Headline

Goodluck Jonathan Names One Major Source Of Conflict In African Countries

Published

4 years ago

November 20, 2021

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has insisted that one major source of conflicts in many African countries is the inability to manage diversities.

Jonathan also called on Africa nations to harness their diversities and differences for greatness.

He urged Africans to begin to see a little more than their tribes in all that they do, adding “your tribe alone cannot make a nation.”

The former President made the call at the 2021 “Democracy Dialogue” with the theme “Democracy and the Unity of State” organised by Goodluck foundation Foundation in Abuja.

Jonathan, who is the founder of the foundation, said that the diversity of Africa nations had often been misconstrued to be a source of their challenge, hence if well harnessed, it would be a source of greatness.

“As President and out of office, I have been involved in managing conflicts in many African countries.

“In the course of such missions, I had observed that one of the major sources of problems is the inability to manage diversities.

“In Africa, we need to harness our diversities and differences and translate them to strength for a more peaceful and prosperous future.

“Our diversity is often misconstrued to be the source of our challenges, but I feel, if properly harnessed, it will be the source of our greatness.

“One good way to make progress in this regard is to strengthen government institutions to improve integration, equity, and social inclusion in our various nations,” Jonathan said.

The former President said that to win peace in Africa, countries in the continent needed to constantly engage in meaningful conversations in order to reach a compromise on issues.

According to him, the weapons of warfare for the continent in times like this should be love, justice and hope.

“The pursuit of these virtues will guarantee sustainable peace and unity in Africa.

“While guns, drones and other artillery may win the war, to win the peace, we need to constantly engage in meaningful conversations in order to reach a compromise on issues affecting us all.

“We are optimistic that discussions and suggestions from gatherings like this will help set the agenda for bigger civic engagements for the promotion of peace and good governance in Africa,” he said.

Jonathan said that the dialogue aimed at advancing the course of nationhood and building a consensus around some critical issues affecting Africa unity and development.

According to him, the theme of the dialogue captured the essence of democracy, which drives its steam from productive civic engagements.

He said that the foundation believed that democracy was a nation-building tool, a vehicle for the realisation of such societal aspirations as justice, peace, freedom and progress.

“For us, we carry the burden of promoting peace and prosperity, as aptly captured in our mission not just in Nigeria but in Africa.

“There is no better way to realise this than through consistent engagement with different stakeholders in our democratic space.

“Some nations are going through many challenges that have continued to pose serious threats to their unity and corporate existence.

“Democracy thrives on the mutuality of trust between government and the people and among the different groups within a state,” Jonathan said.

Headline

Court Jails Two For Targeting President With Sorcery

Published

9 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

A Zambian court on Monday sentenced two men to two years in prison with hard labour on charges of attempting to use witchcraft to kill the country’s president.

Mozambican national Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Zambian village chief Leonard Phiri were arrested in December in possession of charms, including a live chameleon.

Police said they planned to use the charms to harm President Hakainde Hichilema, and they were charged with professing knowledge of witchcraft and possession of charms.

“The motive of the crime was to kill the head of state,” magistrate Fine Mayambu ruled in the capital Lusaka on Monday.

“The convicts were not only enemies of the head of state but all Zambians. I therefore sentence them to 24 months imprisonment with hard labour from the date of their arrest,” he said.

The prosecution said the men had been hired by the brother of opposition MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who is facing trial for robbery, attempted murder and escaping custody.

Headline

Two Nigerians Face Jail Terms In Liberia’s Piracy Trial

Published

9 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

Criminal Court ‘D’ in Monrovia is set to deliver judgment this week in Liberia’s first piracy trial, involving two Nigerian nationals accused of hijacking a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.

According to court records, the defendants were arrested earlier this year after a Liberia-flagged ship was seized by armed men while transporting goods through international waters. The crew sent a distress signal, prompting international maritime forces to intervene.

The suspects were subsequently transferred to Liberian authorities under global maritime cooperation protocols.

According to Liberia’s news platform, Front Page Africa, the case has attracted attention because Liberia maintains one of the world’s largest open ship registries, yet prosecutions for piracy within its domestic courts have not previously occurred. Under international law, Liberia holds jurisdiction over crimes involving ships registered under its flag.

On Monday, proceedings took a new turn when defense lawyer, Cllr. Bestman Juah, informed the court that the defendants had admitted responsibility for the hijacking and were requesting a plea-bargain arrangement. State prosecutors did not oppose the request, leaving open the possibility of reduced sentences in exchange for full cooperation.

Resident Judge Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf, who presides over Criminal Court ‘D’, will rule on whether to accept the plea deal and determine the sentencing framework. The ruling could also address deportation measures following imprisonment.

Criminal Court ‘D’ handles cases involving armed robbery, terrorism, hijacking, and other serious crimes, and the piracy trial represents a growing trend of transnational offenses being prosecuted within Liberia’s judicial system.
As of press time, the court has not announced the date for sentencing.

Headline

Spain Cancels $825m Israel Arms Deal Over Gaza

Published

9 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

The Spanish government has cancelled a contract worth nearly 700 million euros ($825 million) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers.

The move comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last week that his government would “consolidate in law” a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel over its offensive in Gaza.

The contract, awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies, involved the purchase of 12 SILAM rocket launcher systems derived from the PULS platform made by Israeli firm Elbit Systems, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.

First reported by local media and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancellation was formalised on Spain’s official public contracts platform on September 9.

The following day, Sanchez unveiled measures aimed at stopping what his leftist government called “the genocide in Gaza”.

It includes the approval of a decree imposing a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel due to its military offensive in Gaza, launched after the Hamas attacks in October 2023.

Spain applied the ban as Israel stepped up its military onslaught.

Spain has also formalized the cancellation of another contract for 168 anti-tank missile launchers, which were to be manufactured under license from an Israeli company.

That contract, valued at 287 million euros, had been first reported by the press in June.

According to Spanish daily La Vanguardia, the government is undertaking a broader review to phase out Israeli weapons and technology from its armed forces.

Sanchez has emerged as one of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Gaza policy.

Relations between the two countries have been tense for months.

Israel has not had an ambassador in Spain since Madrid recognized the state of Palestine in 2024.

Last week, Spain recalled its ambassador to Israel after heated exchanges over Sánchez’s new measures.

The Barcelona-based Delas Centre, a security research institute, estimated in April that since the start of the Gaza war, Spain had awarded 46 contracts worth $1.044 billion to Israeli companies, based on public tender data.