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Burkina Faso President Kaboré reportedly detained by military

Henry Williams
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Burkina Faso President Kaboré reportedly detained by military

The President of Burkina Faso, Roch Kaboré, has reportedly been detained by mutinying soldiers.

Some troops in the West African nation have demanded the sacking of military chiefs and more resources to fight Islamist militants.

Gunfire had been heard overnight near the presidential palace and at barracks in the capital, Ouagadougou.

The government on Sunday denied suggestions of a military coup or that the president was under arrest.

President Kaboré was detained at a military camp by mutinying soldiers, foreign media reports say. Video from the capital appears to show armoured vehicles

UNIMAID Developing Devices To Tackle Insecurity, says VC

Rhoda Onuzulike
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UNIMAID Developing Devices To Tackle Insecurity, says VC

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba says the institution has recently gone into research and innovative programme to develop devices to tackle insecurity challenges in the campus.

Shugaba disclosed this when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja.

He said that the institution brought the innovative idea following the devastating effects of insecurity in Borno and its environs.

According to him, the university is working with some relevant stakeholders in the area of research and development to provide an enabling environment for effective academic activities in the institution.

“In recent years, we have started recording success in research; we have recorded about five patents and we have breakthrough in registering the patents.

“We are now looking at the commercialisation of them,’’ he said.

He said that one of the patents was in veterinary medicine; a kind of ointment that could be applied for the treatment of some animal diseases.

“The other one is in the area of telescope that will allow someone to view certain things from a far distance. Another one was in the area of engineering.’’

He said that the university had received some awards as a result of its achievements in research.

On incentives, he said that there were no specific incentives to motivate the staff to work except “the visiting lecturers whom the university gives 75 per cent of their salary.’’

He, however, said that in spite of the security challenges people were still taking up jobs in the region except those that were not from the region.

According to him, Maiduguri is the safest place in the country irrespective of the security challenges.

He also encouraged Nigerian students to go into whatever field of study they had passion for and harness the opportunities in the areas, saying “there is no single course that one will study and will not find use for it.”

Shugaba said that all the programmes in the University of Maiduguri had gotten full accreditation from National Universities Commission (NUC) except “Civil and Water Resources Engineering” which is in works.

Exploring Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

Angel Gimalo
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Exploring Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

A portion of a dirt road in Madagascar is one of the island nation’s most famous landmarks.

Known as the Avenue of the Baobabs, the stretch of road is lined with giant, ancient baobab trees that are more than 800 years old.

The dirt road on the west coast of Madagascar linking Morondava and Belo Tsiribihina is framed by dozens of rare and ancient baobab trees creating a setting so beautiful and unique that it may become the country’s first official natural monument.

These giant, dry season-deciduous trees (members of the Mallow family), many of which are more than 800 years old with trunks that are over 150 feet around did not always stand alone.

At one time the trees dotting the lane were part of a rich forest of the trees and other plants, but the encroachment of modern civilization and increasing populations in the area led to massive deforestation leaving the remaining baobabs to stand in relative isolation.

There are also a handful of the ancient trees remaining in the outlying areas but both the trees along the road otherwise are under near-constant threat of destruction.

UAE Bans Flying Of Recreational Drones After Fatal Attack

Zoe Maven
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UAE Bans Flying Of Recreational Drones After Fatal Attack

The United Arab Emirates has banned the flying of drones in the country for recreation after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed a fatal drone attack on an oil facility and major airport in the country.

According to the Interior Ministry, as of Saturday, drone hobbyists and other operators of light electric sports aircraft face legal liabilities if caught flying the objects, adding it may grant exemptions to businesses seeking to film.

A rare drone and missile strike on the capital of Abu Dhabi blew up several fuel tankers and killed three people last week.

The Houthis, who hold Yemen’s capital and have fought a bloody, yearlong war with a Saudi-led military coalition that includes the UAE, claimed the assault.

While the UAE has largely withdrawn troops from the stalemated conflict, the country continues to be a major player and support local militias on the ground.

The UAE said the Houthis targeted the country with bomb-laden drones and cruise and ballistic missiles, adding the country had intercepted some of the projectiles.

In response to the strike, the Saudi-led coalition has escalated attacks on the rebel-held parts of Yemen in the last week.

