Mendes late strike sends Cape Verde to quarter finals

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire

Ryan Mendes’ late strike from the spot handed Cape Verde qualification to the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023 after defeating Mauritania 1-0 in Abidjan.

The Blue Sharks put up a dominating performance against Mauritania who were playing in their first TotalEnergies CAF AFCON knockout game in their history. 

For the entire duration of the game, goalkeeper, Babacar Niasse kept Mauritania in the game with his intelligent saves. 

Head coach, Pedro Leitao Brito threw more men forward and kept pushing at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan. 

With few minutes to end the game, Niasse conceded a penalty after going off his lines to prevent a goal. 

Cape Verde’s captain, Ryan Mendes stepped up and scored for the Blue Sharks.

South Africa ruling party ANC suspends Zuma

GAUTENG, South Africa

The South Africa ruling party (ANC) National Executive Committee has taken a decision to suspend former President Jacob Zuma as a member of the party.

The ANC NEC Lekgotla is currently under way in Boksburg on Gauteng’s East Rand.

This follows Zuma’s announcement that he will be campaigning for the newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe party.

Zuma’s suspension will only be processed by the party’s National Disciplinary Committee after the upcoming national elections as the party continues with its campaign.

Zuma will be given 48 hours to respond to the suspension decision.

Zuma survived calls last year by some members of the NEC for him to quit. But analysts say this time around a bigger section of the party wants him out.

In 2008, shortly after taking the party's helm, Zuma engineered the ousting of Thabo Mbeki from the presidency.

Since Zuma became president in 2009, he has been dogged by scandal. He is fighting the reinstatement of 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion-rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president.

Some within the ANC and the opposition say the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, have used their links with the president to win state contracts and influence cabinet appointments. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

Haiti govt still hopeful after ruling against Kenya support mission

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

Haiti's government said Sunday it remains hopeful for a "swift and positive outcome," after a Kenyan court ruled against Nairobi's plan to deploy police officers to support the troubled island nation's security forces.

Haitian police arrest a man in the Turgeau commune of Port-au-Prince during gang-related violence in April 2023

The ruling on Friday has thrown into doubt the future of a U.N.-backed multinational force long sought by Haiti's government, which has pleaded for international help to confront its spiraling security crisis.

ALSO READ: Court bars Kenya police deployment to Haiti

Kenya's government had previously said it was ready to provide up to 1,000 personnel, an offer welcomed by the United States and other nations that had ruled out putting their own forces on the ground.

The government of Haiti said in a statement Sunday that it was "following developments in Kenya and expects a swift and positive outcome."

It added that it would "like to thank the many countries that have come forward to offer various types of aid to restore order and security as soon as possible."

The Kenyan government has vowed to challenge the high court ruling.

Kenyan President William Ruto has described his country's undertaking as a "mission for humanity," in step with its long record of contributing to peacekeeping missions abroad.

The Western hemisphere's poorest nation, Haiti has been in turmoil for years, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence, leaving the economy and public health system in tatters.

The 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise plunged the country further into chaos. No elections have taken place since 2016 and the presidency remains vacant.

The multinational mission — initially approved for one year — had envisioned Kenyan police on the offensive with their Haitian counterparts, who are outnumbered and outgunned by gang members.

The U.N. Security Council approved the mission in early October.

In the statement, Haiti urged its citizens "to remain calm, to support our security forces and not to allow themselves to be intimidated by disinformation campaigns and threats of violence."

Iran denies involvement in drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran has denied involvement in a drone attack on a US base near Jordan's border with Syria that killed three US troops.

Iranian authorities on Monday denied being involved in a drone strike on a U.S. military base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers and injured 25 after President Joe Biden blamed “radical Iran-backed militants” for carrying out the attacks and promised a response.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency that “resistance groups in the region do not take orders from…Iran in their decisions and actions.”

Kanaani said Iran isn’t involved in the militants’ decision on how “they support the Palestinian nation or defend themselves and the people of their countries in the face of any aggression and occupation.”

Despite denying involvement, the spokesperson said the militant group’s attacks were a response to “war crimes and genocide” in Gaza.

The Iranian official denounced what he said were “baseless accusations” and without naming the country appeared to accuse Israel of trying to drag the U.S. “into a new conflict in the region and provoking it to intensify the crisis.”

Aside from the U.S., British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also blamed the attack on “Iran-aligned militia groups” and urged Iran to “de-escalate.”

Speaking at an event in South Carolina, President Joe Biden said: “We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases…and we shall respond.”

