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☆ More Than 40 Killed in Artisanal Mine Collapse in Southwest Mali - Mines Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAMAKO (Reuters) - More than 40 artisanal gold miners were killed in southwest Mali last week after the shaft they were working in collapsed, Mali's mines ministry said on Wednesday. Deadly accidents are frequent as artisanal miners often use old-fashioned and unregulated methods of digging. The incident in Mali occurred on Friday on a site in the Kangaba Cercle in the south-western Koulikoro Region, the mines ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that did not specify the number of deaths. A spokesperson for the ministry, Baye Coulibaly, said via telephone on Wednesday that the death toll was still provisional. According to mines ministry data, an estimated six tonnes of gold was produced in artisanal mines in Mali in 2023.

Persons: Baye Coulibaly, Coulibaly, Tiemoko Diallo, Anait Miridzhanian, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, West Africa, Kangaba, Koulikoro Region

☆ Gunfire Breaks Out in Guinea-Bissau Capital Overnight - Reuters Reporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BISSAU (Reuters) -Gun shots were fired overnight in Guinea-Bissau's capital Bissau and continued into Friday morning, a Reuters reporter said. There have been at least 10 coups or attempted coups in Guinea Bissau since independence from Portugal in 1974. Only one democratically elected president has completed a full term in the West African nation south of Senegal. At least six people were killed during a failed attempt to overthrow President Umaro Sissoco Embalo in February last year. (Reporting by Alberto DaboWriting by Sofia ChristensenEditing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Alberto DaboWriting, Sofia ChristensenEditing, Christina Fincher Locations: BISSAU, Guinea, Bissau, Guinea Bissau, Portugal, West African, Senegal

Summary Heavy gunfire reported overnight in Guinea-Bissau's capitalArmed national guard soldiers free opposition ministerHead of national guard arrestedCalm appears to have been restored by late morningBISSAU, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Fighting broke out overnight between two factions of Guinea-Bissau's army in the capital and continued early on Friday after armed soldiers from the national guard freed a minister who had been detained for suspected misuse of public funds. The head of the national guard has since been arrested, a military source said. Gunshots started at around 2300 GMT on Thursday about two kilometres away from the presidential palace in the capital Bissau. A police source said the shooting on Thursday started after heavily armed members of the national guard stormed a police station to free Finance Minister Suleimane Seidi, arrested earlier that night. The national guard reports to parliament, while the military reports to the president.

Persons: Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Embalo, Suleimane Seidi, Antonio Monteiro, Sierra Leone's, Alberto Dabo, Samba, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: United Nations, Change, PAIGC, Freetown, CFA, Thomson Locations: Guinea, BISSAU, Bissau, Antula, Dubai, Guinea Bissau, West African, Senegal, Portugal, West, Central Africa

☆ Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger students in French visa limbo as relations sour
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But as relations with some of the West African states turned bitter - prompting France to close its consular services in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger due to security concerns - long-standing cultural ties have also been strained. International law student Tondri Yara stood in front of a French visa centre in the capital Ouagadougou, hoping for some good news. Burkina Faso, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium are all viable alternatives, he said, although switching will likely delay the process. French authorities have assured that students, artists and researchers already in France remain welcome and would be allowed to pursue their activities. There were over 3,100 students from Mali, 2,300 from Burkina and 1,100 from Niger studying in French public institutions in 2021-22, according to data from French agency Campus France that promotes French higher institutions abroad.