Government regulations in the UAE already restrict flying drones in residential areas as well as near, around and over airports. Drone users typically must obtain a certificate from the civil aviation authorities.

Heavy Gunfire Reported At Burkina Faso Military Base

Zoe Maven
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Heavy Gunfire Reported At Burkina Faso Military Base

Heavy gunfire rang out at a military base in Burkina Faso’s capital early Sunday, prompting fears that a coup attempt was underway after weeks of growing frustration with the government’s handling of the Islamic insurgency wracking the West African country.

The mutinous soldiers seized control of the Lamizana Sangoule military barracks in Ouagadougou, the capital while the government put out a statement acknowledging gunfire in army barracks but denying an army takeover of the country.

Defense Minister Aime Barthelemy Simpore told state broadcaster RTB that a few barracks had been affected not only in Ouagadougou but in “some cities elsewhere.

He denied, however, that President Roch Marc Christian Kabore had been detained by the mutinous soldiers, even though his whereabouts remained unknown.

At the Lamizana Sangoule military barracks, however, angry soldiers shot into the air Sunday, directing their anger over army casualties at the president. About 100 motorcycles later left the base, chanting in support of the mutineers, but were stopped when security forces deployed tear gas.

The soldiers said that they were seeking better working conditions for Burkina Faso’s military amid the escalating fight against Islamic militants. Among their demands are increased manpower in the battle against extremists, and better care for those wounded and the families of the dead.

The gunfire comes a day after protesters demanded his resignation at a demonstration in Ouagadougou. Kabore has faced growing opposition since his reelection in November 2020. Last month he fired his prime minister and replaced most of the Cabinet.

Russia Rejects UK Claim Of Trying To Replace Ukraine Leader

Zoe Maven
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Russia Rejects UK Claim Of Trying To Replace Ukraine Leader

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected a British claim that Russia was seeking to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration, and that former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev was being considered as a potential candidate.

Britain’s Foreign Office on Saturday also named several other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services, along with Murayev who is the leader of a small party that has no seats in parliament.

Those politicians include Mykola Azarov, a former prime minister under Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president ousted in a 2014 uprising, and Yanukovych’s former chief of staff, Andriy Kluyev.

Murayev’s Nashi party is regarded as sympathetic to Russia, but Murayev on Sunday pushed back, characterizing it as pro-Russia.

The U.K. government made the claim based on an intelligence assessment, without providing evidence to back it up. It comes amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia’s designs on Ukraine and each side’s increasing accusations that the other is planning provocations.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app Sunday that the disinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is more evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, who are escalating tensions around Ukraine.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the information “shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking.

Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of efforts to bolster its defenses against a potential Russian attack.

Australia Delivers Water, Telecommunications Aid To Tonga

Zoe Maven
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Australia Delivers Water, Telecommunications Aid To Tonga

Australia has supplied food, water, medical supplies and telecommunications equipment landed to Tonga, as the Pacific nation grapples with the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.

The first such aid arrived Thursday, after the main airport runway was cleared of ash spewed when the nearby Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted a week ago.

The explosion also set off a Pacific-wide tsunami that smashed boats in New Zealand and caused an oil spill as far as Peru.

Australian minister Zed Seselja, for international development and the Pacific said planes from other nations, including New Zealand and Japan, have also brought sorely needed aid to the Tongan people.

Ships from the U.S. and Britain were on their way, he said. Also deployed was the HMAS Adelaide, an Australian navy ship, with helicopters on board as well as engineers and a 40-bed hospital. The ship can generate electricity and purify water.

A lack of clean water was a priority because supplies have been disrupted by layers of volcanic ash and salt water. Red Cross teams on the ground reported widespread stagnant pools of salt water that were dumped by the tsunami, polluting the clean drinking water sources of tens of thousands of people.

Three of Tonga’s smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves. The majority of Tongans live on the main island of Tongatapu, where about 50 homes were destroyed and coastlines strewn with debris.

U.N. humanitarian officials reported that about 84,000 people — 80% of Tonga’s population — have been impacted by the eruption, as the tsunami severed the single fiber-optic cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world, leaving many unable to connect with loved ones abroad. Since then, satellite communication have improved and Tonga’s telecoms operator, Digicel, said it had been able to restore international call services to some areas.

