SharedWoman accused of homewrecking spared by governor

Aprovincial governor in north-east Burundi has dissolved the decision of a mayor to force a female resident out of the area after others “accused her of taking their husbands”.

A letter giving the woman 24 hours to leave signed by Butihinda district mayor Gilbert Ndikumasabo made the rounds on social media.

“For such misbehaviour aimed at breaking marriages that woman must leave Butihinda district from the 7th of April 2023,” the mayor’s letter reads.

Some social media users criticised the mayor’s decision while others supported it, as infidelity and an increase in divorce are currently concerning people in Burundi.

The woman in the letter hasn’t publicly commented.

Hours after the letter was shared, Muyinga province announced on Twitter that the mayor’s decision was annulled by the governor for “not abiding by the law”.

Recently, Burundi’s first lady publicly condemned infidelity and targeted single women for breaking up marriages.

Protests held in Sudan on anniversary of key sit-in

Pro-democracy protests have been held in several parts of Sudan in the latest demonstration of anger at the continuing military rule.

The protesters were also marking the anniversary of a 2019 sit-in that led to the overthrow of the former president, Omar al-Bashir.

Since then the military has dominated power. Following months of talks, a deal was supposed to have been signed earlier on Thursday to launch a new political transition to democracy.

But it was once again delayed due to disagreements within the security forces.

One area of tension has been a plan to integrate a powerful military unit known as the Rapid Support Forces into the regular army.

Uganda minister pleads not guilty over graft scandal

AUgandan government minister who has been remanded in custody in connection with a corruption scandal involving the theft of thousands of metal roofing sheets has pleaded not guilty in court.

Mary Goretti Kitutu, the minister of the north-eastern Karamoja region, was denied bail and will spent Easter weekend in jail.

The metal sheets were intended for vulnerable communities in Ms Kitutu’s region.

Her brother was charged with receiving stolen property.

Officials say at least 10 other government figures including the vicepresident, the prime minister and the speaker of parliament received some of the stolen roofing sheets.

The prime minister has apologised and urged other officials to return the sheets.

One minister was recently forced to remove some from the roof of his goat shed.

President Yoweri Museveni has called for the prosecution of all those involved.

DR Congo enjoys new bank holiday to honour clergyman

Congolese people are celebrating a new public holiday to honour Simon Kimbangu, who founded his church on 6 April 1921, when the country was still under colonial rule.

This fulfills a promise made by President Félix Tshisekedi to honour the man viewed as one of DR Congo’s independence heroes.

Father Kimbangu called for the liberation of black people from colonial rule. After only five months of preaching, he was arrested and was charged with undermining public security and disturbing the peace.

He was convicted and sentenced to death before King Albert of Belgium commuted the sentence to life in prison.

He died in jail on 12 October 1951, after 30 years in detention.

His church, the Kimbanguist church, was officially recognised by the World Council of Churches in 1969 and is believed to count about six million believers, mainly in the Central African region and the African diaspora today.

Kenya opposition demands review of constitution

Kenya’s opposition Azimio coalition wants a review of the country’s 13-year-old constitution to be part of discussions in its proposed dialogue with the government to end protests in the country.

A statement released by opposition leader Raila Odinga, after a meeting with Azimio’s parliamentary group, says they will be adding a review of the constitution “to remove the last vestiges of an imperial presidency”.

The opposition referred to Kenya’s “winner-take-all culture”.

In February, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was widely criticised for saying the government was like a company with shares, in which some have large stakes and others none at all.

He has since defended himself, saying he was referring to government appointments, which he said must be given to people who support the president’s agenda, and not state resources, which he said will be equitably distributed.

Mr Odinga has been holding bi-weekly protests since 20 March against the cost of living and to oppose the appointment of a new electoral commission without consultations.

He has also been questioning the legitimacy of President William Ruto, who was elected last year and had his election validated by the Supreme Court.

At least three people have been killed in the protests, businesses destroyed and private property vandalised especially in the main cities of Nairobi and Kisumu.

Last Sunday, President Ruto asked Mr Odinga to halt the protests and allow a parliamentary dialogue on the formation of a new electoral commission, to which Mr Odinga agreed.

But on Tuesday the opposition leader added a fresh demand for an external dialogue akin to the 2008 National Accord, which was led by former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan after the disputed elections of 2007.

Some government leaders have strongly opposed such a move and accused Mr Odinga of trying to sneak back into government.

In 2007, the accord led to a coalition government with President Mwai Kibaki, in which Mr Odinga was made Prime Minister.

Mr Odinga insists he does not want a similar arrangement, but an honest conversation about electoral justice with solutions for more honest elections.

He insists he will go back to the streets if the talks don’t bear fruit.

The government parliamentary group is yet to offer its counter-proposal on the grounds for the talks, but the president has been clear that his election will not be up for discussion.

Ghana deploys officers to town bordering Burkina Faso

The authorities in Ghana say 1,000 soldiers and police officers are being deployed to a north-eastern border town after gunmen killed an immigration officer and left two others in hospital.

It is not yet clear who opened fire on their vehicle in Bawku on Tuesday but there is concern about the security situation there because of the escalating jihadist conflict in neighbouring Burkina Faso.

There are fears that Islamist militants causing havoc across the Sahel region could destabilise countries further southincluding Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Source;BBC