International
BREAKING: Senegal swears in former opposition figure, recently freed from prison, as new president
Senegal inaugurated Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its new president on Tuesday, completing the previously little-known opposition figure’s dramatic ascent from prison to the palace in recent weeks.
Faye was released from prison less than two weeks before the March 24 election, along with popular opposition figure and mentor Ousmane Sonko, following a political amnesty announced by outgoing President Macky Sall. It is the former tax inspector’s first time in elected office.
“It’s the culmination of a long struggle for democracy and the rule of law,” said Aissata Sagna, a 39-year-old factory worker who worked on Faye’s campaign. “This is a day of celebration for us, even if we have lost young people killed during the demonstrations.”
The election tested Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region that has experienced coups and attempted coups. It followed months of unrest ignited by the arrests last year of Sonko and Faye and concerns that the president would seek a third term in office despite constitutional term limits. Rights groups said dozens were killed in the protests and about 1,000 were jailed.
Faye, 44, campaigned on promises to clean up corruption and better manage the country’s natural resources. His victory was seen as reflecting the will of young people frustrated with widespread unemployment and former colonial ruler France, seen by critics to be using its relationship with Senegal to enrich itself.
Such frustrations are common across many countries in Africa, home to the world’s youngest population, where a number of leaders have clung to power for decades.
In his first speech as president-elect, Faye promised to fight corruption and reform the economy.
A practicing Muslim from a small town, Faye has two wives, both of whom were present on Tuesday. Ahead of the election, he released a declaration of his assets to show transparency and called on other candidates to do the same. It listed a home in Dakar and land outside the capital and in his hometown. His bank accounts totaled roughly $6,600.
“I think the first challenge is the formation of his (Faye’s) government,” said Alioune Tine, founder of the Senegalese think tank Afrikajom Center. “This will be the first concrete message he sends to the Senegalese people. The size, diversity and profiles will be analyzed with a fine-tooth comb, to see if they meet the demand for a break with the past.”
The new president was little known until Sonko, a popular opposition figure who came third in the previous election in 2019, named him to run in his place after being barred from the election for a prior conviction. While Sonko’s future role in the new administration is unclear, he is expected to have a prominent role.
Faye was arrested for alleged defamation last year, while Sonko faced a number of charges, including a prolonged legal battle that started when he was accused of rape in 2021. He was acquitted of the rape charges but was convicted of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years in prison last summer. Sonko’s supporters say his legal troubles were part of a government effort to derail his candidacy.
While Sall eventually ruled out running for a third term, he then abruptly postponed the election in February with only weeks to go, triggering another wave of protests. That move was blocked by the country’s constitutional court and the election was eventually held weeks later in March.
Source: AP
International
Mum rescued from Venezuela rubble with newborn baby tells BBC how he helped her survive
Tens of thousands more are missing in what the country’s interim president has described as the “most brutal natural catastrophe” in Venezuela’s history.
A mother who was pulled from the rubble of her wrecked home in Venezuela with her 18-day-old baby has told the BBC of how her son helped keep her alive.
Dayana Patino said her son Juan David gave her “motivation to be awake and alert”.
“As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive. Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing,” she said.
Footage of the rescue has been shared around the world, with Juan David becoming a symbol of hope in Venezuela, which has been devastated by the twin earthquakes that hit the country on Wednesday – killing at least 1,450 people.
Tens of thousands more are missing in what the country’s interim president has described as the “most brutal natural catastrophe” in Venezuela’s history.
A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers plummeted from the sky and crashed near the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, killing everyone on board in one of the country’s deadliest light aircraft disasters in years, authorities said.
All 11 people aboard — believed to include the pilot and 10 skydivers — died in the crash, local officials confirmed. Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports of the downed aircraft, but found no survivors.
The aircraft went down in a rural area close to Tomblaine, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, shortly after takeoff on what was reportedly a routine skydiving excursion. Debris was scattered across the crash site, and a large emergency operation involving firefighters, police, and medical teams is underway.
French authorities have launched a full investigation into the cause of the tragedy. The National Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) has been notified and is expected to lead the probe, examining factors such as mechanical failure, weather conditions, or human error.
“This is a terrible tragedy that has shocked the entire community,” a local official told reporters at the scene. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives today.”
Skydiving operations are popular in the region, but light aircraft accidents remain rare. Sunday’s crash ranks among France’s worst involving small planes in the past decade.
More details are expected as the investigation progresses. This is a developing story.
International
Zimbabwe’s Parliament Approves Bill to Extend Presidential Terms To Seven Years
Critics say the bill is a ruse for Mnangagwa to stay in power for longer, though its backers say it will strengthen accountability and foster political stability.
• Current President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Zimbabwe’s upper house of parliament has approved a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, which will allow current President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030.
75 senators voted in favour of the draft legislation while four voted against it, above a threshold needed for a two-thirds majority.
The bill, which also includes a provision for the president to be elected by parliament rather than by direct popular vote, will become law when Mnangagwa signs it.
Evidence that 83 years old Mnangagwa wanted to stay in power beyond the end of his second term in 2028 emerged about two years ago, when his supporters started chanting slogans at ZANU-PF rallies that he needed more time to complete his agenda.The ruling party last year resolved to change the constitution to prolong presidential terms, and the plan received cabinet backing in February.President Mnangagwa came to power after a 2017 military coup ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who had been in power since independence in 1980.
Critics say the bill is a ruse for Mnangagwa to stay in power for longer, though its backers say it will strengthen accountability and foster political stability.
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