Day: May 13, 2022

Religious groups and rights activists in Nigeria are calling for justice after a female Christian student was killed by a mob for alleged blasphemy.

The student was beaten and burned to death on the premises of a school in northwestern Sokoto state.

The Catholic Diocese of Sokoto criticized the attack in a statement Friday and called on state authorities to catch and prosecute the killers.

Rights groups like Amnesty International, and the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project or SERAP, have also condemned the attack and are demanding justice for the student.

Police say two people have so far been arrested in connection with the incident and that they’re searching for others who took part in the killing.

The incident took place at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto state. A mob of students flogged, stoned and eventually burned Deborah Yakubu to death near the school Thursday.

The students accused Yakubu of making blasphemous comments about the Muslim prophet Mohammed during an online argument with classmates.

The argument took place during the Muslim Ramadan holiday. But when school resumed Thursday, a group of students attacked Yakubu.

Seun Bakare is an Amnesty International spokesperson.

“It is not only sad but deeply disturbing because this is not the first time that things like this continue to happen,” Bakare said. “We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into what truly transpired and we’re hoping that the perpetrators will be brought to book so it can serve as a deterrent.”

The Christian Association of Nigeria blames authorities for failing to prevent the attack. Sokoto State authorities have shut down the school indefinitely.

Under Nigeria’s secular law, blasphemy is punishable by up to two years in prison. But in the more conservative northern region where religious or Sharia law is favored, blasphemy is often treated with stiffer punishments, including a possible death sentence.

Last month, a court in northern Kano state sentenced a Nigerian atheist to 24 years in prison for blasphemy.

Bakare said both the secular and Sharia laws flout international human rights standards.

“When compared to international human rights law, none of these laws can stand because international human rights law guarantees the freedom and Nigeria is a state party to international standards that uphold the freedom of expression,” Bakare said.

Last November, the U.S. government removed Nigeria from its list of countries that violate religious freedom.

Source: Voice of America

Executives at Canada-based Trevali Mining Corp. said the company was caught unawares by a torrential downpour during the dry season last month in Burkina Faso that left eight men trapped underground in its Perkoa zinc mine.

Rescue efforts have continued since the flood on April 16, but there has been no communication with the missing miners, and it is not known whether any survived.

“Given the dry season obviously we do not expect rain and we had an absolute torrential downpour,” said Hein Frey, vice president of operations at Trevali, adding that the water crossed a bridge and broke safety barriers.

“It’s not only us that have been affected, it’s also the communities around us that are affected by completely unexpected rain,” he said in an interview with Reuters at the site.

The company called for help immediately and by the next day other mining companies in Burkina Faso had sent rescue teams and pumps, said Frey. Water is still being pumped out of the mine.

While most workers were able to safely evacuate, the eight missing were below Level 520, which is 520 meters (1,706 feet) from the surface, at the time of the flooding, the company said.

There are two safety chambers stocked with food and water below that level, but it is not known if any of the men were able to reach them.

“There’s always hope, but we also have to be realistic,” Trevali CEO Ricus Grimbeek said in a separate interview with Reuters.

“Those chambers are not designed to be submerged in water. The chambers are designed for falling ground accidents and when there’s toxic environments like smoke,” he said.

The company and Burkina Faso’s government have launched investigations into what caused the accident.

“We need to understand … what do we need to do in future so that what happened here never happens again,” Grimbeek said.

Source: Voice of America

A top World Food Program (WFP) official has urged Zimbabwe and surrounding countries to increase food production in light of the Russia-Ukraine war that has caused shortages and a spike in food prices.

WFP Southern Africa Director Menghestab Haile told reporters after meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare Friday that the World Food Program is worried the Russia-Ukraine war has increased food insecurity across southern Africa. The region, he said, should make a concerted effort to grow more of its own food.

“SADC region has water, has land, has clever people, so we are able to produce in this region,” Haile said. “Let’s diversify and let’s produce for ourselves. The governments of the region are working together, the executive secretary of SADC is coordinating the efforts. We are aware there are challenges, but we are aware that through a cocktail of policies and interventions, we will get through this.”

President Mnangagwa did not talk to reporters after meeting Haile.

Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of the region but in recent years agricultural production has been well below the levels of the last century. The government said it will increase production this year, starting with wheat, so the country can regain its food exporter status.

Just outside Harare, Ephraim Pasipanodya is among the farmers the Zimbabwe government has asked to increase wheat crop hecarage this season. The aim is to have enough wheat by October of this year to achieve self-sufficiency.

“Basically for the last two years, I had 200 hectares of wheat,” Pasipanodya said, “and this year I am planning to do about 300 hectares of wheat (because) wheat crop, which is one our major crops and one of our crops which is actually imported.”

Ministry of Agriculture officials are visiting farms, teaching farmers how to increase production and providing seed to farmers. Obert Jiri, chief director in the Ministry of Agriculture, said the government has activated four programs that will target 75,000 hectares of wheat production.

“So we are going on a blitz to train farmers to be able to grow the wheat because we understand that wheat is a technical crop,” Jiri said.

The Zimbabwean government has adopted the theme of “wheat self-sufficiency at all costs,” saying it has a solution to the wheat shortage the world is facing because of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Next, officials will target the country’s staple corn crop come October-November. If the plans work out, that will be good news to organizations like the WFP, which have been feeding hungry Zimbabweans for years.

Source: Voice of America