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☆ Kenya's opposition holds vigils for slain and injured protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has repeatedly called for acts of civil disobedience against a government he accuses of raising the cost of living and consolidating power. Police killed 37 people during the protests, Kenyan rights group Independent Medico-Legal Unit said earlier this week, while Azimio claims at least 50 people were slain. The interior ministry said on Wednesday claims that security forces committed extrajudicial killings or used excessive force were false and malicious. On Wednesday Odinga, Musyoka and other opposition figures visited injured protesters at two hospitals in the capital Nairobi. Ruto has said he also would not allow Odinga into his government, but was open to meeting him.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Azimio, Musyoka, Odinga, William Ruto's, Ruto, Jefferson Kahinju, Humphrey Malalo, George Obulutsa, Hereward, Emelia Sithole, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Kenya Alliance, Kenyans, . Police, Kenyan, Independent Medico, Legal Unit, Wednesday Odinga, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Read, NAIROBI, Unity, Hereward Holland

☆ Blind church band shows Nigeria there's 'ability in disability'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kazeem Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Visually impaired pastor Chimaobi Nduka sings with the faithful during blind people's Sunday church service at Bethesda Home for the Blind in Lagos, Nigeria July 2, 2023. REUTERS/Seun SanniLAGOS, July 21 (Reuters) - Every Sunday, worshippers at Bethesda Home Church in Lagos sing and dance to popular hymns. But there's a twist: the drummers, guitarists, keyboard player and choir are all visually impaired. "When (people) start seeing the ability in them, they will believe in them," said Ohakwe, who runs an NGO for visually impaired people. "I want anybody out there, as a visually impaired person or a disabled person, to have in his mind that there is a lot you can still do if you believe in yourself."

Persons: Chimaobi Nduka, Seun Sanni, Chioma Ohakwe, Ohakwe, Nathaniel Ndukwe, Ogungbe Abiola, Abiola, Hereward Holland, Nellie Peyton, Alison Williams Organizations: Bethesda Home, Blind, REUTERS, Seun, Bethesda Home Church, World Bank, Fed, Thomson Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Seun Sanni LAGOS, Bethesda

☆ Protesters hurl rocks at Kenyan police as three-day tax protest begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A person rides a bike past tyres set on fire by protestors in Kibera slum during an anti-government protest against the imposition of tax hikes by the government in Nairobi, Kenya July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File PhotoNAIROBI, July 19 (Reuters) - Around 100 protesters hurled rocks at police in a poor neighbourhood of Nairobi on Wednesday as three days of demonstrations against the cost of living and tax hikes kicked off in Kenya. Protesters burned tires in the Kibera neighbourhood, often a flashpoint for stand-offs with security forces, and were met with volleys of tear gas by police. The Nation newspaper reported that police arrested suspected protesters in Homa Bay in the west of the country. Two rounds of protests earlier this month descended into violence when police fired tear gas, and in some cases live rounds, at the crowds.

Persons: Monicah, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Stephen Kipchumba Cheboi, Odinga, Ruto, Hereward Holland, Stephen Coates, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Protesters, State House, The Nation, Governmental Organisation Council, Kenya, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Kibera, Homa Bay, Azmio

☆ Kenya's Ruto says further tax-hike protests will not be allowed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, July 14 (Reuters) - Kenyan President William Ruto vowed on Friday that protests planned next week would not be allowed following two rounds of demonstrations that have left at least 15 people dead. Opposition leader Raila Odinga's party called earlier in the day for three more days of protests from next Wednesday against tax hikes that Ruto signed into law last month. You cannot look for the leadership of this country using the blood of the citizens, the death of the citizens and the destruction of property," Ruto said at the opening of a road in the town of Naivasha. Kenya's President William Ruto attends a joint press conference with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, July 12, 2023. The most recent demonstrations took place despite bans by the police, and Ruto did not say how he planned to stop the upcoming protests.

Persons: William Ruto, Raila, Ruto, Odinga, Ebrahim Raisi, Jeremy Laurence, Humphrey Malalo, Thomas Mukoya, Hereward Holland, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kenyan, Iran's, State, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Naivasha, Nairobi, Kenya

☆ Iranian President Raisi begins Africa trip with visit to Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Raisi's trip to Africa, which will also take him to Uganda and Zimbabwe, is the first by an Iranian president in more than a decade, and represents a bid to diversify economic ties in the face of crippling U.S. sanctions. Iran stepped up its diplomatic outreach to developing world countries after then-U.S. President Donald Trump ditched a nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. In June, Raisi visited three Latin American countries to shore up support with allies also saddled with U.S. sanctions. Raisi is expected to next fly to Uganda to discuss trade and bilateral relations with President Yoweri Museveni, and then to Zimbabwe. The last Iranian leader to visit Africa was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, William Ruto, Donald Trump, Raisi, Kenya's, Yoweri Museveni, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bhargav Acharya, Hereward, Aaron Ross, Jason Neely Organizations: Kenyan, Ruto, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Africa, Tehran, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Iran, Kenya, East, Hereward Holland

