Newscast - Africa

The UN panel of experts on Human Rights in South Sudan says that political elites are responsible for the ongoing deadly conflict in Tambura County in Western Equatoria State.
The UN experts say nine of the 10 states in South Sudan are engulfed in violence with recent violence between the Azande and the Balanda communities in Tambura resulting in the massacre of more than 100 civilians.
Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka says the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/In Opposition are responsible for arming the Azande and Balanda communities.
The South African human rights lawyer said the failure to establish a joint army command structure had heightened tensions in the country.

A Ugandan government official has been sentenced to 40 years in prison and ordered to pay $5.4m in compensation.
Godfrey Kazinda had looted money from a programme funded by foreign donors to assist communities in the north of the country who have been devastated by the Lord's Resistance Army.
AFP news agency reports that the total amount he was accused of embezzling was $26.4m.

Mali's interim prime minister, Choguel Maïga, has accused France of abandoning the nation "mid-flight" after the European country decided to reduce its troops thereby up to half.
Mr Maïga criticised the unilateral announcement adding that it leads them to explore pathways and means to better ensure their security autonomously, or with other partners.
This has been interpreted as a reference to Mali reportedly asking Russian mercenaries to train its military and boost national security, despite recent reports of abuses by Russian mercenaries elsewhere in the continent.

Sudanese transitional authorities have reached an agreement with protesters who had blocked two crucial pipelines in the east and disrupted the flow of oil in and out of the country.
The demonstrators from the Beja community have been protesting for weeks, blocking the pipeline transporting oil exports from landlocked South Sudan and the other handling crude imports into Sudan.
A delegation from the transitional authorities on Sunday held talks with the protesters.
It was followed by a tentative agreement with Beja community elders to allow passage of oil exports through Bashayer port, the main terminal close to Port Sudan where exports from South Sudan are shipped from.
The Beja elders have said they will need a week, after the tentative agreement, to further discuss the matter.

The British High Commission announced that the United Kingdom is collaborating with the Nigeria National Primary Health Care Development Agency towards recognising Nigeria vaccines certificate.
It says with effect from October 4, 2021, all Nigerian travellers to the UK from the majority of countries that are on the amber list, including Nigeria would be required to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test three days before travelling before they would be eligible for admission into the UK.
The statement also noted that from the aforementioned date, the rules for international travel to the UK would change from the red, amber, green light system to a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures from arrivals from the rest of the world.

The Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi disclosed that all governors in the country have in principle agreed that open grazing was outdated and there was a need to embrace modern livestock management approaches.
Fayemi says the governors have also subscribed to the national livestock transformation plan via the National Economic Council decision that was taken during a meeting chaired by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
He stated that there was a need to balance the position of the southern governors on anti-open grazing legislation with that of the Northern Governors’ Forum by giving support to all states that have subscribed to the National Livestock Transformation Plan through funding from federal government agencies like NARSAL in the same way the Central Bank of Nigeria provided support to rice farmers through funding.

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions have alleged that the federal government was deliberately abdicating its responsibility and refusing to honour signed agreements with labour unions.
The unions lamented that the non-implementation of agreements was responsible for persisting industrial actions in the country.
The Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige says though the federal government would not reject the agreements reached with the workers, its implementation will however depend on the availability of funds.

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has raised an alarm over alleged plans to rig the 2023 general elections.
He says that other countries are talking about how their elections will be transparent but some are talking about how they will plot to rig an election in 2023.
He also raised concerns over why Nigeria is yet to adopt the electronic mode of transmission of election results.
He believes Nigerians should have had a good reason to celebrate the country at 61 if the electoral system is made a little stronger by introducing electronic transmission of results.

The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, claiming Boko Haram terrorists were emboldened under his watch.
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, says the caucus had extensively reviewed the President’s address at the 76th session of the UNGA, noting that it is incomplete disagreement with the ugly reality of the failures of his administration, as well as the economic, security and social ruins that have confronted the nation under his watch.
The opposition lawmakers argue that Buhari did not reflect the closure of schools and crippling of education in some parts of the country neither did it show any empathy towards the victims of terrorism attacks.

The US House of Representatives has approved $1bn in additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system after days of controversy around the push.
Legislators passed the bill in a 420 to nine vote on Thursday, paving the way for a significant increase in US support for the system.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily before being signed into law by President Joe Biden, who already has signalled support for the additional aid.
The move came amid the growing number of progressive voices in Congress are calling on Biden to condition US assistance to Israel on the country’s human rights record.