Sunday’s drone strike targeted American troops based in Tower 22, a small military outpost in northeast Jordan, near the country’s borders with Iraq and Syria.

Satellite view of the U.S. military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan October 12, 2023

Aside from the three deaths, at least 25 were injured, and Reuters reported 34 soldiers on the base were being treated for possible traumatic brain injuries.

In a White House statement, Biden said facts about the attack were still being gathered, but “we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.” The president’s statement added: “Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”

The attack raises the possibility of a direct confrontation between Iran and the U.S., and an escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict into a broader regional war in the Middle East, two things the Biden administration has been desperately trying to avoid.

The president now faces pressure from the Republicans, who are demanding retaliation against the Iranian military and its leadership. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the U.S. must: “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard.”

Several other GOP lawmakers also chimed in, urging the White House to take “serious action” against Iran.

Gunmen kill 52 in disputed Abyei region

JUBA, South Sudan

A regional official says gunmen attacked villagers in the oil-rich region of Abyei claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. At least 52 people were killed, including a U.N. peacekeeper, and 64 wounded.

The Abyei region is an area of 10,546 km² on the border between South Sudan and Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. 

The motive for the attack Saturday evening was not immediately clear but it was suspected to revolve around a land dispute, Bulis Koch, Abyei information minister, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Abyei.

Deadly ethnic violence has been common in the region, where Twic Dinka tribal members from neighboring Warrap State are locked in a land dispute with Ngok Dinka from Abyei over the Aneet area, located at the border.

The attackers in Saturday’s violence were armed youth from the Nuer tribe who migrated to Warrap state last year because of flooding in their areas, Koch said.

In a statement, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) condemned the violence that killed the peacekeeper.

UNIFSA confirmed intercommunal clashes took place in the Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian areas leading to casualties and the evacuation of civilians to UNISFA bases.

“The UNISFA base in Agok came under attack by an armed group. The mission repelled the attack, but tragically a Ghanaian peacekeeper was killed,” the statement said.

Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over control of the Abyei region since a 2005 peace deal ended decades of civil war between Sudan’s north and south. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim ownership of Abyei, whose status was unresolved after South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011.

The region’s majority Ngok Dinka people favor South Sudan, while the Misseriya nomads who come to Abyei to find pasture for their cattle favor Sudan. Currently, the region is under the control of South Sudan.

An African Union panel proposed a referendum for Abyei but there was disagreement over who could vote. Currently, the region is under the control of South Sudan.

Inter-communal and cross-border clashes have escalated since South Sudan deployed its troops to Abyei in March.

Israel's president accuses world court of misquoting him

JERUSALEM, Israel

Israel’s president has accused the U.N. world court of misquoting him in a ruling that ordered Israel to take steps to protect Palestinians and prevent a genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The court's ruling on Friday cited statements made by Israeli leaders including President Isaac Herzog as evidence of incitement and dehumanizing language.

Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people in that attack and took about 250 others hostage. The Israeli offensive has left more than 26,000 Palestinians dead, displaced more than 80% of Gaza's inhabitants and led to a humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Talking about Gaza’s Palestinians at an October 12 news conference, Herzog said that “an entire nation” was responsible for the massacre, the report by the International Court of Justice noted.

But Herzog said that it ignored other comments in the same news conference in which he said “there is no excuse” for killing innocent civilians, and that Israel would respect international laws of war.

“I was disgusted by the way they twisted my words, using very, very partial and fragmented quotes, with the intention of supporting an unfounded legal contention,” Herzog said Sunday.

In its ruling, the court stopped short of ordering ordering an end to the Israeli military offensive. 

But it ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza and issued a series of orders to Israel that include an end to incitement and submitting a progress report to the court within one month.

 

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdraw from ECOWAS

BAMAKO, Mali

The military juntas in West African nations Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger jointly announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States on Sunday.

The juntas accused the regional economic bloc of imposing inhumane sanctions aimed at reversing recent coups in their respective countries.

The joint statement, broadcast on state television in all three nations, asserted that the decision to withdraw was made in complete sovereignty, alleging that ECOWAS had deviated from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism after nearly 50 years of existence.

The juntas contended that ECOWAS, influenced by foreign powers, had become a threat to its member states and their populations.

ECOWAS, established in 1975 to promote economic integration in member states, is considered West Africa's top political and regional authority.

The bloc has faced challenges in recent years as it strives to address coup incidents in the region and ensure the equitable distribution of natural resources.