☆ Kenyan, Zambian currencies expected to weaken
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Kenya Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge displays Kenyan shilling bank notes during a news conference at the Central Bank in Nairobi, Kenya, June 3, 2019. One trader at a commercial bank said the currency was expected to float around 141.00 levels. GHANAGhana's cedi is expected to hold steady against the dollar next week on the back of high foreign exchange liquidity following central bank support, traders said. Bid-offer spreads are also expected to tighten further," said Sedem Dornoo, a senior trader at Absa Bank Ghana. UGANDAThe Ugandan shilling is expected to firm in the coming week, drawing support from hard currency inflows from exporters of commodities such as coffee.

Persons: Kenya Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge, Baz Ratner, GHANA Ghana's cedi, Sedem Dornoo, Chris Nettey, ZAMBIA Zambia's kwacha, Elias Biryabarema, Chris Mfula, Bhargav Acharya, Elisha Bala, Hereward Organizations: Kenya Central Bank Governor, Central Bank, REUTERS, KENYA, GHANA Ghana's, greenback, Absa Bank, Trading Stanbic Bank, ZAMBIA Zambia's, Access Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, JOHANNESBURG, Ghana, Nigeria, NIGERIA, GHANA, Absa Bank Ghana, Trading Stanbic Bank Ghana, UGANDA, Kampala, ZAMBIA

☆ At least 48 killed in road accident in western Kenya, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - At least 48 people were killed in a road accident in Londiani, western Kenya, on Friday evening when a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, police and witnesses said. Regional police commander Tom Odera said the death toll stood at 48 on Friday evening. The trailer went off the road and hit other vehicles," said Peter Otieno, a driver. The Kenya Red Cross said the lorry rammed more than six vehicles and ran over pedestrians. "The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani," Kenyan President William Ruto wrote in a tweet.

Persons: Tom Odera, swerved, Peter Otieno, William Ruto, Humphrey Malalo, Duncan Miriri, Hereward Holland, Leslie Adler, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell Organizations: Regional, Kenya, Cross, Kenyan, Thomson Locations: Londiani, Kenya, Nairobi

☆ Ethiopia asks to join BRICS bloc of emerging economies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 29 (Reuters) - Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, has asked to join the BRICS bloc of emerging markets, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001 to describe the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined in 2010. Ethiopia will continue to work with international institutions that can protect its interests, he said. BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the world's population and about 26% of the global economy.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Jim O'Neill, Meles Alem, Vladimir Putin, Hereward Holland, Deepa Babington Organizations: International Monetary Fund, West ., Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, ENA, Africa, Argentina, West, West . South Africa

☆ Kenya court denies bail for alleged death cult leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOMBASA, Kenya, May 10 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday extended by 30 days the detention of cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who authorities accuse of ordering followers to starve their children and themselves to death. The death toll has climbed to 133, and hundreds of people are still reported missing. Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, has not yet been required to enter a plea after handing himself into police last month. A lawyer representing Mackenzie, George Kariuki, has said the self-styled pastor is cooperating with investigators. Wycliffe Makasembo, a lawyer for Mackenzie and his wife, who is also detained, said he would appeal against the decision.

☆ Forest search resumes for Kenyan death cult victims of 'highly organised crime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHAKAHOLA FOREST, Kenya, May 9 (Reuters) - Kenyan investigators have resumed the search for members of a doomsday cult in a forest where more than 100 corpses, mostly of children, have been exhumed, victims of a "highly organised crime", Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Tuesday. "We have many more graves in this forest, and therefore it leads us to conclude that this was a highly organised crime," Kindiki told reporters. Search and rescue efforts for people "suspected to be holed up in the thickets and bushes have been going on". President William Ruto on Friday announced an inquiry into the mass deaths, while a court kept Mackenzie in detention pending further investigations. Reporting by Dicksy Obiero in the Shakahola Forest and Hereward Holland and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Eight cult members who were found emaciated in the forest died later. Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14 alongside 14 other suspected cult members. Two showed signs of asphyxiation, he added. Children account for most of the bodies recovered so far, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Friday. On Sunday, President William Ruto said he would appoint a judicial commission of inquiry this week to probe what happened in Shakahola.

☆ Kenyan cult leader told followers to starve themselves ahead of world's end, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The deaths amount to one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history and the toll is expected to rise further, with the Kenyan Red Cross saying more than 300 people have been reported as missing. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 other cult members. At the morgue at Malindi hospital, dozens of people were seeking news of relatives they feared were among the dead. The Red Cross has donated a refrigerated container on a truck to help preserve some of the corpses as the morgue is now too full. Two emaciated women were found alive early on Wednesday and were being evacuated to Malindi's hospital, according to Red Cross staff in Malindi.

