Botswana’s Okavango Delta: A haven for aerial safaris
Botswana’s Okavango Delta is one of the largest inland deltas in the world and offers an extraordinary experience
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Tunisia gears up for October 6th Presidential election
As Tunisia approaches its presidential election on October 6th, the youth express mixed feelings about politics and voting. Some young people, frustrated by a lack of opportunities, dream of leaving the country. Seddik Malki, a fruit vendor, states, “I want to tell the youth: leave through the sea; there is nothing that keeps us here… I have no future here.” Conversely, others remain hopeful that the election will spark change. Lotfi Hamdi, a 32-year-old street vendor, says, “I hope the next president will address the high cost of living and focus on the youth.” Current president Kais Saied is running for re-election. With major opponents imprisoned or barred from competing, he faces criticism for consolidating power and eliminating political rivals. Only two candidates have been approved to run against Saied, who has suspended parliament since taking office in 2019.Tunis
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Houthis accuse US, UK of launching airstrikes on Yemeni cities
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed Friday that the US and UK carried out 18 airstrikes on several cities, including the national capital of Sanaa, and the provinces of Dhamar, Al-Bayda and Al Hudaydah. According to the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel, four strikes targeted the Al-Sayanah area in the Ath’thaorah district of Sanaa. The channel also reported seven strikes on Al Hudaydah International Airport and the Al-Khatib area in Al Hudaydah, a strategically important province with three major ports and an extensive coastline. Additionally, an airstrike reportedly hit the southern part of Dhamar, approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Sanaa, according to the channel. Al-Masirah did not provide details on casualties or damage, and there has been no immediate response from the US or UK regarding the allegations. Al-Masirah added later that another three US-UK strikes hit the Jabanah area in Al Hudaydah, but did not give further details. The Jabanah area hosts one of the Houthi group’s air defense bases, according to local media. Yemeni media activists circulated videos on social media, showing smoke rising from areas in Sanaa and Al Hudaydah, which they claim were impacted by the strikes. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi had accused Israel and the US of launching 39 airstrikes on Yemen earlier in the week. Since the beginning of 2024, a US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes in Yemen, asserting that the attacks are in response to Houthi aggression in the Red Sea. The Houthis have retaliated by targeting Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under Israeli assault since Oct. 7 of last year.
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Eswatini opposition leader discharged after alleged poisoning
Leader of an opposition group in Eswatini has been discharged from the hospital after what the group claims was an attempted assassination through poisoning. Mlungisi Makhanya, president of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) made his first public appearance since the alleged poisoning during a Friday press briefing which also featured PUDEMO’s deputy president, Wandile Dludlu. “Warm and revolutionary greetings to the Swazi nation and the progressive forces. We take this opportunity to officially update the nation and the world that our president Mlungisi Makhanya has been officially discharged from the hospital. We thank God, the medical team, and all those involved in his care,” Dludlu said. “The president will now be carefully monitored by medical professionals in a secured place.” Makhanya was reportedly poisoned by someone close to him, a political ally, according to PUDEMO. The organization believes the poisoning is part of a broader conspiracy by the Eswatini regime to silence “pro-democracy advocates.” South African Communist Party General Secretary Solly Mapaila called for the immediate arrest of the suspect. “Our sincere solidarity with the people of Swaziland under the autocracy of King Mswati III. Swaziland sends mercenaries here to abduct and kill pro-democracy activists, as they did with Thulani Maseko,” said Mapaila. The African National Congress, South Africa’s governing party, also condemned the attack. Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said in a statement Thursday: “The African National Congress strongly condemns the attempted assassination of PUDEMO’s president, Cde Mlungisi Makhanya. This cowardly act is an attack on peace, democracy, and the values for which PUDEMO has long fought.” The ANC further called on international bodies like the Southern African Development Community to intervene, saying, “The recent attempt on Makhanya’s life is a blatant infringement on the right to political expression and jeopardizes the rightful quest for democracy in Eswatini.” However, Eswatini’s government spokesperson, Alpheous Nxumalo, refuted the claims, suggesting the poisoning may have originated from within PUDEMO itself. “PUDEMO members know what happened to Makhanya. The government doesn’t poison suspects,” Nxumalo said, dismissing the accusations as “tabloid journalism.” The incident has deepened tensions in the region, where pro-democracy movements have been clashing with the monarchy-led government of King Mswati III, especially following the recent killing of prominent activist Thulani Maseko.