Persons: Alphonse Nikiema, Emmanuel Macron, Nikiema, Tondri Yara, Yara, Alphonse, Alfred, Sofia Christensen, Bate Felix, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West, Burkina Faso, Campus, Reuters Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Burkina Faso, France, Mali, Niger, Africa, Russia, China, Burkina, West Africa Sahel, Ouagadougou, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Campus France, Paris

But in an about turn, Macron announced on Sunday that the ambassador would return to Paris and French troops would leave. Two security sources in Niger said Itte had flown out of the country. Demonstrators hold placards and Niger's flags as they gather outside Niger's embassy in support of the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Crowds of junta supporters have spent days camping outside a French military base to demand the troops' departure. Some analysts have expressed concern that the withdrawal of French troops from Niger could further hamper Western efforts to stem the violence, which has risen since the coups, and bolster Russian influence in the region.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Macron, Itte, Catherine Colonna, Yucouba Abdou, Abdou, Niger Mohamed Bazoum, Stephanie Lecocq, Paris, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Moussa Aksar, Michel Rose, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Toby Chopra, Estelle Shirbon, Philippa Fletcher, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Niger, Quai, French, Nigerien, Reuters, REUTERS, France, Thomson Locations: Niger French, NIAMEY, Niger, Paris, France, Niamey, French, N'Djamena, Niger's, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sahel

☆ French Ambassador to Niger Has Left the Country - Security Sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - France's ambassador in Niger was flown out of the country early on Wednesday morning, two security sources said, around one month after the military government ordered his expulsion. The junta that seized power in a July coup ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours at the end of August in response to what they called actions by France "contrary to the interests of Niger". But the order was at first ignored by France, who has refused to recognise the coup leaders, triggering daily protests in front of the French embassy. French President Emmanuel Macron said this month that Itte and his staff were effectively being held hostage at the embassy. Over the weekend, Macron said the ambassador was being pulled out and would return to France.

Persons: Sylvain Itte, Emmanuel Macron, Itte, Macron, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Toby Chopra Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, French, France

☆ Ghana Ex-Trade Minister Quits Ruling Party to Run for President
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Alan Kyeremanten, who has served twice as trade minister for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), made the announcement at a briefing and said his contributions were not appreciated. "The (NPP) party has been hijacked by a selected group of party leaders and elders," he said. Gold-, oil- and cocoa-producing Ghana's worst economic crisis in a generation was brought on by spiralling public debt. The NPP has yet to name its candidate to succeed President Nana Afuko-Addo, who will step down after serving two terms. Kyeremanten, 67, served as Akufo-Addo's trade and industry minister during both of his terms.

Persons: Alan Kyeremanten, Nana Afuko, Kyeremanten, Mahamudu Bawumia, Maxwell Akalaare, Sofia Christensen, Grant McCool Organizations: New Patriotic Party, NPP, International Monetary Fund, National Democratic Congress Locations: ACCRA, Accra, Ghana

☆ Crowds camp in front of Niger French army base to press for troop departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nigerian army officers are seen as faithfuls perform their Friday prayers in front of the French army base in Niamey, Niger September 8, 2023. Relations between Niger and its former coloniser France have worsened since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, stoking anti-French sentiment. There have been calls for around 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger as part of a wider fight against an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel to leave the country. But the crowd in front of the French military has swelled and is showing no sign of leaving. On Friday, protesters celebrated Muslim midday prayers that are usually held in a mosque in front of the base.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Aissa Seyni, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, Niger's, France, Paris, headscarves

☆ Crowds Camp in Front of Niger French Army Base to Press for Troop Departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters have been camping outside a French military base in Niger's capital Niamey for the past six days to demand the troops' departure, the latest sign of swelling anti-French sentiment among supporters of a military coup in July. Relations between Niger and its former coloniser France have worsened since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, stoking anti-French sentiment. There have been calls for around 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger as part of a wider fight against an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel to leave the country. But the crowd in front of the French military has swelled and is showing no sign of leaving. On Friday, protesters celebrated Muslim midday prayers that are usually held in a mosque in front of the base.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Aissa Seyni, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger's, Niamey, Niger, France, Paris, headscarves

☆ Cameroon Militants Set Cars on Fire, Shoot Passengers in Village Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BUEA, Cameroon (Reuters) - Armed militants stopped cars, shot at passengers and set vehicles on fire during an attack on a village in Anglophone Cameroon's South West region on Thursday, residents and a Reuters reporter said. Separatists in minority English-speaking parts of Cameroon have been fighting to carve out an independent state called Ambazonia since 2017. They carry out attacks, kidnappings and killings in the North West and South West regions. Concerned-looking resident gathered around the blackened and bullet-ridden remains of a charred car in the village of Muea, in the South West region, on Thursday as two men pulled out a body wrapped in a blanket. Insurgents began fighting the Cameroonian military in 2017 after civilian protests calling for greater representation for the Francophone country's English-speaking minority were violently repressed.

