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Tag: western africa

  • Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu found alive in Turkey earthquake rubble | CNN

    Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu found alive in Turkey earthquake rubble | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    International football player Christian Atsu has been found alive and is in “stable condition” at a local hospital following Monday’s earthquake in southern Turkey, the Ghana Football Association and Atsu’s agent said on Tuesday.

    “We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let’s continue to pray for Christian,” the Ghanaian FA posted on Twitter.

    Atsu’s agent, Nana Sechere, told CNN on Tuesday that his client was in a “stable” condition at a local hospital after being successfully rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building. Atsu was not immediately accounted for in the aftermath of the earthquake.

    Atsu, who plays for Hatayspor in Turkey, had been celebrating on Sunday night after he scored a last minute winner in his club’s 1-0 home league game against Kasimpasa, his agent said.

    “There were lots of reports out of England and Ghana that Christian was safe, but the first official confirmation I had was on Tuesday morning,” Sechere said.

    “I was told by the club that he was in hospital and that he is stable. He doesn’t have his phone and, like all of us, he can’t remember his numbers by heart so I have to continue to wait to speak to him,” he said.

    Sechere said that Atsu had been playing poker until 3:30 a.m. local time with friends on Monday and got home around four in the morning.

    The agent said he received a call from Hatayspor club officials at 5 a.m. saying the building Atsu was in had been completely destroyed and that they couldn’t get hold of him.

    “The last I’d heard from Christian was midnight. I was hoping he was awake and that the earthquake hadn’t happened while he was sleeping,” Sechere said.

    “His building was an 11-story building and he was on the ninth floor. The club officials were trying to help me find him, but it was so hard because, understandably, they were trying to find their own friends and families as well,” he added.

    “But I even remember when he signed for Hatayspor and we went to the hospital for a medical. Even then it was busy with people queuing and people on the floor. So I can only imagine what it is like with this situation,” Sechere said.

    Atsu’s former club Everton said on its official Facebook page: “We are relieved to hear Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued and is recovering in hospital. Our thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.”

    More than 5,000 deaths have been confirmed in Turkey and Syria with over 21,000 people injured following earthquakes that rocked the region on Monday.

    In Turkey, casualties were reported in 10 provinces, including Hatay, which is home to Atsu’s football team Hatayspor.

    He had previously represented top English clubs such as Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth and Newcastle.

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  • Burkina Faso’s military government demands French troops leave the country within one month | CNN

    Burkina Faso’s military government demands French troops leave the country within one month | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The military government of Burkina Faso has demanded the departure of French troops from the country, according to the government press agency Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB).

    France has exactly one month to remove its troops from Burkina Faso, according to the terms of the 2018 agreement, AIB reported, citing sources.

    The military government “denounced last Wednesday, the agreement which has governed since 2018, the presence of the French Armed Forces on its territory,” AIB reported Saturday.

    France still has 400 special forces based in Burkina Faso, according to Reuters, to help fight Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State after years of violence in the region.

    On Friday, residents in the capital Ouagadougou took to the streets to protest the presence of French troops in the country.

    Video from the protest showed protesters carrying signs with the slogans “French army get out our house” and “Friendship Burkina Russia.”

    Some protesters carried the national flags of Burkina Faso and Russia.

    In December, Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo said the Burkina Faso military government invited in mercenaries from the Russian private military group, Wagner.

    Burkina Faso Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation, Jean Marie Traoré called the claims “very serious” in a press conference on December 16 after the government summoned the Ghanaian ambassador.

    France – the former colonial power – first entered the Sahel region in January 2013 at Mali’s request and launched Operation Serval, a United Nations-sanctioned ground and air operation against Islamist militants.

    The mission was succeeded in August 2014 by Operation Barkhane, a broader French anti-terror initiative targeting Islamists across the Sahel, including in Burkina Faso.

    French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June 2021 that the mission would be replaced by a more international effort, and Western troops began withdrawing from Mali in February last year though they remain in Burkina Faso.

    On January 24, 2022, Burkina Faso’s army seized power, deposing former President Roch Kaboré and dissolving the government and parliament.

    The military suspended the constitution and closed borders. Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba was installed as the West African country’s new leader.

    Damiba’s time in power proved short-lived, however, as he was ousted from the country’s top position during a coup d’état in October 2022. Army Captain Ibrahim Traoré was subsequently appointed as the country’s new president.

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  • 40 dead, many injured in Senegal bus crash, president says | CNN

    40 dead, many injured in Senegal bus crash, president says | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    At least 40 people were killed Sunday and many others seriously injured in a bus crash in central Senegal, according to the country’s president. 

    “I am deeply saddened by today’s tragic road accident in Gniby, where 40 people died and many were seriously injured. I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” President Macky Sall said in a tweet.

