PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES GHANA’S PRESIDENT-ELECT.

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Ghana’s President-elect John Dramani Mahama on his victory in the December 7 general election.

In a telephone call to Mahama, Tinubu hoped that Mahama’s ascension to power for the second time would further bring stability to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu commended the people of Ghana for their commitment to democracy, which was demonstrated through the peaceful and successful conduct of both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

He applauded Ghanaians for demonstrating again to the world that democracy is the preferred path to achieving political stability, economic development, social justice, and transparent governance in Africa.

He affirmed that Nigeria’s and the region’s belief in the principles of the people’s right to choose their leaders freely will remain a source of pride.

The Nigerian leader applauded the candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, for conceding defeat before the official announcement by Ghana’s Electoral Commission.

Tinubu said Bawumia’s stance reinforced Ghana’s democratic ethos.

The President noted that President-elect Mahama’s return to Jubilee House, having served as President from 2012 to 2017, reflects the Ghanaian people’s trust in his stewardship and vision to take the country to greater heights.

Mahama served as Vice President of Ghana from 2009 to 2012, Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2009, and held deputy and ministerial roles between 1998 and 2001.

“President Tinubu renews his steadfast support for deepening the fraternal bonds between Nigeria and Ghana, underpinned by shared history, cultural ties, mutual support and cooperation, Pan-African goals, democracy, the rule of law, and economic integration,” the statement partly read.

The Nigerian leader thanks President Nana Akufo-Addo for his exemplary leadership and numerous contributions to Ghana’s progress and regional peace and stability.

The President looks forward to working with President Mahama’s incoming administration to strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors and build a brighter future in the West Africa region.

GHANA’S RULING PARTY CANDIDATE BAWUMIA CONCEDES DEFEAT IN ELECTION.

Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party candidate, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, said he conceded defeat in the weekend presidential election, after calling his opponent John Mahama to congratulate him.

“The people of Ghana have spoken, the people have voted for change at this time and we respect it with all humility,” he said in a press conference.

On his X account, Mahama confirmed he had received Bawumia’s congratulatory call.

The vice president said Mahama won the presidency “decisively” as well as the opposition NDC party winning the country’s parliament election, according the ruling NPP party’s own internal tally of votes.

Bawumia struggled to distance himself from criticism over the government’s handling of Ghana’s economic crisis and high costs of living, which became the dominant election issue.

BURKINA FASO LEADER NAMES NEW PREMIER AFTER DISSOLVING GOVERNMENT.

A day after dissolving the government without providing any reason, Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta on Saturday appointed a new prime minister.

Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, communications minister and spokesperson for the previous government, has been named as the country’s new premier.

Military leader, Ibrahim Traore, made the announcement in a presidential decree read on state television on Saturday.

A journalist by trade and a close ally of Traore, Ouedraogo was formerly editor-in-chief and then director of the country’s state television.

No reason was given for the dismissal of former Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, who was appointed interim premier soon after Traore seized power in September 2022.

The junta ousted the military rule of Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba about eight months after it had staged a coup to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré.

The country is one of several West African nations where the military has recently taken over, capitalising on popular discontent with previous democratically-elected governments over security issues.

SOUTH AFRICAN PROJECT HELPS DEAF PEOPLE BUILD FARMING SKILLS.

At the Westonaria Agri-Park east of the South African city of Johannesburg, farm workers are busy tilling the soil and planting tomatoes and lettuce.

But despite the hive of activity, there is silence.

This is because most of the people working there are deaf and communicate using sign language.

They are members of the Voiceout Deaf farming collective started by entrepreneur Matebogo Victoria, who has a hearing disability herself.

She understands the challenges they face. During her studies, she had to attend her classes with a hearing partner as her university could not make the lectures accessible for her.

Victoria, who used to work for one of the country’s major banks, decided to leave her corporate job and start Voiceout to allow deaf people to gain agricultural skills.

Many of them either do not finish school, she says, or cannot afford the long distances they need to travel to attend one of the country’s 44 schools for deaf students.

SOMALI MIGRANT BOAT ACCIDENT SURVIVORS ARRIVE HOME IN MOGADISHU.

Nearly 50 Somalis who survived a migrant boat tragedy last month arrived back home in Mogadishu where they were received by government officials.

They were rescued after the two boats they were travelling in capsized off the coast of Madagascar, leaving about 25 people dead.

There were emotional scenes at the airport as the survivors were reunited with family.

