Tensions mount in Burkina Faso a week after the coup attempt

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso

A week after an attempted coup in Burkina Faso, the situation remains tense in Ouagadougou, particularly among the armed forces.

Local media indicate that a meeting scheduled on April 22 at the headquarters of the general staff, which was supposed to include several army officers, was postponed and then later cancelled as the invited officers failed to show up.

According to Radio France Internationale RFI, an influx of people was seen flocking to the Mogho Naaba palace, a traditional authority in Burkina Faso.

Among those seen were army personnel and families of missing civilians, further signalling tension within the West African country.

A cabinet meeting also took place on April 24 at the presidential palace under high security, with sniffer dogs and helicopters seen flying around the area during the meeting.

Some military camps were also placed under high supervision. Military vehicles were seen placed at the entrance of the General Baba Sy military camp in the southern part of the capital.

The government of Captain Ibrahim Traore has now called for massive demonstrations on April 30 in support of the regime.

Their main objective is to condemn "Western interference," especially after recent accusations by U.S. General Michael Langley of diverting the country's gold reserves to support its own security.

Burkina Faso’s military government said on April 22 that it had foiled a “major plot” to overthrow the country’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

The military government first gained knowledge of the plot when it intercepted communications between a high-ranking Burkinabé military officer and terrorist leaders.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said on state television that plotters included current and former soldiers, as well as terrorists. He cited Captain René David Ouédraogo as one of the soldiers who rallied to the plan. Ouédraogo is currently on the run.

The coup attempt aimed to "sow total chaos and place the country under the supervision of an international organisation", Sana said. Plotters had planned to swarm the presidential palace on 16 April 2025. 

Conclave to elect new pope starts on May 7, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY, Italy

Cardinals will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope, the Vatican has said.

The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel on 7 May and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world.

It follows the death of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday and whose funeral was held on Saturday.

There is no timescale as to how long it will take to elect the next pope, but the previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter's Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot.

Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.

There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority - and that can take time.

Each cardinal casts his vote on a simple card that says, in Latin, "I elect as Supreme Pontiff," to which they add the name of their chosen candidate.

If the conclave completes its third day without reaching a decision, the cardinals may pause for a day of prayer.

Outside the Sistine Chapel, the world will be watching for the smoke from the chimney.

If the smoke is black, there will be another round of voting. White smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

On Saturday, politicians and royalty joined thousands of mourners as Pope Francis' funeral was held in St Peter's Square.

Hymns played out on giant speakers, occasionally drowned out by the sound of helicopters flying overhead, before 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re gave a homily on the pope's legacy.

After a ceremony, huge crowds lined the streets of Rome to watch as the Pope's coffin was carried in a procession to his final resting place, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

Authorities said 140,000 people had lined the streets, clapping and waving as the hearse - a repurposed white popemobile - crossed the Tiber River and drove past some of Rome's most recognisable sights: the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Altare della Patria national monument on Piazza Venezia.

On Sunday, images of Pope Francis's tomb at the church were released, showing a single white rose lying on the stone that bears the name he was known by during his pontificate, below a crucifix illuminated by a single spotlight.

Putin announces 3-day ceasefire in May to mark 80 years since WW2 victory

MOSCOW, Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has unilaterally announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting next week. It will mark the 80th anniversary of the former Soviet Union's victory in World War Two.

The truce will begin at midnight local time on May 8. The Kremlin said all hostilities will be suspended if Ukraine also stops fighting. But it warned that Russia will respond if there is a violation.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed his skepticism on social media, saying: "If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th?"

He says Ukraine supports a "lasting, durable, and full ceasefire" for at least 30 days.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. President Donald Trump is also calling for a lasting truce. She said: "I understand Vladimir Putin this morning, offered a temporary ceasefire. The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed."

She stressed that Russian and Ukrainian leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this.

Putin had declared a temporary truce earlier this month for Easter. But the fighting continued and the ceasefire did not hold up.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 29/04/2025

 

Namibian minister sacked after being accused of rape

WINDHOEK, Namibia

Namibia's agriculture minister has been sacked after being accused of raping a 16-year-old girl five years ago.

Mac-Albert Hengari was arrested on Saturday after allegedly attempting to bribe the victim, now 21, to withdraw the case against him, local media quote the police as saying.

Hengari, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to appear in court in the coming hours.

This is the first major scandal for Namibia's first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, since she took office last month.

The statement from the president's office did not indicate the reasons for the dismissal but said Hengari had also been dismissed from the National Assembly.

Hengari was nominated to parliament by the president to represent the ruling party, Swapo.