    The incident involved two buses that collided with one another, according to Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), the country’s public broadcaster.  

    The western African nation will observe three days of national mourning for the victims, starting on January 9, the president announced. 

    The reason for the crash is as yet unknown. CNN has reached out to the Senegalese Transport Ministry for comment.

    Dakar will also call an inter-ministerial council on January 9 to discuss “firm measures” to ensure transport safety, according to Sall.  

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  • Cristiano Ronaldo begins World Cup campaign with Portugal after Manchester United departure | CNN

    Cristiano Ronaldo begins World Cup campaign with Portugal after Manchester United departure | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Two days after his turbulent departure from Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo will begin his World Cup campaign with Portugal and look to put events from the last week-and-a-half behind him.

    Portugal faces Ghana at Stadium 974 on Thursday, kicking off what will likely be the 37-year-old Ronaldo’s final World Cup – a trophy that has so far eluded him over the course of his decorated career.

    A successful tournament in Qatar would also allow Ronaldo to move on from his messy divorce with United having ended his second spell at the club on Tuesday.

    It came after the forward gave an explosive interview to Talk TV in which he said he felt betrayed by United and launched a scathing attack on manager Erik ten Hag.

    And as the World Cup gets underway, Ronaldo has offered assurances that the focus of his Portuguese teammates won’t be shaken by the timing of his bombshell interview.

    “In my life, the best timing is always my timing,” he told reporters on Monday. “I don’t have to think about what other people think. I speak when I want. The players know me really well for many years and know the type of person I am.”

    Following the announcement of his departure from Manchester United, Ronaldo was suspended for two games and fined £50,000 (around $60,000) by the English Football Association (FA) for slapping a cell phone out of a spectator’s hand earlier this year.

    The incident came after United’s 1-0 loss against April in Everton. On top of the fine and suspension – which does not apply at the World Cup but will be transferred to any new club he joins – Ronaldo was warned by the FA about his future conduct.

    Portugal is the strong favorite against Ghana with 52 places separating the sides in FIFA’s rankings.

    But pedigree and star power appear to count for little at this World Cup, a tournament in which underdogs have fared well against mightier opponents.

    Saudi Arabia came from behind to defeat Argentina 2-1 while Japan did the same against Germany – clear signs that no team should be underestimated, nor should any team indulge in complacency.

    Having not reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup since 2006, Portugal has a point to prove in Qatar and arrives at the tournament with considerable firepower.

    Despite missing Liverpool forward Diogo Jota through injury, the likes of Ronaldo, his old United teammate Bruno Fernandes, and Manchester City stars João Cancelo and Bernardo Silva are all likely to feature on Thursday.

    Against them will be a Ghana team short on form but with no shortage of quality.

    Having been dumped out of the Africa Cup of Nations after a humiliating group-stage defeat against Comoros in January, the Black Stars will benefit from the “signings” of forward Inaki Williams and right-back Tariq Lamptey ahead of the tournament.

    Williams switched allegiances from Spain earlier this year and Lamptey from England.

    Otto Addo – the only part-time coach at the tournament – also has at his disposal star midfielder Mohammed Kudus and experienced campaigners including Thomas Partey and the Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre.

    Whether Addo, who principally works as a scout for German team Borussia Dortmund, can get Ghana to click remains to be seen.

    Also in Group H are Uruguay and South Korea, who play each other at the Education City Stadium on Thursday.

    Uruguay is the favorite and will benefit from the experience of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez. Liverpool forward Darwin Núñez will also feature in the attack, while midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Valverde have been in excellent form of late.

    The positive news for South Korea is that star player Son Heung-Min has recovered from a damaged eye socket and has been training in a protective face mask this week.

    In Thursday’s other games, pre-tournament favorite Brazil and Serbia will be the last two teams to get their tournaments underway when they meet at Lusail Stadium.

    Five-time champion Brazil arguably boasts the best attacking line-up in the tournament, both in terms of quality and depth.

    Neymar Jr – like fellow talismans Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – is searching for his first World Cup trophy, and he will be ably supported upfront alongside Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., Barcelona’s Raphinha, and Tottenham’s Richarlison.

    Neymar (center) trains with Brazil in Doha, Qatar ahead of the World Cup.

    But Serbia, which topped its qualifying group ahead of Portugal, will be no pushover and has plenty of goalscoring prowess in captain Dušan Tadić, Juventus forward Dušan Vlahović, and Fulham front man Aleksandar Mitrovic. However, Vlahović and Mitrovic have both been nursing injuries ahead of the tournament.

    Hoping to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time, Serbia will likely have to battle it out with Switzerland and Cameroon, who face each other on Thursday, to reach the round of 16 – barring any disastrous results for Brazil.

    But as this World Cup has demonstrated so far, don’t rule out any eventuality.

