00:02Two days of national mourning in Mali following the large-scale shooting that killed General
00:07Sandio Kamara, experts and residents share their opinions. In Burundi, President Everson
00:15Daishimiye has been nominated by his party as a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.
00:24A group of soldiers is appearing before a military court in Nigeria for attempted coup d'etat.
00:33Hello from Africa News. Life is now returning to normal in Mali. According to testimonies,
00:39after the Yadis attack that claimed the life of General Sandio Kamara, authorities have declared
00:44two days of national mourning after the G-nim and the Azawar Liberation Front opened fire
00:49on the garrison city of Kati, on the outskirts of Bamako, as well as other localities across the country.
00:57Malians have been reacting to the death of the Minister of Defence, Sadio Kamara, over the weekend.
01:03The 47-year-old Kamara, a key junta member, was killed on Saturday in a car bomb attack at his
01:10home in Kati,
01:11the government said in a late Sunday statement.
01:18A great loss for the Malian nation, and also for all the people of the Sahel Alliance.
01:24It is the loss of a great man, moreover, a Minister of Defence in a country at war.
01:29I truly don't know how to explain this. I am at a loss for words.
01:34It is truly a huge loss for Mali.
01:37The fact that we have lost our Minister of Defence is serious because he holds the key to national defence.
01:43So his departure is truly an enormous loss for all Malians.
01:50We strongly condemn this vile and barbaric act, and we sincerely call on the international community
01:56to become involved in this war so that we can reach a favourable outcome,
02:00because civilians' populations are the victims and are also suffering due to the situation the country is currently going through.
02:11The Alliance of Sahel States, which comprises of Mali and its junta-led neighbours, Burkina Faso and Niger,
02:19denounced their attacks as a monstrous plot backed by the enemies of liberation of the Sahel.
02:39Mali faces increased pressure through a coordinated campaign aimed at destabilising the state.
02:45This includes simultaneous assault on major cities, covert infiltration strategies and unlikely alliance among rival factions.
02:52The security landscape is changing quickly, as analysed by Josias Assemo,
02:57a political scientist and expert in public policy and governance.
03:00The objective is to push the state, meaning the current government, to lose its gains and to take back certain
03:07territories.
03:08There have been simultaneous attacks across several cities and key locations,
03:13including Gao and Kedal, as well as specific neighbourhoods.
03:16The aim is to seize control and quickly and easily destabilise the authorities in power.
03:22What is also striking is the number of people involved in what is happening.
03:26The approach has been to address in Malian army uniforms.
03:30In general, they wear the clothing associated with the army and they have been preparing this operation,
03:36some say for nearly a month, others for more than two weeks.
03:40They had already infiltrated Malian society and were waiting for the signal from the leaders of these movements to launch
03:47these attacks.
03:48However, the Malian army has responded.
03:52In its counter-offensive, it was also observed that civilians took part.
03:56While the army was responding, some members of the population went into the field to recover bodies
04:02and finish what had already been carried out by the Malian army's airstrikes.
04:07What we know is that Mali is now fighting against these movements that have decided to attack together,
04:13even though they are rivals in the objectives.
04:16On one side, there is the FLA which seeks to reclaim territory and presents itself as an independent movement.
04:23On the other side, there is Jinnim linked to Al-Qaeda,
04:27which aims to take control of the entire territory to establish a caliphate.
04:31The objectives are clear, not the same,
04:33but they have managed, through an agreement, to form an alliance to attack Mali.
04:40The president of Burundi is running for re-election.
04:44Evariss Ndaishimiye was nominated by his party,
04:46the National Council for the Defense of Democracy, during their congress in Gitega.
04:51The outgoing head of state is already seen as the favorite for the upcoming elections,
04:57the date of which has yet to be determined.
04:59Burundi's president, Evariss Ndaishimiye,
05:03has been nominated to stand as his party's candidate in next year's presidential election.