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More than 20 Israeli soldiers killed, injured in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah announced Friday that more than 20 Israeli elite soldiers were killed or wounded in clashes in a border village in southern Lebanon. The group said it recorded additional casualties for Israeli forces following heavy rocket fire that targeted a tank and military gatherings in areas near the border. Hezbollah fighters destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank near the Malikiya post with a guided missile, resulting in the deaths and injuries of the crew, it said. Additionally, the group launched rocket attacks on the outskirts of Haifa and artillery positions near Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah also targeted several Israeli positions, including Rweissat al-Alam in the occupied Kafr Shuba hills, as well as military forces in Karmiel and Sa’sa with heavy missiles and rockets. The group reported bombarding the Nafah base and soldier gatherings near the al-Baghdadi post in northern Israel. Rocket fire struck Israeli military positions east of Doviv, the Maroun al-Ras plain and near the settlements of Avivim and Yiron, it said. Advancing Israeli forces were struck with artillery and rockets west of Yiron, leading to additional casualties. Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli soldiers attempting to infiltrate the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras, causing additional losses through explosives and close-range clashes. As of late Friday, no official comment had been made by Israel. The attacks follow the death of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli attack last week. Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border hostilities since Israel launched its war on Gaza on Oct. 7 last year, a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of more than 41,800 victims, most of them women and children. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 2,011 people, injured more than 9,500 and displaced 1.2 million, according to Lebanese authorities. The international community has expressed concern that Israel’s ongoing attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a broader regional war.
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UK transfers Chagos Islands sovereignty to Mauritius
The British government’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the long-disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius addresses a “historic wrong,” according to Mauritian Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin. Speaking on Sky News, he hailed the agreement as a significant step for both nations involved. Under the deal, the U.K. will retain sovereignty over Diego Garcia, which hosts a key U.S.-U.K. military base, for an initial 99 years, alongside an undisclosed rental payment to Mauritius. A fund will also be established to assist displaced Chagossians in returning to the islands, excluding Diego Garcia. Jonathan Powell, the U.K. Special Envoy for the Chagossian Islands, confirmed that Mauritius will control this fund. The Chagos Islands have been administered as part of the British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965, when they were separated from Mauritius, which became independent three years later. The U.S. developed the naval base at Diego Garcia in the 1970s, viewing it as essential for security operations across the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. Approximately 1,500 islanders were displaced to facilitate the base’s construction, an act that Human Rights Watch described as “crimes against humanity.” In response to the agreement, the White House noted that President Joe Biden praised the “historic” decision regarding the Chagos Islands.
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Turkey offers condolences to victims of Nigeria boat accident
Turkiye on Friday extended condolences to victims of this week’s boat accident in Nigeria. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of many lives following the sinking of a boat carrying nearly 300 passengers in Nigeria,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry extended its condolences to the “brotherly and friendly” people of Nigeria. At least 42 people were killed after a boat carrying nearly 300 people returning from a religious festival in Nigeria’s northern Niger state capsized on Tuesday. Many bodies were recovered on Friday and rescue operations are still continuing.
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Sierra Leone: A hidden haven for butterflies in the Gola Rainforest
Sierra Leone, is home to one of the most diverse butterfly populations in the world
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Nollywood: The global giant of African cinema
Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, is now the second-largest in the world by volume!
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US sanctions 4 members of Uganda police force for rights violations
The US imposed sanctions on four members of Uganda police force for their alleged role in rights violations, the State Department said Wednesday. “The Department of State is taking action today to promote accountability for human rights violations committed in Uganda by designating four members of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) due to their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Those are Bob Kagarura, the then-Wamala regional police commander of the UPF; Alex Mwine, then-district police commander for the Mitanya district of the UPF; Elly Womanya, then-senior commissioner within the UPF and deputy director of the UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU); and Hamdani Twesigye, then-deputy inspector of police assigned to SIU. With designations, Kagarura, Mwine, Womanya, Twesigye and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US. “The reports that Kagarura, Mwine, Twesigye, and Womanya were involved in gross violations of human rights, as documented by Ugandan civil court documents, civil society organizations, and independent journalists, are serious and credible,” the statement said. “By publicly designating these individuals, the United States reaffirms its commitment to advancing the human rights of all Ugandans and promoting accountability for those responsible for human rights violations,” it added.
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