He is under investigations for multiple charges related to the case including kidnapping, rape and assault, local media report.

The opposition Independent Patriots for Change said Hengari's arrest "on allegations of rape, kidnapping and forced abortion" was a "profound failure of leadership and exposes the hollowness of government rhetoric on gender-based violence".

It said the case came against a backdrop of "widespread gender violence", with 4,814 gender-violence cases reported last year. The country has a population of three million.

The party also criticised the vetting process, saying the president had appointed Hengari "despite a criminal investigation having allegedly been opened in November 2024".

President Nandi-Ndaitwah last month unveiled a cabinet described as ground-breaking for female representation - with nine out 14 members being women, including the vice-president.

The 72-year-old won November's election with a 58% share of the vote.

She is a long-term member of Swapo – which has been in power since the country gained independence in 1990 after a long struggle against apartheid South Africa.

US arrests more than 100 migrants in nightclub raid

COLORADO, United States

United States authorities said Sunday they arrested more than 100 undocumented migrants at a raid on a nightclub in Colorado, the latest detentions in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) "apprehended over 100 illegal aliens at an underground night club frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists," Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X.

Trump has designated South American gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as terrorist groups, sent troops to the Mexican border and called for mass expulsions of undocumented migrants as part of his iron fist approach to immigration.

The Republican leader has in the process butted heads with federal judges, rights groups and Democrats who say he has trampled or ignored constitutional rights in rushing to deport migrants, sometimes without the right to a hearing.

Footage posted on X by the DEA showed armed officers breaking a window and shouting at clubgoers to raise their hands as they run out of the building onto what appears to be a strip mall parking lot.

The DEA said that "more than 100 illegal aliens" were taken into custody at the "underground nightclub" in Colorado Springs.

"Drugs and weapons have also been seized," the agency posted on X.

DEA Special Agent Jonathan Pullen told local TV stations that the raid uncovered various US military members at the club, "either as patrons or working as armed security."

Trump on Sunday praised the operation on his Truth Social platform for targeting "some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes."

He hit out at judges who have blocked migrant deportations, saying they would make the United States a "Crime ridden MESS."

Rights groups said last week that authorities had deported three American children -- one of whom has a rare form of cancer -- alongside their undocumented immigrant mothers.

One of the most high-profile deportations was of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent back to El Salvador despite his protected legal status.

The Trump administration admitted that Abrego Garcia was deported due to an "administrative error," and the Supreme Court ruled that the government must facilitate his return to the United States.

But Trump has since doubled down, insisting Abrego Garcia is in fact a gang member.

Tanzania lifts ban on agriculture imports from South Africa, Malawi

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

Tanzania has lifted a ban on imports of agricultural produce from Malawi and South Africa, it said late on Friday, days after imposing it in retaliation for similar measures imposed by the two southern African nations.

Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA)'s director general, Joseph Ndunguru, said that Tanzania was lifting the ban effective immediately to allow for "a diplomatic ministerial discussion."

The two countries had reached out separately seeking to resolve the trade dispute through dialogue, he said.

On Wednesday Tanzania's ministry of agriculture banned imports of all agricultural produce from Malawi and South Africa and also banned exports to Malawi of Tanzanian fertilizer, which Malawi relies on. The ban on fertilizer exports to Malawi has now also been lifted.

ALSO READ: Tanzania bans agricultural products trade with Malawi, South Africa

The three countries all belong to a regional economic bloc, the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

South Africa's Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola welcomed Tanzania's move to lift the ban, saying it underscored the strong relations between both nations.

"This outcome demonstrates that the diplomatic route remains the most effective path to resolving challenges... cooperation and mutual understanding can unlock shared opportunities," he was quoted as saying in a statement.

Malawi had recently banned imports of Tanzanian agricultural commodities like maize flour, rice, ginger, and bananas, among other products, while South Africa has also stopped imports of bananas shipped by Tanzania.

Visitors pay their respects at Pope Francis' tomb

VATICAN CITY, Italy

Roman Catholic faithful began visiting the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday, filing past the simple white tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica a day after he was bade farewell by the powerful of the world and a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

A single white rose was placed on the tomb that said “Franciscus" — the pope's name in Latin.

A light cast its warm glow over the tomb and a reproduction of the late pontiff's pectoral cross on the wall above it.

People filed past, many crossing themselves or snapping photos with their phones.

Ushers urged them to keep moving to accommodate the thousands who flocked to the Rome basilica to see the tomb, forming a long line outside.

The tomb was opened on the second of nine days of official mourning for Francis, after which a conclave will be held to elect the next pope.

