World News For All: Africa

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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Nigerian President Buhari 'not demanding' Cameron apology

President Buhari is in London for a major anti-corruption summit

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says he is not demanding "any apology from anybody" after UK Prime Minister David Cameron labelled his country "fantastically corrupt".

Speaking at an anti-corruption event in London, Mr Buhari said he was more interested in the return of stolen assets held in British banks.

Mr Cameron made the unguarded comments in a conversation with the Queen.

He is hosting an international anti-corruption summit on Thursday.

Africa Live: More on this and other African news stories

Mr Buhari's address at the anti-corruption event at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London followed a statement from his office on Wednesday, saying that he had been "deeply shocked and embarrassed" by Mr Cameron's remarks.

Asked if Nigeria was "fantastically corrupt", in an echo of the prime minister's comments, Mr Buhari responded: "Yes."

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Buhari said what the new Nigerian government found when it came to power proved Mr Cameron was right.

"He was telling the truth. He was talking about what he knew". Mr Buhari said.

Nigeria was ranked 136 out of 167 countries in Transparency International's 2015Corruption Perceptions Index.

Two recent cases have illustrated the astonishing scale of corruption facing the country.

Last week, Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said that an estimated $15bn (£10bn) of government money had been stolen through corrupt arms contracts under the previous government.

And in March, an official audit found that Nigeria's state-owned oil company had failed to pay the government $25bn in a suspected fraud.

In his speech, the Nigerian leader described corruption as a "hydra-headed monster" which threatened the security of countries and "does not differentiate between developed and developing countries".

Martin Patience reports on Nigeria's war on corruption

He said corruption in Nigeria was endemic and his government was committed to fighting it.

Mr Buhari praised the UK government for its help in efforts to repatriate stolen funds held in the UK.

He cited the case of disgraced Nigerian state governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who fled the UK disguised as a woman while on bail for corruption charges.

British police found £1m ($1.8m)-worth of cash in his London home in 2005 and subsequently charged him with laundering a total of £1.8m.

"What would I do with an apology? I need something tangible," Mr Buhari said, referring to efforts to recover the money.

The UK government will host world and business leaders at the summit on Thursday in London, aiming to "galvanise a global response to tackle corruption".

Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Cameron said: "For too long there has been a taboo about tackling this issue head-on.

"The summit will change that. Together we will push the fight against corruption to the top of the international agenda where it belongs."

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has criticised Mr Cameron's comments, accusing the UK of being part of the problem by "providing a safe haven for corrupt assets" at home and in its overseas territories.

Mr Buhari echoed these concerns in his address, quoting from a previous study into corruption in the country's oil sector.

"Nigerian crude oil is being stolen on an industrial scale and exported, with the proceeds laundered through world financial centres by transnational organised criminals," he said.

David Cameron on "fantastically corrupt" countries attending a UK anti-corruption summit

Pulled out alive

As rescue operations continue, four people were pulled out alive on Thursday.

Crowds cheered as 24-year-old woman was rescued, in scenes broadcast live on Kenyan TV.

Rescuers had smashed through slabs of concrete to reach Elizabeth Night Odhiambo, who was eight months pregnant.

Elizabeth Night Odhiambo was given an intravenous drip and oxygen while rescuers tried to dig her out

Ms Odhiambo was rushed to hospital and survived, but she lost her baby

Soldiers, firefighters and volunteers have been searching for survivors since the 29 April collapse of the building.

Trained dogs had been brought in, along with special equipment to detect breathing and movement, military spokesman David Obonyo told AP news agency.

'Morale boosting rescue' - Anne Soy, BBC Africa, Nairobi

The survivor was given an intravenous drip and oxygen while rescuers tried to dig her out

Getting the first survivor clear of the rubble was a delicate process that took hours of patient work.

She was able to speak to the rescue team and medics also put her on an intravenous drip as they worked to free her.

Rescuers said the woman was weak but had no obvious signs of injury.

The head of Kenya's National Disaster Management Unit, Pius Masai, told the BBC there was still hope that more people would be found alive.