    Switzerland vs Cameroon – 5am Eastern time

    Uruguay vs South Korea – 8am ET

    Portugal vs Ghana – 11am ET

    Brazil vs Serbia – 2pm ET

    US: Fox Sports

    UK: BBC or ITV

    Australia: SBS

    Brazil: SportTV

    Germany: ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Telekom

    Canada: Bell Media

    South Africa: SABC

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  • Gunmen abduct more than 100 in Nigeria’s Zamfara state | CNN

    Gunmen abduct more than 100 in Nigeria’s Zamfara state | CNN

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    More than 100 people, including women and children, were abducted when gunmen raided four villages in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state on Sunday, the information commissioner and residents said on Monday.

    Kidnapping has become endemic in northwest Nigeria as roving gangs of armed men abduct people from villages, highways and farms, and demand ransom money from their relatives.

    More than 40 people were abducted from Kanwa village in Zurmi local government area of Zamfara, Zamfara information commissioner Ibrahim Dosara and one local resident said.

    Another 37, mostly women and children were taken in Kwabre community in the same local government area, the resident added, declining to be named for security reasons.

    “Right now Kanwa village is deserted, the bandits divided themselves into two groups and attacked the community. They kidnapped children aged between 14 to 16 years and women,” the Kanwa village resident said.

    In Yankaba and Gidan Goga communities of Maradun Local government area, at least 38 people were kidnapped while working on their farms, residents said.

    Information commissioner Dosara accused the gunmen of using abductees as human shields against air raids from the military.

    Nigerian forces have launched a series of airstrikes in Zamfara and other troubled northern states, neutralizing many insurgents and dislodging them from their hideouts in the region’s vast forest reserves.

    The country’s military has also come under criticism after some of its air raids were found to have caused civilian deaths.

    Last month, Nigeria’s Air Force said it was reviewing “all allegations of accidental air strikes on civilians as well as review the circumstances leading to such strikes.”

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  • Twitter Africa employees accuse Elon Musk of discrimination over severance terms | CNN Business

    Twitter Africa employees accuse Elon Musk of discrimination over severance terms | CNN Business

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    CNN Business
     — 

    Laid-off employees at Twitter’s Africa headquarters are accusing Twitter of “deliberately and recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana” and trying to “silence and intimidate” them after they were fired.

    The team has hired a lawyer and sent a letter to the company demanding it comply with the West African nation’s labor laws, provide them with additional severance pay and other relevant benefits, in line with what other Twitter employees will receive.

    They have also petitioned the Ghanaian government to compel Twitter to “adhere to the laws of Ghana on redundancy and offer the employees a fair and just negotiation and redundancy pay,” according to a letter to the country’s Chief Labour Officer obtained by CNN.

    “It is clear that Twitter, Inc. under Mr Elon Musk is either deliberately or recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana, is operating in bad faith and in a manner that seeks to silence and intimidate former employees into accepting any terms unilaterally thrown at them,” the letter states.

    Twitter laid off all but one of the African employees just four days after the company opened a physical office in the capital Accra following Musk’s takeover. But the staff of about a dozen were not offered severance pay, which they say is required by Ghana’s labor laws, based on their employment contracts. They also claim they were not informed about the next steps — unlike employees in the United States and Europe — until a day after CNN reported on their situation.

    CNN contacted Twitter for comment but received no response.

    In the letter to Twitter Ghana Ltd, obtained by CNN, the African employees rejected a “Ghana Mutual Separation Agreement” from Twitter, which they say was sent to their personal emails offering final pay that the company claims to have been arrived at after a negotiation.

    Several members of the team and their lawyer told CNN that there was no such negotiation on severance pay. They claim it was below what is required by law and contradicts what Musk tweeted that departing employees would receive.

    “Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required,” Musk tweeted. Twitter informed the Ghana-based employees in early November that they would be paid until their last day of employment — December 4. And they will continue to receive full pay and benefits during the 30-day notice period.

    “It was very vague, did not talk about outstanding leave or paid time off, and just asked us to sign if we agree. I never bothered to go back to the document because it is rubbish and is still in violation of labor laws here,” one former employee told CNN on condition of anonymity.

    The Accra-based team accuses Twitter of dealing with them in bad faith, not being transparent, and discriminating against them compared to laid-off employees in other jurisdictions.

    “The employees are distressed, humiliated, and intimidated by this turn of events. There are non-Ghanaian employees, some with young families, who moved here to take up jobs and have now been left unceremoniously in the lurch, with no provision for repatriation expenses and no way to communicate with Twitter, Inc. and discuss or plead their case,” the notice to Ghana’s Chief Labour Officer says.

    Their attorney, Carla Olympio, says the sudden termination of almost the whole team violated Ghanaian employment law because it is considered a “redundancy” which requires three-month notice to authorities and a negotiation on redundancy pay.