Meanwhile, a special Mass was held in St. Peter's Square led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state.

Parolin is considered a possible contender to be the next pope due to his prominence in the Catholic hierarchy.

No date has yet been set for the conclave, but it must start by May 10.

Cardinals who traveled to Rome for Francis' funeral will be meeting regularly this week ahead of the conclave as they start to chart a way forward for the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.

Pope Francis chose his place of burial in St. Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of the Madonna that he revered, because it reflects his “humble, simple and essential" life, the archbishop who administers the basilica said Friday.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 28/04/2025

 

Zelensky given front-row seat in breach of Vatican protocol

VATICAN CITY,  Italy 

In a notable departure from traditional protocol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was given a prominent front-row position at Pope Francis’s funeral in St. Peter’s Square, alongside other world leaders including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, The Telegraph reports. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in the front row at Pope’s funeral in Vatican. 

The Vatican made special arrangements to ensure Zelenskyy had a visible presence at the ceremony, breaking with the established diplomatic seating protocols that would typically have placed him much further back in the congregation.

Vatican protocols usually dictate that world leaders be seated in alphabetical order according to their country’s name in French, the traditional language of diplomacy. 

As president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy would normally have been positioned in the third row or further back.

When questioned about the breach of protocol, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told The Telegraph: “I believe they filled a vacant place.”

Zelenskyy, who arrived in Rome with his wife, Olena Zelenska, received a spontaneous round of applause as he took his seat. 

The Ukrainian leader’s presence comes amid expectations of a potential breakthrough in peace talks regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The seating arrangement placed Zelenskyy 11 seats away from Donald Trump, with leaders from India, Hungary, Gabon, Finland, and France positioned between them.

While the protocol was adjusted for Zelenskyy, other aspects of traditional seating arrangements were maintained. 

The Prince of Wales, representing King Charles, was seated in the third row next to outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife were also in attendance, as was former US President Joe Biden, who was in the fifth row.

The funeral brought together numerous world leaders, with strict protocol generally observed –

Argentina’s President Javier Milei was seated at the far right of the front row.

At the same time, Italy’s own leadership was divided according to protocol, with President Sergio Mattarella in the front row and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seated further back.

Huge blast at key Iranian port kills eight and injures more than 750

HORMOZGAN, Iran 

At least eight people have been killed and 750 injured in a massive explosion at one of Iran's key ports, authorities say.

The blast took place at Shahid Rajaee, the country's largest commercial port, near the southern city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.

It blew out windows and roofs of nearby buildings and destroyed cars. Residents reported feeling the impact of the blast up to 50km (31 miles) away.

Videos verified by the BBC show a fire growing in intensity before a huge explosion, with people subsequently fleeing the blast and others lying wounded on roads surrounded by smoking debris.

Aerial footage showed at least three areas ablaze and Iran's interior minister later confirmed that the fire was spreading from one container to another.

Some workers were "still trapped under collapsed roofs and we are trying to rescue them", one official told local media according to BBC Persian.

One private maritime risk firm said it believed the affected containers had contained solid fuel destined for ballistic missiles.

The fire was the result of "improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles", Ambrey Intelligence said.

Ambrey said it was aware that an Iran-flagged ship "discharged a shipment of sodium perchlorate rocket fuel at the port in March 2025".

The Financial Times newspaper had previously reported that two vessels had shipped fuel to Iran from China.

State media quoted witnesses as saying the explosion occurred after a fire broke out and spread to unsealed containers storing "flammable materials".

Customs officials later released a statement reported by Iranian state TV saying the explosion had probably resulted from a fire that had broken out in a hazmat and chemical materials storage depot.

In a later update Ambrey quoted Iran's National Disaster Management Organisation as saying officials had previously issued warnings to Shahid Rajaee port regarding the safe storage of chemicals.

Shahid Rajaee port is Iran's largest and most advanced terminal, through which much of the country's commercial shipping transits.

It is located on the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping channel for oil cargo, and is about 20km (12 miles) west of Bandar Abbas, Iran's major port city on its south coast and home to the Iranian Navy's main base.

Iran's national oil production company said the explosion at the port had "no connection" to the country's oil refineries, fuel tanks and pipelines, local media reported.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed his "deep regret and sympathy" for victims. He has announced a government investigation and sent the interior minister to the region to lead it.

Saturday's explosion took place as Iranian and US officials met in Oman for a third round of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.

Negotiations have been under way for several weeks as the US government under President Trump has sought to strike a deal that prevents Iran from developing its programme in return for relief from economic 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 27/04/2025