Persons: Blaise Eyong, Sofia Christensen, Sandra Maler Organizations: Armed, Francophone Locations: BUEA, Cameroon, South West, North West, Muea

☆ French President Macron: I talk 'every day' to Niger's ousted president Bazoum
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum before a meeting over security in the Sahel region at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 12, 2021. The REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he spoke on a daily basis with Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who has been removed from power in a coup. "I speak every day to President Bazoum. The decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum," said Macron. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Camille Raynaud; Additional reporting by Sofia Christensen in Dakar; Editing by Andy SullivanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mohamed Bazoum, Gonzalo Fuentes, Niger's, Bazoum, Macron, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Camille Raynaud, Sofia Christensen, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Sahel, Paris, France, Dakar

☆ Gabon coup leader will not rush to elections despite mounting pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Trucks carrying industrial equipments wait because of the closure of the border after the coup in Gabon, in the border town of Kye-Ossi, Cameroon August 31, 2023. The officers placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power. "Going as quickly as possible does not mean organising ad hoc elections, where we will end up with the same errors," he said. Gabon's election commission said after the election that Bongo had been re-elected with 64% of the vote, while Ondo Ossa secured almost 31%. It said it will impose sanctions on the coup leaders if they do not restore constitutional order.

Persons: Danga, Nguema, Gabon's, Ali Bongo, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Bongo, Alexandra Pangha, Albert Ondo Ossa, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, Bongo Valentin, Bongo's, Mohamed Bazoum, Ondo Ossa, Pangha, Wilfried Obangome, Sonia Rolley, Libby George, Juliette Jabkhiro, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Sofia Christensen, Frances Kerry, Peter Graff, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Military, Central Africa's, Central African, ECCAS, United Nations, African Union, BBC, Nguema, Gabon, Timothe, Ondo, Security, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Kye, Ossi, Cameroon, Monday LIBREVILLE, Libreville, Republic, France, United States, State, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ondo

☆ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The officers said on television channel Gabon 24 that they represented all Gabonese security and defence forces. They said the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Bongo, 64, succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009 and was re-elected in a disputed election in 2016.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Elisabeth Borne, insurgencies, Josep Borrell, Albert Ondo Ossa, Omar, Eramet, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nellie Peyton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Central African, OPEC, French, Military, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gabonese, Centre, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, LIBREVILLE, Libreville, France, West, Central Africa, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad . Niger

☆ Who is Brice Oligui Nguema, the general named as Gabon's transition leader?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Gabon's military junta named General Brice Oligui Nguema as transition leader on Wednesday, following the apparent ouster of President Ali Bongo. The elite force is in charge of protecting the president, his family and other high-profile figures. ANTICORRUPTION MANDATEShortly after he took on the new role in 2019, Nguema launched an operation named "clean hands" to crack down on alleged state-led embezzlement. The Bongo family has ruled oil-rich Gabon for over half a century. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde on Wednesday, Nguema said people in Gabon were frustrated with their government.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Nguema, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ingrid Melander, Anait, Sofia Christensen, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Republican Guard, Thomson Locations: Gabon's southeasternmost, Haut, Republic of Congo, United States, Gabon, Libreville, Paris, Johannesburg

