NAIROBI – At least 80 people have died in protests this week in Ethiopia following the killing of popular singer Hachalu Hundessa. Known for his political songs, Hundessa’s death has heightened ethnic tensions in Ethiopia, as the protests spread to the Oromia region, where Hundessa was born. As authorities shut down the internet in parts […]
Human Rights
Cameroon Journalists Blast Government Silence on Case of Missing Colleague
YAOUNDE – Journalists in Cameroon have marched to government offices to demand an account of their missing colleague, Samuel Wazizi, after local media this week reported he was died in military custody. Isidore Abah of the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists’ (CAMASEJ) says he led scores of reporters Thursday in a march to government offices […]
Wife of Former Lesotho Prime Minister Back in Prison in Murder of his Ex-Wife
The wife of former Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who was charged with killing her husband’s first wife, is back in prison after a judge revoked her bail last week, pending a June 16 hearing. Maesaiah Thabane was taken into custody Wednesday. She was initially charged in February for her alleged involvement in the 2017 […]
Cameroon Military Acknowledges Soldiers Arrested in Togo
YAOUNDE – Cameroon’s military says three of five men recently arrested by Togolese police and portrayed by Togolese media as notorious criminals who committed serious offenses against Togolese citizens are Cameroonian soldiers, while the other two are former convicts. The three military men stole weapons from the military headquarters in Yaoundé and went to Togo’s […]
Burundi Counting Votes in Presidential Election; Opposition Alleges Fraud
Burundi’s opposition leader Agathon Rwasa is claiming an early victory in the country’s first presidential election in five years. Longtime president Pierre Nkurunziza decided not to run again, giving voters a choice between his hand-picked would-be successor – Secretary-General Evariste Ndayishimiye – Rwasa and five others. Voters were also choosing a national legislature and local […]
Rights Groups Condemn Torture of Protesters in Zimbabwe
HARARE, ZIMBABWE – Rights groups in Zimbabwe have accused government security forces of abducting and torturing three female supporters of the opposition who were taking part in a protest. The three women were allegedly abducted Wednesday after taking part in a protest demanding that the government pay those affected by the coronavirus lockdown. Thabitha Khumalo, […]