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Sentenced to Death via Zoom – Horrifying New Justice…

­Staring at a computer screen in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown, Olalekan Hameed learned his fate via the video conference call, Zoom.
Hameed had been convicted of the murder of his employer’s mother, a charge he had vehemently denied.
All the lawyers, including Hameed’s defence solicitor, appeared before the court virtually – unable to be there in person because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hameed had pleaded not guilty to killing 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya in December 2018.
The three hour hearing ended when Judge Mojisola Dada, in Lagos, Nigeria, sentenced him to death via Zoom earlier this month. readmore

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Food Insecurity in West Africa Could Leave 43 Million…

Well over 40 million people across West Africa face desperate food shortages in coming months, with COVID-19 restrictions a new factor adding to people’s vulnerability, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
Appealing for continued support from the international community for the agency’s global aid effort, WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs, warned that the new coronavirus risked exposing populations that had fled armed conflict and endured climate change emergencies. readmore

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Lockdown Violence by Law Enforcement Officials is a Throwback…

The arbitrariness and lawlessness of law enforcement officials in South Africa and Nigeria is not new nor peculiar to the present pandemic. Since January 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic has held the world to ransom and threatened public health. It has put pressure on medical facilities with more than 3,700,000 persons infected and 260,000 deaths globally as of Thursday 7 May.
In order to prevent the spread of the disease, most countries have taken measures such as the closure of airports, seaports and land borders, isolating and quarantining persons, banning religious, sporting and social gatherings, closing schools, restaurants, public spaces, and a complete or partial lockdown. Lockdowns restrict the movement of people. readmore

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L’ONU Condamne Les Bombardements Meurtriers Sur Les Zones Civiles…

Les bombardements près de l’ambassade de Turquie et de la résidence de l’ambassadeur italien dans le quartier de Zawiat al-Dahmani jeudi, décrits dans une déclaration de la MANUL comme « aveugles », auraient tué au moins deux civils et en auraient blessé trois autres.
Dans cette déclaration, la MANUL a exprimé sa profonde inquiétude face à l’intensification de ces attaques, en particulier à un moment où les Musulmans libyens tentent d’observer pacifiquement le Ramadan, et luttent simultanément contre la pandémie de Covid-19. lire la suite

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UN Condemns Deadly Shelling on Civilian Areas of Libyan…

Shelling near the Turkish embassy and the Italian ambassador’s residence in the city’s Zawiat al-Dahmani neighbourhood on Thursday, described in an UNSMIL statement as “indiscriminate”, is thought to have killed at least two civilians and injured three others.
In the statement, UNSMIL expressed deep alarm at the intensification of such attacks, particularly at a time when Libyans Muslims are trying to peacefully observe Ramadan, and simultaneously battling the COVID-19 pandemic. readmore

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UN calls for International Support in Ending all wars…

UN Under Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on Wednesday the 27th of February 2019 called on the international community to lend its support to Africa in achieving the objective of “silencing the guns” by 2020.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on the cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security, DiCarlo introduced that the “silencing the guns” is an initiative to promote prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa.

According to DiCarlo, it was the African Union (AU) that pledged in 2013 “not to bequeath the burden of conflict to the next generation of Africans and undertake to end all wars by 2020.”

“The UN-AU strategic partnership has become a cornerstone of the UN’s peace and security initiatives in Africa,” said DiCarlo.

The UN’s partnership with the AU involved concrete action, she said, adding that the UN kicked off a two-year project in January 2018 to support policy dialogue and technical assistance on conflict prevention and mediation in Africa.

She said that the UN has also increased its support to efforts to counter-terrorism and prevent violent extremism in Africa. In June 2018, the UN signed with the AU a memorandum of understanding in this area to increase its cooperation and capacity-building support to the AU and several sub-regional organizations as well as to member states.

Clear evidence has showed that it is Africans, in partnership with the global community, who are leading the way to sustainable peace and prosperity in the continent, said DiCarlo.

“In ‘silencing the guns’ African countries have a central role to play in making the initiative a success, as do the African Union and Africa’s private sector and civil society,” she added.

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ECOWAS, UN Agencies End 2-Day Joint Retreat

The Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS), the United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), have ended a two-day joint retreat in Monrovia.

The retreat was was an exercise to revise the existing partnership agreement between ECOWAS Commission and the UNV, and to further propose a new agreement between these organizations.

It was the first between the ECOWAS Commission and the UNV since the partnership was signed in 2005, under the ECOWAS Volunteer Program (EVP), which was also initiated by the ECOWAS Commission on November 5, 2004.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector Mamadou Traore, informed participants that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a cost–sharing agreement was signed between the UNV and ECOWAS Commission in 2005, but has not been re-commissioned to effectively establish the ECOWAS EVP with technical support, and funding from the UNV and the African Development Bank (ADB).

