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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council unanimously called for a reversal of the military coup in Myanmar on Wednesday, strongly condemning the violence against peaceful protesters and calling for “utmost restraint...
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
Ralph J. Bunche confirmed by United Nations Security Council as acting UN mediator in Palestine.
Lying on the Atlantic in the southern part of West Africa, Liberia is bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte dIvoire. It is comparable in size to Tennessee. Most of the country is a plateau covered by dense tropical forests, which thrive under an annual rainfall of about 160 in. a year.
Republic.
Africas first republic, Liberia was founded in 1822 as a result of the efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle freed American slaves in West Africa. The society contended that the emigration of blacks to Africa was an answer to the problem of slavery and the incompatibility of the races. Over the course of forty years, about 12,000 slaves were voluntarily relocated. Originally called Monrovia, the colony became the Free and Independent Republic of Liberia in 1847.
The English-speaking Americo-Liberians, descendants of former American slaves, make up only 5% of the population, but have historically dominated the intellectual and ruling class. Liberias indigenous population is composed of 16 different ethnic groups.
The government of Africas first republic was modeled after that of the United States, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts of Virginia was elected the first president. Ironically, Liberias constitution denied indigenous Liberians equal to the lighter-skinned American immigrants and their descendants.
After 1920, considerable progress was made toward opening up the interior of the country, a process that facilitated by the 1951 establishment of a 43-mile (69-km) railroad to the Bomi Hills from Monrovia. In July 1971, while serving his sixth term as president, William V. S. Tubman died following surgery and was succeeded by his longtime associate, Vice President William R. Tolbert, Jr.
Tolbert was ousted in a military coup on April 12, 1980, by Master Sgt. Samuel K. Doe, backed by the U.S. government. Does rule was characterized by corruption and brutality. A rebellion led by Charles Taylor, a former Doe aide, and the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), started in Dec. 1989; the following
Today is the day of 2020. There are days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1994: A federal court jury in Anchorage, Alaska, orders Exxon Corp to pay US$5 billion in punitive damages to Alaskan fishermen and natives for the March 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.�OTHER EVENTS
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The historic South Carolina city of Charleston was removing a symbol of its legacy on Wednesday, sending crews to take away a statue honoring John C. Calhoun, an early U.S. vice president whose zealous defense of slavery led the nation toward civil war.
“I believe that we are setting a new chapter, a more equitable chapter, in our city’s history,” said the mayor, John Tecklenburg, sent the resolution calling for its removal to the council.
Clark suggested a notion that city leaders had considered in the past: adding contextual information about Calhoun’s history with slavery, rather than taking down the monument.
It also comes as cities around the U.S. debate the removal of monuments to Confederate leaders and others, and as thousands of Americans demonstrate against racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee.
In its resolution, the city says the statue “is seen by many people as something other than a memorial to the accomplishments of a South Carolina native, but rather a symbol glorifying slavery and as such, a painful reminder of the history of slavery in Charleston.”
Tensions grew between the Wafd Party and the monarchy following independence, and in 1952, the army, led by Gen. Mohammed Naguib, seized power. Three days later, King Farouk abdicated in favor of his infant son. The monarchy was abolished and a republic proclaimed on June 18, 1953, with Naguib becoming president and prime minister. He relinquished the prime ministership in 1954 to Gamal Abdel Nasser, leader of the ruling military junta. Nasser also assumed the presidency in 1956.
Nassers policies embroiled his country in continual conflict. In 1956, the U.S. and Britain withdrew their pledges of financial aid for the building of the Aswan High Dam. In response, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and expelled British oil and embassy officials. The Soviet Union then agreed to finance the dam and would come to exert increasing influence over Egypt in the coming decade. Israel, barred from the canal and exasperated by terrorist raids, invaded the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. Britain and France, after demanding Egyptian evacuation of the canal zone, attacked Egypt on Oct. 31, 1956. Worldwide pressure forced Britain, France, and Israel to halt the hostilities. A UN emergency force occupied the canal zone, and all troops were evacuated in the spring of 1957.
