Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
A United Nations report has alleged that recruits of the Somalia National Army participated alongside the Eritrean army in the Tigray region in what can be termed as an illegal international military operation.
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.
Rep. Gregory Meeks etched his name in history as was elected the first Black Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs... View Article
The post Rep. Meeks elected first Black Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee appeared first on TheGrio.
EDITORIAL COMMENT ZIMBABWEANS have suffered a lot at the hands of the Zanu PF-led regime. Honestly, the legislation of a law that curtails freedom of expression is the least they deserve at this juncture. The proposed legislation, the brainchild of Pupurai Togarepi the Zanu PF chief whip, which Justice permanent secretary Virginia Mabiza was at pains to justify, should not be allowed to see the light of day. Mabiza reportedly said it is the prerogative of the State to engage other nations on matters to do with international relations, hence the law would criminalise acts such as communicating with foreign governments without approval, making statements which may harm the country and conniving with hostile governments to harm the nation. At face value, the proposed legislation appears to be a brainwave. But the question that begs an answer is: Is the law necessary in a constitutional democracy where freedom of expression is enshrined in the supreme law of the land? The answer is an emphatic no. No because communication which exposes human rights violations and other ills highlights the shortcomings of a sitting government for the good of the country and this should be viewed as patriotism of the highest order. Yes loyalty to the State of Zimbabwe which we all owe our allegiance to. We wish to make it clear to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his acolytes that the nation owes allegiance and should be patriotic to the State, and not his administration, which is the author of the mess the country is mired in as we speak and that exposure of malpractices is an obligation of all patriotic Zimbabweans. It should not be viewed as bravery as is the case in the country. Bravery yes because you have put yourself at the mercy of the government and are bound to face the wrath of the entire State arsenal. It’s like one has committed treason yet government should be answerable to the electorate. Curtailment of freedoms is not a new phenomenon in the country as during the tenure of the late former President Robert Mugabe we watched in servile acquiesce a media organisation being closed by then Information minister Jonathan Moyo under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. That Act has been repealed, but Mnangagwa’s administration wants to smuggle it back masked as patriotism law. The citizenry can’t be fooled for the umpteenth time, once bitten twice shy. Watch the space, media houses won’t be spared by the proposed draconian law. Mnangagwa should be stopped lest we continue gravitating towards a one-party State. In the 1980s, the nation was patriotic but that has since changed because a sense of belonging and ownership that used to be the hallmark of our nation has been lost as people watch in awe while the elite plunders national resources which are supposed to be shared by all and sundry. Mnangagwa should not be allowed to silence the voice of the people which he aptly referred to as the voice of God. What has befallen our listening President, we wonder.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -- Ethiopian Ambassador to Sweden and other Nordic countries, Deriba Kuma has held a virtual meeting with Head of the Horn of Africa and West Africa Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elisabeth Schwabe-Hansen.
A conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region could trigger broader destabilisation in the country, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the Security Council as he warned that a dire humanitarian situation in the north was set to
Armed groups have committed massacres and other atrocities, and defence and security forces have also been responsible for grave human rights violations in these provinces as well as in other parts of the country.
\"I am appalled by the increase in brutal attacks on innocent civilians by armed groups, and by the reaction of the military and security forces who have also committed grave violations, including killings and sexual violence.
According to the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC (UNJHRO), between 1 October 2019 and 31 May 2020, at least 531 civilians have been killed by armed groups in Ituri, 375 of them since March, when the violence soared.
In North Kivu, the launch of military operations by the government forces in November 2019led to retaliatory attacks against civilians by the main armed group, the ADF, which by 31 May had killed at least 514 civilians using machetes, axes and heavy weapons, and have been abducting children and attacking schools and hospitals.
Serious violence and killings have also been taking place in Kongo Central and Kinshasa where, between 30 March and 24 April, at least 62 civilians were killed and 74 injured during seven operations conducted by the PNC and the FARDC against militants of the politico-religious group Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK).
The Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in football, will not be awarded this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the organisers have chosen to select what they call the Ballon d’Or Dream 11. And no African player is included.
[Daily Maverick] Weapons produced in South Africa are awash in Yemen and being used by numerous parties in that war, says a report by Open Secrets.
Sandra Lindsay, a critical-care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, on Monday became one of the first people in the United States to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said he had ordered a military response to a deadly attack by the ruling party of the Tigray region on a camp housing federal troops.
The post U.S. Criticized For Police Violence, Racism At U.N. Rights Review appeared first on Essence.
HUMAN rights lobby group, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum says it recorded at least 920 human rights violations involving State security agents under the guise of enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. BY Nhau Mangirazi In a report launched yesterday, the rights group said the violations included abductions and torture, extra-judicial killings, assaults on citizens by law enforcement officers, attacks on journalists, unlawful arrests and gunshots. Most of the violations were recorded ahead of the foiled July 30 protests where citizens intended to demonstrate against the deteriorating human rights situation and corruption in the country. “Other violations that could not be adequately quantified due to their high frequency include harassment, threats and intimidation,” read part of the report titled 180 Days of What?. “The lockdown was also marred by reports of violations on fundamental rights to dignity and rights not to be tortured, rights to water, food, medical services, access to information, and restrictions to freedom of expression, non-compliance with court orders and corruption.” According to the report, about 280 reports of assaults and torture, including dog bites, were recorded, while 20 cases of assault on journalists and 538 unlawful arrests and detention were recorded. The rights defenders also recorded 12 abductions, two gun shots, four extra-judicial killings, eights raids, 57 displacements and two cases of harassment, threat and intimidation across the country. In a country with a fragile economy, the pandemic further exacerbated the plight of citizens in relation to social and economic rights. Access to water, food and health was also a major challenge for communities, forcing the majority to venture out in search of the services and inadvertently violating lockdown regulations. The report also noted the failure by government to provide personal protective equipment in hospitals as the biggest cause of the spread of the COVID-19. “This report was compiled from stories recorded across the length and breadth of our country. It captures personal accounts of victims of all sorts of violations, through 180 stories. The report is also a scorecard of the performance of duty bearers in this time of crisis,” Musa Kika, the rights group executive director said. “The 180 days national lockdown period was marred by violations of civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights.” Police were urged to conduct a thorough investigation into all outstanding reported cases concerning excessive use of force and live ammunition by security forces on citizens and bring the perpetrators to book. The human rights lobby group also urged government to stop persecuting whistleblowers and establish an independent and credible department that monitors and oversees compliance to prevent human rights violations, corruption and malpractices by police officers.
