Category: Africa

Source: APO

President Dr Patrick Herminie today received two-time World Champion Samuel Fanny and his coach, 8th Dan karate practitioner Mr Philip Moustache, during a courtesy call at State House.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the President to congratulate Mr Fanny on his recent achievement of finishing as second World Champion in Kyokushin Karate (Kata) held in Kazakhstan. President Herminie expressed pride in seeing the young Seychellois athlete represent the country on the international stage and fly the Seychelles flag high.

President Herminie highlighted sport as an important avenue for nurturing discipline, perseverance and determination among young people, while creating opportunities for them to represent Seychelles internationally.

“I am proud when I see young Seychellois pursuing sports. Through discipline and perseverance, they can achieve great things and serve as an inspiration to others,” the President said.

During the meeting, Mr Fanny’s coach, Mr Moustache, also spoke about his long-standing commitment to Kyokushin Karate. This year marks 51 years since he began practising the sport, having started his career at the age of 19.

He said that perseverance, discipline and determination have been key throughout his journey and have helped him reach where he is today.

President Herminie encouraged Mr Fanny to continue pursuing his sporting ambitions and reaffirmed the Government’s broader commitment to supporting the development of Seychellois athletes and creating opportunities for young people to excel through sport.

Mr Fanny has been practising karate for the past four years. Speaking during an interview, he said that he is preparing to participate in a local competition in September, while also looking forward to future international competitions.

Also present at the courtesy call was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council (NSC), Mr Mario Pragassen.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO

The Ministry of Agriculture branch in the Gash-Barka Region, as part of its efforts to increase agricultural production and ensure access to nutritious food through soil enrichment, provided farmers in the Barentu sub-zone with training on compost production.

During the theoretical and practical training, Mr. Musie Bahta, Head of the Agriculture Office in the sub-zone, indicated that organic fertilizer makes a significant contribution to boosting agricultural productivity and production. He called on the farmers to apply the knowledge they gained from the training in their agricultural activities and share it with fellow farmers.

Noting that organic fertilizer can easily be produced from leftover household waste, Eng. Azekia Alfayo, a water and soil conservation expert, said that its application makes a significant contribution to boosting agricultural production.

Indicating that similar training programmes will be organized for farmers on a regular basis, Eng. Azekia called for the avoidance of chemical fertilizers.

The trainees, for their part, commended the training they received and expressed their readiness to apply the knowledge they gained to their agricultural activities. They also called for the continuation of the programme.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

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Mr. Saleh Ali, Director General of Tourism in the Anseba Region, highlighted the significance of enhancing public understanding of tourism resources so that they can be properly preserved, passed on to future generations and utilized to contribute to the country’s economic development.

Mr. Saleh made the call during exploratory research conducted on tourism resources in the sub-zones of Geleb and Elaberet, as well as during meetings held with residents of Merat and Deki-Andu on 8 and 9 August.

The research covers the historical remains at the Rora Mensa’e fortress, where heavy fighting took place following the defeat of the Ethiopian colonial army’s ‘Nadew Iz’ in 1988; the forest and wildlife resources in the areas of Merat and Deki-Andu that are on the verge of extinction; and the red marble found in the Bielta area.

Noting that natural resources, religious sites, cultural diversity and traditions, archaeological sites and other attractions are among the country’s unique resources, Mr. Feseha Habte, Head of Research and Resource Follow-up at the Tourism Department in the Anseba Region, called for due attention to be given to indigenous trees that are on the verge of extinction, as well as to ensuring the continuity of cultural and artistic resources.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

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In the wake of intense clashes between government and opposition armed groups, villagers across eastern Upper Nile are bearing the brunt of the impact on their shattered lives.

As the violence erupted, families were forced to flee their homes and run deep into the nearby bushes to hide.

During their desperate journey to safety, many lost, not only, their homes and livelihoods but also those they loved most.

