Nigeria's former president Buhari dies in London at 82, aide says
'The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, this afternoon in a clinic in London,' Garba Shehu, who served as Buhari's spokesman during his presidency, said in a post on social media.
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France 24
a day ago
- France 24
DR Congo ex-leader Joseph Kabila goes on trial for treason
Democratic Republic of Congo 's ex-leader Joseph Kabila went on trial in absentia Friday on charges including treason over alleged support for Rwanda-backed militants, an AFP reporter at the court said. He stands accused at a military court in Kinshasa of plotting to overthrow the government of President Felix Tshisekedi – a charge that could carry a death sentence. He faces charges including homicide, torture and rape linked to the anti-government force M23, the charge sheet said. Other charges include "taking part in an insurrection movement", "crime against the peace and safety of humanity" and "forcible occupation of the city of Goma". Kabila arrived in May in that eastern city, seized by the M23 in January before it and the government in July signed a pledge to seek a permanent ceasefire. DR Congo: Fears of renewed violence grow as fighting erupts again 01:51 The court opened his trial at 1020 GMT in the Gombe district of the capital. Kabila's successor as president, Tshisekedi, has branded him the brains behind the armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwanda 's help. The charge sheet seen by AFP described him as "one of the initiators of the Congo River Alliance", the M23's political arm. He has been accused of colluding with Rwanda to try to overthrow Tshisekedi by force. The charge sheet accused him of being responsible for atrocities committed by the movement in North and South Kivu provinces in the mineral-rich east. Rwanda denies providing military backing to the M23, but UN experts say its army played a "critical" role in the group's offensive in that region. Kabila, 54, took power following his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001 and governed DRC until 2019, before leaving the country in 2023. He has branded his successor's government a "dictatorship". Kabila has rejected the case as "arbitrary" and called the courts "an instrument of oppression". The upper house of the legislature lifted his immunity as senator for life to allow his prosecution. For more than three decades, eastern DRC has been ravaged by conflict between various armed groups. The unrest has intensified since the M23's resurgence in 2021. DRC lifted a moratorium on the death penalty last year but no judicial executions have been carried out since.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
'Human shield': Niger's ousted president held by junta
They are only allowed medical visits. Their lawyers say they have exhausted all legal recourse and now rely on political action or foreign mediation to secure the couple's release. The junta leader also resides in the presidential palace. What are the detention conditions? On the morning of July 26, 2023, access to the presidential palace was blocked by the president's guard while Bazoum, 65, and Hadiza, 57, were inside. That evening, soldiers announced on television that the government was overthrown. The Bazoums were then confined to a wing of the palace. Two years later, "the detention conditions... have not changed", a source close to Bazoum told AFP. "They are still in two windowless rooms, without access to the outside and without any visitors" except for a doctor once a week, they added. Their activities include reading books brought by the doctor and using a stationary bike. One of Bazoum's lawyers, American Reed Brody, was in contact with him until October 2023 when his phone was confiscated. Since then, the couple has had no connection with the outside world or access to internet or television. Despite suffering from "sleep disorders", they "are fine, they remain in good spirits," Brody added. Their son Salem, 23, was released early last year. Lawyers say the junta offered to have Bazoum's wife released, but she declined. The Bazoums live in the same building as junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, said Brody, who is among several sources who suspect Tiani to be using the Bazoum as a "human shield". Shortly after the coup, countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc considered military intervention to secure Bazoum's release and restore constitutional order. By detaining Bazoum, "it's a form of insurance against bombing the palace, for example", Brody said. Another source close to Bazoum noted that the president, elected in 2021, has never resigned. "He has convictions and value, he is someone who believes in democracy -- resigning would betray his oath," they said. "The Bazoum case is an exceptional situation," said Seidik Abba, president for the International Center for Studies and Reflections on the Sahel. The NGO Human Rights Watch on Wednesday reiterated a call for Bazoum's release. What about justice? The junta announced in August 2023 it intended to prosecute Bazoum for "plotting to undermine the state's security and authority" and "treason," the latter being punishable by death. Bazoum has not faced any formal legal proceedings but his diplomatic immunity was lifted last year. A preliminary investigation had been opened and Bazoum has been questioned. Brody claims the junta's leaders "do not want to initiate a real judicial process because it would involve transferring the president to prison". "We are convinced they want to keep him close to the general," he said. Following the lifting of Bazoum's immunity, his lawyers tried in vain to attain his automatic release, the judicial source said. What is the global community doing? Bazoum's lawyers have launched multiple proceedings with international bodies, including the ECOWAS regional court and the United Nations. Niger has quit ECOWAS. Both organisations have declared his detention "arbitrary" and demanded his release. "We have won across the board," but "legal avenues are exhausted," said Brody, who now hopes for political action. Bazoum's detention could serve as a bargaining chip for the junta in negotiations with other countries, several sources have said. According to one source close to the ousted president and analyst Abba, negotiations for Bazoum's release have been ongoing for several months between Qatar and Niger. Mediation by Togo in early 2024 facilitated the release of the couple's son. © 2025 AFP
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
ICC convicts pair over Central Africa war crimes
Ex-sports minister Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona was a senior leader of mainly Christian militias as the country slid into civil war, while Alfred Yekatom, a former MP, commanded them on the ground. The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and torture. Ngaissona received a sentence of 12 years for 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their militia, known as anti-Balaka or "anti-machete", were formed as vigilante self-defence groups after mainly Muslim rebels called the Seleka stormed the capital Bangui and removed then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian. Presiding judge Bertram Schmitt read harrowing details of the violence committed by the militia against suspected Seleka Muslims. Yekatom's men tortured one suspect by cutting off his fingers, toes, and one ear. This man's body was never found. Others were killed and then mutilated. Appearing in court dressed in a light brown suit and waistcoat, white shirt, and dark tie, Yekatom listened impassively as the judge read out the verdict. Dressed in a bright blue jacket, Ngaissona nodded to the judge as his sentence was delivered. The court found Yekatom not guilty of conscripting child soldiers and acquitted Ngaissona of the charge of rape. Both men had pleaded not guilty to all charges. Yekatom was extradited to The Hague in late 2018, after being arrested in the CAR for firing his gun in parliament. Ngaissona was arrested in France in December 2018 and extradited to The Hague. At the time he was head of the CAR football association and a board member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The Central African Republic is among the poorest nations in the world and has endured a succession of civil wars and authoritarian governments since independence in 1960. Violence has subsided in recent years but fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan troops.
