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Tag: AfricaNews

  • Five Aid Workers kidnapped in Niger

    Gunmen have abducted five aid workers and a driver in Niger, a country which borders troubled Mali and Nigeria and where Al-Qaeda’s regional branch has carried out kidnappings in the past.

    The six were nabbed late Sunday in Dakoro, a village in southeastern Niger, halfway between the borders with Mali and Nigeria.

    “Five aid workers, including a Chadian, and a driver were kidnapped at their home around 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) by armed men driving two 4×4 vehicles” in the village of Dakoro, local official Abou Mahamane said.

    The abduction of the Chadian and the five of Niger nationality was confirmed by an aid group and a security source.

    Mahamane, who is secretary general of the Dakoro region, said the abductors “spoke Arabic, Tamasheq (the language of the Tuareg tribes) and Hausa,” a regional language.

    The aid workers were “kidnapped by men with pale skin and one with black skin, speaking Arabic. The Chadian probably tried to resist and was injured but he was still taken away,” said a humanitarian source.

    Four of the six hostages, including a doctor and a nurse, are employed by the local aid group Befen, which fights against malnutrition, and the Chadian health group Alerte-sante.

    In a joint statement, the two aid groups demanded “their release, with a priority for those who might have been wounded during the incident.”

    They also stressed that they “are only medical NGOs with no other goal than to alleviate the most precarious humanitarian situations and completely politically independent.”

    The kidnappers headed straight for the desert region of Agadez, further north, Mahamane said.

    “Security forces lost track of them in the Abala zone, about 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Agadez, in the Tahoua region,” he added.

    “Reinforcements arrived at Dakoro, African humanitarian workers are still there and the site has been secured by reinforcements from Maradi and Tahoua,” he said.

    A Niger-based humanitarian source later said, “It appears the Niger army in the north has located the kidnappers and it is determined to neutralise the kidnappers. That’s our worry.”

  • Africa Police Chiefs Meet in Uganda

    Regional Police Chiefs are meeting in Kampala, Uganda discussing ways of combating terrorism, border crimes and gender based crimes among others issues.

    The meeting which commenced Sunday October 14 at Speke Resort Hotel will end October 19, Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba has said.

    The Police chiefs are from 12 countries under the East Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPPCO). The Newvision has reported that over 1000 delegates are attending the meeting.

    EAPPCO is charged with carrying out regular reviews of joint crime management strategies in view of changing national, regional needs and priorities.

    EAPPCO member countries include; Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Comoros Islands.

  • Ethiopia back as Cape Verde stun Lions

    Cape Verde Islands secured a place at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time Sunday and former champions Ethiopia are back in the big time after a 30-year absence.

    The much-hyped return of striker and captain Samuel Eto’o helped four-time champions Cameroon to a 2-1 home win over Cape Verde, but a 3-2 aggregate loss means a second consecutive failure to reach the African football showcase.

    Alula Girma and Saladin Seid scored within three minutes during the second half in Addis Ababa to earn Ethiopia a 2-0 victory over Sudan and a ticket to South Africa next January on away goals after a 5-5 aggregate deadlock.

    An early Antonio Pereira goal was just what Cape Verde needed to settle the nerves in the intimidating cauldron of a packed 60,000-seat Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde.

    Achille Emana levelled soon after and there was relentless Indomitable Lions second-half pressure, including an Eto’o attempt that rebounded off the woodwork, but all they had to show for it was a late Fabrice Olinga goal.

    Eto’o was back after a year of international inactivity due to an eight-month ban imposed by the national football federation for instigating a bonus-related boycott of a friendly in Algeria.

    He also refused to turn up for the first leg in Cape Verde last month, labelling the national squad “amateurish and badly managed”, and his absence contributed to the worst day in Cameroonian football.

    Portuguese-speaking Cape Verde is an archipelago off the coast of Senegal with a population of just 500,000, and the national squad consists mainly of footballers at unfashionable European clubs.

    The qualification of the Ethiopian Black Lions confirmed a recent upsurge of fortunes that has seen them lead a 2014 World Cup qualifying group after holding South Africa away and defeating Central African Republic at home.

    They also won on away goals against Benin in the first elimination round for the 2013 Cup of Nations and now return to a tournament they won for the only time 50 years ago.

    Sudan won a goal-flush first encounter 5-3 thanks to a late Mohamed Al Tahir brace and were barely troubled during the opening half at the national stadium in the heart of the Ethiopian capital.

    As the hour mark passed without a goal it was looking good for the visitors, and then Girma and Egypt-based Seid turned the match on its head to the delight of a sell-out 30,000 crowd.

    Alain Traore struck five minutes into stoppage time to give Burkina Faso a 3-1 home win over giant-killers Central African Republic, who took a one-goal lead into the tie having stunned seven-time champions Egypt in the last round.

    Former Manchester United signing Manucho Goncalves scored twice in the early minutes in Luanda to secure a 2-0 win for Angola over Zimbabwe, overall victory on away goals after a 3-3 tie, and a fifth consective Africa Cup appearance.

    Niger left it much later to upset Guinea 2-0 and squeeze through on aggregate after a solitary-goal first leg loss with Mohammed Chikoto and Issoufou Garba netting in the closing stages.