The juntas did not provide details on how the withdrawal process would unfold, and neither has ECOWAS for the time being.

The regional bloc, which recognizes only democratic governments, has faced previous challenges to its authority, with its regional court ruling last year that juntas lack the power to act on behalf of their nations in place of elected governments.

This announcement follows a series of events that heightened political tensions in West Africa, including a coup in Niger last year. The three nations, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have recently formed a security alliance and severed military ties with France and other European nations, turning to Russia for support.

The joint statement criticized ECOWAS for failing to assist the countries in addressing "existential" threats like terrorism, a common reason cited by their militaries for the coups. The juntas argued that ECOWAS sanctions, instead of improving their situations, have further weakened populations already affected by years of violence. The development adds a new layer of complexity to the evolving political landscape in West Africa.

Where are the bodies? Ukraine presses Russia for proof of POW deaths

KYIV, Ukraine

Ukraine on Saturday pressed Russia to provide proof that a military plane shot down earlier in the week had been carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as it claimed.

Ukraine’s spy chief questioned why Russia had not shown any images of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers that Moscow claims were killed when a military plane was shot down.

Russia said 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed when Kyiv shot down an Ilyushin-76 military transport plane on Wednesday near the border between the two countries.

While Kyiv has not outright denied Russia’s claims, it has questioned key parts of its narrative – in particular, who was on board the aircraft.

“There are a number of factors that are unclear,” Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence said in an interview with state television.

“First of all, they did not show fields covered with corpses and remains,” he said.

“If it happened as Russia claims, why does Russia … continue to hide the bodies?,” Budanov asked on Saturday.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has published three videos of what it says is the crash site.

One showed a blurred close-up of a dead body. In another, a forensics team is sealing up a single body bag. A third was grainy footage purporting to show vehicles transporting the prisoners to the plane before it took off, but the quality was too poor to verify this.

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine - Nato chief

BRUSSELS, Belgium

US military funding for Ukraine carries a key deterrent message for China, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg argued on Sunday at the start of a Washington visit aimed at lobbying Congress to continue funding the war against Russia.

After billions in US aid have been sent to Ukraine since the invasion nearly two years ago, many Republican lawmakers have grown reluctant to keep supporting Kyiv, saying it lacks a clear end game as the fighting against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces grinds on.

US President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve US$61 billion in new aid to Ukraine. But the talks have bogged down as Republican lawmakers – furious over record illegal flows over the US border with Mexico – demand major changes in US immigration and border control policy in exchange for approving more money for Ukraine.

Stoltenberg plans to make the case in Washington this week for continued aid to Ukraine.

“What matters is that Ukraine gets continued support, because we need to realise that this is closely watched in Beijing,” Stoltenberg said on Fox News.

Analysts say Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, is watching to see if once-strong Western support for Ukraine is now petering out.

If Ukraine were abandoned by the US and its allies, mainland China might be tempted to take military action to seize control of Taiwan, these analysts warn.

“So it’s not only making Europe more vulnerable, but all of us, also the United States, more vulnerable, if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg added.

He said the agreement being negotiated in the US Congress is “a good deal”. US aid to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said, has been just a fraction of the Pentagon budget, and yet “we have been able to destroy and degrade the Russian army substantially”.

DR Congo stun Pharaohs in dramatic penalty shootout

SAN PEDRO, Ivory Coast

Egypt crashed out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after being defeated by DR Congo at the San Pedro Stadium on Sunday evening. The match ended with a 1-1 scoreline after extra-time and had to go to penalties, where DR Congo dramatically won the match 8-7 on penalties.

DR Congo started off the match strong in the beginning stages making runs all the way from the halfway line into the penalty area, beating the Egyptian defenders.

Egypt snapped back into the game and created their own fair share of chances, Mohamed Elneny was creating opportunities for the Pharaohs but they could not finish them. The Pharaohs were dominating possession, but the Leopards took their chances when they received the ball.

DR Congo finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute through Meschak Elia who received a cross from Yoane Wissa and finished after a quick throw-in was taken. Egypt players made shouts but to no avail as South African referee Abongile Tom stood firm ground and the goal stood.

At the halftime mark, the Pharaohs were awarded a penalty and Mustafa Mohamed scored his fourth goal of the tournament with a shot that was tucked into the top corner of the net. The incident was caused by Dylan Batubinsika who had his arm up in Ahmed Hegazi’s face in the penalty area and after a review from VAR, the spot kick was given.

