Third launch attempt of Kenyan satellite aborts

SpaceX has aborted the launch of Kenya’s first earth observation satellite due to bad weather.

The launch director stopped the Falcon 9 rocket just 29 seconds before it blasted into space from the Vandenberg Force base in California US.

Another attempt will be made on Saturday.

The launch has now been postponed twice this week due to poor weather.

Kenya’s Taifa-1 Satellite is among 51 other satellites and orbital vehicles that are scheduled to be deployed on the Transporter 7 mission.

It will be used to gather data for agriculture, land and environment monitoring.

The satellite would be the 50th deployed by African nations. So far, 14 countries in the continent have sent satellites into space, with many of them opting for commercial companies like SpaceX for their launches.

Sudan paramilitary leader ‘ready’ to meet army amid rift

The head of a notorious and powerful paramilitary group says he is ready to meet Sudan’s army chief to deescalate recent tensions, according to mediators.

Local reports say Western envoys have met the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo a day after the Sudanese army accused the RSF of sowing conflict.

The country was supposed to be transitioning to civilian ruler following the 2019 ouster of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.

But a coup two years later halted that process. A second attempt to move to civilian rule has been held up because of tensions between the RSF and the army.

Part of the transition plans involve integrating the RSF into the national army, but when this was discussed last month the RSF soon began redeploying units in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere.

Bandits shoot dead eight Nigerians in their homes

Police have yet to comment on reports that at least eight people have been shot dead by bandits who broke into their homes in north-western Nigerian.

Four other people were injured in the attacks, which a local government official says happened on Wednesday night in the Zangon Kataf area of Kaduna state.

It is the latest in a wave of violent incidents in Nigeria where armed gangs recently abducted at least 80 children in Zamfara state. The West African regional block condemned the abduction and called for the release of the children.In another development, a traditional ruler has been kidnapped in central Kogi state after the assailants killed a palace worker. It comes after bandits killed more than 70 people in two separate attacks in the central state of Benue last week.

A similar attack on a camp for internally displaced people last Friday left dozens of people killed and others injured.

Burkina Faso ‘mobilisation’ ramps up terror response

Burkina Faso’s military government has set a target of recapturing 40% of territory lost to militant groups, announcing a “general mobilisation” to give them “all necessary means” to do so.

A statement on Thursday by Defence Minister Col Maj Kassoum Coulibaly said the measures would “give a legal framework to all the actions to be implemented to deal with the situation that Burkina Faso is experiencing”.

It is thought it could include a state of emergency in parts of the country, although the full details of the guidelines are not yet clear.

The so-called “general mobilisation” also guarantees the government freedom of action to deal with terrorist threats.

Burkina Faso’s parliament passed a law in 2020 to recruit Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland, an auxiliary civilian army to support the fight against terrorists.

Burkina Faso has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency since 2015. The violence has left more than 10,000 dead and displaced 1.8 million people.

Last week, 44 civilians were killed following an attack on the villages of Kourakou and Tondobi in the north-east near the country’s border with Niger.

Botswana leader denies he plans to sack VP

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday denied allegations that he planned to replace his deputy Slumber Tsogwane.

This follows speculation that Mr Masisi would fire his deputy after the 2024 general elections.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), President Masisi said Mr Tsogwane had been a hardworking vice-president since his appointment to the position in 2018.

“I’m very comfortable with Slumber taking up the leadership of this country if something happens to me,” Mr Masisi said, adding that there was no vacancy in the vice-presidency.

He said he had never planned with anyone or held any meetings with his cabinet to replace Mr Tsogwane.

‘Facebook rapist’ fears poisoning SA court told

Aconvicted rapist and murderer who escaped from jail last year has appeared in court for the first time since his re-arrest earlier this month.

Thabo Bester, the so-called “Facebook rapist” who used the social media site to lure victims, has alleged at Friday’s hearing that his ID number is incorrectly listed on documents and that it is not safe for him to eat prison food in case somebody poisons him.

Instead he wants his lawyers to provide his meals, and he has refused to eat for the past 48 hours.

His lawyers said Bester would not apply for bail but argued he maintains the right to do so at a later date.

Bester’s case has now been postponed until next month.

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Child rapists get longer jail terms after public outrage

A court of appeal in Morocco has greatly increased the jail sentences given to three men for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

In a case that sparked public outrage, two weeks ago a lower court convicted the men of indecent assault, and sentenced them to between 18 months and two years in prison.

The appeals court in Rabat has now revised the sentences to 20 years in jail for the main defendant, and 10 years for the other two.

The court heard that the girl, who is now 12, gave birth to a baby last year, and a DNA test confirmed that one of the attackers was the father.

Chibok girls: Provide closure for parentsactivists

Activists of the Bring Back Our Girls movement (BBOG) on Thursday commemorated the ninth anniversary of the abduction of scores of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants.

Ninety-eight of the 276 students kidnapped by the militants from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in the north-eastern Borno State, are still in captivity.

The incident sparked local and international outrage with leaders and activists exerting pressure on the Nigerian government to act. Source: BBC