Junta recapture ousted Niger president
In a bid to escape from captivity, ousted Niger’s President Mohammed Bazoum has been recaptured by the junta.
Since the military coup on July 26th, 2023, Mr Bazoum has been under arrest despite international uproar calling for his release.
The interim authorities said that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, planned to drive a vehicle to the outskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter to neighbouring Nigeria.
“The strong reaction of the defence and security forces made it possible to foil this plan to destabilize our country,” a military spokesman said on national television.
Reuters was not able to confirm the account or reach Bazoum, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Niger’s coup was one of five that have swept West Africa’s central Sahel region in three years, leaving a vast band of arid terrain south of the Sahara Desert under the control of military rulers.
Like elected presidents in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, Bazoum was pushed out in part because of mounting insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands in the region and which the military said it would be able to contain better than a civilian government.
Bazoum’s party and family members say he has had no access to running water, electricity or fresh goods, prompting condemnation from former Western allies.
Mozambique reports bird flu outbreak on laying hen farm
The World Organisation for Animal Health or WOAH said on Thursday there has been an outbreak of pathogenic H7 avian influenza, better known as bird flu, Reuters reports.
WOAH said it has been reported among poultry in the southern part of Mozambique.
The bird flu outbreak is said to be found on a farm of 54,207 laying hens aged between 23 and 30 weeks kept in a high biosecurity facility, the Paris-based body said, quoting information from Mozambique’s health authorities.
This is coming as neighbouring South Africa, a leading poultry producer on the continent, is currently grappling with a major bird flu outbreak that killed millions of chickens.
The spread of the highly contagious virus is raising concern among governments and the poultry industry after it ravaged flocks around the globe in the past years, disrupting supply, fueling food prices and posing a risk of human transmission
Navy intercept 338 migrant in Senegal
The Navy in Senegal says about 338 illegal migrants stacked in two boats have been intercepted.
According to AfricaNews, the migrants, which included many young people, as well as women and minors, were then forcibly returned to the Dakar Naval base.
The number of attempted migrant crossings to Europe has risen in recent months, with thousands arriving in places like Lampedusa in Italy and Spain’s Canary Islands.
The Canaries are a main target for migrants attempting to cross the Atlantic from west Africa.
The Canaries saw 14,976 migrants arrive between January 1 and September 30, an increase of 19.8 percent compared to the same period in 2022, according to the latest figures from Spain’s interior ministry.
The migratory route across the Atlantic has become increasingly busy in recent years due to tighter controls in the Mediterranean Sea.
Like the Mediterranean, however, the risks are high, with many boats sunk or missing in 2023.
In August, a boat that left from Senegal sank off Cape Verde, killing 60.
Liberia’s Joseph Boakai seeks more support to defeat President Weah.
Arch rival to President George Weah in the October 10th Liberia presidential election, Joseph Boakai is seeking more support from other parties to defeat Weah as the election enters run-off.
In a press conference, Mr Boakai urged fellow opposition candidates to join the “rescue team for a resounding victory”.
Weah currently has 43.8% of the vote with Mr Boakai on 43.5%.
Provisional results from 99.5% of the 5,890 polling stations show that the two candidates go toe-to-toe.
This suggests that neither candidate will get the more than 50% of the vote needed for victory.
Voting is being repeated in parts of Sinoe, Nimba and Montserrado counties following allegations of ballot-tampering, but not in enough areas to significantly affect the overall presidential tally, local media report.
The election commission is expected to announce the results on or before 25 October to release final results.
Israel-Palestine: Zambia evacuates 77 citizens
The Government of Zambia says 77 citizens residing in Israel have been evacuated amidst the war with Palestine.
The evacuees, who returned to Zambia on Wednesday, include 72 students.
Zambia’s Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo said on Thursday that 172 Zambians, including 143 students, live in Israel, but some of them had declined the government’s evacuation offer and opted to stay behind.
“For those who have chosen to remain in Israel, be rest assured that the ministry will maintain close collaboration with the Zambian embassy and the Israeli foreign ministry to take any necessary actions that will ensure their continued safety,” he was quoted as saying the Anadolu news agency.
He added that no Zambian had died in the war.