“We lost people in the bushes and later returned to find nothing but devastation; our homes were deliberately burned down by fire. We face a situation in which the entire community draws water from a single borehole; other basic needs are unavailable. The same applies to nearby villages,” explains Thabitha Nyitapo, Udier Women’s Leader.

“Twenty people share a single room to sleep in and stay protected during the rain. Also, there are no health care facilities left, pregnant women have nowhere to deliver during labor, and mothers and children are suffering due to a lack of medicine.”

Today, the village of Udier serves as a refuge for more than 36,000 displaced people as well as others originally from the area who are returning as fragile calm is restored.

The challenges they face are daunting: how to rebuild their lives with no secure shelter, no reliable access to food, clean water, healthcare, education, or the means to earn a living.

“We have no school now, like I mentioned before, that everything was looted and hospital beds were looted, the schools’ materials, including chairs, were looted, everything was looted, there is nothing here now,” said Wochan Wuordol, Commissioner of Udier.

For the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, protecting civilians and ensuring that life-saving humanitarian aid reaches those most in need has never been more urgent. Their commitment remains unwavering, even as the challenges grow by the day.

Recently, UNMISS peacekeepers patrolled the area to assess the security situation. They met with local authorities and listened to the community’s concerns while working together to identify shared solutions amid ongoing uncertainty.

“People in this community have different political views which can cause tension. Our goal is to ensure that, regardless of their differences, they can live peacefully together,” explains Civil Affairs Officer, William Jial.

Only by strengthening protection for civilians and restoring the basic services they have lost can these families begin to recover, rebuild, and look forward to a future lived in safety and dignity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Source: APO

The National Athletics Federation of Eritrea conducted the 31st National Half-Marathon Competition in Mendefera on Sunday, 9 August.

More than 150 male and female athletes from the Southern, Central and Gash-Barka regions, as well as the Ministry of Defense’s Denden Club, took part in the competition.

In the men’s category, Athlete Major Tedros from the Southern Region won the race, finishing in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 41 seconds. Athlete Teklehaimanot Berhane from the Southern Region and Athlete Saimon Mebrahtu from Denden Club finished second and third, respectively.

In the women’s category, Olympian Nazareth Woldu from the Gash-Barka Region won the race, finishing in 1 hour, 19 minutes and 1 second. Athlete Mikal Tsegazeab and Olympian Dolci Tesfu, both from Denden Club, finished second and third, respectively.

Likewise, in the men’s five-kilometre category, Athlete Yobel Zerit from the Central Region won the race, finishing in 14 minutes, 14 seconds and 3 microseconds. In the women’s category, Athlete Delina from the Central Region finished first in 16 minutes, 43 seconds and 24 microseconds.

In the one-mile race, Athlete Fitsum Abraham from the Southern Region and Athlete Canary Teklemariam from the Central Region won the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

A bus that should have paid Shs15,000 to use the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway was charged only Shs5,000 after an electronic toll card meant for light vehicles was manually used to open the barrier at the Kajjansi Toll Centre, shocking Members of Parliament during an on-spot inspection.

The incident raised fresh concerns about revenue leakage, accountability and the effectiveness of the toll system on the expressway, particularly after MPs discovered that manual intervention is still possible despite earlier assurances that the system is automated.

The Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure chaired by Hon. Mwine Mpaka witnessed the incident on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, during an assessment of toll collection, management and maintenance of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.

In the test, a toll card issued under Class 2 (Light Vehicles with or without trailer), attracting a Shs5,000 charge per trip was used to clear a bus belonging to Class 4a (Large Goods Vehicles and Buses, 4-5 axles), which should ordinarily pay Shs15,000 per trip.

Although the card was not appropriate for the bus category, the barrier was manually opened by the officer on duty, allowing the vehicle.

The development came as a Ministry of Works and Transport engineer recommended that government takes over toll collection on the expressway through a dedicated government-owned company.

Engineer Isaac Menya, a Network Planning Engineer was tasked by the committee to advise on the best model for managing the toll points following the takeover of operations by Pinnacle Security from EGIS.

