THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has appointed six foreign judges into the Supreme Court to join the remaining member, Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian national, so that his election petition could be heard. Although the names of the judges have not been officially revealed, they are believed to come from Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The President has also ordered the …
Read More »Nigeria Army ousts Boko Haram from its last major camp; two major roads in Borno re-opened
The Nigerian Army has driven Boko Haram militants from their last camp in the northeastern Sambisa forest, President Muhammadu Buhari has said in a statement. The military has launched a large-scale offensive against the jihadist group in recent weeks. Buhari said in a statement that the head of the army informed him on Friday, 23 December that the last major Boko Haram …
Read More »Gambia: ECOWAS threatens Jammeh with military action; Senegalese troops ‘on alert’
President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia stands the risk of being forcefully removed from power should he carry out his threat to sit tight after losing the December 1 election. ECOWAS leaders warned yesterday that they would not hesitate to send troops to Banjul, if Jammeh, who lost the election to opposition candidate, Adama Barrow, fails to step down next month. Senegal,which …
Read More »Congo’s opposition agrees to deal for Kabila to step down
Congolese politicians have agreed in principle to a deal under which President Joseph Kabila willl leave office by the end of 2017, opposition leaders said on Friday, 23 December, an unexpected breakthrough after dozens were killed in anti-government protests this week. If the deal does succeed, it would be a major achievement for the Catholic church, which has been mediating …
Read More »Nigeria to reward those who expose thieves of government funds with 5 per cent of the recovered loot
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the payment of 5 per cent of recovered looted fund to the whistle blower behind the recovery. Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun briefed State House correspondents at the end of the cabinet meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, 21 December. According to her, the programme is designed to encourage anyone with …
Read More »Anarchy looms in Gambia as hand-over date nears
President Yahya Jammeh has reiterated on Tuesday that he won’t hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow despite growing international pressure. He would be regarded as a ‘rebel leader’ after 18 January if he refuses to hand over power, says opposition. The Gambia edges to constitutional crisis as the presidential hand-over date of 19 January looms, writes Ken Kamara in …
Read More »Mugabe to stand for election again in 2018
Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has declared President Robert Mugabe as its candidate for the next presidential election in 2018. By then he will be aged 94. His supporters broke into thunderous applause and chanted “tongai, tongai baba” [rule, rule father] as the Zanu-PF annual conference nominated Mugabe on Saturday in the south-eastern town of Masvingo . Mugabe has been in …
Read More »Gambia: Jammeh must step down, say West African leaders
West African leaders under the auspices of the regional ECOWAS have jointly called on Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh to step when his term of office expires in January. Meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Saturday, the eleven presidents present at the body’s 50th ordinary session called on Jammeh to accept the results and refrain from compromising a peaceful handover of …
Read More »Gambia: Adama Barrow vows to declare himself president in January as election row continues
The Gambia’s President-elect, Adama Barrow, has vowed to declare himself president on 18 January even if incumbent Yahya Jammeh refused to concede defeat and hand over power. “We have a team that is working on our inauguration. We are working on it; on the 18th, I’m the legal president of this country,” he told the BBC in an exclusive interview …
Read More »Gambia: UN tells Jammeh he has to leave in January as African leaders prepare for showdown with embattled president
The United Nations Special Representative for West Africa said on Wednesday that Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh would be “strongly sanctioned” if he sought to remain in power after his mandate ends next month. Mohammed Ibn Chambas made the declaration following the failure of regional leaders to persuade the embattled Jammeh to back down from his rejection of the election’s result …
Read More »Gambia: West African leaders fail to convince President Jammeh to hand over power
A high-powered diplomatic move to resolve the gathering crisis in The Gambia seems to have suffered a setback. A delegation of West African leaders failed to convince Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on Tuesday to hand over power to opposition leader, Adama Barrow, who defeated him at the presidential election held on 1 December. The leaders – Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of …
Read More »African leaders head to Banjul to ask Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh to step down
West African leaders are to head to Gambia on Tuesday to try to persuade incumbent President Yahya Jammeh to agree “to leave office” after his defeat at the ballot box, a Senegalese foreign ministry source said Monday. The delegation headed by Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, current chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will include Nigerian …
Read More »What you should know about Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-elect of Ghana
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was born and raised in Ga-Maami (Accra Central) and in the Nima area of Accra. His father’s residence, Betty House at Korle Wokon in Accra, was effectively the headquarters of the country’s first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), after it was formed at Saltpond on 4 August 1947. Three of the ‘Big Six’ …
Read More »Opposition candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, wins Ghana’s presidential election
Ghanaians have elected Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the candidate of the main opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), as their new president. Akufo-Addo, 72, who ran for the office for the third time, comfortably edged out incumbent president, John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by almost 10 points. The Electoral Commission of Ghana (ECG) tweeted late on Friday, …
Read More »After conceding defeat, Gambian president makes shocking U-turn, rejects election result
Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh has rejected the result of the presidential election held earlier this month, a week after admitting defeat. Speaking on state TV on Friday, Jammeh cited “abnormalities” in the vote and called for fresh elections. Jammeh, who came to power in a military coup in 1994, suffered a shock defeat to Adama Barrow. “After a thorough investigation, …
Read More »Swazi opposition politician on what Africa can learn from Gambia’s election
After 22 years of authoritarian rule, Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat at the country’s elections on 1 December. We can learn from The Gambia that we are stronger united than divided, says Swazi activist Bheki Dlamini. Swaziland and The Gambia are two of Africa’s smallest nations, both less than 20,000 square km and with populations below 2 million. Both …
Read More »Gambia: Army chief pledges allegiance to President-elect
Gambia’s army chief has pledged allegiance to President-elect Adama Barrow, Barrow’s spokeswoman has said, reinforcing hopes that the tiny West African nation will see its first peaceful change of power in more than half a century. A self-made real estate developer who once worked as a security guard at retailer Argos in London, Barrow beat incumbent Yahya Jammeh in last …
Read More »Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh pledges to hand over power by January and vows to remain in the country
Gambia’s Information Minister Sheriff Bojang has denied speculations that defeated President Yahya Jammeh may renege on his promise to hand over to his successor. The minister has assured his countrymen and women and the international community that Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia for 22 years with iron hand, will hand over to President-elect Adama Barrow latest by the end of …
Read More »Five reasons why Gambian leader Yahyah Jammeh lost power after 22 years
President Yahya Jammeh scored only half his previous ballot box tally in last week’s election, handing victory to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow. But why did Gambians turn against Jammeh after 22 years in power? Economic crisis A triple blow has been dealt to the Gambian economy in the last three years, making life close to unbearable for many and …
Read More »Fake US Embassy in Ghana discovered after issuing counterfeit visas for more than 10 years
A fake US Embassy operated by organized crime gangs has been shut down in Ghana’s capital city Accra after a decade of operations, issuing counterfeit US visas. The US Department of State revealed in a statement that the sham embassy was run by Ghanaian and Turkish criminals as well as a Ghanaian lawyer, specializing in immigration and criminal law. The …
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