Ghana Authorities Begin Clearing Site Of Explosion That Killed 17

Zoe Maven
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Ghana Authorities Begin Clearing Site Of Explosion That Killed 17

Ghana has started clearing the site of a major which occurred after a vehicle carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle in the village of Apiate and which resulted in at least 17 dead and dozens of injured.

On Friday, Vice-president Mahamadu Bawumia led a government delegation to the site, reaffirming government’s determination to assess the situation and send help.

Seji Saji Amedonu, deputy director-general of the National Disaster Management Organization, says over 500 buildings were destroyed in the explosion and that rescue efforts were still underway.

The truck was owned by a company called Maxama, which was transporting explosives to the Chirano gold mine, according to police. The mine is owned by the Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corporation.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is investigating the cause of the blast and whether the companies involved followed regulations covering transportation of explosives, officials said in a statement.

To forestall a secondary explosion, a joint team of police and military explosion experts has been deployed to examine the situation and put in place the requisite measures.

Early reports indicated that as many as 500 houses and structures in Appiatse have been destroyed.

Earlier, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo took to twitter to extend his condolences to the families of the deceased, and as well as wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

He added that his Government will spare no effort to ensure a rapid return to a situation of normalcy for residents of Apiate.

Court In South Africa Hears Bid By Indigenous People

Zoe Maven
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Court In South Africa Hears Bid By Indigenous People

A court in South Africa has heard a bid by indigenous people seeking to halt the construction of Amazon’s African Head Office on a sacred site outside Cape Town.

Speaking as a representative of the developers, a lawyer said that Amazon would drop the project already under construction if the delay was granted.

The project is being built on land that Khoisan communities hold as sacred. Several Khoisan groups have thrown their support behind the project, after the developers agreed to build a heritage, cultural and media centre that will be operated by indigenous groups.

Other groups however want the construction to be halted. For one of their representatives, the main issue is protecting traditional heritage.

Besides the rights of indigenous people, the court challenge also questions the environmental approvals obtained for the site.

Director Cormac Cullinan of Cullinan and Associates, Instructing Attorney Applicant says their argument is that the cultural heritage rights particularly of indigenous people are being infringed by this construction and that it ought to be stopped until such time as the court has decided on the validity of the authorisations which permit it

Last year, city authorities approved the construction of a nine-storey business and residential complex on the site of a former golf course.

German Navy Chief Resigns Over Ukraine Comments

Koko Lawrence
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German Navy Chief Resigns Over Ukraine Comments

The head of the German navy has resigned over controversial comments he made over Ukraine.

Kay-Achim Schönbach said the idea that Russia wanted to invade Ukraine was nonsense. He added that all President Vladimir Putin wanted was respect.

A number of countries have supplied weapons to Ukraine, including the US and UK. But Germany has refused Ukraine’s request for ammunition.

Russia has denied claims that it is planning to invade Ukraine.

But President Putin has issued demands to the West which he says concern Russia’s security, including that Ukraine be stopped from joining the military defence alliance Nato.

He also wants Nato to abandon military exercises and stop sending weapons to eastern Europe, seeing this as a direct threat to Russia’s security.

Meanwhile, the UK has accused Putin of plotting to install a pro-Moscow figure to lead Ukraine’s government.

Schönbach said on Saturday that he had resigned from his role “with immediate effect” in order to “avert further damage”.

He made the controversial comments while speaking at a think-tank discussion in India on Friday and the video was later published to social media.

In the video, Schönbach said Putin needed to be treated as an equal by the West.

“It is easy to give him the respect he really demands – and also probably deserves,” he said.

He added that the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, “is gone and will never come back”.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry described Schönbach’s comments as “categorically unacceptable”.

The head of Nato has warned there is a real risk of a fresh conflict in Europe after an estimated 100,000 Russian troops amassed on the border.

Germany has refused to send weapons, instead offering to send Ukraine a field hospital. It has reportedly blocked attempts by Estonia to send Ukraine German-origin weapons, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht told Welt am Sonntag newspaper that Berlin had already delivered respirators to Ukraine and severely injured Ukrainian soldiers are being treated in German military hospitals.

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