Day: August 11, 2021

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Somalia-born Runners Shine at Tokyo Olympics

Somali-born Dutch runner Abdi Nageeye encouraged his friend to keep up the pace moments before the duo finished second and third in Sunday’s men’s marathon at the Olympics in Tokyo.

“Stay with me, we are going to make history! Don’t fall behind,” Nageeye urged Bashir Abdi, a Somali Belgian.

Somalia sent two athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games, but it was the Somalis running for their adopted countries who made headlines.

Somali-born Canadian Mohammed Ahmed won silver in the men’s 5,000 meters, the first distance medal for Canada in this race. But the event that captured the attention of global audiences came in the final moments of the 42-kilometer marathon, won by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya with a time of 2:08:38.

Footage showed Nageeye encouraging his friend Abdi to cross the finish line with him. The two had trained together in France and in Ethiopia in preparation for the Games.

Speaking to VOA’s Somali service by phone Tuesday, Nageeye said he wanted to help Abdi, who suffered a muscle cramp. With 3 kilometers to go, Nageeye said he again shouted at Abdi to keep up.

“‘Bashir, stay with me. We are making history,'” Nageeye repeated in the interview.

Nageeye said his friend kept pace but fell behind again. He said television viewers only saw the race’s final moments, but he said he encouraged Abdi three times late in the race.

Nageeye said he wanted to sprint for the last 800 meters but held off, waiting for Abdi, until the final 400 meters. Cameras captured Nageeye gesturing toward Abdi to keep up. Nageeye came in second, winning a silver medal with a time of 2:09:58. Abdi came in next, at 2:10:00, earning bronze.

“I was not doing it to be famous but was doing it for my friend and brother,” Nageeye said.

“I risked my position,” he said. “Even Bashir could have overtaken me or the Kenyan” — Lawrence Cherono, who finished fourth — “could have taken advantage of it. But I had that feeling; I did not want to leave him behind.”

Helping his friend and competitor was instinctive, Nageeye said. “I knew something was wrong because he was also a little stronger than me in training, and he is a good athlete. Amazing that I did that. It was a natural reaction from me toward him because of our brotherhood, our heritage. We are both Somali. We are both friends. We train together.”

The public’s response left him happily surprised, Nageeye said.

“After one day, it was crazy. The whole world is talking about it. I just came from the king of the Netherlands — he was talking about it,” Nageeye said of Willem-Alexander. “Every person is talking about that moment and not about my medal. I’m very happy for that.”

Source: Voice of America

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More Ugandans Turn Up for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Uganda has resumed mass vaccinations against COVID-19 after running out of doses in June. But even with less vaccine hesitancy, essential workers say the rate of vaccination is too slow.

Two health workers share a table facing a long line of Ugandans waiting to receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Many are here for their second shots and the officials have to check the system, to see if they qualify for it.

Seventeen-year-old Kawalya Paul is among those standing in line as he waits for his card to be verified and stamped.

Even though he is not on the priority list of those to be vaccinated, Paul explains to VOA why he decided to come.

“Actually, my mom’s boss, succumbed to Covid. Every time he was all very protective. He could not talk to you in case you’re not putting on a mask. So, I was like, if he was able to get it, yet he‘s a doctor and a big man, I was like, what about me, why shouldn’t I? Because I saw the virus was close,” he said.

The priority list for vaccinations includes teachers, security personnel, health workers, the elderly – who are defined as people over 50 years old – and those between 18 and 50 with underlying health conditions.

At the end of July, Ugandan authorities received 1.72 million doses of vaccine, and are hoping to get another 11 million in September.

The pace of vaccination remains slow. So far only about 1.1 million Ugandans have been inoculated.

But, officials are hopeful that Ugandans are now eager to get the vaccine and have opened up vaccination centers at Kampala’s Capital City grounds and the Namboole National stadium.

Pius Okethwengu, the Namboole hospital administrator, said they are seeing a large turnout of people at the stadium. He predicts the goal of inoculating 10,000 people this week will be surpassed.