    Emmanuel Adebayor of Tottenham was on target for Togo in a 2-1 win over 2012 co-hosts Gabon, who were held at home in the first leg. Wome Dove was the other Togolese marksman and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed a late consolation goal.

    Equatorial Guinea halved a four-goal first-leg deficit against the Democratic Republic of Congo after 35 minutes in Malabo, but Youssouf Mulumbu reduced the arrears before half-time and the home team had to settle for a hollow 2-1 win.

    Any hope Libya had of overhauling a one-goal loss first time out against Algeria did not last long in Blida with El Arbi Hilal Soudani and Islam Slimani scoring within seven minutes and the home side cruised to a 2-0 victory.

    An October 24 draw in Indian Ocean city Durban will divide the 15 survivors plus South Africa — automatic qualifiers as hosts — into four groups for the January 19-February 10 flagship tournament.

  • Korea, Africa Hold Cooperation Conference

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    South Korea and the African Union are jointly holding the Korea Africa Economic Cooperation Conference in Seoul from Oct. 15-18, bringing 150 ministers and heads of 18 African nations and international organizations.

    The South Korean foreign ministry says, “Africa is the last growth engine of the world economy, which has unlimited growth potential,” Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said in a letter of invitation. “This forum is expected to provide a good opportunity (for South Korea) to strengthen ties with Africa.”

    The conference remains the biggest event co-organized between Africa and Korea.

    The theme of this year’s conference focuses on “inclusive and green growth,” and the program will include the ministerial roundtable, bilateral meetings of ministers, economic cooperation seminars, African countries’ investor relation activities, and one-on-one business meetings.

    AfDB Senior Management and Executive Directors from Regional Member Countries will attend all the conference activities.

    The conference outcomes are expected to increase inclusive economic growth of African countries through the application of Korea’s development approaches.

    It will also knowledge on inclusive growth in sectors such as human resource development, infrastructure, energy, information technology, agriculture and green growth; and to enhance political and economic cooperation between Africa and Korea through increased trade, investment and dialogue.

    The partnership between the African Development Bank Group and the Republic of Korea began in 1980, when Korea joined the African Development Fund (ADF) in 1980 and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1982.

    In 2009, Korea provided a temporary AfDB capital increase of US $306.1 million and supported in 2010 the historic General Capital Increase (GCI) VI of 200 per cent and ADF-XII replenishment amounts of UA 53.86 million (KRW 94.77 billion) representing an increase of 66 per cent from its ADF-XI contribution.

    At the recently concluded ADF-12 Mid Term Review in Cape Verde, Korea played an active role in the discussions and highlighted the Bank’s focus on energy and natural resources, including the role of PPPs in infrastructure development.

  • Zimbabwe Lion Eats Woman

    In Zimbabwe, game scouts on patrol in the Bumi Hills area of Kariba District last week stumbled upon the lower torso of a woman suspected to have been killed by lions.

    Members of the Bumi Hills anti-poaching unit were on patrol near the Katete Bridge along the Siakobvu-Chalala Road when they saw a brown handbag and blood near a bus stop.

    They also discovered a spoor which they followed leading to Nyanguhwe Mountains where they found the lower half of a woman.

    Acting Mashonaland West police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera confirmed the incident.

    “Investigations are under way to establish the identity of the woman,” he said.

    He said the game scouts found a passport — registration number AN605793 — bearing the name Simbisai Machakwa (37) of Gokwe in the handbag.

    However, the bearer of the passport, Machakwa, advised the police that she was alive.

    “In a puzzling development the woman we thought had been killed by the lions has called the police indicating that she was robbed of her purse with the passport in Gokwe,” he said.

    Asst Insp Kohwera said three men attacked and robbed her of her purse.

    “We have not yet established how that handbag and passport ended up in Chalala and on the scene of a lion attack.

    “We are still to unpack the mystery of the identity of the woman attacked by the lions,” he said.

    The remainder of the body was taken to Bumi Hills Police Post and a Karoi magistrate waived post-mortem.

  • Animal Attack Victims Compensated

    Rwanda Development Board, October 11, compensated animal attack victims in Gatsibo district.

    Over Frw18,657,651 million was used to compensate 110 families, whose crops were destroyed by wild animals from April to June, 2011.

    The compensation was given to families living in Rwimbogo sector near Akagera National Park.

    One of the compensated Mukantabana Venancient commended the activity saying that Government has shown the willingness to pay those crops were destroyed. She received Frw2,531,000 Million.

    Nsanganira Tony, the deputy director general at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said over Frw2 billion was reserved to compensate those who lost their properties due to damages caused by wild animals.

    Over Frw 450 Million are meant for those nearing Akagera National Park in Eastern Province.

    RDB revealed that since 2005, about 306 claims from damages caused by animals’ country wide were recorded and most of the problems were caused by those of Akagera National Park.

    The government has adopted a policy that aiming to settle wrangles between residents and wild animals in Akagera National Park.

    An electric wall between the park and residential areas is currently under construction to prevent wild animals from crossing over and destroy people’s crops and sometimes taking lives of unfortunate ones.

    The sectors bordering with the Akagera National Park are Nasho, Mpanga, Nyamugari and Mahama.