The scoreline was 1-1 at the break, with both teams showing a hunger to win the game. DR Congo continued trying by creating a promising attacking move just past the 50th minute, as Elia crossed the ball into the net and Cedric Bakambu hit the side netting at the far post.

Egypt also continued to bide their time and find spaces to score. However, in the beginning stages of the second half of the match, the Leopards looked like the better team.

The final ten minutes saw things become more physical in the match as both teams tried their best to grab the winning goal. Egypt still dominated possession, but DR Congo improved and had a little more of the ball.

Matters were still level after 90 minutes of football and stoppage time. The match went into extra time and soon after, Egypt’s Mohamed Hamdy was sent off for a late tackle on Simon Banza after picking up a second yellow card in the 97th minute.

The end of the second half of extra time saw four minutes being added, in which both teams failed to grab the winner. Ultimately, the match had to go to penalties in order to decide the winner.

During the shootout, Mostafa Mohamed fired his shot wide and as Arthur Masuaku followed up during his turn, he missed his penalty as well. As each team had taken five kicks each and both had scored four penalties respectively, matters went into a sudden death.

Pharaohs goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal missed a penalty on his turn and in a dramatic turn of events, DR Congo's goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi switched their roles and scored, winning it for the Leopards.

The dramatic win means that DR Congo have qualified for the quarterfinals of the Afcon and Egypt have bowed out in the Round of 16 stage.

Egypt: M. Abou Gabal, M. Hany, A. Hegazi, M. Abdelmonem, A. Fotouh (M. Hamdi ’46), M. Attia (M. Hamada 84’), M. Elneny (M. Lasheen 112’), H. Fathi (O. Kamal 100’), A.Zizo (M. Fathi 90+1’), M. Mohamed, M. Trézéguet (O. Marmoush 84’)

DR Congo: L. Mpasi, A. Masuaku, D. Batubinsika (H. Inonga 65’), C. Mbemba, G. Kalulu, T. Bongonda, S. Moutoussamy, C. Pikel (Tshibola 78’), Y. Wissa (S. Mvumpa 88’), C. Bakambu (S. Banza 65’), M. Elia (G. Diangana 106’)

Dramatic finish as Bayo's late winner sends Guinea through to quarter-final

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast

Guinea booked their place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals after they scored a last-gasp winner to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 1-0 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, 28 January.

The last-16 encounter in Abidjan looked set to be heading for extra time when Mohamed Bayo popped up at the death with a sublime header to keep the National Elephants' dream alive.

Kaba Diawara's side will now await the winner of the clash between Egypt and DR Congo to see who they will face in the last eight of the tournament.

The first half was a cagey affair that lacked creativity and inspiration as the two teams struggled to create any noteworthy chances.

Guinea bossed possession and had an early sniff at goal when Morgan Guilavogui fed Bayo on the right in the third minute, but the striker's long-range shot from an angle flew well wide of the near post.

The West Africans had a chance to deliver the ball into the box on 18 minutes after they were awarded a free-kick some 35 yards out. However, Saul Coco decided to go for goal and only succeeded in hitting the wall.

Equatorial Guinea also wasted a free-kick in the 43th minute when Iban Salvador laid it off to Pablo Ganet, who struck the wall from just outside the box, while Guilavogui blazed high and wide from an angle on the right at the other end of the pitch moments later.

The second half began much livelier and Emilio Nsue threatened for the first time on 47 minutes as he lashed a shot over the crossbar after the ball had bobbled around inside the box.

The National Elephants thought they had made the breakthrough shortly afterwards when Mory Konate powered a header home from a 53rd-minute free-kick, but he had strayed offside.

Their opponents were then dealt a massive blow two minutes later with the dismissal of Federico Bikoro, who caught Bayo in the ribcage as he followed through in a challenge and received a straight red card.

But the National Thunder had an opportunity to open the scoring in the 69th minute after Salvador was caught by Sekou Sylla inside the box. The referee waved play on, although VAR intervened and a penalty was awarded.

Nsue squandered the gilt-edged chance, as his spot-kick clipped the outside of the right post, having sent Ibrahim Kone the wrong way.

Spurred on by the missed penalty, Guinea went in search of the winner in the closing stages and Serhou Guirassy forced Jesus Owono to tip his header over the bar from Aguibou Camara's cross on 82 minutes before Ibrahim Diakite fired straight at the goalkeeper four minutes later after charging into the box on the right.

Francois Kamano drew a comfortable save out of Owono with a tame shot on 88 minutes after doing well to win the ball back just outside the opposition box.