The retreat, Mr. Traore said, has provided framework that will formulate new ideas to mutually benefit the cooperation among the UNV, ECOWAS Commission and UNOSSC.

“We hope that this retreat will also provide the ground for heightening collaboration and development of new templates for a three–party South–South arrangement among UNV, ECOWAS Commission and the UNOSSC in the areas of youth migration, youth entrepreneurship, education, scholarships, gender development as well as volunteerism,” Traore said.

Benedict D. Roberts, Head of ECOWAS National Office and Chair of the ECOWAS Coordinating Council of EVP-Liberia, said that the single most important instrument in the MoU, which binds them together and determines the roles individuals play was a subject for discussion at the meeting.

Roberts cautioned participants to contribute to make their gathering achieve its objectives.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Andy Quamie, expressed confidence that the meeting will help strengthen the existing partnership and also help Liberian youth, who are at a disadvantage.

The retreat was attended by representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, UNV program, and the UNOSSC, who discussed ways of strengthening the existing partnership among the three institutions to include Liberian youth.

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Genocide Survivor Speaks of Healing and Forgiveness

Rwanda’s international recognition is often defined by the horrific 1994 genocide, but to many of the country’s citizens, the its story should not begin or end there.

Ebralie Mwizerwa, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide, relayed Rwanda’s story of tragedy, strength, and regrowth to a packed classroom of students, faculty, and staff.

“Rwanda has risen from ashes. From the genocide, we completely lost the country. But thank God for the leaders who could rebuild and understand and for the Rwandans who could be so resilient to rebuild again. Its narrative has to be continued and known by the world,” said Mwizerwa.

The genocide began in April 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War, following ethnic tensions between the Hutu ethnic majority and the Tutsi minority. The Hutu nationalists initiated the mass killings and called for local citizens to engage in the violence against their neighbors, the Tutsis.

As a result of this genocide, more than 2 million Rwandans fled the country and nearly 1 million were killed.

Mwizerwa hid for weeks with her children, emerging at the end of the 100-day genocide in July 1994 to step over piles of dead bodies, which included members of her extended family. This traumatic experience has become integral to her life and career, which she now uses to share her story and promote peace.

Mwizerwa and her family came to the United States as refugees and found the opportunity to mend the broken spirits of other refugees. She and her husband co-founded Legacy Mission Village in 2000, a non-profit that helps refugees adjust to their new homes and become active and productive members of their community.

Today, she lives in Tennessee and works as the Project Coordinator for the Outreach Foundation, which is a religious charity that hosts missions to provide aid to those in need across the globe.

As a survivor herself, Mwizerwa has used the tool of forgiveness to move on and continue to be strong for her family and herself. She said that the wounds are still sometimes fresh for survivors, but forgiveness has al- lowed her to no longer be a prisoner of the past.

Instead, she has become a champion for the future through her work with the Outreach Foundation.

Mwizerwa places her faith in God as the true power that al- lowed for her to be a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide and to be a forgiving individual. Through her spirituality, Mwizerwa sur- vived the Rwandan Genocide while pregnant with her fifth child and surrounded by her other four. “I cannot tell you

how much we faced death. I cannot tell you how much we were saved by the Hand that protected us,” said Mwizerwa.

The turning point of her path toward forgiveness began in 2011 when she and her husband accompanied a mission team to Rwanda. There, she encountered some of the Hutus who had killed her loved ones.

In this situation, Mwizerwa explained that there were two options: revenge or forgiveness. “The one [thing] we can do is to go to them, acknowledge that we know their mistake, and stand our ground of peace. Peacemaking has never been an easy situation,” said Mwizerwa.

However, Mwizerwa and her husband took their forgive- ness one step further by performing an act of servanthood. “We took a basin and washed their feet as a sign to them [that] this is it. We are putting this down. We wash it away, and we are your servants,” said Mwizerwa. She did this to prove to the Hutus that she forgave them.

Before this, the Hutus were hostile and aggressive because they thought Mwizerwa and her husband were coming for revenge.

However, with forgiveness does not come forgetfulness. Mwizerwa has still retained the memories of those she lost: her neighbors, uncles, cousins, and mother-in-law.

“Today the battle is how should we move on and how should we forgive. People are still stuck in 1994… because of the many things that came their way,” said Mwizerwa.

Rwanda has started rebuilding itself from the ground up through convicting those responsible for organizing the genocide, growing their economy out of poverty, and uniting with one another through pride for their country.

The event was hosted by the Africa & African-American Studies Program and facilitated by Dr. J. Scott Hewitt, associate professor and director of teacher education. Hewitt is also the faculty leader for the Rollins field study that travels to Rwanda every other year.