    “In stark contrast to internal company assurances given to Twitter employees worldwide prior to the takeover, it seems that little attempt was made to comply with Ghana’s labor laws, and the protections enshrined therein for workers in circumstances where companies are undertaking mass layoffs due to a restructuring or reorganization,” she wrote in a statement to CNN.

    The employees said in their appeal to Ghana’s Chief Labour Officer that Twitter’s formal entry into the continent started with “great fanfare and with the support of the government,” and they expect similar attention to their plight now.

    They are demanding 3 months’ gross salary as severance pay, repatriation expenses for non-Ghanaian staff, vesting of stock options provided in their contracts, and other benefits such as healthcare continuation that were offered to staff worldwide.

    CNN has reached out to Ghana’s Employment and Labor Relations ministry for comment.

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  • This bird hadn’t been documented by scientists since 1882. Then they captured video of it in Papua New Guinea | CNN

    This bird hadn’t been documented by scientists since 1882. Then they captured video of it in Papua New Guinea | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A bird thought to be extinct for 140 years has been rediscovered in the forests of Papua New Guinea.

    The black-naped pheasant-pigeon was documented by scientists for the first and last time in 1882, according to a news release from nonprofit Re:wild, which helped fund the search effort.

    Rediscovering the bird required an expedition team to spend a grueling month on Fergusson, a rugged island in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago off eastern Papua New Guinea where the bird was originally documented. The team consisted of local staff at the Papua New Guinea National Museum as well as international scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy.

    Fergusson Island is covered in rugged, mountainous terrain – making the expedition especially challenging for the scientists. Many members of the community told the team that they hadn’t seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in decades, says the news release.

    But just two days before the researchers were scheduled to leave the island, a camera trap captured footage of the exceptionally rare bird.

    “After a month of searching, seeing those first photos of the pheasant-pigeon felt like finding a unicorn,” John C. Mittermeier, director of the lost birds program at American Bird Conservancy and co-leader of the expedition, said in the release. “It is the kind of moment you dream about your entire life as a conservationist and birdwatcher.”

    The black-naped pheasant-pigeon is a large, ground-dwelling pigeon with a broad tail, according to the release. Scientists still know little about the species and believe the population is small and decreasing.

    Insight from local residents was crucial for the scientists to track down the elusive bird.

    “It wasn’t until we reached villages on the western slope of Mt. Kilkerran that we started meeting hunters who had seen and heard the pheasant-pigeon,” Jason Gregg, a conservation biologist and co-leader of the expedition team, said in the release. “We became more confident about the local name of the bird, which is ‘Auwo,’ and felt like we were getting closer to the core habitat of where the black-naped pheasant-pigeon lives.”

    They placed a total of 12 camera traps on the slopes of Mt. Kilkerran, which is the island’s highest mountain. And they placed another eight cameras in locations where local hunters reported seeing the bird in the past.

    A hunter named Augustin Gregory, based in the mountain village Duda Ununa, provided the final breakthrough that helped scientists locate the pheasant-pigeon.

    Gregory told the team that he had seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in an area with “steep ridges and valleys,” says the news release. And he had heard the bird’s distinctive calls.

    So the expedition team placed a camera on a 3,200-foot high ridge near the Kwama River above Duda Ununa, according to the release. And finally, just as their trip was ending, they captured footage of the bird walking on the forest floor.

    The discovery was a shock for the scientists and the local community alike.

    “The communities were very excited when they saw the survey results, because many people hadn’t seen or heard of the bird until we began our project and got the camera trap photos,” said Serena Ketaloya, a conservationist from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, in the news release. “They are now looking forward to working with us to try to protect the pheasant-pigeon.”

    It’s still not clear just how many of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon are left, and the rugged terrain will make identifying the population difficult. A two-week survey in 2019 failed to find any proof of the bird, although it did discover some reports from hunters that helped determine the locations for the 2022 expedition.

    And the discovery might provide hope that other bird species thought extinct are still out there somewhere.

    “This rediscovery is an incredible beacon of hope for other birds that have been lost for a half century or more,” said Christina Biggs, the manager for the Search for Lost Species at Re:wild, in the release. “The terrain the team searched was incredibly difficult, but their determination never wavered, even though so few people could remember seeing the pheasant-pigeon in recent decades.”

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  • Layoffs could weaken Twitter in its biggest global growth markets | CNN Business

    Layoffs could weaken Twitter in its biggest global growth markets | CNN Business

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    New Delhi
    CNN Business
     — 

    It’s less than two weeks since Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter and already there are concerns that the company is choosing to ignore key risks in its biggest international growth markets.

