African Court and East African Law Society to deepen cooperation

Tema, July 6, GNA – The East African Law Society and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has initiated moves to deepen cooperation to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights in Africa.

The two entities seek to complement and reinforce the protection of the rights of Africans in pursuant to Article one of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, African Court President and the East African Law Society President, Bernard Oundo iron out the cooperation during interaction at the African Court Headquarters at Arusha, Tanzania.

Mr Oundo also used the occasion to congratulate Lady Justice Aboud’s election as the President of the African Continental Court.

He explained that the East Africa Law Society which is the regional Bar Association of East Africa was formed in 1995 and incorporated in Tanzania with over 17,000 individual members.

It also has seven national Bar associations as members: Law Society of Kenya, Tanganyika Law Society, Uganda Law Society, Zanzibar Law Society, Rwanda Bar Association, Burundi Bar Association, the South Sudan Bar Association.

Mr Oundo explained that the East Africa Law Society works to promote good governance and the rule of law in the East African region and enjoys formal Observer Status with the East African Community and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He said the Society was also a member of the International Coalition for the Responsibility to protect under which leaders of every country solemnly promised to protect their people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

Lady Justice Aboud explained that the African Court was the judicial arm of the African Union and one of the three regional human rights courts together with the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human rights.

He said it was established to protect the human and peoples’ rights in Africa principally through delivery of judgments.

She said the African Court’s mandate is to complement and reinforce the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is a quasi-judicial body charged with monitoring the implementation of the Charter.

The African Court applies the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other human rights instruments ratified by the States concerned. It does not have criminal jurisdiction like the International Criminal Court.

The African Court President explained the core values hinged on the African Charter and other internationally recognized principles of human rights and the promotion of the rule of law.
GNA

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Ethiopians mourn philanthropist Abebech

Ethiopians are mourning a humanitarian icon fondly known as “Africa’s Mother Teressa”, Abebech Gobena.

She founded one of the first orphanages in Ethiopia.

Abebech, 85, was being treated for Covid-19 at a hospital in the capital Addis Ababa since the beginning of June.

She was known by a term of affection “Edaye” by the many children she raised, as well as the community.

Abebech once said in a CNN interview that she was given an ultimatum by her husband and chose her humanitarian work over her marriage.

The organisation she founded, Agohelma, helps not only orphans but also many others through various programmes.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described Abebech as “Ethiopia’s icon of compassion”.

World Health Organization head Tedros Ghebreyesus, who is from Ethiopia, tweeted:

Journalist Tsedale Lemma said: “Abebech Gobena (Eddaye) is survived by the thousands of Ethiopian children she raised & cared for as a mother.”

Although she did not have biological children of her own, Abebech raised thousands of children.

For her kindness she received many awards in the country and abroad, including an honorary doctorate from Jimma University in Ethiopia.

She will always be remembered for her selfless acts and as a role model for generations to come.

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Across Africa in five minutes or less

GHANA

The youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented a petition to the Presidency after their ‘March for Justice’ demonstration on Tuesday, 6th July 2021.

“Though our country was riddled with some age-long challenges before you took over; issues of corruption, unemployment, nepotism, cronyism, and insecurity, among other things, have increased unimaginably. You will agree with us that our country needs fixing and there cannot be any good time to fix it than now,” the petition said.

BURKINA FASO

The attack in Burkina Faso last month that killed 160 civilians was in retaliation for activity by pro-government civilian militias in the area, according to Human Rights Watch.

THE GAMBIA

Malang N. Fofana, a programme manager at the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) has disclosed that The Gambia is going to experience a double burden of malnutrition, whereby obesity and overweight co-exist alongside under-nutrition.

SENEGAL

Senegal’s new counterterrorism laws could punish political speech and peaceful protest as “terrorist acts,” target union leaders, and dangerously expand police surveillance powers, Human Rights Watch said today. The government and parliament should amend the laws before they are enacted and ensure that they meet international human rights standards.

CAMEROON

Cameroon officials are accusing rebels from the Central African Republic of crossing the border and stealing cattle and abducting villagers for ransom. The officials say C.A.R. rebels are fleeing the country to escape post-election violence.

NIGERIA

Sheep and goats in southwest Nigeria are carrying bacteria that are resistant to a range of drugs, such as antibiotics. This is a problem because the bacterium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, poses a potential health risk to the owners as well as to the general population.

