February 5, 2023 – Page 2 – Djibouti News Gazette

February 5, 2023

CHAN 2022: Senegal beat Algeria to become first West African country to win

ALGIERS— The Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the Foxes of Algeria in the final of the 2022 CAF Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament. Senegal are the first Sub-Saharan country to lift the CHAN trophy after beating the host nation, Algeria on penalties.

The Senegalese made history as they became the first ever West African country to win the prestigious trophy since it was introduced in 2009.

Both teams started the game on a blistering pace with excellent passes from both set of players to make the match a highly-competitive one.

Algeria, the host nation were a bit stronger in the opening minutes of the match and created a lot of half chances but the defense of Senegal remained resolute.

Senegal also had their moments in the first half but failed to make it count as the opening 45 minutes of the match ended in a thrilling goalless draw.

Senegal played very well in the second half and gave the host nation no chance at the back putting their bodies on the line to block all attacks from the host nation.

The game ended in an entertaining end-to-end goalless draw during regulation time and also both teams were inseparable after extra time as it to the penalty shootouts.

After Senegal converted the first spot kick, their goalkeeper, Sy thought he saved the first Algeria kick only for the referee to ask for a replay after he stepped off the line.

Senegal missed the fourth penalty but Aymen Mahious failed to score the fifth spot kick as his tame effort was saved by the Senegalese goalie to send it to sudden death.

Senegal scored their sixth kick to make it five out of six with Algeria missing the last kick to hand the Local Lions of Teranga from Senegal the trophy at the end.

Algeria went through the tournament without conceding a single goal from open play with Senegal conceding just one goal throughout the competition.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

February 5, 2023

European Union threatens to blacklist Kenya over grand corruption

NAIROBI, Feb 5 (NNN-GNA) — The European Union has threatened to blacklist Kenya over corruption and money laundering, revisiting an old problem Nairobi has struggled to contain.

EU Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger said Kenya’s reluctance to curb corruption and money laundering could scare off investors. She told a media briefing over the upcoming European Union-Kenya Business Forum with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance that Nairobi may also face restrictions.

“For us, we think that to fight corruption is in the best interest of Kenya because maybe this is the single most determinant of investment. And also, Kenya is on the watchlist for money laundering,” said Geiger.

“If Kenya is not making an effort, it will be blacklisted and that has a lot of very negative consequences. The most important one is that investors are shying away.”

Geiger was reacting to the recent corruption ranking index by Transparency International.

Kenya was last week ranked 123 least corrupt nations out of 180 countries, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.

The global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption ranked Kenya at 123 out of 180 countries and territories assessed with a score of 32 out of 100, a slight improvement from a score of 30 points in 2021.

In the just-released findings on Tuesday, Kenya’s score of 32 points matched the sub-Saharan average score of 32 but fell below the global average score of 43.

According to Transparency International, a score below 50 indicates serious levels of public sector corruption.

A 2022 report submitted to the US Congress, also ranked Kenya among the world’s top money laundering hotspots.

“I was struck by the fact that it only improved by 2 points, but it improved even slightly. But sometimes an improvement is relative because the others are bad,” she said.

The EU is also concerned that President William Ruto’s government is yet to make an attempt at fighting corruption and singled out procurement as one of the areas where graft has multiplied.

The CBK, in 2016, affirmed that the banking sector was vulnerable to suspicious activities such as money laundering from lawbreakers. But in September 2022, President William Ruto said that the government was working with CBK to review the capping of money so that Kenyans can transact from Ksh1 million ($8,000), without notifying the regulator.

“Many have reverted to storing money under their mattresses, at great security risk. This is clearly not the intention of the anti-money laundering regulations,” said Ruto. But the EU warned that unless the country was determined to fight graft, the slight improvement by the TI could become worse.

Geiger said should the country fail in its mandate, it will be barred from doing business with EU member countries.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

February 5, 2023

Abducted WHO doctor freed in Mali

BAMAKO— A World Health Organization doctor abducted in Mali has been freed, local authorities said on Saturday.

“Diawara Mahamadou, a WHO support doctor with the regional health directorate in Menaka, was released on February 2,” said a health official in the town of Menaka in northern Mali. “He is doing well.”

A regional official said the WHO medic had been freed not far from Gao city, further west. “He told us he was not mistreated,” he said.

