Author: WAJ Editor

Three Americans who were repatriated from the Democratic Republic of Congo this week have been charged in the United States for their alleged roles in a failed coup attempt against the Congolese government last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. A fourth individual, identified by prosecutors as an explosives expert, has also been charged with aiding the plot. The charges stem from the same events that saw the three men detained in Congo, where they were initially sentenced to death before their punishments were reduced to life imprisonment. They were transferred to U.S. custody on Tuesday. Their…

More than 50 people have died and dozens remain missing after a boat capsized earlier this week on the Congo River in Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by national television on Thursday. The vessel, carrying around 100 passengers, sank overnight from Monday to Tuesday near Mayita, about 40 kilometers from the city of Mbandaka. Provincial Red Cross head Maitre Kolomba Mampunia told national broadcaster RTNC that the provisional death toll has surpassed 50. The boat, named Fortune HB Jado, was en route from Mbandaka to the Mobenzani market in Bomongo territory when its roof collapsed…

Namibia’s fishing sector is taking significant strides toward safer working conditions, driven by leadership from industry figures like Willem Buckle, Head of Safety at Merlus Fishing. Buckle, a former sea captain with over a decade of experience, shifted to a land-based role in 2003 to oversee occupational health and safety across the company’s fleet. Although Merlus Fishing had historically met only the minimum requirements of the Merchant Shipping Act, a joint safety inspection for fishing vessels in late 2023 revealed widespread health and safety violations. The inspection, reaching nearly 480 fishermen in Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, recommended stronger risk management…

Egypt and the European Union have successfully completed negotiations for Egypt’s association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s leading research and innovation funding programme. The agreement was initialed in Brussels in the presence of EU Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva and Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mohamed Ayman Ashour. Association with Horizon Europe is the highest level of international collaboration offered to non-EU countries in the fields of research and innovation. It will grant Egyptian researchers access to top European research facilities and networks. With a budget of €95.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period, Horizon…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again urged for reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO), warning of rising risks to the global economy as tariff disputes intensify. Speaking on Thursday at the event marking the 30th anniversary of the WTO, Ramaphosa stressed the urgent need to fix shortcomings within the global trading system. His remarks come as world leaders grapple with a new wave of tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump, who recently announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports into the United States. Although Trump paused plans for even higher tariffs on certain nations,…

A team of European Union experts is investigating a series of unexplained fires that have affected dozens of homes in western Libya over the past two months. According to a statement from the Libyan government on Wednesday, the EU team is carrying out fieldwork in the town of Al-Asabi’a as part of a coordinated response to the fires. Their deployment was made possible through the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by Libyan authorities. The experts are conducting on-site evaluations to assess both environmental and human impacts and to determine the technical causes behind the fires, the statement said.…

Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu was arrested on Wednesday shortly after addressing supporters at a rally in the southern Ruvuma Region, according to his party, fueling concerns over a deteriorating political climate ahead of the country’s general elections later this year. Lissu, a high-profile member of the opposition party Chadema and a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, was reportedly detained along with senior party officials in Mbinga District. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd gathered for the rally, which was part of the party’s ongoing “No Reforms, No Election” campaign, advocating for comprehensive changes to…

The Libyan NGO Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) documented 589 cases of human rights violations across Libya in 2024, according to its annual report released yesterday. The report details incidents including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture in prisons and detention centers, extrajudicial killings, and crackdowns on freedom of opinion, expression, assembly, civil society activities, and journalism. LCW reported fatal attacks targeting human rights defenders, activists, civil society members, and journalists. It also highlighted widespread abuses against asylum seekers and refugees. The organization pointed to the direct involvement of authorities, armed groups, security agencies, and individuals in committing severe and systematic violations…

The Nigerian government has ordered all illegal miners to vacate mining sites in Zamfara State after authorities confirmed a new outbreak of lead poisoning linked to artisanal gold mining. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, issued the directive on Tuesday in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. Zamfara, known for its rich gold reserves, first experienced a devastating lead poisoning epidemic in 2010. The outbreak, traced to unsafe mining practices, led to widespread environmental contamination and poisoned hundreds of residents, especially children. Dr Alake announced that…

At least eight people, including five children, have died in South Sudan while attempting to reach treatment for cholera, after U.S. aid cuts forced the closure of critical health facilities in the region. The deaths, which occurred in March, highlight the devastating impact of reduced humanitarian funding on vulnerable populations, according to the UK-based aid organization Save the Children. The victims reportedly endured a grueling three-hour walk under blistering 40°C heat after local clinics shut down due to lack of funding. With no access to transport services previously provided through U.S. support, they were left with no choice but to…

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the World Bank have launched a major initiative aimed at expanding internet access to around 180 million people across eastern and southern Africa over the next eight years. The $2.5 billion program, unveiled in Zambia on Monday, also targets providing digitally enabled services to 100 million people. According to a joint statement, the initiative will benefit a wide range of groups, including women, refugees, host communities, private businesses, and public sector organizations. The project will use a multiphase programmatic approach to combine funding from various sources, with the aim of…

A Nigerian groom has been sentenced to six months in prison for spraying currency notes during his wedding reception, in the latest crackdown on the abuse of the national currency. Abdullahi Musa Huseini, a Kano-based make-up artist known online as “Amuscap,” pleaded guilty to a single charge of naira abuse and mutilation before Justice S.M. Shuaibu at the Federal High Court in Kano. According to a statement from Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Huseini was arrested last December at his wedding celebration after intelligence reports flagged his actions. “The convict was arrested at his own…

The South African rand approached an all-time low against the US dollar on Wednesday, amid global market tensions over new US tariffs and rising domestic political instability. The rand fell to 19.8225 against the dollar in early trading, nearing a record low of 19.9075 reached in June 2023. At 06:55 GMT, it had gained 0.2% on the day and rebounded slightly to 19.73, but remained down more than 3% for the week. The South African rand, which is usually sensitive to global risk sentiment, has been hit hard by the fallout from US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff measures. New…

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed a US$7.5 million trade finance guarantee agreement with Bank of Africa Tanzania to boost support for local businesses and SME importers. Under the new facility, AfDB will offer guarantees covering up to 100% of non-payment risks for letters of credit and other trade finance instruments issued by Bank of Africa Tanzania. The initiative is aimed at helping local companies access regional and international markets more easily. Patricia Laverley, country manager for Tanzania at Bank of Africa, said the guarantee will particularly benefit key sectors such as trade, agriculture, manufacturing, and energy. “This facility…

A senior commander of a separatist rebel coalition active in northern Mali has been arrested in Niger, local security sources confirmed on Monday. Inkinane Ag Attaher, a key figure within the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), was detained by Nigerien security forces last week. The FLA, formed late last year from a merger of several mainly Tuareg groups, is seeking to assert control over parts of northern Mali. A Nigerien security official described Attaher as a “terrorist” and revealed that he was carrying passports of both nations at the time of his arrest. The detention reportedly occurred between the Dosso region…

Malawi’s cotton industry has seen a dramatic resurgence during the 2024/25 farming season, providing new optimism for farmers and opening fresh economic opportunities for the country’s struggling textile and agro-industrial sectors. According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Second Round Crop Estimates, cotton production has climbed by an impressive 177.2 percent, jumping from 6,147 metric tonnes in 2023/24 to 17,037 metric tonnes this season. This marks one of the highest growth rates among major crops this year. The surge has been especially significant for smallholder farmers, many based in the Lower Shire and lakeshore districts, where cotton farming is a key…