Outrage in South Africa over police brutality in Nigeria

 Hundreds of people took to the streets in South Africa on Wednesday to voice outrage at the shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Nigeria.

Africa’s most populous country has faced growing unrest as a protest over brutality by a Nigerian police unit known as SARS ballooned into wider grievances against the government.

Witnesses said gunmen opened fire on a crowd of over 1,000 people in the main city of Lagos on Tuesday, with Amnesty International reporting that several people were killed.

On Wednesday, demonstrators draped in the national flag of Nigeria and chanting liberation slogans marched to Abuja’s embassy in Pretoria carrying banners reading “End police brutality”.

Another group of about 400 people in Cape Town, mostly Nigerian nationals, vowed to continue picketing until there was a change in Nigeria.

Well-known South African rap star AKA voiced solidarity with the people of Nigeria, saying: “How can people shoot to KILL their own countrymen and women?”

“This is insane… Sending love and strength to Naija,” AKA tweeted to his 4.6 million followers.

South African opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, pledged its “moral and political solidarity” with Nigerians and called on the government to rein in its army and security services.

“The EFF salutes the young lions of Nigeria in their resolve to graduate their successful fight against police brutality under the banner of #ENDSARS,” it said in a statement.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions condemned the crackdown, saying the accumulated anger of citizens over decades of failure in the delivery of basic social services and endemic corruption, was “visible in the pent-up anger, which has been boiling over in mass street protests in cities across the country”.

Both groups called on the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to send a strong message to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately end the crackdown on protesters.

South Africa and Nigeria are the economic giants of Africa, competing for sporting prowess, cultural dominance, and economic strength.

South Africa plays hosts to more than 2.2 million foreigners including Nigerians.

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Source: punchng

Africa’s numerous currencies a challenge to AfCFTA implementation – Prez Akufo Addo

 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said Africa playing host to several currencies impedes the effective implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Akufo-Addo believes a single currency market will aid in the smooth running of the AfCFTA.

He made this known in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, at the second mid-year coordination meeting of the AU Financial Institutions, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The speech which was read on Thursday, October 22, 2020, Akufo-Addo underscored the negative effect of Africa’s numerous currencies on AfCFTA.

“Africa has more than 40 currencies, which are characterised by frequent volatility, illiquidity and rarely traded status on the global financial market, which makes trading among African countries difficult.

This constitutes one of the biggest barriers to the effective implementation of the AfCFTA and the development of the continent”.

On Africa’s fight against COVID-19, he noted that the implementation of the African Union (AU) Financial Institutions will be crucial in the continent’s coronavirus recovery phase.

According to him, most developed nations amidst the pandemic have had to commit huge funds to boost their economies due to their financial independence but the narrative is different in Africa.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly unleashed adverse consequences on African countries already battling various challenges”.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said, estimated that Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDE) will require US$ 2.5 trillion to effectively fight the pandemic and resuscitate their economies.

While the IMF is providing Africa US$ 1.2 trillion in lending, he explained, there was a funding gap of US$ 1.3 trillion.

Judge dismisses 1 charge against former cop in Floyd’s death

 A Minnesota judge has dismissed a third-degree murder charge filed against the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee against George Floyd’s neck, but the more serious second-degree murder charge remains.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill’s ruling was dated Wednesday and made public Thursday. Cahill said there was enough probable cause for the second-degree murder charge and manslaughter charge against Derek Chauvin to proceed to trial. Cahill also denied defense requests to dismiss the aiding and abetting counts against three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao.

“In this court’s view, with one exception, the State has met its burden of showing probable cause that warrants proceeding to trial against each of these Defendants on each of the criminal charges the State has filed against them,” Cahill wrote. He said it will be up to a jury to decide whether the officers are guilty.

Floyd, a Black man who was in handcuffs, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and became motionless. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race.

Prosecutors argued there was probable cause for the officers to go to trial on all of the charges, saying Chauvin intentionally assaulted Floyd, which is an element of the second-degree murder charge, and that the other officers assisted.

During the entire time that Floyd was pinned to the ground, “the officers remained in the same position: Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, Kueng and Lane remained atop Floyd’s back and legs, and Thao continued to prevent the crowd of concerned citizens from interceding,” prosecutors said.

The officers ignored Floyd’s pleas to stop, cries from the concerned crowd, and their own training, prosecutors said.

Defense attorneys argued that there was not enough probable cause to charge the former officers. Chauvin’s attorney said his client had no intent to assault or kill Floyd, while attorneys for the other officers argued that their clients did not intend or conspire to help Chauvin.

Defense attorneys said Floyd’s drug use was a factor in his death, with Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, saying Floyd most likely died of “fentanyl or a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine in concert with his underlying health conditions.”

The county medical examiner classified Floyd’s death as a homicide, with his heart stopping while he was restrained by police and his neck compressed. A summary report listed fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use under “other significant conditions” but not under “cause of death.”

According to prosecutors’ notes, Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker told prosecutors that absent other apparent causes of death, it “could be acceptable” to rule the death an overdose, based on the level of fentanyl in Floyd’s system. A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family concluded he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.

Covid-19: Angola records 265 recoveries, 244 new cases

 Angolan health authorities announced Thursday the registration, in the last 24 hours, of 265 patients recovered from Covid-19, 244 new infections and five deaths.

According to the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, who was speaking at the usual  updating session, 243 recovered patients are from Luanda, seven from Zaire, six in Cabinda, three in Benguela, two in Kwanza Norte, and Bengo, Cuanza Sul, Huíla and Moxico with, respectively, one person each.

The ages of the people recovered, he said, vary from one month to 93 years.

As for the new positive cases, he indicated that they involve citizens whose ages are between one and 79 years old, being 146 male and 98 female.

According to him, there were 229 cases diagnosed in Luanda province, 11 in Cabinda, three in Cuanza Norte and one in Benguela.

He noted that the deaths had occurred in Luanda province and involved Angolans, three males and two females, aged between 29 and 83 years.

Angola has 8,582 positive cases, with 260 deaths, 3,305 recovered and 5,017 active.

Of the active people, nine are in critical condition with invasive mechanical ventilation, 23 severe, 117 moderate, 438 with mild symptoms and 4,432 asymptomatic.

Health authorities follow up 591 patients admitted to treatment centres in the country.

Minister admits problems in primary schools