Zimbabwe court frees American accused of 'insulting' Mugabe

A Zimbabwean court has freed an American journalist who was charged with attempting to overthrow the government, after police accused her of insulting then-president Robert Mugabe.

Martha O’donovan who works for Harare based Magamba TV had her case dismissed by court for a ‘patent absence of facts’.

She was arrested in November in a dawn raid on her home in the capital after allegedly calling Mugabe, who was ousted in a bloodless coup a few weeks later, a ‘goblin whose wife and step-son bought a Rolls Royce’, on Twitter.

Nigeria army finds another Chibok girl abducted by Boko Haram in 2014

The Nigerian army on Thursday (January 4, 2018)reported finding another Chibok girl held in captivity by the militant group Boko Haram.

A statement from the army said Salomi Pogu was one of the over 270 students who were abducted in 2014 when their school was raided by the militants.

She was found along with another girl, Jamila Adams in the town of Pulka in the northeast Borno State. The army added that the girls were in the safe custody and were receiving medical attention.

A.U. commends Ethiopia govt on 'farsighted' political move

The African Union (A.U.) has officially commented on a political turnaround by the Ethiopian government. The A.U. commended the government over its decision to foster national consensus and to open up the political space.

A 4 January 2018 statement signed by the A.U. chief, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also tasked Ethiopians reciprocate the move by the government by embracing the spirit of forgiveness and unity.

Nigeria police arrests 39 suspected Cameroon separatists

Reports from Nigeria indicates that police have arrested about 39 men suspected to be separatists from Cameroon’s restive south. They were apprehended on Thursday by security forces in the town of Nguroje, in the country’s northeastern Taraba state.

Locals who spoke to Africanews correspondent Ibrahim Abdul Aziz said the alleged “separatists” have been hovering in the area for more than two weeks having training sessions on gun shooting.

Ethiopia govt’s political turnaround has many unanswered questions – HRW

International rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Ethiopian government has to immediately give clarifications to a bold political announcement made on earlier this week.

According to HRW, whiles the decision to release ‘political prisoners’ and to close down a notorious prison facility, the Maekelawi detention center, is welcome news, there was the need for core clarifications and on timelines on execution of the reforms.