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Ineligible to stand, Gbagbo enters the Ivorian election by other means

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Determined to play a role in the upcoming presidential election despite his ineligibility to stand as a candidate, Laurent Gbagbo launched a campaign dubbed ‘Enough is Enough’.

He said it aims to draw attention to the country’s ‘oppressed’.

Gbagbo’s African People’s Party met in Abidjan on Saturday and instructed its cadres to advance the campaign.

“We must unite all those who have something to lament. Is life too expensive for you? We’ll open the doors to you. Enough is enough,” Gbagbo told officials and activists gathered at the party’s offices.

79-year-old Gbagbo who ruled Ivory Coast from 2000-2011 has expressed his desire to stand for president but cannot do so due to a criminal conviction.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Ivorian for charges related to the serious post-election crisis of 2010-2011 which left some 3,000 dead.

The ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign aims to put pressure on President Alassane Ouattara whose rule has delivered impressive economic growth but dogged by high poverty levels and a cost of living crisis.

Ouattara has remained mute about his future, with speculation mounting that he will seek a new mandate.

Last week, an Abidjan court removed Tidjane Thiam – seen as the ruling party’s most competent challenger – from the electoral roll, ruling that he had lost his Ivorian nationality when he registered in 2022.

The decision is not subject to appeal and therefore closes the door on his candidacy.

Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam obtained French nationality in 1987 and renounced it in March in order to run for president.

In Ivory Coast, a candidate for president cannot be a dual national.



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Usyk to fight Dubois again in July for undisputed heavyweight championship

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Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois have confirmed they’ll fight again for the undisputed heavyweight championship in July.

Both fighters posted details on the bout on Instagram on Sunday, confirming an earlier report that the fight will take place on July 19 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

“This is the fight I wanted and demanded and now I get my chance for revenge,” Dubois said.

The British fighter, who holds the IBF belt, had been pushing for a rematch since Usyk stopped him in the ninth round of a controversial first fight between the rivals in Poland in August 2023.

It was halted in the fifth round for what the referee ruled a low blow by Dubois that sent Usyk to the canvas, with replays showing the punch hitting around the Ukrainian’s belt. It was not given as a knockdown, no points were deducted from Dubois, and Usyk was given time to recover.

The 38-year-old Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts and is undefeated as a pro.

“Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt – now I want it back,” Usyk said.

Usyk relinquished the IBF title when he chose to fight in a rematch against Tyson Fury in December. He won that bout in Saudi Arabia, like he did their first fight in May, the first fight for the undisputed championship since 2000.

Dubois defeated compatriot Anthony Joshua in his first fight as IBF champ in September, securing a fifth-round knockout in a dominant performance.



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Namibia’s president sacks Agricuture Minister over rape allegations

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Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has sacked the country’s Agriculture Minister Mac-Albert Hengari.

“By virtue of the powers vested in the President by Article 32(6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has relieved Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform,” Namibia presidency said in a statement on X on Sunday.

The former minister was arrested on Saturday over multiple charges including rape, gender-based violence and kidnapping according to local media reports.

There have been conflicting reports that he had resigned on his own before being fired. “I resigned as minister, but l cannot comment further,” he said.

It is alleged that Hengari had raped a 21-year-old woman and later tried to bribe her to withdraw the case she had filed last year.

He was appointed Minister of Agriculture in March after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah included him among her top eight parliamentary candidates.

Investigations are still ongoing into the case.



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Dozens killed in U.S. bombing on Yemeni detention centre for African migrants

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Yemen’s Houthi authorities on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country’s decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion

Graphic footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site.

The Civil Defense agency said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack.

Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.

A woman’s voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.

African migrants caught in middle of Yemen’s war

Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border.

Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.”

Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants.



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