Issa Hayatou Defeated As CAF Elects Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad as New President

Ahmad Ahmad

Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad has emerged the new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He defeated incumbent Issa Hayatou by 34 to 20 votes at the election currently holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Hayatou, who has been in charge at CAF for 29 years, was seeking an eighth term. Ahmad had challenged Hayatou and promising change after a discreet playing and coaching career.

Ahmad took the reins of the Madagascar football federation in 2003 and on Thursday challenged long-serving Issa Hayatou for the African Football Confederation (CAF) presidency.

Favourite Hayatou and Ahmad went head to head in Addis Ababa seeking a four-year term as African football boss. 

AFRICAN UNION CHAIRPERSON, CONDE, CALLS PRESIDENT BUHARI, WISHES HIM GOOD HEALTH

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea, Friday, called President Muhammadu Buhari in London, to wish him good health and speedy recovery.

President Conde, who said he was calling on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU, assured the Nigerian President that all African leaders stand with him in prayers at a time like this.

President Buhari, while thanking President Conde for the telephone call, used the opportunity to congratulate him on his recent election as AU Chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017.

70TH U.N GENERAL ASSEMBLY: ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI

ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI
PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE 70TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
NEW YORK, 28TH SEPTEMBER 2015.

President of the General Assembly,

Secretary–General


Your Excellencies Heads of State and Governments


Distinguished Delegates


Ladies and Gentlemen,


I would like, Mr. President, on behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria, to congratulate you and your country on your election to preside over the 70th session of the U.N. General Assembly.


2. May I also express appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Sam Kahamba Kutesa and the Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon both of whom worked tirelessly to ensure proper articulation of the post-2015 Development Agenda and to maintain the focus and commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. I thank Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his recent visit to Nigeria when we held very useful discussions.

South Sudan's foreign minister vows accountability for all behind violence as New round of peace talks holds in Ethiopia

(APF)London - South Sudan's foreign minister warned on Wednesday that all those behind the recent violence would be held accountable, regardless of ethnic origin, as he announced the arrests of about 100 army officers from President Salva Kiir's Dinka ethnic group. "We will equally hold accountable those who got engaged in targeting, killing, trying to use the ethnic card, definitely within the organised forces," Barnaba Marial Benjamin told reporters during a visit to London.

"A good number of officers have been arrested - about 100 who were engaged in this - of the Dinka members within the army who targeted the Nuer community [of former vice-president Riek Machar]. They will be held accountable."

British Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds, who met Benjamin earlier on Wednesday, welcomed this assurance and stressed the need for a "credible and independent process to provide accountability".

Thousands of people have been killed in South Sudan in the last two months in fighting pitting soldiers loyal to President Kiir against a loose coalition of army defectors and ethnic militia nominally led by Machar.

Many fear the conflict has slid out of the control of political leaders, with ethnic violence and revenge attacks between the Dinka people of Kiir and the Nuer of Machar, the country's two largest groups.

"There is a Dinka-Nuer ethnic sort of fight," Benjamin acknowledged, but said it was "in a limited zone, it is within the national army as well as the rebel army. It is not among the citizens".

New round of peace talks

He added: "We don't want these internal problems to look like what we see in our neighbours like Central Africa."

The minister said his government was "completely determined and committed" to the 23 January ceasefire, which has been repeatedly violated.

Benjamin said that four political prisoners held in Juba since mid-December, a source of contention between the two sides, would stay behind bars until the necessary "legal processes" were complete.

If they are found guilty, he said, "it will be up to the president becau

se our constitution gives the prerogative to the president where he can sometimes issue pardons".

At their meeting, Simmonds stressed that the new round of peace talks taking place in Ethiopia this week "must be inclusive, and have a role for those political leaders who were detained at the start of the conflict".

Responding to criticism about the presence of Ugandan troops in South Sudan, Benjamin explained they were there to drive out the Lord's Resistance Army guerrilla group.

"Ugandan forces will move out after we have completed the project, that is the elimination of the LRA in the region," he said.