    Twitter laid off thousands of employees across the company on Friday, including staff in India and Africa. The California-based company already had a turbulent relationship with governments in these regions, and tech experts fear that a diminished workforce will leave the platform more vulnerable than ever to misinformation and political pressure.

    Musk’s Twitter laid off nearly all the employees in its only African office just four days after it opened in the Ghanaian capital Accra, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

    Twitter announced that it would open its first African office in Ghana in April 2021, but its employees had been working remotely until last week. The sources told CNN that only one employee appears to have been retained in the Ghana office after the global job cuts.

    “It’s very insulting,” one former employee said on condition of anonymity. “They didn’t even have the courtesy to address me by name. The email just said ‘see attached’ and yet they used my name when they gave me an offer.”

    The company has reportedly also made sweeping reductions in India, one of its biggest markets. It laid off more than 90% of its staff in Asia’s third-largest economy over the weekend, according to a Bloomberg report this week, which cited unnamed sources. Twitter did not respond to multiple requests for comment by CNN.

    The Bloomberg report came two days after the Economic Times newspaper reported that Twitter had let go of 180 of about 230 employees in the country, citing unnamed sources.

    Free speech advocates say that slashing the workforce is bad news for both employees and users in Twitter’s international markets.

    Raman Jit Singh Chima, senior international counsel and Asia Pacific policy director at digital rights group Access Now, said that Twitter had just begun “protecting vulnerable communities” on its platform in India, and now it has sent a “clear signal” that it won’t be investing in public policy and online safety teams anymore.

    Even before the layoffs, Twitter was going through a tough time in both India and Africa.

    India’s ruling party has intensified a crackdown on social media and messaging apps since last year. American tech firms have repeatedly expressed fears that the country’s rules may erode privacy and usher in mass surveillance in the world’s fastest growing digital market. India says it is trying to maintain national security.

    As a result, Twitter had spent months locked in a high-stakes standoff with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over orders to take down content. This year, it even launched a legal challenge over orders to block content.

    Chima fears that Twitter’s depleted workforce may not have the ability to “challenge” the government and its problematic orders anymore. Musk’s other business interests — including a plan to sell Tesla vehicles in India — may further complicate the picture.

    “Musk’s simplistic understanding of free speech coupled with his desire to bring his other businesses to India and secure licensing for those,” make it hard for Twitter to push back, he explained.

    India’s tech ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

    The company also went through a challenging period in Nigeria last year.

    Last June, the Nigerian government suspended Twitter’s operations in the country, accusing the social media firm of allowing its platform to be used “for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

    The ban was announced just two days after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that was widely perceived as offensive. In the tweet, Buhari threatened citizens in the southeast region following attacks on public property.

    Nigeria decided to lift the ban only in January this year.

    Tech experts now fear that the company will find it even harder to navigate new laws in emerging markets.

    “Given India’s adversarial stance against big tech, companies like Twitter have always needed an army of public policy experts in the country to deal with whatever is thrown at them,” said Nikhil Pahwa, Delhi-based founder of tech website MediaNama, adding that he fears Twitter will “struggle to keep pace” with policy changes in India.

    Twitter does not share user numbers, but according to India, the platform has 17.5 million users in the country. Last year, India released new technology rules, which were aimed at regulating online content and require companies to hire people who can respond swiftly to legal requests to delete posts, among other things.

    Pahwa said that while certain “statutory positions” Twitter was forced to fill in order to comply with these rules will stay, he is unsure about the fate of other departments, including public policy, business and content moderation — all of which are key to thriving in growth markets.

    Analysts are also concerned globally about the impact these layoffs will have on misinformation.

    In the United States, there are worries that the growing tumult inside Twitter could weaken its safeguards for the midterm elections.

    Yoel Roth, the company’s head of safety and integrity, said on Friday about 15% of workers in the trust and safety team were let go.

    There are similar concerns in India, where social media activity is expected to ramp up as the country prepares for major state elections in the coming months.

    Content moderation is particularly tricky in India, where over 22 languages and hundreds more dialects are spoken. Digital rights groups had been demanding an increase in investment in the activity for years.

    “Content moderation has to be specific to geography,” said Vivan Sharan, partner at Delhi-based tech policy consulting firm Koan Advisory Group.

    “Are they interested in treating all users equally?” he wondered.

    — Larry Madowo contributed to this report.

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  • More than 600 killed in Nigeria’s worst flooding in a decade | CNN

    More than 600 killed in Nigeria’s worst flooding in a decade | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The death toll from the worst flooding Nigeria has seen in a decade has passed 600 people, the country’s humanitarian affairs ministry tweeted on Sunday.

    According to the ministry, more than 2 million people have been affected by flooding that has spread across parts of the country’s south after a particularly wet rainy season.

    More than 200,000 homes have been completely or partially damaged, the ministry added.

