Month: February 2024

Nigerian star Victor Osimhen recovered from his injury and trained with the rest of the squad on Tuesday for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against South Africa.

Osimhen was not on board the Abidjan-Bouaké flight on Monday due to abdominal discomfort, but the Napoli forward was well enough to travel less than 24 hours later and take part in training.

Nigeria faces South Africa on Wednesday for a place in the final on Sunday. It was a repeat of the 2000 semi-final, which Nigeria won 2-0 in Lagos.

Osimhen scored just one goal in the tournament, but his performances played an important role in Nigeria reaching the semi-finals for a record 16th time in 20 appearances.

Only seven-time champions Egypt have played in as many semi-finals, although the Pharaohs have appeared in 26 tournaments.

Nigeria won the last of their three titles in 2013, while South Africa’s only victory came in 1996.

The host country, Ivory Coast, faces the Democratic Republic of Congo in the other semi-final, also on Wednesday.

Nigerian authorities on Tuesday urged caution over what they called “veiled threats” against their nationals living in South Africa before the two countries meet in the semi-finals of the Cup of Nations – a football match that reignites friction.

The two countries have already endured a years-long rivalry, especially since they have Africa’s largest entertainment industries rather than the continent’s largest economies.

But today, tensions are increasing in the context of football, as Nigeria and South Africa prepare to play their semi-final in Ivory Coast on Wednesday.

The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa said in a statement that some South Africans were making “inflammatory comments online” which consisted mainly of “veiled threats” against Nigerians.

The commission urged Nigerian citizens in South Africa to “be careful what they say, be careful where they choose to watch the match…and refrain from engaging in loud, riotous or provocative celebrations if the Super Eagles (the nickname of the Nigerian team) win the (semi-final) match.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the country “disagrees with the fears expressed” in the statement, adding: “The advice is regrettable as it appears to create alarm and unnecessary tension between citizens of South Africa and Nigerians living in or traveling to South Africa.”

In 2019, xenophobic violence left 12 dead in South Africa.

The rivalry between the two countries was fueled on Sunday when South African sensation Tyla beat four other Nigerian nominees to win the Grammy for Best African Musical Performance with his song “Water”. Tyla’s victory is “important for Africa”, tweeted Nigerian artist Davido, one of the nominees in this category, congratulating her.

Football and music fans from both countries will see the next stage of their rivalry in Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

Nigeria and South Africa face off in a repeat of the 2000 semi-final, which Nigeria won 2-0. Nigeria won the last of their three Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2013, while South Africa’s only victory came in 1996.

Cameroon’s football federation has rejected an offer by former star striker and its current president, Samuel Eto’o, to step down.

He made offered his resignation during a meeting in Yaoundé on Monday to evaluate the national team’s lacklustre performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Members said they had confidence in him to continue with his plan for the reconstruction and development of Cameroon football at all levels.

The four-times African Player of the Year received their backing despite being dogged by claims of improper conduct, match-fixing, and corruption over the past year.

The Confederation of African Football is currently investigating what it described as “serious” allegations from “several Cameroonian football stakeholders” against him.

It noted, however, that the former Barcelona and Inter Milan star was “presumed to be innocent until an appropriate judicial body concludes otherwise”.

Questions have also been raised about Eto’o’s ambassadorial role with a sports betting company.

At least one club complained to the Cameroonian federation about the deal, which could violate the institution’s codes.

It is not the first problems faced by Cameroonian soccer.

Before Eto’o was elected president, the national league had been tainted by interference from the government, allegations of corruption, and broken promises from soccer leaders.

Meanwhile, coach Rigobert Song’s future with the team remains uncertain after the five-time champions failed to make it out of the round of 16 in the AFCON competition.

As King Charles III receives treatment for cancer, he remains Britain’s monarch and head of state. This is the order of succession to the throne:

1. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. He is known as Prince of Wales and is married to Kate, Princess of Wales. Their three children follow him in the line of succession.

2. Prince George of Cambridge, born in July 2013.

3. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, born in May 2015.

4. Prince Louis of Cambridge, born in April 2018.

5. Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles and Diana, who has relinquished his royal duties but retains his place in line.

6. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May 2019.

7. Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan in June 2021.

8. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s second-eldest son.

9. Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.

10. Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born in September 2021.

11. Princess Eugenie, Andrew and Ferguson’s younger daughter.

12. August Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in Feb. 2021.

13. Ernest Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in May 2023.

14. Prince Edward, the queen and Philip’s youngest child.

15. James, Viscount Severn, son of Edward and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

16. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, daughter of Edward and Sophie.

17. Princess Anne, second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

18. Peter Phillips, son of Anne and her ex-husband, Mark Phillips.

19. Savannah Phillips, elder daughter of Peter Phillips and his ex-wife, Autumn Kelly.

20. Isla Phillips, younger daughter of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly.

21. Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.

22. Mia Tindall, elder daughter of Zara and her husband, Mike Tindall.

23. Lena Tindall, younger daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall.

24. Lucas Tindall, son of Zara and Mike Tindall.

Senegal’s parliament voted Monday to delay the West African nation’s presidential election until Dec. 15 in a chaotic voting process that took place after opposition lawmakers were forcefully removed from the chambers as they debated President Macky Sall’s earlier decision to delay the crucial election.