People can be infected with the bacterium if they come into direct contact with animals carrying it, or materials contaminated with it. This can lead to severe infections like food poisoning.

LIBERIA

Thousands die daily in India and over 650 deaths recorded just today alone in Russia from the Coronavirus. Liberia ranks number one in West Africa and the numbers could rise further. In just less than 45 days, over 150 Liberians have reportedly died from the Delta or Indian variant of the Coronavirus in Liberia.

GUINEA

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide the Republic of Guinea with a grant to improve the resilience of more than 2,123 poor farming households trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, by ensuring rapid access to inputs, information, markets and cash.

MALI

An investigation by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) into Malian journalist Birama Touré’s disappearance in 2016 points to the involvement of Karim Keïta, the son of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who was ousted in a coup a year ago. Interpol wants to talk to him.

ALGERIA

The visit to Moscow of Algeria’s Chief of Staff, General Said Chengriha, is being followed-up closely by European countries and Morocco to find out more about the arms deal that Algeria is expected to sign with Russia. They are keen to know if it will include Sukhoi 57 and Sukhoi 34 aircraft, and if Algeria will be Russia’s gateway to the Sahel region.

EGYPT

Egypt’s main stock index fell by almost 2% on Tuesday, a dip that analysts linked to Ethiopia’s announcement that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam for a second year. Egypt’s main index was down 10,155 points, or 1.80%, at the close of trading.

KENYA

A paradox of climate change is happening in Baringo.

When other lakes in the Rift Valley are rising exponentially, the oxbow Kamnarok on the floor of the Kerio Valley is receding at an alarming rate, thanks to human activities and degradation that have led to massive siltation, threatening its existence.

LIBYA

The family of a loyalist paramilitary shot dead by the IRA is to sue Libya. The basis of the case centres on a weapon linked to the killing of William Kingsberry Snr in south Belfast in 1991.

Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi armed the IRA with weapons such as guns and the powerful Semtex plastic explosive used in multiple Troubles bombings such as those targeting Harrods in 1983, the Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen in 1987, Warrington in 1993 and London’s Docklands in 1996.

MOROCCO

Moroccan Ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, Omar Zniber, has deplored Algeria’s duplicity and maneuvers seeking to undermine Morocco’s territorial integrity.

He mentioned that the reality in Algeria “is widely known, including the millions of Algerians regularly protesting in cities throughout the country in protest of the needless waste of resources..”

TANZANIA

Community has been advised to report sexual violence incidents as a step towards eradication of the barbaric acts at the family level.

Explaining roles of KIWOHEDE in fighting against sexual violence, the regional coordinator said the organization deals with rights promotion as well as developing social economical and development approaches gerared to emanicipate marginalized women, children, youth and the community at large.

TUNISIA

Independent MP Sahbi Samara slapped and kicked Moussi, the leader of the Free Destourian Party, as she was broadcasting a live feed on her phone of the session concerned with a law covering an agreement between the Tunisian government and the Qatar Fund for Development which will allow the latter to open an office in Tunis. Later the same day, Moussi was physically assaulted by Seifeddine Makhlouf MP of Al-Karama Coalition.

UGANDA

So the country’s health system has been stretched thin and is unable to cope with the surge in cases. It doesn’t have enough supplies, especially oxygen and beds for critically ill patients. The COVID-19 response is also not as decentralised as it should be.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa registered 15,501 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 2,090,909. A further 457 Covid-19-related deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 62,628. A total of 3,631,102 people have been vaccinated.

BOTSWANA

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s division in Botswana filed a lawsuit against the government for banning alcohol sales to combat the spread of Covid-19, saying there’s no scientific basis for the move and 200,000 jobs are under threat.

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Japan likely to Extend COVID-19 Quasi-emergency for Tokyo area

The government is considering extending its COVID-19 quasi-emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures for about a month until early August, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The government’s COVID-19 response task force will meet Thursday to make a decision on the status of Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, the sources said.

Government officials are considering introducing tougher restrictions in the Tokyo area, including having restaurants and bars suspend serving alcohol, the sources said. Currently, they are allowed to serve alcohol until 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Tokyo confirmed 920 new cases of COVID-19, up significantly from the 714 reported a week earlier, with the daily tally rising over the prior week for the 18th consecutive day. The daily total was the highest since May 13, when Tokyo reported 1,010 cases.

