Headlines

Prosecutors have charged Mohamed Abrini and three others with terrorism in connection with the Paris and Brussels attacks. Recent arrests have shed light on the "Islamic State" cell behind the two attacks.

Belgium's federal prosecutor said on Saturday that Mohamed Abrini, a suspect in connection with the Paris terror attacks, admitted to being the "man in the hat" seen accompanying the two suicide bombers Ibrahim el-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui at Brussels airport on March 22.

"We confronted him with the video evidence prepared by our special unit," a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said, according to Reuters. "He had to admit it was him."

Belgian prosecutors on Saturday charged four people rounded up in the past 24 hours with being part of a terrorist organization, including Mohamed Abrini.

Abrini had been on Europe's most wanted list since CCTV footage at a gas station in northern France showed him with Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam two days before the deadly November attacks, which killed 130 people.

Abdeslam was arrested two weeks ago, four days before "Islamic State" suicide bombers targeted the Brussels airport and a downtown metro stop on March 22, killing 32 people.

Terrorism charges against Swede

Prosecutors on Saturday also leveled terrorism charges against Swedish national Osman K. They confirmed that he was a second suspect present at the suicide blast in the Brussels underground carriage.

He is believed to be Osman Krayem of the Swedish city of Malmo, who had gone to fight in Syria. Krayem is alleged to have bought the bags used in the Brussels bombings and was seen at the Maalbeek metro station in downtown Brussels before suicide bomber Khalid el-Bakraoui blew himself up.

Also charged for their role in the Brussels attacks were Herve B. M., a Rwandan national, and Bilal E. M.

Two other suspects arrested since Friday were released after being questioned.

The charges follow a string of arrests that have shed light on the links between the IS terror network believed to be behind the Paris and Brussels attacks. Several of the attackers are believed to have spent time in Syria with the group, which has vowed further attacks in Europe.

"There are perhaps other cells that are still active on our territory," Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon cautioned on RTL television on Saturday.

Details

Elangwe Pauline

09.Apr.2016

Hits: 2098

Details

Elangwe Pauline

09.Apr.2016

Hits: 1966

The Nigerian Army is considering the acquisition of new South African-made Rooivalk, Russian-made Mi-17, French-made H125 and some Chinese-made helicopters to equip a newly formed Army Aviation Corps. According to a report published by the Nigerian daily newspaper ThisDay, the establishment of the Nigerian Army (NA) Aviation Corps was revealed by Nigerian Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai when he addressed the 2016 First Quarter Chief of Army Staff Conference in Abja on Wednesday. 

Buratai said the new stand-alone counter-terrorism air unit will be tasked specifically with providing aerial support to ground forces fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the north and north-east of the country and guaranteeing long-term national security. “All activities towards building the NA Aviation Corps are still in progress. It is hoped that very soon, the NA would be able to acquire its own platforms to enable the corps kick off wholly. So far, the main activities that have been undertaken are the training of the pilots and technicians and also necessary negotiations towards the acquisition of helicopters. "We have compiled a list of platforms from Russian, American and Chinese origin, including certain simulators and UAVs," the general said.

"Emphasis was however made on the Russian made Mi-17 due to its ruggedness, operability and multi-role capability. As a result, different contractors submitted their proposals for supply, which are still being considered. “Recently, the NA also considered the South African made Rooivalk attack helicopters after witnessing a demonstration in South Africa on the capability of the platforms and its employability.”

A Nigerian delegation visited South Africa in February when Denel held a Rooivalk demonstration at the Denel Overberg Test Range in the Western Cape, during which the Rooivalk fired two Mokopa precision guided missiles as part of ongoing qualification testing. Mike Kgobe, CEO of Denel Aviation, told defenceWeb that the demonstration was based on renewed interest expressed in the helicopter, especially following its performance with the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Denel is seeking to upgrade the Rooivalk and also develop a next generation Rooivalk Mk 2, which is being offered to potential foreign clients like Nigeria, Poland and Egypt. “Additionally, a company called Caverton [Helicopters] has proposed to supply three H125 helicopters and maintenance services which the NA is also considering as an option," Buratai said. Ten pilots who will form the core of the new aviation corps are undergoing flight training at the International Helicopter Flying School in Enugu. They are expected to graduate in May.