From 1956 to 1961, Egypt and Syria united to form a single country called the United Arab Republic (UAR). Syria ended this relationship in 1961 after a military coup, but Egypt continued to call itself the UAR until 1971.
The Leaders of the Urban League Movement, including National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, Urban League of Greater Atlanta President/CEO Nancy A. Flake Johnson, and all affiliate presidents, hereby issue the following statement in response to the civil unrest sweeping the nation:
Our communities are overwhelmed with grief and people are angry.
When George Floyd begged for his life as Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin cavalierly pressed his knee into a handcuffed and subdued Floyd’s throat for almost 9 minutes, the handcuffed man cried out but his voice was ignored and unheard by law enforcement, who had been sworn to “protect and serve” all citizens.
These include: • Advocating for a new system of accountability and unified voices that make clear that law enforcement departments and their officers will be held accountable for their actions that will include dismissals and swift justice in the form of criminal charges when laws and department protocols are broken.
Along with our focus on law enforcement policies and practices, we also are developing ways to reenergize our efforts to tear down the systems of institutional racism that are deeply rooted across all sectors of American life (housing, workplace, health, criminal justice, small business development and civic engagement).
Research the candidates for President, District Attorney, Judges, council members, commissioners, representatives, senators, school board members and more;3) And last but not least, we must UNITE and hold our elected leaders and law enforcement officials accountable and work TOGETHER to undertake sustainable change to ensure civil and economic justice for all.
A neighbor of Senegal and Guinea in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast, Guinea-Bissau is about half the size of South Carolina. The country is a low-lying coastal region of swamps, rain forests, and mangrove-covered wetlands, with about 25 islands off the coast. The Bijagos archipelago extends 30 mi (48 km) out to sea.
The land now known as Guinea-Bissau was once the kingdom of Gabú, which was part of the larger Mali empire. After 1546 Gabú became more autonomous, and at least portions of the kingdom existed until 1867. The first European to encounter Guinea-Bissau was the Portuguese explorer Nuño Tristão in 1446; colonists in the Cape Verde islands obtained trading rights in the territory, and it became a center of the Portuguese slave trade. In 1879, the connection with the islands was broken.
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (another Portuguese colony) was founded in 1956, and guerrilla warfare by nationalists grew increasingly effective. By 1974 the rebels controlled most of the countryside, where they formed a government that was soon recognized by scores of countries. The military coup in Portugal in April 1974 brightened the prospects for freedom, and in August the Lisbon government signed an agreement granting independence to the province. The new republic took the name Guinea-Bissau.
In Nov. 1980, João Bernardo Vieira headed a military coup that deposed Luis Cabral, president since 1974. In his 19 years of rule, Vieira was criticized for crony capitalism and corruption and for failing to alleviate the poverty of Guinea-Bissau, one of the worlds poorest countries. Vieira also brought in troops from Senegal and the Republic of Guinea to help fight against an insurgency movement, a highly unpopular act. In May 1999 rebels deposed Vieira.
Following a period of military rule, Kumba Yalá, a former teacher and popular leader of Guinea-Bissaus independence movement, was elected president in 2000. In Sept. 2003 he was deposed in a military coup. Yalás
Makila James is currently serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland. James was nominated by President Barack Obama early in 2012. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2012, James arrived in Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland and presented her credentials to the King of Swaziland on September 20, 2012.
Makila James, one of ten children born to Albert and Eddie Mae James, was born in July 1957 in New York. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in 1979, double majoring in Africana Studies and American History. She was one of the few African Americans inducted into Cornell’s Quill and Dagger Honor Society at the University. Three years later James received a Juris Doctor (law degree) from Colombia Law School and in 2010 she received a Master’s Degree in National Security from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
James’s career as a diplomat began when she joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1988. Her first overseas posting was as a Consular Officer in Kingston, Jamaica from 1989 to 1992. From 1993 to 1995 she was a Political/Economics Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Kaduna, Nigeria and she later served as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Ambassador James also held positions at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. including Watch Officer at the Operations Center, Desk Officer for Sierra Leone and Gambia in the Office of West African Affairs, and International Relations Officer in the Department’s Office of International Organization Affairs. She was the State Department representative in the International Relations Office for Africa at the United Nations Security Council in New York City, New York. From 2002 to 2003 James was a Research Fellow at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
From 2003 to 2006, James served as a member of the U.S. State Departments Policy Planning Staff. She returned to Africa between 2006 and 2007, to become the first full time Principal Officer at
Early Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council approved a budget shifting close to $8 million from policing to social service programs including mental health response and violence prevention, CBS News reports. […]
The post #DefundThePolice: Minneapolis City Council Voted To Move Nearly $8 Million From Police Budget appeared first on Essence.