☆ Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult rises to 58 - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hereward Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The death toll, which has repeatedly risen as exhumations have been carried out, could rise further. The Kenyan Red Cross said 112 people have been reported missing to a tracing and counselling desk it has set up at a local hospital. Kenya's Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, visiting the scene, said the death toll included 50 people found in mass graves as well as eight who were found alive and emaciated, but later died. Koome said 14 other cult members were in police custody. Reporting by Hereward Holland; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Sudan's conflict and what worries neighbours, the U.S. and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Five of Sudan's seven neighbours - Ethiopia, Chad, Central African Republic, Libya and South Sudan - have faced political upheaval or conflict themselves in recent years. Smoke rises from burning aircraft inside Khartoum Airport during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan April 17, 2023. SOUTH SUDAN - South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011 after a civil war lasting decades, exports its oil output of 170,000 barrels per day via a pipeline through its northern neighbour. Analysts say neither side in Sudan's conflict has an interest in disrupting those flows but South Sudan's government said this week fighting had already hampered logistics and transport links between the oilfields and Port Sudan. THE UNITED STATES AND THE WEST - The United States, like other Western powers, was happy to be rid of Bashir, who was charged with genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court over the Darfur conflict.

☆ Kenya police begin exhuming remains from suspected Christian cult graves
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Humphrey Malalo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Police began exhuming bodies on Friday, said Charles Kamau, a detective in the nearby town of Malindi, without giving further details. The leader of the church, Paul Mackenzie, was arrested following a tip-off that also suggested the existence of shallow graves belonging to at least 31 of Mackenzie's followers. Police said the 15 rescued worshippers had been told to starve themselves to death so they could meet their creator. Matthew Shipeta from Haki Africa, a human rights group, said he had seen at least 15 shallow graves in the forest. "Personally I have visited about 18 children's graves," Mikali told Citizen TV.

☆ Court rules Meta can be sued in Kenya over alleged unlawful redundancies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In response, Judge Matthews Nduma issued an interim injunction against Meta and Sama preventing them from terminating the moderators' contracts, pending a judgment on the legality of their redundancy. "The court finds that this court has jurisdiction to determine the matter of alleged unlawful and unfair termination of employment on grounds of redundancy," Nduma said on Thursday. Meta, Sama and Majorel did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. The cases could have implications for how Meta works with content moderators globally. The U.S. giant works with thousands of moderators around the world, tasked with reviewing graphic content posted on its platform.

☆ Dreaming sky high, Nigerian man builds airplane from trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent cloudy day, the single-propeller plane withstood cross-winds high above a sandy football field and swooped low over the heads of onlookers in Oworonshoki, the poor neighbourhood where Fatai lives in the east of the city. I started picking things around, making some little projects," the 21-year-old said. "Whenever I see an airplane flying, it gives me a very overwhelming joy." "As our country is an under-developing country, so I hope to be a part of the people that will develop the country using this, my drone technology," he said. Reporting by Seun Sanni; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Aid shortage leaves refugees in Uganda reliant on kitchen gardens
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Justin Dralaze | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People who fled fighting in South Sudan are seen walking at sunset on arrival at Bidi Bidi refugee’s resettlement camp near the border with South Sudan, in Yumbe district, northern Uganda December 7, 2016. REUTERS/James AkenaBIDI BIDI, Uganda, April 6 (Reuters) - Watering the neat lines of green salad leaves outside her thatched home, Susan Konga, a South Sudanese woman living in a refugee camp in northern Uganda, is preparing her kitchen garden for the next harvest. Global crises like the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Turkey and the drought in East Africa, mean there's less food aid for people like Konga. After six years in Uganda, Konga, a single mother, must now rely entirely on the maize, cassava and salad leaves grown in her small vegetable patch. "Donors are having to make very difficult decisions because the needs are enormous globally," said Marcus Prior, country director at WFP Uganda.

☆ South Sudan president appoints own defence minister, breaching peace deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Waakhe Wudu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JUBA, March 30 (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has appointed a member of his own party as defence minister, according to a decree read on state media, breaching a peace deal in which the role should be selected by the party of opposition leader Riek Machar. Kiir fired defence minister Angelina Teny, who is also First Vice President Machar's wife, along with the interior minister this month, re-igniting long-standing disagreements over how the two war veterans share power. Implementation of the deal has been slow, and bouts of fighting have continued to kill and displace large numbers of civilians. "The appointment of Chol Thon as a minister of defence is unilateral and a new blatant violation of the peace agreement," said Puok Both Baluang, Machar's spokesperson, calling for Teny to be reinstated. The stalemate is likely to cause paralysis in the implementation of the peace deal, which is meant to culminate in a national election at the end of 2024, said Boboya James, a policy analyst at the Juba-based Institute of Social Policy and Research.