Details

Defenceweb

08.Apr.2016

Hits: 1690

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Thursday accused potential successors for wishing him dead and told ruling ZANU-PF supporters to unite against foreign enemies he said wanted to destroy the Southern African nation. Africa's oldest leader at 92 years, Mugabe has held power since independence from Britain in 1980 and says his heir must be chosen democratically and that his wife will not automatically inherit the role.

Mugabe told a meeting of about 10,000 veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s independence war that his frequent trips to Malaysia and Singapore had fed newspaper reports that he was ill and sometimes dying, stoking succession fights in ZANU-PF. "You then see a stampede now, they will be saying the president is dying. 'I am not dying, shame on you'," Mugabe said during the first ever such meeting with the veterans.

"I am there at the mercy of the people. If the people say no, go, I go. But if the people say no, we still want you, I stay on," said Mugabe at a sports center in Harare. Thursday's meeting came at a time of high tensions in ZANU-PF as party officials position themselves for a post-Mugabe era. Local media had reported the meeting could split ZANU-PF, especially after Mugabe said last month the veterans had indicated they wanted him to retire. [nL5N16Q4S1]

Instead, veterans pledged their loyalty to Mugabe, but also presented a list of grievances and demands for top positions in government and state-owned firms, diplomatic posts and at least a fifth of all farmland and mining concessions. The veterans, 30,000 in total, also want their monthly allowances increased from $260. But Mugabe said the government would only meet such demands if it had the resources.

The last time Mugabe caved into demands from veterans was on Nov. 14 1997 when the Zimbabwean dollar crashed by 72 percent after the government announced unbudgeted allowances for veterans. That day became known as 'Black Friday'. But without balance of payment support or foreign credit, Zimbabwe cannot afford such demands. It already runs its budget hand-to-mouth, leaving it with no money for infrastructure.

Mugabe has agreed to major reforms, such as compensation for evicted white farmers and a big reduction in public sector wages in a bid to woo back international lenders and to have part of its $8 billion in foreign debt canceled. Mugabe said Zimbabwe's bad record with debtors was holding back potential funding from China, Japan and India.

"We have a disease in Zimbabwe where we just want to receive and forget that debts are supposed to be repaid. It's a very bad culture," said Mugabe in a monologue that lasted 90 minutes.

Reuters

Details

Elangwe Pauline

08.Apr.2016

Hits: 2232

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Iran to help end the ongoing wars in the Middle East as Washington’s allies continue bombing Yemen and supporting terrorist groups operating in Syria.

Kerry made the remarks on Thursday during a joint press conference with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, after the ministerial meetings of the six-nation [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) leaders on Thursday in the Bahraini capital Manama. Kerry accused the Islamic Republic of being involved in the disruptive activities and “the destabilizing actions” in the Middle East region.

"We call on Iran to constructively join in the efforts to make peace and to help us to resolve Syria and rather than to continue to send weapons to Houthis, join in the effort... to make peace and to work toward a cessation of hostilities," he said.

Details

Presstv

08.Apr.2016

Hits: 1542

The salaries of 3000 civil servants and 4000 contract workers have been suspended making a total of 7000 state functionaries who risk dismissal by 29th April 2016. The Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms revealed that the new computerized integrated system for the management of state workers and the pay role seeks to attribute each worker to a duty post.

Since the operation was launched, some 7000 workers on government's pay role were feared to be ghost workers because they failed to identify with any service. In a bid to clean up the payroll, the salaries of 4000 contract workers were suspended in January 2016 pending their identification and in March the salaries of about 3000 civil servants were also not paid. 

Officials in charge of the SIGIPES II project say the April 29th deadline is intended to allow time for workers in rural area and those who were sick and did not identify themselves earlier to do so. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Charles Ako Takem observed recently that in December 2015, some few month after SGIPES II was launched, a list of 10000 contract workers and 14000 civil servants who had not been identified was published. Since then a good number of them have regularized their situation. He noted emphatically that those workers who unduly abandoned their duty or traveled abroad will be systematically dismissed or sacked from the public service.

Details

CRTV

07.Apr.2016

Hits: 2157