05:08On Sunday, the ruling CNFDD FDD said in a post on social media
05:14that it had named Ndaishimiye as its choice for a seven-year mandate in next year's poll.
05:20The president thanked the party's members for putting their trust in him
05:24and vowed to continue his work to ensure all Burundi profits in peace.
05:30An opposition spokesperson responded by saying this means he's being given another seven years
05:36to go on impoverishing and destroying the country,
05:40adding that next year's vote will not be an election by international standards.
05:45Ndaishimiye took office in 2020,
05:49following the death of the country's longtime leader, Pierre Nkourouziza.
05:53His election was marked by accusations of fraud and the disqualification of his main rival.
06:00The United Nations and NGOs have condemned rights violations in Burundi.
06:05The landlocked East African nation of 15 million people ranks among the world's poorest.
06:13Meanwhile in Nigeria, the military court is now in place in Abuja
06:17to hear the petition of the alleged perpetrators of the attempted coup that took place in 2025.
06:23About 30 defendants appeared before recently sworn in judges
06:27during a first hearing dedicated to opening the debates.
06:30A court proceeding for the coup plotters.
06:32The court martial over last year's foil coup plot in Nigeria will resume on May 8th.
06:37A spokesman for the country's defense headquarters told journalists on Monday,
06:42three dozen officers are on trial for allegedly planning to overthrow the government.
06:46If successful, this will have brought an end to more than a quarter century of democracy
06:52in Africa's most populous country.
06:54The court martial was inaugurated Friday
06:56with 36 officers brought before the newly sworn injustice
07:00for the opening of the proceedings held at a military installation in the capital, Abuja.
07:06The next seating will also be behind closed doors with no media access.
07:11Separately, six civilians are also on trial this week at Abuja's federal high court
07:16for their alleged role in the plot.
07:18They have all pleaded not guilty.
07:20Nigeria has seen several military takeovers in its history
07:23and spent much of the 20th century under Junta rule
07:27after its independence from Britain in 1960.
07:32In the Middle East, the Strait of Omos remains closed
07:35as oil prices keep on rising again along with fuel prices at the pump.
07:41The ongoing deadlock at this narrow passion gap
07:43significantly jeopardizes the supply of essential products like fertilizer,
07:47which are vital for agriculture in Africa.
07:50A standoff continues in the Strait of Omos,
07:54the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf,
07:56through which one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas is transported,
08:00as Iran has limited access and the U.S. has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
08:06Iran is willing to lift its restrictions on the Strait of Omos
08:10without addressing its nuclear ambitions,
08:13according to two regional officials familiar with the proposal,
08:17who spoke on Monday.
08:19Additionally, Iran is requesting that the U.S.
08:21lift its blockade on the nation as part of this proposal.
08:25The officials who wish to remain anonymous
08:28due to the confidential nature of the discussions revealed
08:31this new proposal conveyed to the United States by Pakistan
08:36is unlikely to gain support of the U.S. President Donald Trump,
08:40who insists that Iran's nuclear program must be resolved
08:43as part of the comprehensive agreement to reopen the Strait of Omos
08:47and established a lasting ceasefire.
08:56And as every week on Africa News Today, here are some dates to remember.
09:00On April 29, the opposition party, the Transformers in Chad,
09:03plans to hold a demonstration demanding the release of their leader,
09:07Sukse Masra.
09:08The former prime minister has been detained since May 2025
09:11and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
09:14From April 30 to May 10, the St. Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival takes place,
09:20an annual event held in St. Lucia featuring jazz, R&B and Calypso concerts,
09:25as well as art exhibition and cultural shows.
09:27Europe and several countries while we celebrate Labor Day on May 1st,
09:32this day is rooted in the political and social culture of Africa
09:35as a day of workers' struggle and solidarity
09:38with demands gradually extending to others' social rights.
09:44It's the end of Africa News Today.
09:47Until next week, for another edition,
09:49stay with us on Africa News and also at africanews.com.
09:57For more information, visit www.fema.org.
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