☆ Freed 'Hotel Rwanda' hero departs Doha for Houston for family reunion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Imad Creidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, March 29 (Reuters) - The man who inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda", Paul Rusesabagina, has boarded a plane in Qatar bound for Houston after being released from prison in Rwanda last week, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. He was released last Friday after Kagame commuted his sentence, following months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali, and arrived in Doha on Monday. Rusesabagina was feted around the world after being played by actor Don Cheadle in the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda" which portrayed him as a hero who risked his life to shelter hundreds of people as manager of a luxury hotel during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Washington's historically close ties with Rwanda had been strained by Rusesabagina's detention and by U.S. allegations, denied by Kigali, that Rwanda has sent troops into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and supports rebels there. Rwanda has said that Rusesabagina's release is the result of a shared desire to reset the U.S.-Rwanda relationship.

☆ Freed 'Hotel Rwanda' hero Rusesabagina leaves Rwanda, reaches Qatar - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Imad Creidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DOHA, March 28 (Reuters) - Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the film "Hotel Rwanda" about the 1994 genocide, has arrived in Qatar after being released from prison in Rwanda last week, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. Rwanda has said that Rusesabagina's release is the result of a shared desire to reset the U.S.-Rwanda relationship. The 68-year-old former hotelier landed in Doha on Monday, a source with knowledge of the matter said. "Hotel Rwanda" portrays Rusesabagina's success in saving more than 1,000 refugees, including his family, during the genocide in 1994 by sheltering them in the besieged hotel that he managed in Kigali. Reporting by Imad Creidi; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Aaron Ross and Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kamala Harris starts Africa tour in Ghana, announces security aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Francis Kokoroko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Akufo-Addo reiterated that he was concerned about Wagner's presence in West Africa. Several countries across West Africa and the Sahel region have been struggling to quell Islamist insurgencies that have caused humanitarian disasters and fuelled discontent -- contributing factors to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. "We appreciate your leadership in response to recent democratic back-sliding in West Africa," Harris told Akufo-Addo. [1/5] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo during her week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, in Accra, Ghana March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko 1 2 3 4 5After Ghana, Harris will head to Tanzania and Zambia.

☆ Burkina Faso suspends France 24 broadcasts in the country after al Qaeda interview
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, March 27 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's military government on Monday suspended France 24 broadcasts in the country after the TV station aired an interview with the head of al Qaeda's North African wing AQIM. Relations between Paris and Ouagadougou have deteriorated sharply since Burkina Faso's military seized power in a coup last October. In January, Burkina Faso gave France one month to withdraw its troops as it ended a military accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents, including on its territory. France 24 earlier this month aired an interview with Yezid Mebarek, also known as Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Anabi, who claimed the title of "emir of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" in 2020 after a French raid killed his predecessor. France Medias Monde, which operates France 24, was not immediately available for comment on Burkina Faso's move.

☆ 'Hotel Rwanda' figure Rusesabagina to be released from prison -government source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Philbert Girinema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary * 'Hotel Rwanda' figure to be released on Saturday* Rusesabagina to be flown to Doha, and on to the U.S.* His release follows letter to president seeking clemency* Rebel spokesman Sankara to also be releasedKIGALI, March 24 (Reuters) - Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film "Hotel Rwanda" and is serving a 25-year sentence in Rwanda on terrorism charges, will be released on Saturday, a Rwanda government source said on Friday. His release follows intense diplomacy by the United States, where Rusesabagina has permanent residency rights. Rusesabagina will initially be flown to Doha, and then on to the United States, the source said. "If I am granted a pardon and released, I understand fully that I will spend the remainder of my days in the United States in quiet reflection," he wrote. Earlier this month, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said there were discussions about "resolving" the fate of Rusesabagina.

☆ 'Hotel Rwanda' figure Rusesabagina to be freed from prison -Rwanda government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Philbert Girinema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The announcement of his release follows intense diplomacy by the United States, where Rusesabagina has permanent residency rights. "This is the result of a shared desire to reset US-Rwanda relationship," Stephanie Nyombayire, spokesperson of Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, wrote on Twitter. Rusesabagina was sentenced in Sept. 2021 over his ties to an organization opposed to Kagame's rule. "If any individual benefiting from early release repeats offences of a similar nature, the commutation can be revoked and the remainder of the prison sentence will be served," Rwanda's justice ministry said. In a handwritten letter to Kagame released by the justice ministry, Nsabimana said he had apologised to all Rwandans and especially those affected by attacks by FLN fighters.

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