    Earlier this month, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency warned of catastrophic flooding for states located along the courses of the Niger and Benue rivers, noting that three of Nigeria’s overfilled reservoirs were expected to overflow. NEMA said the release of excess water from a dam in neighboring Cameroon had contributed to the flooding.

    While many parts of Nigeria are prone to yearly floods, flooding in certain areas has been more severe than the last major floods in 2012, a Red Cross official in Kogi told CNN last week.

    NASA images show decimating reach of worst flood this region has seen in a decade

    Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Umar Farouq warned Sunday that more flooding was likely and urged regional governments to prepare accordingly.

    “We are calling on the respective State Governments, Local Government Councils and Communities to prepare for more flooding by evacuating people living on flood plains to high grounds, provide tents and relief materials, fresh water as well as medical supplies for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases,” the ministry of humanitarian affairs said on Twitter Sunday.

    The country will soon implement its National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, aimed at improving coordination of the flood response efforts.

    According to the ministry, “relief has gone to every state of the federation,” and “many state governments did not prepare for the floods.”

    A delegation organized by the ministry will be visiting state governors across the country to suggest strengthening states’ flood response mechanisms.

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  • West Africa bloc mediator ‘satisfied’ after meeting Burkina Faso new military leader | CNN

    West Africa bloc mediator ‘satisfied’ after meeting Burkina Faso new military leader | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was satisfied by a meeting with the country’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore.

    Issoufou added that the 15-member bloc would continue accompanying Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule after the country was hit by its second military takeover this year.

    ECOWAS had repeatedly urged the junta that took control on Friday to respect a timetable agreed with their predecessors to return to constitutional rule by July 2024.

    “We had very profound exchanges. Very frank exchanges,” Issoufou told reporters after meeting religious leaders and Traore in the capital Ouagadougou.

    “I can assure you that ECOWAS will remain with the people of Burkina Faso … and the difficult challenge they face,” he added.

    Burkina Faso’s government released a statement saying the meeting took place but provided no further comments.

    The meeting took place against a backdrop of protests in Ouagadougou that forced the delegation to stay at the airport rather than travel to a conference hall in the city center for security reasons, a diplomatic source said.

    Dozens of demonstrators blocked access to the conference center on Tuesday morning to prevent the meeting from taking place, a Reuters reporter said.

    The crowds remained relatively small and peaceful.

    But they followed violent anti-France protests over the weekend that flared after Traore said Damiba had taken refuge in a French military base, which France denied.

    Some accused the bloc of siding with France, Burkina Faso’s former colonizer, and doing little to help the country tackle a rampant Islamist insurgency that has killed hundreds, displaced thousands, and pushed besieged towns in the north to the brink of famine.

    Frustrations over growing insecurity spurred both the first military takeover in January and the latest coup.

    ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali, all of which have seen coups since 2020.

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  • Who is Ibrahim Traore, the soldier behind Burkina Faso’s latest coup? | CNN

    Who is Ibrahim Traore, the soldier behind Burkina Faso’s latest coup? | CNN

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    Reuters
     — 

    As a heavily armed convoy drove through a cheering crowd in Burkina Faso’s capital on Sunday morning, the boyish face of the country’s latest military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, emerged from the turret of an armored personnel carrier.

    Sporting fatigues and a red beret, the 34-year-old smiled and raised his thumb as onlookers welcomed him, some by waving Russian flags.

    Traore, a relatively low-ranking officer who days earlier was running an artillery regiment in a small northern town, has been catapulted onto the world stage since he and a group of soldiers overthrew President Paul-Henri Damiba in a Sept. 30 coup.

    Little is known about Traore and his colleagues, who since Friday have delivered statements on national television brandishing guns, ammunition belts, and masks.

    They face gigantic challenges to alleviate hardship in one of the world’s poorest countries where drought, food shortages, and creaking health and education systems provide daily challenges for millions. Yet the initial focus has been conflict and politics.

    In an interview with Radio France International on Monday, Traore, a career soldier who has fought on the front lines against Islamist militants in the north, insisted he would not be in charge for long.

    A national conference will appoint a new interim ruler by the end of the year. That leader, who could be civilian or military, will honor an agreement with West Africa’s regional bloc and oversee a return to civilian rule by 2024, he said.

    “We did not come to continue, we did not come for a particular purpose,” he said. “All that matters when the level of security returns is the fight, it’s development.”

    Still, an early picture has emerged of what Traore’s junta intends to do with its time in power.

    Their moves, which may include army reform and ties to new international partners such as Russia, could alter politics in West Africa and change how Burkina Faso fights an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands and forced millions to flee.

    Army officers initially supported Damiba when he took power in his own coup in January, promising to defeat the Islamists. But they quickly lost patience. Damiba refused to reform the army, Traore’s junta said. Attacks worsened. Just last week, at least 11 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north.