A seven-month-old child was pulled alive from the rubble on Tuesday, but her mother was found dead the following day.

The rescue operation began shortly after the building collapsed on Friday

City authorities say they had earmarked the building for demolition after it was declared unfit for human habitation.

An official audit of the country's buildings found that more than half in the capital are not suitable for people to live in.

'Miracle' rescues

2004 Iran earthquake - Woman in her 90s found alive and unscathed eight days after a huge earthquake destroyed the city of Bam
2005 South Asian earthquake - Shameer Shah Jehan, aged five, rescued from collapsed school in Balakot, Pakistan, after three days. Extraordinarily, a 40-year-old woman was saved from what had been her kitchen in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, more than two months after the quake
2010 Haiti earthquake - 24-year-old man pulled alive from the rubble of a ruined hotel in Port-au-Prince after 11 days. Another man was rescued a day later from under a shop
May 2013 Bangladesh building collapse - Woman pulled from the ruins of a factory, 17 days after it collapsed
2015 Nepal earthquake - 15-year-old boy pulled out five days after an earthquake devastated the capital Kathmandu and the surrounding area
2016 Kenya building collapse - six-month-old baby pulled out after four days under rubble

Related Topics

Kenya

South Africa's EFF MPs expelled for heckling Jacob Zuma

Unknown10:26:00 AMAfrica No comments

The EFF MPs say they regard Mr Zuma as an "illegitimate" president

A brawl broke out in the South African parliament on Wednesday after security officers were ordered to forcibly remove opposition MPs from the chamber.

Several punches were thrown as members of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were expelled for heckling President Jacob Zuma.

It was Mr Zuma's first appearance in parliament since two damning court rulings against him.

On Friday, a court said that Mr Zuma should be charged with corruption.

The case is related to a multi-billion dollar arms deal the government negotiated in 1999.

Mr Zuma denies any wrongdoing, and says he will continue to "shepherd" the nation. His term is due to end in 2019.

Last month, South Africa's highest court, the Constitutional Court, ruled that Mr Zuma had violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money used to upgrade his private home in the rural area of Nkandla.

Mr Zuma is under pressure over alleged corruption

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), was forced to withdraw his description in parliament of Mr Zuma as the "looter-in-chief", following objections from the governing African National Congress (ANC) benches.

ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said Mr Zuma had "not been found to have looted anything anywhere, by any court of law".

EFF MPs had earlier denounced Mr Zuma as an "illegitimate" ruler who should step down.

"We are going to debate giving him money today, when he is facing over 700 charges of corruption," EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said, South Africa's News24 site reports.

Despite the chaotic scenes, Mr Zuma delivered a speech focusing on government plans to improve South Africa's struggling economy.

"Economic transformation remains pivotal to ensuring a better life for all," he said.

The High Court said on Friday that prosecutors should review their 2009 decision to drop 783 charges of corruption, fraud and racketeering against Mr Zuma over the arms deal.

After the Constitutional Court ruling, the Democratic Alliance failed in a bid to impeach Mr Zuma as the ANC rallied behind him in parliament.

Controversial arms deal: What you need to know

1999: largest-ever post-apartheid arms deal announced with contracts totalling 30bn rand ($5bn; £2.5bn) to modernise national defence force
Deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa
Allegations of bribery over deal dogged governments of President Jacob Zuma and predecessor Thabo Mbeki
Mr Zuma's former financial adviser Schabir Shaik convicted in 2005 for corruption over deal. Found guilty of trying to solicit bribe from Thint, local subsidiary of French arms firm Thales, on behalf of Mr Zuma - then deputy president. Released on parole on health grounds after serving just over two years
Another official, Tony Yengeni, chairman of parliament's defence committee at time of deal and ANC chief whip, convicted of fraud in 2003. Also freed on parole after serving five months of four-year sentence
April 2016: commission of inquiry into deal found no further evidence of corruption or fraud.

Who was Papa Wemba?

Papa Wemba was born Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in June 1949 in Lubefu, in what was then the Belgian Congo.

