Know Afrika

  In his first appearance on TV since the conflict began, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a paramilitary leader in Sudan known as Hemedti, asked for the army’s command to be replaced. More than 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the violence, which started in April as the Sudanese army and the  paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) f ought for control during a planned transition to civilian administration. It has also plunged the nation into one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history. Early in May, a loud explosion shook Shambat, a section of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Locals rushed to put out the fires that were engulfing a temporary structure that they claimed were the result of an air attack. Too late, they were. Five witnesses reported finding a pregnant woman, a guy, and five kids among the smoking wreckage. According to two witnesses, the guy was buried nearby, and the lady and children were buried at the scene after the ...

  Ghana’s parliament has made a significant decision to abolish the death penalty in the country, joining other progressive African nations.  This means that people who were previously sentenced to death will now have their punishments changed to life imprisonment. Ghana had 170 men and six women on death row before this decision was made. The move to abolish the death penalty was supported by MP Francis-Xavier Sosu, who argued that it is important for society not to be inhumane and to respect the sanctity of life.  With this decision,  Ghana  becomes the 29th African country and the 112th globally to do away with capital punishment. Previously, certain crimes like murder and treason were punishable by death in Ghana. However, in recent times, no executions were carried out even though around seven people were sentenced to death in 2022. The abolishment of the death penalty will involve amending the Criminal Offences Act, and it was largely supported ...

  Jacob Zuma, Former President of South Africa, has extended his trip to Moscow, the capital of Russia, as the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), a department of the South African government responsible for running South Africa’s prison system, decides his fate. Jacob Zuma  went to Russia for a medical treatment. He was meant to return on Tuesday, but he extended his trip. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said on Wednesday that the department was yet to decide whether the former president should return to prison. Mzwanele Manyi, Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson, confirmed that the former president had not returned from Russia. He said that he did not know about Zuma’s health condition. Mzwanele Manyi, who is also an EFF member of Parliament, said,  “I don’t know when he will be coming back.” According to a source, Zuma planned to return next Wednesday.  In July 2021, Zuma was taken into custody to begin serving a 15-month prison sentence. He wa...

  Satya Nadella, an Indian-American business executive who is the executive chairman and CEO of Microsoft, has joined the Threads app, which is known as the “Twitter killer” app. After joining the Threads app, Satya Nadella announced an AI partnership with Meta. He wrote on Threads,  “What a great day to join Threads! We are thrilled to expand our AI partnership with Meta, as we bring their Llama family of large language models to Azure.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also talked about the AI partnership. Reportedly, Meta aims to make an artificial intelligence system to offer a free  ChatGPT -like tool, but with a different approach. Zuckerberg said that his company partnered with Microsoft to launch the next generation of its AI large language model. He said that the AI tool would be free for research and commercial use.  Meta used the acronym LLaMA, for Large Language Model Meta AI, to describe the first version of its AI model. Meta named the second ...

  The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol, from N537 to N617 per liter. The pump price of petrol is also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). This adjustment was observed at some filling stations in Abuja and is expected to be implemented nationwide. The decision by NNPCL indicates an increase in the pump price of petrol. According to Mike Osatuyi, the National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the price increase was inevitable due to the rise in the ex-depot price.  The ex-depot price is the price at which marketers purchase petroleum products from depots, and it influences the selling price to consumers. Osatuyi explained that the increase in ex-depot price necessitated the upward adjustment in the pump price. Osatuyi also mentioned three factors contributing to the fuel price increase.  Firstly, there has been a recent increase in crude oil...

  The sixth Mid-Year coordination meeting of the African Union took place on Sunday, July 16, at Gigiri, which is located in the county of Nairobi. The summit’s primary focus was on resolving pressing concerns regarding African integration and the allocation of labour. The President of Kenya presided over the gathering.  William Ruto  has made a demand for the African Union to be reformed, with the primary emphasis being placed on the organisation’s fiscal independence.  “The pan-African movement has always been about sovereignty and agency,”  the president stated. “In the first place, the aspiration of independence, sovereignty, and agency is incompatible with chronic dependence on even well-meaning partners.”  And as a result, I am of the opinion that we ought to give the recommendations that have been made in the direction of making our organisation one that is self-sufficient and one that receives funding from us the serious consideration they deserve. ...

usmane Sonko, a prominent opposition figure in Senegal, has been nominated as a candidate for the presidential election in 2024, according to an announcement made by his party on Friday. This comes despite Mr. Sonko’s questionable eligibility and shortly after the cancellation of a demonstration that was supposed to take place in Dakar on Saturday to formally launch his candidacy. In a case involving vice, Mr. Sonko was found guilty on June 1 and sentenced to two years in prison. His attorneys and other legal experts believe that this decision disqualifies him from running for office. On May 8, he was also handed a six-month suspended prison sentence in an appeal for defamation. This penalty, which was imposed in response to his claim that he was not able to run for president, is generally regarded as rendering him ineligible for the election. However, he has not yet used up all of his opportunities to appeal to the Supreme Court. According to the information provided by his party, Mr...

   O n July 7, 2023, the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, was shaken by a harrowing incident that unfolded when a 24-year-old Ghanaian man allegedly shot his mother and sister. The subsequent arrest came after a dramatic thirteen-hour standoff that captivated the community. Responding to a distress call at a residence on Colby Avenue, Worcester police discovered the aftermath of a domestic disturbance that had occurred earlier that morning. The suspect, armed with a handgun, was initially compliant but suddenly opened fire at the officers before retreating back into the house.  A comprehensive and collaborative effort by law enforcement agencies ensued, involving the Hostage Negotiation Team, SWAT Team, K9 Unit, drone operators, and a mental health therapist from the Mobile Crisis Unit. Their aim was to ensure the safety and well-being of the victims and resolve the situation peacefully. After a long and intense negotiation, the suspect was ultimately apprehended, but no...

  On Monday, the  President of Senegal, Macky Sall,   put an end to months of stressful uncertainty by announcing that he would not seek a third term in office in the next year. This announcement paved the way for open elections to take place in the West African nation of Senegal, which has been regarded as a beacon of democracy in an otherwise turbulent region. Up until this point, Sall had maintained a policy of remaining tight-lipped about his aspirations, which stoked anxieties around the possibility that he might use a constitutional reform to claim that he could prolong the country’s usual two-term maximum. In a televised statement, Sall stated,  “My dear fellow citizens, my decision after long consideration is to not be a candidate in the election on February 25, 2024.” “Senegal is more than me, and it is full of capable leaders for the country’s development,”  he stated. Sall said that he had made the advancement of his nation his top priority,  “in...