Benin

Crowds took to the streets again in Nigeria's largest cities on Monday in protest against police brutality. Rights group Amnesty International said five people had died since the start of the weekend, bringing the death toll to 15 since demonstrations erupted earlier this month. In Lagos, thousands brought the city to a standstill amid an outpouring of anger towards the country's notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Authorities scrapped the unit a week ago and promised to overhaul the country's police force. A new SWAT unit was set to start training on Monday. No sign of calm In the capital Abuja, security forces fired tear gas at protesters, according to the AFP news agency. Watch video 01:40 Share Nigeria ends SARS Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3jmUB Nigeria scraps a notorious police unit Around 50 … [Read more...] about Death toll climbs as Nigeria protests spiral

The exhibition "RESIST! The Art of Resistance" at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne pursues the ongoing debate surrounding the restitution of looted colonial art in the collections of European museums. But this show gives a voice to victims of colonization, aiming to offer "a change of perspective," explains museum director Nanette Snoep, by "letting the descendants of those who were directly affected speak and tell unheard stories." The exhibition, adds Snoep, also looks into the question: What does resistance mean today? A change of perspective on colonialism To find answers to this question, the exhibition features 40 international artists from over 30 countries. Most of them come from the Global South or are diaspora activists. A striking number of women are among the featured artists. Among them are the group of activists surrounding the Namibian Esther Utjiua Muinjangue, who is the chairwoman of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation. For years, the foundation … [Read more...] about Exhibition revisits resistance against colonialism

Human rights organization Amnesty International said on Friday that "hundreds" of people were massacred by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region last November. Amnesty's Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, who conducted numerous interviews with residents and witness from the historical town of Axum, where the alleged massacre took place, told DW: "The perpetrators were Eritreans." "We interviewed 41 residents and witnesses from Axum over two research missions," he continued. "So we're pretty confident in our findings. We also used satellite imagery that allowed us to corroborate the burial sites." In addition, Gallopin said there had been "indiscriminate shelling on the city and looting by Eritrean forces." Watch video 02:47 Share Ethiopia: Massacre in Axum Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3pwy1 Amnesty report details … [Read more...] about Amnesty: Eritrea’s Tigray ‘massacre’ might be crime against humanity

Niger's post-election unrest — during which at least two people have been killed — threatens to dent the presidency of Mohamed Bazoum, even before he is officially inaugurated. The February 21 runoff vote was expected to usher in Niger's first democratic transition of power since the West African nation gained independence from France in 1960. Trouble at the top But Niger's interior minister, Alkache Alhada, has accused one of Niger's most popular opposition figures, Hama Amadou, of wanting to usurp power by "setting fire" to Niger. The government has vowed to arrest and prosecute Amadou, whom they allege is complicit in murder, violence, racist remarks and xenophobia. Amadou, a former prime minister and speaker of the assembly, was barred by the electoral commission from running for the presidency due to a 2017 conviction on charges of child trafficking for which he was sentenced to a one-year jail term. Prosecutors had claimed that Amadou was one of a group of people … [Read more...] about Niger: A daunting presidency awaits Mohamed Bazoum

The stream of worrying news from Tigray, Ethiopia, does not stop. A report published last week by Amnesty International (AI) led to strong criticism — from Eritrea and Ethiopia. AI described horrific scenes in the northern city of Axum, including "extrajudicial executions, indiscriminate shelling and widespread looting after Ethiopian and Eritrean military forces led an offensive to take control of the city." Eritrean troops "systematically killed hundreds of unarmed civilians, opening fire in the streets and conducting house-to-house raids in a massacre that may amount to a crime against humanity," according to the report . Gunshots and looting The international community reacted quickly and harshly. "Hostilities must cease immediately and immediate, full and unfettered access to the whole of Tigray for all humanitarian actors and the media allowed," the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement, adding that "the level of suffering … [Read more...] about Ethiopia’s Tigray region: War behind a ‘steel wall’