Africa News Briefs

 

Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was murdered 16 years ago in a gruesome murder orchestrated by an aide to the former military ruler Sani Abacha and a protocol officer of her husband  as she was being driven to the U.S. embassy.  The two major conspirators to her death, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lafeef Sofolahan, received the ultimate penalty at the Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere.

 

The Abiolas were a distinguished political family. MKO Abiola, a self-declared pan-Africanist, was the founder of over a dozen enterprises that included banks, ocean liners and a soccer club. He was President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Patron of the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation and patron of the WEB du Bois Foundation, among others.

 

The Congressional Black Caucus hailed him “as a hero in the global pursuit to preserve the history and the legacy of the African diaspora."

 

MKO’s successful run for the presidency was annulled by the military in June 1993, after which he was jailed by the Sani Abacha regime. This led Kudirat to take an active part in the pro-democracy movement, including a role in the freedom march in Lagos in 1995.

 

She was killed on June 4, 1996. The trial is said to be the longest in Nigerian history, spanning over 5 judges and the recantations of several witnesses. An appeal has already been filed by Major Al-Mustapha, according to the BBC. w/pix of K. Abiola

 

Jan. 31 (GIN) – Police this week evicted over a hundred protestors organizing a summit on jobs, housing and land, while highlighting claims of income inequality in South African society.

 

The “occupiers” had been setting up their summit on the Rondebosch Common in a wealthy suburb of Cape Town.

 

Under the banner of Communities for Social Change, organizers said they had gone through the application procedures, but were denied permission for the so-called ‘illegal gathering.”

 

Organizations included Passop, Proudly Manenberg, Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign, the South African NGO Coalition and the South African Council of Churches.

 

Freedom of Expression Institute's Na'eem Jeenah, said Cape Town had a history of denying citizens the right to assemble. Writer Christopher McMichael said it was “indicative of police response to the Occupy phenomenon throughout the world.”

 

Of 41 who were arrested, charges were later dropped except for organizer Mario Wanza who will return to face charges in March. Speaking to supporters, Wanza said:  “Our struggle is just, all we wanted to do was to go to public land to make decisions about our future.”  w/pix of Rondebusch protest

 

Jan. 31 (GIN) – Hundred of thousands of Senegalese filled the streets of the capital city Dakar this week to express their outrage at a recent court ruling giving aging and unpopular president, Abdoulaye Wade, the right to seek an unprecedented third term.

 

Police fired tear gas and water cannons Tuesday to disperse crowds mostly of young people. As night fell, protestors reportedly threw stones at police and burned tires. Three people were reported killed in the melee.

 

Senegal's constitution limits a president to two terms. However, President Wade argued the rule does not apply to him because it became law after he was elected.

 

All the leaders of the opposition attended Tuesday's rally, as well as former candidate Youssou N’Dour, whose qualifying signatures were ruled insufficient. As the demonstration got going, the leaders of M23, who organized the event, told people to sit on the floor to express their wish for peace.

 

As they sat down, they sang: "the old man is dead…” and "We have had enough. We are taking notice. Society is moving. We respect our Senegal."

 

The crowds held their arms in the air, clapping before crossing their fists in the air to indicate that Wade should put an end to his presidency.

 

Speaking to a reporter, protestor Aliou Thoum said: “I am even asking myself what country I am in. It is a country where peace has reigned.. . It is time for (Wade) to go.” Elections are scheduled for Feb. 26.

 

Jan. 31 (GIN) – The northern town of Niafunke, best known as the hometown of bluesman Ali Farka Tourke, came under attack this week by Tuareg separatists believed to be returning from Libya where they fought in the army of the late Moammar Gadhafi, the AP has reported.

 

Over the past two weeks, a Tuareg group calling itself the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad attacked six small towns spread out over more than 500 miles across Mali’s vast north.

 

The rebels have not yet attacked any major cities.

 

Farka Toure's musical style was described by Martin Scorsese as the “DNA of the blues.” In his 1999 album "Niafunke,” Toure, who died in 2006, explained his dedication saying he wanted to reflect on the Malian landscape was always a source of inspiration for him.

 

The Tuareg group, accused of ties to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, seeks self-determination for the north of Mali, an area it calls the Azawad.

 

Meanwhile, Algeria has donated over 3,000 tons of rice to Mali intended for people affected by a cereal shortage due to a shortage of rain.