“We are having this activity, starting today, in the next five days, to be able to have attended to all these clients that we are looking for. But, with the response that we are seeing, we are estimating that actually we should be able to even exceed that. And the beauty is, the vaccines are there and, we should be able to give the services to the people,” he said.

The vaccination drive is raising hope that authorities will lift the restrictions on schools, public transportation and religious institutions imposed last month amid a new wave of coronavirus cases.

The minister of education said on July 30 that schools could reopen if all children between the ages of 12 and 18 are inoculated.

Othieno Leonard, a secondary school teacher, does not expect to see educational facilities reopen any time soon.

“I don’t think so. I really feel, given the pace at which they are vaccinating, it is going to take us way longer to put us in a situation where we can call it normal. So, for now, I don’t have hope that they can open soon,” said Leonard.

The Ministry of Health says about seven million children would need to be vaccinated before classes can resume.

Source: Voice of America

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Dozens Die as Fires Rage Across Algeria

Algerian officials are blaming arsonists for setting many of the fires raging in a mountainous region east of the capital Algiers and in more than a dozen other provinces. Algerian state TV says that 65 people have been killed so far.

Fires raged Tuesday and into Wednesday in the mountainous region of Tizi Ouzou as fire crews, soldiers and ordinary residents tried to douse the flames before they spread further. Algerian media reported that at least 79 major fires were burning in at least 17 provinces of the country.

While the fires reportedly began Monday, many more appeared to ignite Tuesday, prompting the country’s Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud to insist that many had been set by arsonists.

He said that some experts are arguing these fires were deliberately set, what obviously would be criminal in nature because it’s impossible for dozens of fires to ignite at almost the same time without some criminal hand being behind these acts.

At least three arsonists have been captured by Algerian security services during the past several months after several other fires were ignited. Many Western media outlets are downplaying the arson claims and blaming “wildfires,” “excessive heat,” or “global warming.”

Ali Mahmoudy, head of the Algerian Forest Department, told state TV that many of the fires ignited suddenly and about the same time Tuesday, leading to speculation that many were deliberately set.

He said that initially there were five fires in the Tizi Ouzou region and then suddenly after 2 p.m. the number of fires started going up hour after hour and in some cases minute after minute, until there were 58 fires burning.

Canal Algerie, a French Algerian TV network, warned residents of the country “to be vigilant, vigilant, vigilant” and keep an eye out for anyone setting fires. It also thanked the military and fire crews for their “valiant efforts in extinguishing the fires and saving lives.”

An Algerian military commander was shown on amateur video ordering his soldiers into a region engulfed with flames to try and save residents who were trapped in their houses. At least 28 soldiers have been killed in the ongoing fires.

Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane told Algerians in a televised address Tuesday night that all efforts were being made by the government to compensate those who have lost family members, their homes or livestock.

He said that a government delegation is visiting the regions hit by fire to determine the size of the losses from the disaster.

Algerian media reports the government has contacted a number of regional countries to seek help with planes equipped to combat the blazes. Major fires also are raging in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria.

Source: Voice of America

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Ethiopia Armed Group Says it Has Alliance with Tigray Forces

The leader of an armed group that Ethiopia’s government has designated a terrorist organization says his group has struck a military alliance with the Tigray forces who are now pressing toward the capital, as the conflict that erupted in the Tigray region last year spreads into other parts of Africa’s second-most populous country.

“The only solution now is overthrowing this government militarily, speaking the language they want to be spoken to,” Oromo Liberation Army leader Kumsa Diriba, also known as Jaal Marroo, told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday.

He said the agreement was reached a few weeks ago after the Tigray forces proposed it. “We have agreed on a level of understanding to cooperate against the same enemy, especially in military cooperation,” he said. “It is underway.” They share battlefield information and fight in parallel, he said, and while they’re not fighting side by side, “there is a possibility it might happen.”

Talks are underway on a political alliance as well, he said, and asserted that other groups in Ethiopia are involved in similar discussions: “There’s going to be a grand coalition against (Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s) regime.”

