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Al-Qaeda Raid in Burkina Faso Signals Expanding West African War

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French soldiers

An attack by al-Qaeda militants at a hotel in the West African nation of Burkina Faso left at least 23 people dead and highlighted the militants’ shift to striking capital cities in the region.

Burkina Faso’s military rescued at least 126 hostages from the Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners, on Saturday after the siege. It was the second attack claimed by al-Qaeda since gunmen took more than 100 people hostage in November at the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital of neighboring Mali, killing dozens.

French special forces helped Burkina Faso’s army in the operation, Interior Minister Simon Compaore said by phone. Among the victims were people from 18 countries. Four of the militants, including two women, are dead, Army spokesman Guy-Herve Ye said. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, led by the one-eyed former Algerian soldier Mokhtar Belmokhtar, said it carried out the siege that began on Friday at about 7 p.m. local time.

War Expands

The attack showed al-Qaeda’s growing ability to strike far from its traditional field of operations in northern Mali where it’s been fighting government troops, French soldiers and United Nations peacekeepers, backed by U.S. intelligence officials and special forces. President Francois Hollande has sent soldiers and fighter planes to former French colonies in Africa to repel the Islamists, whose attacks intensified in the semi-arid Sahel region with arms looted from Libya following the collapse of Muammar Qaddafi’s government in 2011.

“I think it’s just a matter of time, whether it’s in Abidjan, Accra, or Dakar,” Cynthia Ohayon, Burkina Faso analyst for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said by phone from Ouagadougou. “It happens in Paris and in Istanbul; it can happen anywhere.”
Roger Nikiema, a Burkinabe who was meeting friends at the Cafe Cappuccino in Ouagadougou, said they had just placed their order when the gunfire started.

“We all threw ourselves on the floor,” he said in an interview. “I was with six friends, three American girls and three guys. A bullet hit my arm and I have an injury there. I heard a female voice among the attackers.”

French Intervention

The latest attack came a day after al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia claimed to have killed 63 Kenyan soldiers in the southwest of the Horn of Africa country and two days after Islamic State said it carried out a gun-and-suicide bomb assault in central Jakarta, Indonesia.

As they did when they attacked the Radisson Blu in Mali, the militants said their latest raid was done in response to French intervention in the region that has led to the death of Muslims, according to a statement it sent to Mauritania’s al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday. AQIM disavowed Islamic State last week, saying the group’s caliphate in Syria is illegal and strays from the tenets of Islam.

“We killed 30 of the crusaders,” one of the attackers in Ouagadougou said in a recorded message sent to the newspaper. Al-Qaeda “will fight against France until the last drop of blood.”

AQIM and other militant groups stepped up their advance in northern Mali, a desolate, semi-arid area, after a coup by the army in 2012 created a power vacuum.

From its start in 2013, France’s military drive against the Islamists has expanded to almost 3,000 troops fighting militants from Mali to Niger and Chad, where the Nigerian group Boko Haram is active. AQIM’s Belmokhtar is believed responsible for the 2013 attack on a BP Plc plant in Algeria that left 38 dead.

Government officials in the region say militants and traffickers compete with each other to move drugs, goods and migrants through the Sahel and the Sahara, which is hard to patrol because of its desert-like temperatures and lack of roads.

Political Instability

Burkina Faso, Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer, has faced political instability in recent years. Formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta, President Blaise Compaore was ousted in October 2014 after 27 years in power following widespread public demonstrations against him. A failed coup followed in September, and in November elections, Roch Marc Christian Kabore was voted into the presidency.

“The new government was appointed three days ago; the president took office two weeks ago,” said Ohayon of International Crisis Group. “There was a wave of optimism and this attack has dealt a huge blow to that. Burkina Faso serves as a symbol of progress in the region, because it’s an example of democratic consolidation and peaceful religious coexistence — and I think that’s what they want to destroy.”

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Why I’II Never Support Peter Obi Again – Doyin Okupe

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Doyin Okupe

A former Director-General of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe, has declared that he would never support the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, in any of his political ambitions again.

Okupe, who had recently resigned his membership of the LP and withdrew his backing for the former LP’s presidential flagbearer, expressed displeasure at Obi’s remarks on economic situation in the country.

Specifically, Okupe, while featuring on a national television programme, responded to some remarks credited to Obi on the hardship ravaging the nation.

Obi had been reported to have critisised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that people from the South-West are feeling the heat of the hard times just like other citizens from other parts of the country.

For Obi, Tinubu had campaigned on the mantra that he is a Yoruba man and that it was his turn, stating that people in Yoruba land are not even getting food items and other essential commodities at cheaper rates notwithstanding that the President is from their region.

However, Obi’s submissions had attracted mixed reactions on social media with some criticising him while others supported his assertions.

Weighing in on the raging controversy, Okupe joined the critics, describing Obi’s remark as an “insult” to people in the South-West.

He argued that Obi’s statement publicly belittled the South-West, despite receiving support from prominent Yoruba leaders and other residents of the zone during his presidential electioneering ambition.

Okupe claimed that people from the South West felt insulted hearing Obi uttered such remarks, noting that many, including himself, who supported him regretted it.

He mentioned former President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the prominent Yoruba indigenes who backed Obi’s presidential bid, saying although he did not regret supporting Obi, he would never support him again.

Okupe attributed his initial support to the agreement that a southern president should emerge, specifically from the South-East, insisting the betrayal he felt by the criticism of the South-West by the former governor of Anambra State.

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Donald Trump Projected To Occupy White House, Congratulated By Nigerian President

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President Trump Signs Executive Order In Oval Office Of The White House

There is an indication that the former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump may become the 47th President of the US.

Trump became more confident in his political comeback in American history after securing his third battleground victory on Tuesday evening by clinching Pennsylvania, bringing him closer to a White House win.

The 78 presidential candidates of the Republican Party already won 266 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democrat Party.

Trump reversed his 2020 losses in the crucial states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — running up big margins among his white rural and working-class base while making significant inroads among ethnic minorities.

Addressing supporters in Florida, Trump claimed victory, saying his performance is unprecedented in the history of the country.

He promised to help the US to heal, stressing that the country needs help very badly.

He also assured citizens of fixing critical infrastructure and other necessary areas of the country.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday extended his congratulations to Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States of America.

Tinubu expressed his eagerness to strengthen the ties between Nigeria and the United States amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world.

His congratulatory message was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Identifying synergy and cooperation with the US government as a means of fostering economic prosperity, the President of Nigeria noted that the relationship would promote peace, and address global challenges that affect their citizens.

He said Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership.

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EFCC Nabs Ex-Delta Governor, Okowa, For Alleged N1.3trn Fraud

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Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion.

Sources with the EFCC revealed that Okowa visited the EFCC office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday before he was subsequently detained by officials.

The N1.3 trillion reportedly represents the 13% derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

It was gathered that Okowa was at the Port Harcourt office of the Commission following an invitation from investigators probing the allegations against him.

The former governor was said to have been apprehended no sooner than he arrived at the anti-graft office.

Okowa was also accused of failing to account for the funds, as well as another N40 billion he allegedly claimed was used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Sources said the former governor reportedly bought shares worth N40 billion in one of the country’s major banks, representing an 8% equity stake, to support the offshore LNG project.

The funds are alleged to have been misappropriated for other purposes.

They noted that investigators are also examining the alleged diversion of funds by the former governor to acquire estates in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.

Okowa was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the 2023 election.

He was the governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023 and was succeeded by Sheriff Oborevwori, the incumbent Governor.

When contacted, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the arrest but declined further comment on the matter.

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