However, their efforts were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when Bayo headed home Diakite's cross in the 98th minute to clinch a dramatic win.

Equatorial Guinea: J. Owono, C. Akapo, S. Coco, E. Orozco, B. Ndong, F. Bikoro, P. Ganet, I. Salvador, J. Buyla (L. Asue 85'), J. Machin, E Nsue.

Guinea: I. Kone, I. Sylla, J. Jeanvier, M. Diakhaby, I. Diakite, A. Diawara, M. Konate (N. Keïta 79'), M. Guilavogui (S. Guirassy 60'), A. Camara. S. Sylla (F. Kamano 79'), M. Bayo.

Nigeria win classic over Cameroon to reach quarter-finals

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire 

Nigeria have secured a berth in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after they defeated Cameroon 2-0 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on Saturday night.

This round of 16 clash was decided by a brace of goals from Ademola Lookman, who struck on 36 and 90 minutes to see the Super Eagles triumph over the Indomitable Lions and continue their quest to win a fourth continental crown.

Nigeria created all the early pressure and had the ball in the back of the net via Semi Ajayi in the ninth minute, but the goal was scrapped – after a VAR review – due to an offside in the build up.

Cameroon stabilised their defence and were able to find more of a rhythm, though the Super Eagles remained the more potent attacking force.

And the team in dark green were rewarded with a goal in the 36th minute, as Victor Osimhen stole the ball off defender Oumar Gonzalez and teed up Ademola Lookman, whose low shot was half saved by Fabrice Ondoa, but the ball trickled over the goal line for 1-0.

The Indomitable Lions looked for a quick reply, but were unable to muster any clear chances, as the teams went to the interval with Nigeria a goal to the good.

And the Super Eagles almost doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the restart when Lookman whipped a shot just over the crossbar direct from a free kick.

Cameroon looked to up their attacking pressure and called on veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar, who suffered an injury in the build-up to the Afcon and made his 2023 tournament debut by replacing Gonzalez in the 78th minute.

Nigeria also needed to replace goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali – who suffered a heavy collision with Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – with Francis Uzoho.

The Super Eagles looked set to kill off the game on 85 minutes when Ola Aina had a glaring chance in front of goal, but his effort was heroically blocked by Tolo Nouhou.

However, the decisive blow finally arrived in the 90th minute when Lookman provided a beautiful finish from Calvin Bassey’s cross to make it 2-0 and secure the Super Eagles’ path to the last eight of the Afcon.

With their clinical victory in a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON  heavyweight bout, Nigeria show they have the quality and experience to potentially end their long wait for a fourth continental title.

Rigobert Song, Cameroon's Coach:

"We had the youngest team; there are players who are discovering. We gave the opponent the opportunity to put us in difficulty; it's part of the game. As I've said before, we are in reconstruction. It's by making these mistakes that we will grow. Football is like that. The AFCON is a competition that is played on all levels: technical, tactical, and especially mental. I have a youthful that is discovering; it played, and we still have a lot to learn."

José Peseiro, Nigeria's Coach:

"We will now focus on our next match against Angola, which is having an excellent tournament. We must take this opponent seriously, so we will continue to sleep early and eat pasta (laughs). Jokes aside, all the teams at this stage are capable of winning the tournament."

Nigeria: Nwabali (Uzoho 80’), Ajayi, Troost-Ekong, Bassey, Aina, Onyeka, Iwobi, Zaidu (Omeruo 80’), Simon (Osayi-Samuel 90+10’), Lookman, Osimhen (Onuachu 90+10’)

Cameroon: Ondoa, Castelletto, Wooh, Gonzalez (Aboubakar 78’), Ngamaleu (Tchato 87’), Ntcham, Anguissa, Nouhou, Toko Ekambi (Moumbagna 90+6’), N’Koudou, Magri 

Security Council to meet after UN top court’s Gaza ruling

UNITED NATIONS, US

United States: UN Security Council will meet next week over the decision by the global body’s top court calling for Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, the council’s presidency announced Friday.

The Wednesday meeting was called for by Algeria, whose ministry of foreign affairs said it would give “binding effect to the pronouncement of the International Court of Justice on the provisional measures imposed on the Israeli occupation.

”The ICJ on Friday said Israel must prevent genocidal acts in its war with Hamas and allow aid into Gaza, but stopped short of calling for an end to the fighting.

The decision “gives the clear message that in order to do all the things that they are asking for, you need a ceasefire for it to happen,” Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said.