    Meanwhile, Russia has expressed support for the coup just as regional neighbors and western powers condemned it.

    “I salute and support Captain Ibrahim Traore,” read a statement from Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of private military company Wagner Group, which has operations across Africa, including in Burkina Faso’s neighbor Mali.

    Ties with Russia would put a further strain on relations with former colonial power France, which has provided military support in recent years but has become the target of pro-Russian protests. Its embassy in Ouagadougou was attacked in the aftermath of Friday’s coup.

    Wagner’s entry into Mali last year spelled the end to France’s decade-long mission to contain Islamists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State who have since spread into Burkina Faso.

    Wagner and the Malian army have since been accused by rights groups and witnesses of widespread abuses, including the killing of hundreds of civilians in the town of Moura in March.

    Burkina Faso’s new leaders on Saturday stoked anti-French rioting when they said in a statement on television that France had sheltered Damiba at a military base and that he was planning a counter-offensive.

    The French foreign ministry denied the base had hosted Damiba.

    Traore is on a crash course in diplomacy. He downplayed the link between Damiba and France and called an end to the protests. About ties with Russia, he was vague.

    “There are many partners. France is a partner. There is no particular target,” he told RFI.

    Meanwhile, he must juggle everyday problems. On Sunday, he arrived in military fatigues for a meeting with ministerial officials which was streamed online.

    Can the junta guarantee the safety of schools that reopen this week, they asked their new leader. What is being done about a tender for a railway link to Ghana?

    Traore, who had to consult with advisers, did not have all the answers.

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  • ‘No indications’ that attack on US convoy in Nigeria was targeted, Blinken says | CNN Politics

    ‘No indications’ that attack on US convoy in Nigeria was targeted, Blinken says | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    The United States does “not yet know the motive for the attack” on a US convoy in Nigeria Tuesday, but has “no indications at this time that it was targeted against our Mission,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

    According to the top US diplomat, “the convoy was carrying nine Nigerian nationals: five employees of the US Mission to Nigeria and four members of the Nigeria Police Force.”

    “They were traveling in advance of a planned visit by US Mission personnel to a US-funded flood response project in Anambra,” he said in a statement.

    At least four people were killed in the attack by “unknown assailants” on the two vehicle convoy, Blinken said, and the other five remain unaccounted for.

    Local police told CNN on Tuesday that two of the people killed were US Mission workers and two were police officers.

    Blinken extended his condolences “to the families of those killed in the attack,” as well as vowed “to do everything possible to safely recover those who remain missing.”

    “US Mission personnel are working urgently with Nigerian counterparts to ascertain the location and condition of the members of the convoy who are unaccounted for,” he said, adding: “We condemn in the strongest terms this attack. We will work closely with our Nigerian law enforcement colleagues in seeking to bring those responsible to justice.”

    Hours before the attack on the US convoy Tuesday, Blinken spoke with Nigerian President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu about the US’ “continued commitment to further strengthening the US-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration,” according to a State Department readout.

    “The Secretary noted that the US-Nigeria partnership is built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and that those links should continue to strengthen under President-elect Tinubu’s tenure,” the readout said.

    The leaders, according to the readout, “discussed the importance of inclusive leadership that represents all Nigerians, continued comprehensive security cooperation, and reforms to support economic growth.”

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  • Laid-off Twitter Africa team ‘ghosted’ without severance pay or benefits, former employees say | CNN Business

    Laid-off Twitter Africa team ‘ghosted’ without severance pay or benefits, former employees say | CNN Business

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    Nairobi, Kenya
    CNN
     — 

    Former employees of Twitter Africa who were laid off as part of a global cost-cutting measure after Elon Musk’s acquisition have not received any severance pay more than seven months since leaving the company, several sources told CNN.

    In late May, the former employees, who were based in the Ghanaian capital Accra, accepted Twitter’s

    (TWTR)     offer to pay them three months worth of severance, the cost of repatriating foreign staff and legal expenses incurred during negotiations with the company, but they have not received the money or any further communication, the sources said.

    “They literally ghosted us,” one former Twitter Africa employee told CNN.

    “Although Twitter has eventually settled former staff in other locations, Africa staff have still been left in the lurch despite us eventually agreeing to specific negotiated terms.”

    The former employees say they reluctantly agreed to the severance package without benefits, even though it was less than what colleagues elsewhere received.

    “Twitter was non-responsive until we agreed to the three months because we were all so stressed and exhausted and tired of the uncertainty, reluctant to take on the extra burdens of a court case so we felt we had no choice but to settle,” another former employee told CNN.

    The former employees spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because they said they were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of their exit terms.