The City of St. Petersburg unveiled a “Black Life Matters Mural” on a city street, similar to D.C.’s.
A mural in St. Pete’s black community on a sparsely traveled avenue does not have the same impact.
The location does not convey a commitment to the principles of Black Lives Matters by Mayor Kriseman and council members.
Yet, the mural proclaiming the value of black life was painted on an avenue in the black community where residents clearly understand their importance and, more importantly, know others in criminal justice, city administration and the larger community may not share the same belief.
Shame on you to the decision-makers for its placement and their less than stellar commitment to the real issues that impact black lives — police body cams, education, economic development, employment, housing, health care, etc.
By Tom Lyden, Fox 9 At least 150 Minneapolis Police Officers have begun the process of seeking 'duty disability' for post-traumatic stress under the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA), said an attorney representing the officers. The attorney, Ron Meuser, who handles most disability claims for the Minneapolis Police Federation, told the FOX 9 Investigators []
The Angolan Civil War, beginning at the time of the countrys independence from Portugal in 1975, was a 27-year struggle involving the deaths of over 500,000 soldiers and civilians. Initiated at the height of the Cold War, pro- and anti-communist forces in Angola set the stage for a proxy fight between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Though the fighting officially ended in 2002, Angola remains in economic and social turmoil with a massive refugee crisis and millions of landmines impeding farming practices.
Rich in diamonds and oil, Angola was one of the last African nations to receive independence from a European power. On April 25, 1974, a Portuguese military coup d’état protesting the country’s colonial practices successfully overthrew the regime. The combined forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) created a transitional government with the Alvor Accord of 1974.
Within a year the government had disintegrated, and with aid from the USSR and the Cuban military, the Marxist-oriented MPLA under the leadership of José dos Santos had wrested control of most of Angola. Indirectly and through proxies, governments from the United States, Brazil and South Africa funded UNITA, providing munitions, intelligence reports, and mercenaries.
Heavy fighting continued until 1991 when a temporary agreement known as the Bicesse Accords was reached. Calling for an immediate ceasefire and the removal of both Cuban and South African troops, the agreement mandated a new national government and army, along with Angola’s first multi-party elections. A year later, MPLA candidate José dos Santos won 49% of the popular vote in the election compared to 40% for UNITA candidate Dr. Jonas Savimbi. When Savimbi disputed the outcome, UNITA resumed guerilla war against the MPLA.
In 1993 the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 864 placing
Kenya is banking on repeated endorsements by the African Union and Nairobi's own networks to clinch a seat at the UN Security Council when a vote comes up this evening.
In Africa, Kenya will be competing against Djibouti, which it beat three times at the African Union endorsement vote last year, but which stuck to the race, challenging the validity of the elections.
It was the third time the mission was clarifying the issue, after Djibouti contested the decision at the AU, saying the committee of permanent representatives who voted in Kenya had no authority to transmit the decision, unless endorsed by the AU Executive Council (a group of foreign ministers from AU member states).
In October last year, two months after Djibouti challenged Kenya's victory, Namira Negm, AU's Legal Counsel, wrote to AU members advising that the vote was conducted by African permanent representatives to the AU, on the authority of the Executive Council and hence did not require any further endorsements from the foreign ministers.
Kenya could also enjoy an edge over Djibouti, given that the African Union might want to prevent any possible falling-out from its decisions, argued Dr Wilfred Nasong'o Muliro, an international relations lecturer at Technical University of Kenya.
