Government forces deployed to Chobi district of West Shoa zone, Oromia region to fight the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) have allegedly killed at least twelve civilians and wounded four others, residents told Addis Standard. Some of the victims were shot dead while they were in their houses, while others were killed on the road on the morning of 10 August, 2023 in two villages namely Qoricha Koticha and Hofu Bake of the district. A resident of Hofu Bake village who said two of his brothers were killed in the attack told Addis Standard that the killing was perpetrated by government troops stationed in the village “campaigning to eliminate OLA”. The resident said the killing did not distinguish between age and gender, adding that an 11 year old child and a 70 year old elderly man were among the victims. Another resident who fled the attack to neighboring Jalduu district said besides those killed and wounded, five women and 20 other men were abducted by government forces and taken to an unknown location. The resident noted that his wife and one of his sons are among the abducted.  According to the two residents, among the dead are four members of the same family; Gurmu Jifara, Tasfaye Jifara, Abarra Jifara and Abishu Jifara. Abishu succumbed to his injury later, while others were killed on the spot. The two major Oromo opposition parties, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) have both denounced the killings which they described as “heinous and indiscriminate”. In separate statements released on 12 and 13 August respectively, both parties vehemently criticized the government’s “dry the ocean, to eliminate the fishes” approach, targeting the civilian population in order to annihilate the OLA armed group. 

UAE expresses concern over developments in Libya

Algeria warns military intervention in Niger to aggravate instability

Libyan factions pause Tripoli battle with 27 dead

In the heart of Sudan, where cultures blend and traditions thrive, sports have emerged as a powerful tool

Niger’s junta-appointed PM makes visit to neighboring Chad

Zambia confiscates plane carrying $5.6m, 127.2 kg gold, and weapons

Nigerian prosecutors on Tuesday lodged a 20-count indictment against the suspended and detained central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele with one of the charges accusing him of “conferring unlawful advantages,” a government lawyer said on Tuesday. Initiating one of the most significant overhauls in Africa’s largest economy in over a decade, President Bola Tinubu has commenced an investigation into the central bank during Emefiele’s tenure after his criticism of the bank’s policies, particularly those aimed at bolstering the naira currency, during his inauguration in May. The specifics of the new charges have not been immediately disclosed. However, legal documents submitted by the Attorney General’s Office in the previous month indicated that Emefiele was facing charges of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation of funds, among other allegations, all of which carry substantial prison sentences. Emefiele, who was apprehended on June 10, a day after his suspension by Tinubu, entered a plea of not guilty to a firearm possession charge. Following his plea on July 25, a judge granted him bail, only for him to be promptly re-arrested. “We have filed a matter with comprehensive charges” and “we are withdrawing the (firearm) case at the Federal High Court in Lagos,” a government lawyer told media. Emefiele has contested his detention and submitted a bail application. He was not immediately available for comment. Emefiele implemented a multi-tiered exchange rate strategy to artificially bolster the currency, a move that was regarded by former President Muhammadu Buhari as a point of national pride. Buhari reappointed Emefiele for a consecutive five-year term in 2019, and Emefiele was originally slated for retirement next year.

Humanitarian organizations issued a warning on Tuesday, urging swift international intervention.

South Africa’s unemployment rate declines to 32.6% in second quarter

UN warns of escalating situation in Sudan after four months of conflict

ECOWAS military chiefs to discuss Niger crisis this week

Sudanese civil aviation authority reopens eastern airspace for global navigation

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have announced that 65 soldiers and officers from the Sudanese army have joined their group.

Algeria pulls Barbie from cinemas for ‘violating morals’

Malian Afropop star Salif Keita named advisor to junta chief

Clashes in Libyan capital bring airport to standstill

26 Nigeria troops killed in ambush, rescue helicopter crashes: military sources

A group of elephants have escaped from a park in Uganda and killed two people before destroying crops. According to police, the incident took place in Queen Elizabeth National Park, located in the western district of Kasese, around 278 kilometers (172 miles) from the capital Kampala. “The elephants moved from the park to a neighboring village called Kasandala, where they caused havoc. The government will evaluate the damage done and compensate those affected,” Kasese Resident District Commissioner Joe Walusimbi told Anadolu. A spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Bashir Hangi, confirmed the killing of people and destruction of crops by the elephants. He offered his condolences to those who lost their loved ones and promised they would be helped by the government. Kasandala village chief Augustus Muzimbi told Anadolu that the two people killed were Yoramu Mugisha, who was attacked by the elephants while working in his garden, and Deo Mujuke, who was attacked while coming back from fishing in a nearby lake. Queen Elizabeth National Park has many wild animals, making it one of the most visited national parks by tourists in the country. ​​​​​​​

South African serial child sex offender gets 12 life sentences

US dismayed over Nigerien military’s plan to try ousted president

Nigerian labor union vows to shut down country over higher fuel prices

The military administration in Niger that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum recalled the country’s ambassador in Ivory Coast on Monday for consultations, its spokesperson said. The decision followed recent remarks by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara that indicated his “eagerness” to send troops to Niger for military intervention, Col. Amadou Abdramane said on national television. Abdramane said President Ouattara’s wish was to “see this illegal and senseless aggression against Niger enforced.” At the end of a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Aug. 10 in Nigeria, the bloc’s leaders said while diplomacy was on the table as the best approach to resolve the political crisis, the military option was on the cards, and they resolved to activate the bloc’s standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger. Briefing journalists in the Ivorian city of Abidjan after last week’s summit, President Ouattara said he had instructed the chief of staff of the Ivorian army “to start mobilizing his troops for their participation in this ECOWAS operation” and that Ivory Coast is ready to provide a battalion of 850 to 1,100 troops. On Monday, ECOWAS condemned the military administration’s plan to prosecute President Bazoum, who was ousted by military intervention on July 26, describing it as another form of provocation. On Sunday, a spokesman for Niger’s military said Bazoum would be charged with “high treason and undermining the internal and external security” of the country. Bazoum, his son and wife are reportedly being held hostage at his palace in the capital Niamey since the military intervention removed him. Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, the former commander of Niger’s presidential guard, declared himself the head of a transitional government after the military ousted Bazoum. The African Union on Monday held talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on the Niger crisis, whose outcomes are yet to be made public.

Search, rescue efforts continue for to find missing migrants, says official