It was unclear who had taken the doctor hostage, he added.

Since 2012, Mali has been in the grip of a serious security crisis and violence, including kidnappings of foreigners and Malians, is common.

Motives range from ransom demands to acts of reprisal.

Doctor Diawara, who has worked for the WHO in Menaka since early 2020, providing medical care to often isolated communities at risk of insecurity and violence.

In October 2022, the WHO quoted the surgeon as saying: “A patient is a patient… Our job is to go where people are and need health care.”

After several years in Gao, also in eastern Mali, Diawara asked to be assigned to Menaka, near the border with Niger, where more than 25,500 displaced Malians lived as of last October.

They were located across six sites in precarious conditions and with limited access to health care.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

February 5, 2023

Libyan parliamentarians voice concern about political stalemate

TRIPOLI— Several members of the Libyan House of Representatives, or the parliament, on Saturday expressed concern about the country’s current political stalemate.

The members made their remarks in a meeting with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, during which they shared their perspectives on ways to push forward the country’s political process.

“Several in the group voiced concern about the political stalemate and its implications for Libya’s stability and security. They also expressed their desire to unify Libyan institutions as a prerequisite to breaking the political impasse,” the UN Envoy tweeted.

Bathily welcomed their commitment to Libya and finding a way forward, and expressed hope that they continue to be vocal about their convictions in the interest of the country and its people.

“I stressed the need for all leaders to meet the expectations of the 2.8 million Libyans who registered to vote and the need for the HCS (High Council of State) and HoR (House of Representatives) to positively and constructively engage to reach a constitutional basis for elections as soon as possible,” Bathily said.

Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among the Libyan parties.

Earlier in January, the Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah said his government is ready to hold general elections in 2023.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid escalating violence and political division.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

February 5, 2023

Wrapping South Sudan Trip, Pope Calls for Forgiveness, Reconciliation

Pope Francis flew back to Rome on Sunday after a three-day tour of South Sudan. The pope concluded his visit with a Mass before an estimated 100,000 people at the John Garang Mausoleum, where he reiterated a message of peace for the country’s faithful.

“Jesus knows your anguish and the hope you bear in your hearts, the joys and struggles that mark your lives, the darkness that assails you and the faith that, like a song in the night, you raise to heaven.”

This was Pope Francis’s message during a Mass for South Sudan’s faithful in the nation’s capital of Juba Sunday morning. It was the final day of his African pilgrimage of peace.

The pope’s homily wove around the themes of mutual forgiveness for past wrongs and reconciliation.

Archbishop Stephen Ameyu says the pope’s message is timely and one the nation needs to hear. South Sudan has endured nearly a decade of civil war.

“It is discouraging that the peace process has moved forward so slowly, war has brought the indiscriminate destruction of human lives … we have been experiencing looting, raping, economic distortion and the displacement of countless people,” Ameyu said.

The pope asked worshippers to shun the “blind fury of violence.”

Speaking through an interpreter, Francis said that “today, I’d like to thank you because you are the salt of the Earth in this country. Yet, when you consider its many wounds the violence that increases the venom of hearted and injustice that causes misery and poverty, you may feel small and powerless at times when violence increases the venom of hatred, and injustice causes misery and poverty.”

During an earlier stop Saturday at Juba’s Freedom Hall, Pope Francis met with internally displaced people and listened to the testimonies of children, including that of 16-year-old Joseph.

“We have been affected by floods since 2020; many people have lost their livestock and crops,” said Joseph. “We urge the leaders to bring us peace and prosperity continue to pray for lasting peace in South Sudan.”

Johnson Juma Alex, another teenager at the IDP camp from Malakal said this to the pope:

“Peace is good, problems are not,” said Alex. “We want peace so that people can go back to their homes; there is no space to play football. I want to have a good future where there is peace… We thank the U.N. because they gave us peace and they gave us protection.”

The pope discussed his desire for a resumption of the peace process for South Sudan immediately.

Again, speaking through an interpreter, he said:

“This is my appeal to end all conflict and resume [the] peace process in a serious way and people can return to their homes and live in dignity. There is no room for delay.”

The pope was joined on his ecumenical peace mission by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Church of Scotland, representing the Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian religions that make up most of the population in South Sudan.

Source: Voice of America