The alliance brings together the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, who long dominated Ethiopia’s repressive government but were sidelined when Abiy took office in 2018, and the OLA, which last year broke away from the opposition party Oromo Liberation Front and seeks self-determination for the Oromo people. The Oromo are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.

Ethiopia’s government earlier this year declared both the TPLF and OLA terrorist organizations.

There was no immediate comment from Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae with the Tigray forces, nor from the spokeswoman for Abiy’s office.

The OLA leader spoke a day after the prime minister called on all capable Ethiopians to join the military and stop the Tigray forces “once and for all” after they retook much of the Tigray region in recent weeks and crossed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda has told the AP they are fighting to secure their long-blockaded region but if Abiy’s government topples, “that’s icing on the cake.”

With access to parts of Ethiopia increasingly restricted and journalists often harassed, it is difficult to tell how citizens will respond to the prime minister’s call, or whether they will join the fight against him. The government has supported large military recruiting rallies in recent weeks.

The Tigray leaders embittered many Ethiopians during their nearly three decades in power by putting in place a system of ethnic federalism that led to ethnic tensions that continue to simmer in the country of 110 million people.

The OLA leader acknowledged that agreeing to the TPLF’s proposal for an alliance took some thought. “There were so many atrocities committed” against the Oromo people during the TPLF’s time in power, he said, and the problems it created have never been resolved.

But the OLA decided it was possible to work with the TPLF, he said, though some doubts remain. “I hope the TPLF has learned a lesson,” he said. “I don’t think the TPLF will commit the same mistakes unless they’re out of their mind.” If they do, there will be chaos in Ethiopia and it could collapse as a state, he said.

It was not clear how many fighters the OLA would bring to the alliance. “This, madam, is a military secret,” the OLA leader said.

He said he hoped the TPLF’s talks with other groups would become public in the near future. He also warned the international community, which led by the United Nations and the United States has urged a halt to the Tigray conflict and negotiations, that the crisis has to be handled carefully “if Ethiopia is to continue together.”

Source: Voice of America

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South Sudanese Woman Found Guilty of Defamation

South Sudan’s high court sentenced social media influencer and self-proclaimed activist Amira Ali Thomas to six months in prison for defaming former Warrap state Information Minister Nyanagwek Kuol through videos she posted online.

The Juba court on Monday also ordered Ali Thomas, known as Mama Amira Ali to pay 35 million South Sudanese pounds (roughly $87,000) to Kuol in compensation.

Ali is known for posting searing commentary about South Sudanese personalities and government officials and often uses vulgar language in live videos on her Facebook page.

In April, Ali posted two videos insulting Kuol’s family in her native Dinka language. Kuol later sued Ali for defamation.

Prosecutors in the Munuki West district opened a criminal case against Ali in June after Kuol filed a formal complaint with police about the videos Ali posted on her Facebook account.

“These videos offended the reputation of the complainant and her family, then the police started the investigations,” said Judge Angolie Okumu, who presided over the court case.

After reviewing the videos and presiding over several hearings, Okumu found Ali guilty of insulting and disparaging Kuol’s family. The ruling used a law that prohibits the harming of someone’s reputation.

Ali Thomas is “forbidden from uttering a word or committing a crime within the six-month period” or until she is sent to prison, according to court documents.

But Okumu suspended the jail time due to Ali Thomas’ health issues, which include a heart condition, high blood pressure and diabetes, the court said.

Prosecuting lawyer Achuil Kuol, not related to the former information minister, told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that although the ruling seemed fair, his client is not happy that Ali was given a suspended prison sentence.

Kuol said the medical documents presented in court did not come from an official medical institution.

“We said the court [should have] ruled and dismissed the documents because they are irrelevant,” Kuol said.

Ali, who appeared relaxed during the sentencing, said she appreciated the court’s ruling and said it sends a message to South Sudanese citizens that a judicial system is in place and no one is above the law.

“I am not annoyed,” she said, adding that the videos centered on a family dispute and were not aimed at the former information minister.

“I have no problem with Nyanagwek,” she told reporters.

Source: Voice of America

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