The group had been at sea for nearly a month hoping to reach the French island territory of Mayotte some 1,600 kilometres away.

“We were 75 in total, and 28 people died. Among those who died was my cousin, she was the daughter of my uncle. Forty-seven of us, myself included, have survived this accident,” said survivor Ahmed Hussein Mahadalle.

Unemployment, poverty, and drought in the Horn of Africa forces many young Somalis to undertake the dangerous journey to Mayotte in the hope of reaching Europe and a better life.

Somalia’s foreign affairs minister recently urged the country’s youth to be aware of the risks and to prioritise their safety.

The presidential advisor on refugee affairs, Maryan Yasin, speaking at the airport said she was happy the group had returned safely.

The United Nations has raised concerns about rising numbers fleeing conflict and drought in the Horn of Africa.

SUDANESE DRAMA PREMIERES AT THE RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.

The fourth edition Red Sea International Film Festival is underway in the Saudi Arabia port city of Jeddah, drawing audiences eager to explore unique storytelling from around the globe.

Over 120 films from 81 countries will be featured in this year’s line-up, with 16 films in the Features Competition.

One of the films to premiere at the festival is “My Driver and I”, the Sudanese drama about the bond between a driver and a young Saudi woman he chauffeurs.

The film’s lead actor, Mustafa Shehata, described the plot as deeply personal and emotional.

“The film tells the story of an immigrant taxi driver and how he treats a young customer as if she were his daughter. He also has a daughter back home in Sudan and has not returned to his country for a long time,” he says.

Salma and Gamar are very different in terms age and culture, yet over the course of the ten years during which he drives her every day, they form a bond.

Saudi Arabia is trying to expand its influence in the fields of film, sport, and entertainment and since the film festival’s launch in 2021, it has attracted major global talent.

Rebels Declare End Of Assad Rule In Syria

Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on Sunday, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.

Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of “tyrant” Assad and “declare the city of Damascus free”.

The president’s reported departure comes less than two weeks since the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.

“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement… we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” the rebel factions said on Telegram.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP “Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left” the facility.

PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYS UNITED STATES WILL ENGAGE WITH ALL SYRIAN GROUPS.

President Joe Biden on Sunday said the United States would engage with “all Syrian groups” over the political transition after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

“We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign” Syria “with a new constitution.”

Biden also said fallen al-Assad should be held responsible for his rule over Syria now that his government has been toppled.

Asked what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden told reporters that “Assad should be held accountable.”

He called al-Assad’s fall from power a “moment of historic opportunity” for Syria.

“The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice,” Biden said, speaking from the White House. “It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.”

Assad’s reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in the country’s civil war.

Early Sunday, they announced they had entered Damascus and that Assad had fled, prompting celebrations around the country and a ransacking of Assad’s luxurious home.

SYRIA’S ASSAD FLED TO MOSCOW.

Syria’s ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow, hours after he fled the country as Islamist-led rebels entered Damascus.

The announcement comes as Russia, a key Assad ally, called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council on the fast-changing situation on the ground in the war-torn country.

“Assad and members of his family have arrived in Moscow,” the source told the TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies.

Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” he added.

Asked whether Assad was confirmed to be in Moscow, a Western official said they believed that was likely the case and had no reason to doubt Moscow’s claim.

The Kremlin source also said the rebels who ousted Assad in a lightning offensive “guaranteed the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic institutions on Syria’s territory”.

Russia, Assad’s biggest backer along with Iran, holds a naval base in Tartus and a military airfield in Khmeimim.

Moscow’s forces became militarily involved in the Syrian conflict in 2015, providing support for Assad’s forces to crush the opposition in the bloody civil war.

“Russia has always been in favour of a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Our starting point is the need to resume negotiations under the auspices of the UN,” the Kremlin source added.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP AIMS TO END BIRTHRIGHT UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.

President-elect Donald Trump says he would “have to” deport all undocumented immigrants in the United States, as he doubled down on his hardline campaign pledges including ending birthright citizenship.

“You have to do it,” he said during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” after being asked if he planned on deporting “everyone who is here illegally over the next four years” of his term.

He also used his first formal television interview after the November election to insist he would end birthright citizenship — enshrined in the US Constitution — “if we can, through executive action,” calling it “ridiculous.”

“They have to pay their bills,” Trump told reporters,” saying he would “absolutely” consider taking the United States out of the alliance unless members are “treating us fairly.”