He was considered one of Africa's most influential musicians and pioneered modern Congolese soukous music, which spread through the continent.

In a career which spanned over four decades, he collaborated with stars like Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder.

What made Papa Wemba so influential?

Obituary: Papa Wemba

BBC Papa Wemba playlist

What Papa Wemba meant to Congolese musicians

"Papa Wemba brought Congolese music to the world. He showed another part of Congolese music. He's an icon.

Lokua Kanza, Congolese Singer

"Papa Wemba was for me a father. We lost the biggest artist in DRC. Politicians [from all sides] are [even] prepared to meet because of his death.

Lexxus Legal, Congolese hip hop artist

Elephant summit: Kenya sets fire to huge ivory stockpile

Unknown9:58:00 AMAfrica No comments

This fire will keep burning for a number of days, reports Anne Soy in Nairobi

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has set fire to a huge stockpile of ivory in an effort to show his country's commitment to saving Africa's elephants.

More than 100 tonnes of ivory was stacked up in pyres in Nairobi National Park where it is expected to burn for several days.

The ivory represents nearly the entire stock confiscated by Kenya, amounting to the tusks of about 6,700 elephants.

Some disagree with Kenya's approach, saying it can encourage poaching.

Before igniting the first pyre, Mr Kenyatta said: "The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve.

"No-one, and I repeat no-one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death of our elephants and death of our natural heritage."

Does burning actually destroy ivory?

The burning comes after African leaders meeting in Kenya urged an end to illegal trade in ivory.

Experts have warned Africa's elephants could be extinct within decades.

But some conservationists have expressed opposition to the ivory burn in Kenya, the biggest in history.

They say destroying so much of a rare commodity could increase its value and encourage more poaching rather than less.

Botswana, which is home to about half of Africa's elephants, is opposed to the burn and its president did not attend the event in Nairobi.

Demand for ivory comes largely from Asia, with the main trafficking route being through the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The war on elephants, by Alastair Leithead, BBC News

The love of ivory goes back millennia. Its pure, translucent beauty and the ease with which a tusk can be carved into intricate sculptures have given it a lasting value throughout the ages.

Tackling demand and destroying the market are both important but there are also ways of making elephants more valuable alive than dead.

In the parks and game reserves of Africa, close encounters with the most remarkable animals on the planet lie in wait - you just need time, patience and a good eye.

Alastair's report in depth

The stockpile burned includes seized ivory carvings and statues

The African push to tackle ivory poaching, by BBC Monitoring

Kenya is struggling with poaching, and tough laws with huge fines and prison sentences do not seem to be a deterrent. Kenya Wildlife Service says it suffers from staff and equipment shortages.
Uganda is a conservation success story. Elephant populations have increased to around 5,000 after reaching a low of 700 in the 1980s. Kampala has set up a wildlife crime unit, and plans cross-border programmes with its neighbours.
Gabon uses paratroops to crack down on poachers who target elephants living in dense equatorial forests. The wildlife service has expanded 10-fold to over 650 guards with a much-increased budget.
Botswana adopted a shoot-to-kill policy in December 2013 in an effort to curb elephant poaching. It also placed a total ban on hunting in 2014 which extends to all animal species.
Tanzania's government has increased routine patrols, netting over 1,000 suspected poachers by the end of 2015.

Africa is home to between 450,000 and 500,000 elephants but more than 30,000 are killed every year for their tusks. Tanzania has lost 65% of its elephant population in the past five years.

The Kenyan ivory pyres are seven times the size of any stockpile destruction so far, and represent about 5% of global ivory stores.

Hong Kong has a legal ivory industry

Some 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn will also be burned.

The street value of the ivory to be destroyed is estimated at more than $100m (£70m), and the rhino horn at $80m.

"We don't believe there is any intrinsic value in ivory, and therefore we're going to burn all our stockpiles and demonstrate to the world that ivory is only valuable on elephants," said Kitili Mbathi, director general of the Kenya Wildlife Service.