Security forces stormed the legislative building and forcefully removed several opposition lawmakers who were trying to block the voting process on the unprecedented delay of the presidential election initially scheduled for Feb. 25. The adopted bill extends Sall’s tenure  which was due to end on April 2  until a new election.

Authorities on Monday restricted mobile internet access amid growing protests by opposition supporters against the delay.

As the lawmakers debated the bill, security forces fired tear gas at protesters gathered outside the legislative building. Many of the protesters were arrested as they poured into the streets of the capital, Dakar, burning tires and criticizing the country’s leader.

On Monday, two opposition parties filed a court petition challenging the election delay. It was not clear what would become of their request for Senegal’s Constitutional Council to direct “the continuation of the electoral process.”

Analysts say the crisis in Senegal is putting one of Africa’s most stable democracies to the test at a time when the region is struggling with a recent surge in coups.

Sall  who in July said he would not seek a third term in office — had cited an electoral dispute between the parliament and the judiciary regarding the candidacies as reason for the postponement but opposition leaders and candidates rejected the move, calling it a “coup.”

The African Union urged the government to organize the election “as soon as possible” and called on everyone involved “to resolve any political dispute through consultation, understanding and civilized dialogue.”

“We will not accept a constitutional coup in this country. It is up to the people to come out and liberate themselves,” said Guy Marius Sagna, an activist and opposition lawmaker, who was among the protesters.

The private Walf television network, whose signal was cut off as they broadcast the protests on Sunday, said their broadcasting license has been revoked.

The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy said mobile internet services were cut Monday “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order.”

“The government’s abrupt shutdown of internet access via mobile data and Walf TV’s broadcasting .. constitutes a blatant assault on the right to freedom of expression and press rights protected by Senegal’s constitution,” Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa said in a statement.

Sall had said the dispute between the judiciary and parliament over the disqualification of some candidates and the reported dual-nationality of some qualified candidates has resulted in a “sufficiently serious and confusing situation.”

Political tensions have run high in Senegal for at least a year. Authorities also cut internet access from cellphones in June 2023 when supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clashed with security forces. Sonko is one of two opposition leaders whom election authorities disqualified from the final list of presidential candidates this month.

Sall’s decision to postpone the election “reflects a sharp democratic decline” in Senegal, said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

“The growing democracy deficit not only threatens to tarnish Senegal’s reputation as a beacon of democratic stability in the region but also emboldens anti-democratic practices in West Africa,” said Durmaz.

Senegal’s government on Monday restricted access to the mobile internet as opposition leaders and supporters launched protests against President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the Feb. 25 presidential election over an electoral dispute.

Federal lawmakers were set to debate a bill that recommends an election delay of up to six months. It would put the next likely election date in August, four months after Sall’s tenure is due to end.

Senegal’s presidential election has never been postponed. Protests that erupted on Sunday were expected to continue after opposition leaders condemned the election postponement as a “constitutional coup.”

The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy said the internet was cut “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order.”

Sall on Saturday cited a dispute between the judiciary and parliament over the disqualification of some candidates and the reported dual nationality of some qualified candidates.

Senegal has been embroiled in political tensions for at least a year, including deadly clashes among opposition supporters and the disqualification of two opposition leaders whom the country’s highest election authority said did not meet election requirements.

Senegalese authorities in June last year also cut internet access on mobile phones when supporters of disqualified opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clashed with security forces.

Analysts say the crisis in Senegal could further threaten West Africa’s stability at a time when the region is struggling with a recent surge in coups and threats to democratic institutions.

Egypt’s top diplomat received his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne on Sunday in the New Administrative Capital.

In a news conference after the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry warned of a wider conflict in the region if a ceasefire was not reached in Gaza.

“The war in Gaza, the threats we are seeing towards the navigation in the Red Sea, the military operations that took place in Syria and Iraq as well as the military situation on the Israeli-Lebanese borders, all warns from the escalation of the situation and slipping towards a wider conflict,” Shoukry said.

In his first official visit to the region, Sejourne said he rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians towards Egypt.

“You are worried about the forced displacement of people into your territory, we completely understand your concerns and the position of France is constant, we condemn and we refuse all actions that are a threat in this context.”

Tensions have been rising in the region since October 7.

The European Union on Saturday expressed deep concern over reports that the Israeli military intends to take its battle against Hamas to the town of Rafah at Gaza’s border with Egypt where more than a million people have escaped the fighting.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that around 1 million Palestinians “have been displaced progressively against the Egyptian border. They claimed they were safe zones, but in fact what we see is that the bombing affecting the civilian population continues and it is creating a very dire situation.”

Such an offensive could push the refugees into Egypt, undermining Israel’s peace agreement with the country and angering the United States.

It might also torpedo slow-moving peace talks with Hamas and complicate efforts to release scores of Israelis abducted when the militant group rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7.

The prospect of a ground war in Rafah has raised fears about where the population would go to find safety.

The United Nations said the town is becoming a “ pressure cooker of despair.”

After visiting Cairo on Sunday, Sejourne will continue his trip in the Middle East, with stops which include Jordan, Beirut and Israel.