Headline

Rwanda Heads To The Polls As Kagame Makes Fourth-term Bid

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2024

Rwandans will vote in elections on Monday, with President Paul Kagame widely expected to extend his iron-fisted rule and sweep to victory in a race featuring the same candidates he defeated seven years ago.

Rwanda’s de facto ruler since the end of the 1994 genocide, Kagame faces rival bids by Frank Habineza, leader of the Democratic Green Party — the only authorised opposition — and Philippe Mpayimana, who is running as an independent.

The 66-year-old Kagame is credited with Rwanda’s economic recovery after the genocide, with annual GDP growth averaging 7.2 percent between 2012-2022.

But his regime is widely criticised for stifling political opposition at home, while a UN report has accused Rwandan troops of fighting alongside the M23 rebel militia in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kagame has won three elections with more than 93 percent of the vote in 2003, 2010 and 2017, taking home nearly 99 percent in the most recent poll.

Habineza secured just 0.48 percent of the vote in 2017, with Mpayimana edging past him with 0.73 percent.

Rwandan courts rejected appeals from prominent opposition figures Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire to remove previous convictions that effectively barred them from standing.

The election commission also barred high-profile Kagame critic Diane Rwigara, citing issues with her paperwork — the second time she was excluded from running.

The daughter of industrialist Assinapol Rwigara, a former major donor to Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) before he fell out with its leaders, she was accused of forging documents and arrested in 2017 before being acquitted by the courts a year later.

A total of 9.01 million Rwandans are registered to vote, with the presidential poll being held at the same time as legislative elections for the first time.

– ‘President forever’ –
The imbalance between Kagame and his rivals has been evident during the three-week campaigning period, as the well-oiled RPF PR machine swung into high gear.

Pennants on cars, flags, posters and banners displayed along roadsides, the red, white and blue colours of the ruling party and its slogans “Tora Kagame Paul” (“Vote Paul Kagame”) and “PK24” (for “Paul Kagame 2024”) are everywhere.

In contrast to the thousands-strong crowds attending his rallies, his rivals have struggled to make their voices heard, with barely 100 people showing up to some events.

“I came here to listen what he says but I will vote for Kagame… regardless of the others,” Beatrice Mpawenimana, 30, told AFP at a meeting organised by Habineza’s party in the eastern village of Juru.

“He has given us women a voice, he has brought roads, hospitals, so many things… I want him to be president forever, nobody can replace him.”

Like most Rwandans — 65 percent of the country’s population is aged under 30 — she has only ever known Kagame as leader.

The bespectacled politician has been in charge of the landlocked nation since his RPF militia routed Hutu extremists responsible for the genocide which left 800,000 dead, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus.

– ‘No real opponent’ –
Initially serving as vice-president and defence minister, Kagame was elected president by parliament in 2000 after the resignation of Pasteur Bizimungu.

Since then, he has won elections by universal suffrage three times: 95.05 percent in 2003, 93.08 percent in 2010, and 98.79 percent in 2017.

“The RPF ruling party is quite popular across the country, this is undeniable,” Rwandan constitutional lawyer and political analyst Louis Gitinywa told AFP.

“As for the election, it is like an exercise that must be done simply to tick a box. There is no real opponent against Kagame.”

Rights groups accuse the government of abuses including repressing freedom of expression and stamping out dissent.

Amnesty International said this week that Rwanda’s political opposition faces “severe restrictions… as well as threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution, trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances.”

Kagame presided over controversial constitution amendments in 2015 which shortened presidential terms from seven to five years and reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, potentially allowing him to rule until 2034.

Headline

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

Headline

Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.