the littoral and west regions of Cameroon, carry on with the Nigeria – Cameroon trade, culture and tourism week initiative, fast track and facilitate the integration of Nigerians and their businesses in Cameroon, and maintain warm cooperation ties with Cameroonian authorities.

She has served the Nigerian Foreign Service at the High Commission in South Africa as Minister 2 at the economic, trade and investment department.

She was Head of Missions at the Nigerian embassy in Argentina, amongst others.

Agency Reporter

The anti-terror and constitutional affairs bench of the Ethiopian Federal High Court on Monday sentenced the killer of the East African country’s former army chief to life imprisonment.

Ethiopia’s late army chief, Seare Mekonen, was killed by his bodyguard Mesfin Tigabu on June 22, 2019, as part of what Ethiopian authorities described as a coordinated effort to destabilize the government.

The Ethiopian government at the time accused Amhara region security chief, Asaminew Tsige, of masterminding an abortive coup to destabilize the country.

READ ALSO: Ethiopians vote as opposition alleges irregularities

The failed coup attempt also left several other senior government officials dead, including Amhara region president Ambachew Mekonen and Attorney General of the Amhara region Migbaru Kebede.

Tsige, who went into hiding soon after the assassinations, was killed several days later in a “shootout.”

The coup attempt also triggered a 10-day internet blackout throughout Ethiopia as the government launched a nationwide crackdown, mainly in the Amhara region and the capital, Addis Ababa. (Xinhua/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Eighteen al-Shabab militants were executed on Sunday in Galkayo town of Mudug, the Puntland State of Somalia, after being sentenced to death earlier by the court.

The Chairperson of Puntland state court, Mohamud Abdi Mohamed, said that the court proceedings followed through different stages before the execution.

“Puntland State Court of Armed Forces executed 18 al-Shabab militants this morning.

“The convicts were all behind the killings of many of our important people here.

READ ALSO: Somali army kills senior Shabab leader

“The court took the right action against them,’’ Mohamed said.

Al-Shabab militants termed the execution as a massacre of innocent civilians by the Puntland state.

The militant group has carried out a series of assassinations and bombings in Galkayo and other parts of the Mudug region.

Puntland officials have vowed to bring to justice any member of the terrorist group or those who engage in terrorist activities. (Xinhua/NAN)

By Ms. Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum

The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) seems to face serious challenges, which became evident when a crisis escalated six months ago as militants of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) led by former CAR President François Bozizé attempted to take Bangui by force.

During the seven years of their presence on the territory of the Central African Republic, the UN peace- making forces have failed to rein in militants while proceeds from illegal economic activities and arms supplies helped to strengthen the rebels’ position. This is a matter of serious concern.

Considering the Mission’s failure to fulfill its mandate in that case, more needs to be done to avoid repetition of such situations in the future.

The MINUSCA forces did not intervene when civilians were in danger, which resulted in numerous casualties and caused frustration among the population. Thousands of people have protested in a number of provinces and have brought complaints against MINUSCA.

Local people have reported that in the immediate vicinity of the Mission and practically before the eyes of the troops, CPC militants harass the population, rape women, and steal property. Militants have unleashed mayhem and it has been possible to avoid genocide only due to the measures taken by the CAR government and its allies.

The events in the city of Bouarneara MINUSCA military base area worrying sign. The population of the city had suffered attacks by armed groups since January 2021until the city was taken by the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and their rallies.

Coherent efforts by the upgraded national military forces supported by allies from Rwanda and trained by Russian instructors have demonstrated that the problem of armed groups has a solution. MINUSCA’s inability to act promptly and effectively in the unraveling crisis could have led to an awful tragedy.

The population does not benefit from a greater troops level

As of December 2021 when the CPC launched attacks, the MINUSCA personnel numbered 14921, including 12870 peace keepers. The UN Security Council following its February meeting took a decision to increase the number of troops by 2750 and the Police Force by 940 with the total number reaching the approved limit of 14,400.

However, CAR President Faustin Archange Touadera earlier solicited support from allies on December 12 after the CPC had formally declared its intensions posing a deadly menace to civilians. With the approval of the Security Council, Russia provided the necessary assistance to the CAR within days, which ensured that the Central African Armed Forces had the necessary resources to protect people.

The decision to increase the size of the MINUSCA force was frustratingly slow in coming; when it was adopted, armed groups had been mostly driven out of the CAR territory, and transport ties were restored protected by the government forces FACA.

Given the circumstances there was little sense in the decision to increase the number of the MINUSCA personnel, which demonstrates the bureaucratized nature of UN missions and their inability to make a difference in situations like this.

But for the assistance of the CAR allies, genocide could have happened before the decision on further help was made.

MINUSCA proves extremely costly

MINUSCA is funded through a separate account approved by the General Assembly on an annual basis. The budget for the period from July 2020 to June 2021amounts to $1,006,428,200 and the mission’s ways requests extra UN financing.

Given the woefully low effectiveness of the Mission, enormous spending on its presence in that country seems untenable. It seems necessary to rethink the need for the Mission on the ground as the coasts are incommensurate with the outcome, which has been starkly illustrated by the developments of the past six months. More significant results could be achieved if a comparable sum of money was spent on upgrading military forces or implementing humanitarian programmes with the necessary controls in place.

Besides, it has been reported that the UN Mission is implicated in trafficking and illicit economic activities, using its immunity. This is in admissible and a threat to the credibility on the UN.

Ms. Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum is The UN Independent Expert on the human rights situation in the Central African Republic (CAR).

A car bomb exploded at a checkpoint in southern Libya late on Sunday, killing two members of the Libyan security forces and wounding five others, a police source told AFP.

The blast was set off by a suicide bomber as the car passed a checkpoint set up by security forces in Al-Maziq, northern Sebha, 750 kilometers south of Tripoli.

According to Reuters, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Telegram, through the terrorist group’s ‘Nashir’ news agency, saying that one of its fighters stormed a checkpoint with an explosives-laden car.

The two officers killed in the explosion were Captain Ibrahim Abdulnabi al-Manaa and Lieutenant Abbas Abu Bakr Ali Al-Sharif.

The Libya Observer reported that the two officers were part of Sabha’s criminal investigation unit, and that Abdulnabi was a high-ranking local officer.

According to the Observer, the bomber was killed instantly and the blast caused significant damage to several police vehicles.

Photos from the scene show scattered car parts and debris around a number of police cars.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Buhari hosts Libyan Prime Minister

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Sunday condemned the attack in what he called a “cowardly terrorist act” and offering his condolences to the victims’ families and those who were wounded.

“Our war against terrorism continues, and we will strike hard at all its hideouts, wherever they are,” he wrote.

Sebha is controlled by forces loyal to eastern-based Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar, and has been the scene of several attacks in recent years.

A truce signed last year between rival camps in the country’s east and west led to the creation of an interim government tasked with preparing the country for upcoming elections in December this year.

Despite the ceasefire, the security situation in the country remains precarious and hopes for a lasting political solution are fraught with challenges, with much of the territory controlled by local armed groups.

(newsnow.co.uk)

 

Agency Reporter

Mongolia has decided not to publicly celebrate the upcoming International Children’s Day due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the country’s State Emergency Commission.

The decision made by the commission has part of the country’s efforts to prevent a further spread of the pandemic, as gatherings during the holiday could lead to surging infections.

READ ALSO: In the temple of justice till death?

International Children’s Day was established in 1949 by the Women’s International Democratic Federation to safeguard the rights and interests of children.

Currently, many countries annually celebrate the day on June 1.

In 1996, Mongolia officially designated the day as an official public holiday. (Xinhua/NAN)