February 2021
Criminal groups abducted hundreds in north west, while ethnic and regional tensions ran high in south amid farmer-herder conflict; meanwhile, tensions rose in south east between govt and Biafra secessionists. Criminal groups in Feb reportedly killed at least 112 and kidnapped over 450 people, mostly in Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara states (north west), but also in Niger state (Middle Belt). Notably, armed group 17 Feb abducted 42 students and school personnel in Niger state, released them 27 Feb; 26 Feb kidnapped 279 girls in Zamfara state. Meanwhile, Auwalun Daudawa, who masterminded Dec 2020 abduction of 344 students in Katsina state, 8 Feb laid down arms along with five of his troops. Amid rise in herder-farmer and intercommunal violence in south since Jan, clashes between ethnic Hausa and Fulani on one hand, and ethnic Yoruba on the other, early Feb killed two dozen people in Oyo state capital Ibadan (south west). Nobel laureate in literature Wole Soyinka 6 F
The East African
Thursday February 04 2021
Pedestrians walk past an Angola police armoured personnel carrier in Luanda, on April 6, 2020. Rights groups have urged Angolan authorities to probe the weekend killing of separatists in Lunda Norte province. PHOTO | AFP
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The sentiments were expressed by Amnesty International (AI) and OMUNGA, an Angolan non-governmental organisation on Tuesday.
On Saturday, a crackdown by Angolan security forces led to the killing of more than 10 protesters in the mining town of Cafunfo in Cuango municipality.
Protesters said it was a peaceful march to the government to engage in talks over the autonomy of their region, but police, in a statement, said they foiled an armed rebellion organised by 300 members of the Lunda Tchokwe Protectorate Movement (LTPM).