Tokyo and nine other prefectures are in the quasi-emergency stage, set to expire on Sunday. The government aims to lift the designation for the six prefectures outside the Tokyo area.

The designation is expected to end in Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures as scheduled. But some officials are cautious about lifting the measure for Osaka and Hokkaido, where the COVID-19 situation remains severe.

For Okinawa Prefecture, which is under the COVID-19 state of emergency through Sunday, the government on Thursday will decide whether to extend the measure or shift it to quasi-emergency.

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Haiti president Jovenel Moïse reportedly assassinated

Prime minister says attack carried out by ‘armed commando group’ that included foreign elements

The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, has reportedly been assassinated in his private residence by a group of armed men who also seriously injured his wife, according to a statement from the interim prime minister’s office.

Speaking on a local radio station, the prime minister, Claude Joseph confirmed the killing of Moïse, saying the attack had been carried out by an “armed commando group” that included foreign elements.

“Around one o’clock in the morning, during the night of Tuesday 6th to Wednesday 7th of July 2021, a group of unidentified individuals, including some speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president and fatally injured the head of state,” Joseph said in a statement quoted in media outlets, which the Guardian could not immediately verify

Condemning “this odious, inhuman and barbaric act”, Joseph called on Haitians to remain calm, saying the security situation in the country remained calm.

He added that Moïse’s wife, Martine, had been seriously injured in the attack. An official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, also confirmed Moïse’s death.

The assassination, if confirmed, is likely to plunge the impoverished Caribbean nation into further turmoil after several years marked by political unrest and violence.

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GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW BUSES FOR LUANDA

Luanda - Luanda province will soon benefit from a total of 923 buses, including conventional and articulated buses, with a view to improving urban mobility in the country's capital, Transport Minister Ricardo D' Abreu said.

Speaking Monday at the opening of a debate on "The challenges and solutions for the Luanda Surface Metro (MSL)," the minister explained that the increase in buses was a response to the growing socio-economic mutation of the province.

"There are few transport services for the size of the market, which is constantly growing," he noted.

According to the minister, despite the restricted capacity of public transport, as part of measures to prevent and combat Covid19, Luanda's public transport operators carried an average of 5 million passengers.

However, the governor recalled that it was already possible to introduce 1,053 means of transport to all provinces in the country, distributed to designated operators chosen via tender.

OFFICIAL PRAISES FREE TRADE ZONE NEGOTIATIONS

Luanda - The secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Wamkele Mene said Monday in Luanda that negotiations for the implementation of this area are in good pace.

AfCFTA official said so to the press at the end of a meeting with the minister of Industry and Commerce, Víctor Fernandes, on Monday.

He said that despite the progress in the negotiations, the countries are still struggling with politically sensitive issues.

Among them, he quoted the automobile and textile sectors and agriculture.

The African Continental Free Trade Area entered into force in January this year.

Fifty-four of the 55 member countries of the African Union signed the agreement in March 2018, and 39 States ratified the deal.

In turn, Minister Victor Fernandes said that as for financial issue, the Free Trade Area has the support of the African Export and Import Bank, which has established a working capital for its support activities.

For these transactions, he pointed out, a pan-African payments platform was created, with the support of the aforementioned bank, which is being tested in six (6) African countries, whose names he did not mention.

This platform is intended to reduce the costs of transactions between countries, as each has its own currency.

  “These costs are estimated at five billion dollars. However, with this platform, commercial transactions will have a reduction in financial costs, that is, they will maximize profits and reduce costs to operators”, he stressed.

On the other hand, he stated that Angola will adapt to the new reality, in view of the dynamics that an area imposes, with the advantage of reaching markets that the country cannot reach today, due to the existing barriers.

By joining the continental market for commercial transactions, the country will have access to a market that will increase from 30 million to 1.3 billion people.

Angola actively participates in the negotiations for the operation of the agreement and should, in the next few days, submit the Tariff Offer Proposal for the AfCFTA  to the African Union Commission.

The agreement that creates the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed on March 21, 2018, in Kigali (Rwanda) during the 10th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

Angola signed the agreement along with the most African states, members of the African Union.