    According to Carla Olympio, an attorney who is representing the former employees, the last communication from Twitter or its lawyers was in May, shortly after settlement was agreed.

    CNN reached out to Twitter for comment on the status of the severance package for the former employees in the Ghana office but received an automated response – a poop emoji. It’s unclear whether Twitter still has a media relations department.

    In March, Musk tweeted that Twitter would respond to all press inquiries with the poop emoji. He completed a deal to buy the social media platform in October.

    CNN also asked Ghana’s Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations for comment. A spokesperson said they are investigating the claims.

    Whether Ghanaian authorities can compel Twitter to comply with the settlement is uncertain. The former employees and their attorney say the offer was never finalized.

    The dozen or so team members were laid off just four days after the social network opened a physical office in Accra last November.

    Some of them said they had moved to Ghana from other African nations, and depended on their jobs at Twitter to support their legal status in the country.

    “Unfortunately, it appears that after having unethically implemented their terminations in violation of their own promises and Ghana’s laws, dragging the negotiation process out for over half a year, now that we have come to the point of almost settlement, there has been complete silence from them for several weeks,” Olympio said.

    Twitter and Musk face multiple lawsuits where plaintiffs are claiming the company has failed to pay former staffers what they are owed.

    Last week, a former US employee filed a proposed class action lawsuit claiming the company didn’t pay the full amount of severance benefits it promised last November prior to mass layoffs.

    The plaintiff said Twitter promised senior employees severance of six months of base pay plus one week for every year of service, in addition to other benefits. Instead, the plaintiff said they received a total of three months of pay, according to the lawsuit. In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit, Twitter sent CNN an automated poop emoji.

    In April, Musk told the BBC more than 6,000 people had been laid off since he completed his acquisition of the company in late October.

    “We’re exploring our options with respect to causes of action against Twitter in various jurisdictions including Ghana,” Olympio told CNN.

    Twitter did not open negotiations with the African team until after CNN reported in November that they had been offered separation terms that differed from those offered to departing staff in Europe and North America.

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  • US troops restricted to American base in Niger | CNN Politics

    US troops restricted to American base in Niger | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    US troops in Niger have been restricted to the American military base in Agadez, Niger, as the Biden administration works to restore democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum to power.

    A US military official said the approximately 1,000 troops were “retrograded” back to the base last week, shortly after Bazoum was seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday.

    The US has not yet formally decided if the situation constitutes a coup – a designation that would require the US to cut foreign and military assistance to the Nigerien government, which could have serious consequences for the fight against terrorism and stability in the region. There is no timeframe in which the US is required to make a coup designation.

    “We’re working really, really hard to see if we can turn this around,” said a senior State Department official on Monday. “Since the situation is not yet set and concrete, we think we should try and take that opportunity.”

    On Thursday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke with his counterpart in Niger.

    “The two leaders discussed the safety of Americans and the developing situation in Niger,” Col. Dave Butler said in a statement Monday.

    US officials continue to stress that the situation is incredibly fluid, and that their focus is on diplomatic efforts, along with regional partners, to restore democratic rule in Niger.

    The US overall force posture in the country has not changed, as that would require a separate policy decision. But the Pentagon is engaging in “strategic patience as we monitor the situation and see how it resolves itself,” the military official said.

    The US has had troops in Niger for around a decade, mostly advising and training Nigerien forces on counterterrorism efforts.

    The senior State Department official said Monday that the situation on the ground is relatively calm.

    “There’s really no unrest in the city or the country. It’s really all focused on the president’s residence,” where Bazoum is detained, the official said.

    The US continues to perceive the takeover as stemming from an internal domestic dispute between Bazoum and the head of the presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, who was appointed by the previous president and believed he was going to be dismissed.

    In the days since, Nigerien forces have come out in support of the putschists, though the senior State Department official said that “in subsequent conversations with some key military leaders, they’ve told us that they did not object to what was taking place because they couldn’t figure out how to get the presidential guard to stand down without risk to the life of the President and his family, because the presidential guard had surrounded the president’s residence.”

    The official said it does not appear that Tiani has been able to build consensus among the military on his actions, and that his decision to name himself as president “might have been a surprise to some of the other military leaders in country.”

    “We don’t have an understanding that he is wildly popular,” the official said.

    There are still no indications that groups like Wagner have played any role in the takeover or subsequent protests, but “of course, it is our expectation – you’ve already seen (Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny) Prigozhin speak – that they’ll try and take advantage of it,” the official said.

    “I think the coup leaders will try and take advantage of the anti-French sentiment in the region,” they added.

    While there have been public protests that appear to support the military takeover, the official said that the US believes the public would prefer a democratic government.

    “It’s our expectation that generally speaking, the public would prefer to have their democratically-elected government and not suffer these consequences. But they may not feel free to speak about it,” the official said.

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