☆ Reaction to Gabon army officers announcing coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are reactions to what appeared to be the eighth military coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON OLIVIER VERAN"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections." EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY JOSEP BORRELL"If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MARIA ZAKHAROVA"Moscow has received with concern reports of a sharp deterioration in the internal situation in the friendly African country. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES"The Secretary-General is following the evolving situation in Gabon very closely.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Moussa Faki Mahamat, BOLA TINUBU'S, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GENERAL PATRICIA SCOTLAND, OLIVIER VERAN, WANG WENBIN, Bongo, JOSEP BORRELL, MARIA ZAKHAROVA, JOHN KIRBY, It's, GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, Central African, AU, H.E, WEST, BLOC ECOWAS, GENERAL, Commonwealth Secretariat, MINISTRY, EU HIGH, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, Gabonese Republic, Republic, NIGERIA, African Union, CHINA, China, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Moscow

☆ Niger junta names government, West African leaders to discuss next steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view as supporters of Niger's coup leaders take part in a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. West African heads of state hold a summit in Nigeria aiming to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders have refused to stand down despite the bloc's threat that it could use force to restore democracy. Since the July 26 power grab shocked the region, the defiant junta has rebuffed diplomatic overtures and ignored an Aug. 6 deadline from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum. The bloc's leaders are expected to agree on next steps, which could include military intervention - something an ECOWAS official has said would be a last resort. Envoys of the Nigerian president, and ECOWAS chair, Bola Tinubu met coup leaders in the capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, offering a glimmer of hope for dialogue after previous missions were spurned.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roufai Laouali, Antonio Guterres, Bola Tinubu, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West, Nigeria, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ Niger's tailors rush to make Russian flags after coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The flags have been in demand since President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled late last month in a military takeover, leading to some Russian support among crowds that celebrated the coup. It echoes similar outpourings of pro-Russian sentiments after recent military takeovers in other West African countries, worrying Western powers who see their influence slipping in some old regional allies. He said the flags of neighboring Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, where military takeovers have also occurred since 2020, were also popular. Citizens in Burkina Faso also waved Russian flags during violent anti-France demonstrations that followed a coup in September 2022, the second in the country that year. "Before the coup d'etat I didn't know the Russian flag," he added.

Persons: Yahaya, Mohamed Bazoum, Oumarou, Okacha Abdoul, Aziz, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Sandra Maler Organizations: Citizens, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niamey, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Russia, West Africa, France, Sahel, Russian

It has yet to disburse a $131.5 million loan to Niger that was approved on July 5, it added. The interior minister, transport minister, and a deputy had already been detained, it added. The arrests confirm the "repressive and dictatorial" nature of the coup leaders, the party said in a statement, calling on citizens to come together to protect democracy. The arrests were announced a day after Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby arrived in Niger to try to mediate between the coup leaders and the ousted government. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, last week welcomed the coup in Niger, and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Issoufou Mahamadou, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby, Bazoum, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Abdourahamane Tiani, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Antonio Tajani, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Bernadette Baum, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, CFA, West, African Union, European Union, Islamic, Junta, Nigerien Party for Democracy and, Chadian, ECOWAS, EU, REUTERS, Twitter, French Foreign Ministry, Paris, White, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, United States, France, Islamic State, al Qaeda, EU, U.S, Nigerien, Niamey, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, Niger's

ORTN/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERSNIAMEY, July 27 (Reuters) - Niger's army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country. President Mohamed Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou earlier urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab, as western officials said the status of the coup attempt was unclear. They earlier cut off the presidential palace in the capital Niamey, with the president inside. Massoudou also called on "democrats and patriots" to make the "attempted coup" fail, according to a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Niamey was quiet on Thursday morning as citizens awoke to heavy rain, closed borders and a nationwide curfew imposed by the coup instigators.

Persons: Major Amadou Adramane, Mohamed Bazoum, Hassoumi Massoudou, Bazoum, Massoudou, Bate Felix, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, John Stonestreet Organizations: Niger Army, Reuters, REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, REUTERS NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Sahel

NIAMEY, July 26 (Reuters) - Niger presidential guards are holding President Mohamed Bazoum inside the presidential palace in the capital, which has been blocked off by military vehicles since Wednesday morning, security sources said. The movements have the semblance of four military takeovers that have hit neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020. Ministries next to the palace have also been blocked off, and staff inside the palace have not been able to access to their offices, presidency and security sources said. The rest of Niamey appeared calm, with normal morning traffic on the road and full internet access, a Reuters reporter said. There was also a thwarted coup attempt in Niger in March 2021, when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace days before Bazoum was due to be sworn in.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Moussa Aksar, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Andrew Heavens, Alexander Winning, Nick Macfie Organizations: Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niamey