BY MOSES MATENGA PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday told a Zanu PF central committee meeting in Harare that he appointed Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga to head the Health portfolio to sort out striking doctors and nurses with a “soldier mentality”. Chiwenga was appointed to the portfolio last month following the ouster of Obadiah Moyo, who is facing abuse of office charges that also involve associates of Mnangagwa’s Family. The former Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, who traded the military fatigue for political office after a military coup that ousted the late former President Robert Mugabe in November 2017, came into the health portfolio amid a crippling job action by nurses demanding a living wage. “We realised that year after year, we would not go for four or five months without a strike in the health sector. I realised we needed a soldier there. We had to second a soldier there and now they are back at work,” Mnangagwa said in apparent reference to Chiwenga. In August, armed police were deployed to beat up striking nurses at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare, while others were also deployed in Bulawayo and other cities. Nurses were also arrested for downing tools during that period. Chiwenga, soon after his appointment, pleaded with the health workers to return to work and pledged to end the culture of looting by those politically connected. He came in when the health workers had declared war on their employers, insisting they would not go back to work before their concerns were raised. Their concerns included United States dollar-pegged salaries, personal protective equipment, among other essentials, and the government had failed to convince them to go back to work. There were reports soon after his appointment that Chiwenga was targeting some members of Mnangagwa’s family who were fingered in the COVID-19 looting scandals that involved alleged abuse of millions of dollars. Several people, including Moyo and one Delish Nguwaya, a close associate of the Mnangagwa family, have since been arrested over the scandals, while journalists who exposed the said rot have either been arrested or are in hiding.
The first scheduled hearing on the Louisville Metro Council's investigation into Mayor Greg Fischer's administration and its handling of the protests after the killing of Breonna Taylor took place on Monday (August 3). The meeting was scheduled to last four hours, but was cut short after attorneys for the police refused to answer questions publicly. […]
The post Louisville police officers walk out of Breonna Taylor hearing appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
Yahya Jammeh is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the second president of Gambia from 1994 to 2017. Jammeh ruled Gambia for twenty-three years after rising to power as a young army officer in a bloodless military coup in 1994 that ousted Dawda Jawara who had been the first president of Gambia. He was officially elected the second president of The Gambia in 1996 and reelected in 2001, 2006, and 2011. He was defeated in the 2016 Gambian presidential election by Adama Barrow and was subsequently forced to step down from power in 2017.
Jammeh was born on May 25, 1965, in Kanilai, Gambia, three months after the country gained its independence from Great Britain. Jammeh joined the Gambian National Army in 1984 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1989. In August 1992, he became commanding officer of the Military Police of Yundum Barracks. He received extensive military training from neighboring Senegal and military police training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Jammeh’s rise to power began on July 22, 1994, when he and a group of young officers in the Gambian National Army seized power from President Sir Dawda Jawara in a military coup by taking control of key facilities in the capital city of Banjul. The coup was known to be a bloodless coup that was met with little resistance. Jammeh’s group identified itself as the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) with Jammeh acting as chairman.
Soon after seizing power, the Jammeh-led AFPRC suspended the constitution, sealed the borders, and implemented a nationwide curfew. Jammeh’s new government justified the coup by decrying corruption and the absence of democracy under the Jawara regime. Army personnel were also dissatisfied with their salaries, living conditions, and prospects for promotions.
In 1994 Jammeh founded the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction as his political party. He was narrowly elected president in September 1996 in a national election which foreign observers declared was neither free nor fair. He
Kenya narrowly won an election for a non-permanent United Nations Security Council seat Thursday, in a vote impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway all won their bids in first-round voting on Wednesday, but neither Kenya nor Djibouti attained the two-thirds majority needed in the U.N. General Assembly to take a seat designated for Africa on the powerful 15-nation council.
In a second round on Thursday, Kenya achieved the slimmest of victories, obtaining 129 votes, one more than needed to win the seat.
Djibouti’s foreign minister congratulated Kenya after the vote.
In the first round of voting on Wednesday, Ireland and Norway also had a tight race with Canada over two available seats for their regional group.