“So fasten your seat belts,” he said, hinting that the Arab Group, represented on the council by Algeria, would push for one.

The Security Council, long divided on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, has only agreed to two resolutions since the October 7 Hamas attacks sparked the latest round of fighting.

In December, it demanded aid deliveries “at scale” to Gaza’s besieged population, while Israel’s ally the United States has kept out calls for a ceasefire despite international pressure.

The current fighting started with the unprecedented attack by Hamas that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages and Israel says around 132 of them remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives.

pIsrael has vowed to crush Hamas and launched a military offensive that the health ministry in Gaza says has killed at least 26,083 people, about 70 percent of them women and children.

The ICJ, based in The Hague, while refraining from ordering an immediate halt to the almost four-month-old war, said Israel must do everything to “prevent the commission of all acts within the scope” of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

Angola thrash Brave Namibia to advance

BOUAKE, Côte d'Ivoire 

Angola thrashed their neighbours Namibia 3-0 in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match at the Stade de Bouake in Bouake on Saturday night.

Therefore, the Black Sable Antelopes reached the quarterfinals of the continental tournament for the third time. They are set to face either Nigeria or Cameroon in the last eight on 2 February at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Namibia, on the other hand, crashed out of the tournament having reached the knockout phase for the first time this year. The Brave Warriors will now travel back home with their heads held high.

The Brave Warriors looked to play balls in behind the Black Sable Antelopes' defence which saw goalkeeper Neblu come out and handle the ball outside the box and he was sent off in the 17th with Angola being reduced to 10 players.

Despite being numerically disadvantaged Angola launched attacks and they broke in the 38th minute following a beautiful team goal. Fredy set up Gelson Dala who netted with a simple tap-in from close range to hand Angola a 1-0 lead.

Namibia were also reduced to 10 players in the 40th minute as Lubeni Haukongo was dismissed after receiving his second yellow card of the game. 

Two minutes later, Gelson Dala completed his brace as he headed home Fredy's free-kick and Angola were 2-0 up at halftime.

The Brave Warriors were forced to push forward in numbers after the start as they looked to pull one back.

However, they conceded again in the 66th minute following a quick attack by Angola whose 3-0 win was sealed by Mabululu, who netted with a sublime finish.

Angola: Neblu, Afonso, Gaspar, Buatu-Mananga, Carneiro, Estrela (Signori 20'), Show, Fredy (Zini 70'), Gilberto (Keliano 70'), Dala (Luvumbo 84'), Mabululu (Bela 84').

Namibia: Kazapua, Kamberipa, Amutenya (Gerbhardt 60'), Haukongo, Hanamub, Muzeu (Kambato 70'), Katua (Shitembi 60'), Petrus, Hotto, Tijueza (Iimbondi 23'), Shalulile

Senior Russian officials were supposed to be on Il-76 flight but did not board

KYIV, Ukraine

High-ranking Russian officials were supposed to be on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed in Belogorod Oblast on Jan. 24, but the Federal Security Service (FSB) did not allow them to board at "the last moment," Andrii Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence spokesperson, told RFE/RL on Jan. 25.

The Il-76 transport plane crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24, allegedly killing everyone on board. Russia's Defense Ministry then claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs had been on the plane due to a scheduled prisoner exchange later that day.

Ukraine's military intelligence agency did not confirm whether prisoners were on the plane, nor commented on what might have caused the crash, but said a prisoner exchange had been planned for that day.

According to Yusov, Ukrainian intelligence suggests that several senior military and political officials should have been on board but were instead told by the FSB to use other modes of transport.

Yusov said that this information became known to Ukrainian intelligence after the plane crashed.

Following the crash, the FSB and the Russian military did not allow emergency workers to inspect the crash site as per protocol, Yusov said.  

According to Yusov, five bodies were sent to the local morgue in Belgorod, and no human remains are visible on videos from the crash site.

Russia claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs, six crew members, and three accompanying people were on board.

Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also said on air on Jan. 25 that photos and videos from the site do not indicate "any signs that there were such a large number of people on the plane."

"I'm not an expert, but if there were even photos and videos of our prisoners of war, (Russia) would have already posted it," Lubinets said, referring to the photographic evidence of the crash site.

Yusov said the names of the senior officials who were supposed to be on board "are known and will be revealed," as Ukraine intends to provide its findings to international investigators.

Lubinets said he will appeal to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross for help find out what happened, following President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement on the evening of Jan. 24 that Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into the crash.