☆ Niger presidential guards are holding President Bazoum inside palace - security sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NIAMEY, July 26 (Reuters) - Niger presidential guards are holding President Mohamed Bazoum inside the presidential palace, which has been blocked off by military vehicles, security sources said on Wednesday. Reporting by Moussa Aksar Writing by Sofia Christensen Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Moussa Aksar, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning Organizations: Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger

☆ Ghana sanitation minister resigns over alleged stashed cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ACCRA, July 22 (Reuters) - Ghana's sanitation minister resigned on Saturday over reports staff found and stole stashes of local and foreign money from her home, she said in a letter to the president in which she denied any wrongdoing. Cecilia Abena Dapaah made headlines on Friday after two former household staff appeared in court accused of stealing cash and personal belongings from the minister and her husband between July and October 2022. Prosecutors told the court that the accused bought houses and a vehicle with the stolen money and gave some of it to relatives. Dapaah was appointed minister of sanitation and water resources when Akufo-Addo took power in 2017 and retained when he was re-elected in 2021. Reporting by Christian Akorlie and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Editing by Sofia Christensen and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Nana Akufo, ” Dapaah, Dapaah's, Dapaah, Addo, Christian Akorlie, Maxwell Akalaare, Sofia Christensen, Nick Macfie Organizations: Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: ACCRA

☆ Sierra Leone main opposition party rejects partial presidential poll results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, June 27 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party has rejected the partial results of a tense presidential election that showed President Julius Maada Bio leading the poll, alleging irregularities in the tallying process. The All People's Congress (APC) party's main candidate Samura Kamara, 72, is the incumbent's main rival. A provisional results sheet on Monday showed Kamara trailing behind Bio with just under 800,000 votes, compared to over 1 million for the president. [1/2]Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to remain peaceful.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Cooper, Sierra Leone, Umaru, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Congress, party's, All, REUTERS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra

☆ Sudanese refugees in Chad risk losing aid as rainy season looms, says MSF
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

N'DJAMENA, June 12 (Reuters) - Thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled to Chad to escape fighting in their country could be cut off from humanitarian and medical aid during the approaching rainy season, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Monday. Rains will also bring a higher risk of waterborne and infectious diseases given poor access to clean water and sanitation, she said. Nearly 30,000 refugees are in Sila, where they lack shelter, water and food due to deficiencies in humanitarian assistance. One of the poorest countries in the world, Chad was already hosting close to 600,000 refugees before the latest Sudanese crisis. This has caused food and commodity prices to soar in areas already suffering from high levels of malnutrition, MSF said.

Persons: MSF's, Audrey van der Schoot, Rains, Chad, Mahamat, Sofia Christensen, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: United Nations, MSF, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: N'DJAMENA, Chad, Sudan, Sila, Central

☆ One U.N. peacekeeper killed and four injured in north Mali attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, June 9 (Reuters) - At least one United Nations peacekeeper was killed and four others seriously injured when their patrol was attacked in northern Mali on Friday, the peacekeeping mission MINUSMA said. MINUSMA said on Twitter the patrol first encountered an improvised explosive device and was then hit with a direct fire attack. It did not name perpetrators but said it was a "complex attack" and that updates on casualties would follow. Islamist militants, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, have been waging an insurgency in northern Mali since they hijacked a Tuareg rebellion in 2012. At least 303 MINUSMA personnel have been killed in hostile acts in Mali since the start of the mission in 2013, making it the deadliest U.N. peacekeeping mission in the world.

Persons: MINUSMA, Sofia Christensen, Toby Chopra, Sriraj Organizations: United Nations peacekeeper, Twitter, Islamic, United Nations, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Mali, Ber, Tombouctou, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Sahel

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