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Sudanese Opposition Mobilizes for First Protests under State of…

February 28, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) has called on the Sudanese to take o the street on Thursday to demand President Omer al-Bashir to step down and to rebel against the state of emergency he declared Friday.

The one-year emergency order bans unlicensed demonstrations or gathering. Also, the government established emergency courts, at elementary and appeal levels, to try those accused of violating the state of emergency.

The SPA which has overseen the organization  of the protests since more than 10 weeks ago called for a huge demonstration on Thursday 28 February in the Khartoum state and across the country dubbed “Processions of Defiance”.

During the last hours, the Association, which is part of the opposition coalition for Freedom and Change, has kept calling on the Sudanese to show take part on what it wants to a defying day recalling that the state of emergency was a violation of the constitution.

The Association further released plans of the processions in Khartoum state and indicated the meeting points for main towns and districts, indicating that it will start at 01:00 pm.

Thursday protests intervene as a military vehicle ran over a five-year and killed him while his brother a 6-year old has serious wounds. The incident which took place in Khartoum North raised waves of indignation and condemnation in the social media.

But, the police said the police responsible for the incident had been arrested and that it has no relation with the ongoing protests.

For his part, the First Vice-President Awad Ibn Ouf stated that the state of emergency is aimed at dealing with the economic situation but not the protests.

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ECOWAS Set to Eliminate Child Marriage in West Africa

ECOWAS says it is set to eliminate child marriage in the region through the validation and implementation of its reviewed Child Policy and Plan of Action.

Dr Siga Jagne, the bloc’s commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, said this at an experts’ validation meeting on the ECOWAS Child Policy in Abuja, on Monday.

Jagne said the previous policy, which was based on international frameworks, was approved by the Heads of State in 2008 and covered the period of 2009 to 2013.

The commissioner said the increasing rate of child marriage in West Africa was unacceptable with the sub region accounting for the highest in Africa and the second highest in the world.

“Indeed, six of the 15 ECOWAS countries; Niger: 76 per cent, Mali: 55 per cent, Burkina Faso: 52 per cent, Guinea: 51 per cent, Nigeria: 43 per cent, Sierra Leone 39 per cent, are among the twenty countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

“Two ECOWAS countries, Nigeria and Niger, rank among the 20 countries with the largest absolute number of child marriages in the world.”

“While ECOWAS Member States continue to implement measures to end child marriage, rates remain very high.

“This also is in spite of the work done at the level of the African Union and the launch of the Campaign in 2014; as well as the commitment of 11 West African Countries to end Early Child Marriage.”

She explained that the review would include the multidimensional issues affecting the rights of the child in West Africa with a focus on the Roadmap on Prevention and Response to Child Marriage
.
“Thus, the ECOWAS Commission, will present to you for validation, the Child Policy and Strategic Plan of Action and a Roadmap on Prevention and Response to Child Marriage, aimed at charting a clear course for the Region in dealing with this issue in the coming years.”

The commissioner urged representatives of member states to scrutinize the texts and consider modalities for implementation at the national and regional levels.

Mr Hussaini Abdu, Country Director, PLAN International, an NGO, said his organization was working with governments, religious and traditional leaders across West Africa to also implement a global programme against child marriage in the region.

“What we are doing across West Africa is what we call 18+; which is no child should be married until she is 18 and above.

“Our work is to see how we can work with governments to set up policies and frameworks that will support the process of delegalising child marriage, working with traditional leaders of our different communities.

“We are also working with religious leaders who can also help in better interpretation of religious doctrines and work with the girls themselves, from their primary through secondary schools and get them to understand their societies,’’ Abdu said.

He also urged member states to collaborate with the organisation to facilitate its efforts in ending early and forced child marriage.

Mrs Denise Ulwor, representative of UNICEF, said the review of the ECOWAS Child Policy would be an opportunity to scale-up action on the regional child rights agenda.

Ulwor said the successful implementation in the Plan of Action would contribute to efforts to respond effectively to the challenges children faced in different contexts.

“It is refreshing to see an updated Child Policy with clear and practical framework to improve access to rights and protection for every child in West Africa.

“We in UNICEF are particularly pleased to have provided financial and technical support to see the draft Policy and Plan of Action to fruition.

“We recognise the Child Policy as the main tool supplementing the ECOWAS mandate on child rights,’’ she noted.

Mr David Dorkenno, Specialist in Workers Activities, International Labour Organisation (ILO) expressed optimism that the effective implementation of the ECOWAS Child Policy would ensure every child in the region enjoyed their developmental rights.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the review of the ECOWAS Child Policy began in 2016.

The experts would assess the document before it is presented to the ECOWAS Ministers for adoption.

The reviewed ECOWAS Child Policy and Strategic Plan of Action would cover the period of 2019 to 2023.

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