Menya said government can directly manage toll collection provided the arrangement guarantees sufficient funds for maintenance.

“My recommendation is that it does no harm for government to actually manage this toll directly, but under some mechanism where there is availability of money to maintain that road,” Menya said.

Menya cited Ethiopia, where toll expressways are largely managed through state-owned public enterprises and Kenya, which uses public-private partnerships in which private investors build, finance and operate highways through long-term concessions.

He however, warned that if the expressway is placed under conventional government systems without an appropriate operational structure, bureaucratic procedures could delay responses to routine problems.

Menya said a dedicated government entity can provide the operational flexibility needed to manage toll revenue and undertake routine maintenance without lengthy administrative procedures.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle Security General Manager, Ivan Katamba told the committee that the company will discuss with the Ministry of Works and Transport, the possibility of scrapping toll-free access for some categories of road users.

The proposal follows concerns raised by MPs that toll exemptions could be contributing to revenue losses.

Hoima City Woman Representative, Hon. Nyakato Asinansi wondered why contractors undertaking maintenance works on the expressway should be exempted from the Shs5,000 toll when they are paid by government.

Mwine Mpaka also demanded a comprehensive list of all persons and categories of road users currently holding toll-free passes.

The committee’s inspection at Kajjansi was part of its wider on-spot assessment of the management, toll collection and maintenance of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

For Suzy John, farming is the only way to feed her five children. But each harvest season brings fear that armed groups may force her family from their land before they can collect the crops.

“We farm and harvest, but when we are ready to enjoy the fruits of our labour, armed groups come and drive us away,” she said. “Our houses were burned down, and now we are living under this tent.”

Suzy lives in Rii-rangu, a remote community in Yambio County, Western Equatoria State, where years of insecurity and poor infrastructure have left families without clean drinking water, functioning schools, healthcare or reliable access to markets.

Reaching Rii-rangu is difficult. Roads leading to the community are narrow, and often badly damaged by the rains. A patrol by peacekeepers with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) traversed the challenging terrain to meet residents and assess their protection concerns, and urgent needs.

The poor road network has worsened the community’s isolation, limiting access to healthcare, education, markets and humanitarian assistance.

For women, the lack of essential services has created additional hardship.

“There are no schools, there is no borehole and no medical supplies,” said resident Hellena Mborihidie. “When someone falls sick, there is no medicine. We are pleading with the government to intervene.”

The members of the UNMISS patrol team met with residents, representatives of local authorities and security personnel in the area. They also assessed abandoned public facilities, including the damaged primary school and health centre.

Inside the damaged school compound, empty classrooms reflect the challenges facing children growing up in the area.

For mothers, the absence of healthcare and reliable transport has made pregnancy and childbirth particularly dangerous.

“There are no health facilities or medicines,” said Ojilia Barnaba, a mother of six. “Pregnant women have nowhere to receive antenatal care, and there is no transport to reach the nearest hospital.”

She said women and adolescent girls also lack access to menstrual hygiene supplies.

“There are no markets. When a woman or a girl is menstruating, there is no access to dignity kits. We are suffering.”

During the visit, the peacekeeping team documented the concerns raised by residents, including threats to civilians, displacement, food insecurity and the collapse of basic services.

After meeting with community members and listening to their grievances, UNMISS staff reassured them that these concerns would be shared with government authorities in the State.

“We are here as part of the UNMISS mandate to protect civilians and monitor possible human rights violations. We came to assess the situation, and we will report our findings to the UNMISS leadership,” said Senyo Kofi Dzamefe, a Military Observer with UNMISS.

Such patrols help the United Nations identify threats facing civilians and share information with authorities and humanitarian partners who can provide further support.

For the people of Rii-rangu, the priorities are clear: security, clean water, healthcare, functioning schools and safe access to their farms.

They want the opportunity to rebuild their homes, educate their children and live without fear on the land that sustains them.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).