00:08Nigeria remains outraged following the anti-immigrant protests in South Africa.
00:13Abuja is asking the South African government to compensate its citizens
00:17who were expelled from the Southern African country.
00:24The rise of the phenomenon of enforcers in Kenya.
00:29Armed gangs are being used in the context of political rivalry ahead of elections.
00:36In Sudan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalu has been sentenced to death in absentia.
00:42The leader of the rebel Rapid Support Forces was prosecuted by a court in Port Sudan for war crimes in
00:49Darfur.
00:51Hello and welcome. You are watching Africa News Today.
00:54Many Nigerians have returned home, fleeing xenophobic violence in South Africa,
00:59a forced departure that has left many unfortunate victims abandoning the fruits of years of hard work behind them.
01:05The Nigerian government is therefore calling on Pretoria to compensate its citizens who were repatriated from South Africa.
01:14Another day and another flight carrying Nigerians returning from South Africa.
01:19They recount the hostility subjected to them by anti-migrant groups since June.
01:25We are in businesses, so we don't feel so comfortable.
01:30Every now and then you're looking out for police, immigration, whether they're coming or not.
01:35You don't have rest of mind when you're working.
01:40Xenophobic rhetoric has grown over the years in South Africa,
01:43with nationals blaming migrants for unemployment and crime.
01:50Nigeria's ambassador to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi,
01:53says the data being collated from the returnees includes details such as abandoned businesses, vehicles and properties.
02:01But the South African government says it is not responsible for compensating such people.
02:08It says legally owned and registered assets could still be managed or sold on the open market.
02:13The legal experts say further engagement between both countries could help protect the interests of affected Nigerians.
02:21There can be an interaction that will, one, safeguard the properties of most Nigerians there.
02:29Secondly, liquidate and give them the value of their property assets and businesses.
02:37That is the political solution I'm looking at.
02:40Then the second one will be the legal solution.
02:43The legal solution will include one.
02:47The South African constitution actually provides for the protection of property and lives within South Africa.
02:57If there is such a breach, a municipal law exists for Nigerians and Nigerians to institute civil action within the
03:10country.
03:14At the moment, there has not been any compensation agreements or verification of losses incurred by the Nigerian nationals.
03:26In Kenya, the use of armed groups amid political rivalries is gaining ground.
03:32The phenomenon, often described as informal repression, is raising concerns among civil society actors ahead of the elections.
03:39Kenya is witnessing a rise in hired gangs, commonly known as goons, as politicians recruit young men to intimidate rivals,
03:47disrupt protests and target civil society groups ahead of the 2027 general election,
03:53raising concern over growing political intolerance and outsourced violence.
03:59Whenever there is high political contestation in Kenya, there are things that happen to human rights and democratic freedoms that
04:08really we find abhorrent.
04:11And these are systemic.
04:13However, we are already seeing the proliferation of gunism, of persons paid by political actors to disrupt the rights of
04:23others for political gain.
04:26An AFP investigation found that some gangs are paid as little as 500 Kenyan shillings, about four U.S. dollars
04:33a day,
04:34to break up rallies, attack protesters and intimidate opponents.
04:39What you call gunism is what is scholarly known as informal repression.
04:45Informal repression is where the states outsource violence to informal groups.
04:52And it serves two purposes.
04:55Number one, it is to delegitimize the cause of the targets.
05:01Number two, is to avoid accountability.
05:05Their poverty and unemployment leave them with few alternatives.
05:09While police deny working with such groups, rights advocates say authorities have failed to take adequate action against them.
05:19To deal with this gunism, we need an independent, strong police that is governed by the Constitution and is democratic
05:27and works based on intelligence and the needs of the community.
05:33Researchers warn that unless authorities dismantle political violence networks and address youth unemployment,
05:38the growing use of hired gangs could undermine public confidence and the credibility of Kenya's 2027 election.
05:46Mohamed Dagalo was sentenced to death on Sunday by a Sudanese court.
05:50The leader of the paramilitary forces fighting the army since 2023 was accused of war crimes in the Darfur region.
05:57He was tried and sentenced in absentia.
06:00A court in Sudan sentenced RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and 15 other defendants to death in absentia on Sunday.
06:09The court's conviction comes over charges of killing a regional governor and war crimes
06:15that the paramilitary RSF committed in the Darfur region, according to state media.
06:20General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has led the RSF in its war against the Sudanese military since April 2023.
06:29The paramilitary force has repeatedly denied committing war crimes, notably in the Darfur region.
06:36But numerous reports, including from UN experts, have said otherwise.
06:41The court in Sudan's army-controlled city of Port Sudan functions under the military
06:46and will transfer the case to Sudan's Supreme Court.
06:50It is the first sentence against RSF leadership since the beginning of the civil war.
07:02A British fugitive suspected of murdering his family has appeared for the first time
07:07before the Johannesburg magistrate's court.
07:11Tuma's wife and two children were found dead in a house in Bedfordshire last week.
07:18A British man wanted over the death of his wife and two daughters in England
07:24as appeared before a court in Johannesburg as South Africa begins extradition proceedings.
07:2945-year-old Ndodun Tuma, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage,
07:36appeared in the Johannesburg magistrate's court on Monday after his arrest last week
07:40in the joint operation involving South African police and Interpol.
07:45Tuma is wanted by British authorities in connection with the death of his wife,
07:5042-year-old Natabu Ndazili Tuma, and their daughters Nathalie, 15, and Nala, 5.
07:56The three were found dead in their home near Bedford, north of London, earlier this month.
08:02Authorities have also launched an investigation on how Tuma allegedly obtained the unlicensed fire arm.
08:12As every week on Africa News Today, it is time for our weekly agenda with key dates to remember.
08:19French Prime Minister Sébastien Le Conu will visit Morocco from July 15th to 16th.
08:25He is expected to take part in the Franco-Moroccan High Joint Commission.
08:30It will be the first such meeting since 2019.
08:35The trial of Ugandan opposition figure Kiza Besije begins on July 13th in Uganda.
08:42He is accused of treason.
08:44The former doctor of Uganda's president was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2024.
08:51His relatives describe the arrest as a kidnapping.
08:56The final stretch of the 2026 World Cup is underway from July 14th to 19th,
09:03with the semi-finals and final taking place.
09:07No African team remains in contention.
09:19Rwanda is hosting their Ubumuntu Arts Festival from July 13th to 19th.
09:25The event brings together theatre, music and spoken word performances,
09:30aiming to promote dialogue, reconciliation and social change.
09:44That brings us to the end of African News Today.
09:46Join us next week for another edition.
09:49For more information, stay with African News and AfricanNews.com.
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