Hundreds of women took to the streets of Nairobi to protest against femicides and to demand action. But things quickly turned tense when Kenyan police fired teargas. At least three people were arrested, including Amnesty's Kenya director. Amnesty and three other organisations have condemned the police response, calling the protests a courageous stand against the ongoing killings of women.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, Kizza Besigye's trial has been postponed to January 7, next year. The opposition leader is accused of threatening national security. His supporters are demanding his immediate release following his controversial abduction in Kenya last month. Besigye and his close aide have now been imprisoned for nearly a month.Finally, in The Gambia, many residents of a coastal fishing village called Ghana Town are stuck in a legal limbo. Though they were born in, grew up in, and now live in The Gambia, they have been unable to get citizenship because their parents are from Ghana.
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Meanwhile, in Uganda, Kizza Besigye's trial has been postponed to January 7, next year. The opposition leader is accused of threatening national security. His supporters are demanding his immediate release following his controversial abduction in Kenya last month. Besigye and his close aide have now been imprisoned for nearly a month.Finally, in The Gambia, many residents of a coastal fishing village called Ghana Town are stuck in a legal limbo. Though they were born in, grew up in, and now live in The Gambia, they have been unable to get citizenship because their parents are from Ghana.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Ion Africa, I'm Clarisse Fortuné and these are the stories making
00:06headlines across the continent.
00:08They were demanding action against a wave of femicides in Kenya, but hundreds of women
00:13were met by tear gas fired by police.
00:16At least three people were arrested.
00:20Uganda's main opposition leader will stay in prison for Christmas.
00:23Kitsa Besidje's trial has been postponed to next year.
00:26She's accused of threatening national security.
00:31And to the Gambia, where some residents can't get access to health care or to employment
00:35just because they were born Ugandan parents, we'll take you to this fishing village called
00:40Ghanatown.
00:45Stop killing women, the chants of hundreds of women who took to the streets of Nairobi
00:49to protest against femicides and to demand action.
00:53But things quickly turned tense when Kenyan police fired tear gas.
00:57At least three people were arrested, including Amnesty's Kenya's director.
01:01Amnesty and three other organisations have condemned the police response, calling the
01:05protest a courageous stand against the ongoing killings of women.
01:09Our Kenya correspondent Olivia Bizot has the details.
01:14Kenyan police didn't even give the women five minutes before breaking up the protest against
01:19gender-based violence.
01:21They barely had enough time to display their Stop Killing Us posters before the tear gas
01:26was unleashed.
01:27Now, the march was meant to wrap up the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence,
01:32bringing together women, human rights activists and allies.
01:36Instead, it was met with arrests and police violence.
01:40Earlier, our team spoke to some of the protesters who were there, trying to make their voices
01:45heard.
01:47We are unarmed.
01:50We want them to stop killing women.
01:53This is a constitutional right.
01:54We are supposed to be here and we are not leaving.
01:57We came here for a reason and they're throwing tear gas all over.
02:01Women are dispersed all over.
02:03I'm assuming they're here to offer protection, to protest and not to throw tear gas at them
02:10and chase them away.
02:11Because they already knew that this was going to happen.
02:12It's an organized march, so it's like something that sprang out of nowhere.
02:17A few weeks ago, President William Ruto voiced his support for gender protesters, pledging
02:22to stand with them in the fight against gender-based violence.
02:26But after today's violent crackdown, it's hard to ignore the gap between his words and
02:32what's actually happening on the ground.
02:35Between August and October of this year, at least 97 women were killed in femicides across
02:41Kenya.
02:42It's an alarming reminder of just how urgent this issue really is.
02:49More than 120 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in two days in Sudan bombardments
02:54as the conflict between the army and RSF intensifies.
02:58The army has stepped up air strikes in half of the country that the RSF controls, while
03:02the RSF has staged raids on villages and intense artillery strikes.
03:07Both have targeted densely populated civilian areas.
03:11On Monday, the Sudanese army's air strike hit Kabiya, a town about 100 kilometers west
03:18of Al-Fashir, the state capital that has been under siege from the paramilitary Rapid Support
03:23Forces.
03:27In Uganda, Kisa Besije's trial has been postponed to January 7th next year.
03:32The opposition leader is accused of threatening national security.
03:35His supporters are demanding his immediate release following his controversial abduction
03:39in Kenya last month.
03:41Besije and his close aide have now been imprisoned for nearly a month and he'll most likely
03:45spend Christmas imprisoned until next year.
03:48Details from the region, Clément Diorama.
03:53Ugandan opposition leader Kisa Besije was supposed to appear before a military court
03:59this Tuesday, but the hearing was postponed because his lead counsel, a former Kenyan
04:04minister of justice, was not authorized to represent clients in Uganda.
04:09Besije faces charges of threatening national security and illegal possession of firearms.
04:14He was arrested by Ugandan agents during a visit to neighbouring Kenya in November and
04:19has been detained for nearly a month since.
04:22A team of 40 lawyers is working on his release, with proceedings now set to resume on January 7th.
04:29On Monday, a group of about 10 opposition leaders in Uganda gathered at the national
04:34parliament to call for his release and an end to the trial of civilians in military
04:39courts within the country.
04:40Besije's legal team has also filed a lawsuit for extra-territorial abduction against the
04:47Kenyan and Ugandan governments at the East African Court of Justice.
04:53The World Health Organization chief said that 10 early samples from patients in Democratic
04:58Republic of Congo suffering from a mystery illness has tested positive for malaria, an
05:04outbreak of what has been dubbed disease X has killed dozens in the Democratic Republic
05:09of Congo.
05:10The deaths occurred in the Penzi health zone of Quango province.
05:14Primary symptoms include fever, headache, cough and difficulty breathing.
05:19But Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus does not rule out other concurrent diseases.
05:25Less than two weeks ago, WHO was informed of an undiagnosed disease in the Democratic
05:31Republic of the Congo that has now caused 416 reported cases and 31 deaths.
05:40Most of the cases and deaths are in children under 14 years of age in the district of Penzi
05:46in the western Quango province of DRC.
05:51Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it's possible
05:58that more than one disease is involved.
06:03Further samples will be collected and tested to determine the exact cause or cause.
06:13Zambia's top court has barred former president Edgar Lungu from standing for re-election
06:17in 2026.
06:19The constitutional court ruled that the politician had already served the maximum two terms allowed
06:25by law.
06:26Lungu was first elected president in January 2015 to serve the remaining 20 months of his
06:32predecessor's term.
06:33President Michael Satter had died in office in October 2014.
06:37Lungu argues that this should not count as he did not serve a full five-year term.
06:44But this candidate was able to reclaim the top seat.
06:47Again, as opposition leader, John Mahama has won the country's election.
06:51He promised a new beginning in spite of the job ahead of him.
06:54This election comes amid the worst economic crisis in a generation.
06:58Let's listen to the president-elect.
06:59The journey is not going to be easy, my brothers and sisters, because the outgoing government
07:10has plunged our dear nation into an abyss.
07:16However, we are determined to work together with you to build the Ghana we want.
07:25I promise you that I will assemble and lead a government that will carry the weight of
07:32those hopes and dreams, whether you voted for me or not, because every victory is a
07:39victory for the people, all of the people.
07:45Ghana's new president-elect there.
07:48And from Ghana to The Gambia, where many residents of a coastal fishing village called Ghanatown
07:54are stuck in a legal limbo.
07:56Though they were born and grew up in and now live in The Gambia, they have been unable
08:02to get citizenship because their parents are from Ghana, which makes it difficult to access
08:07health care or formal employment, or even to travel.
08:10Laurent Bersecher has more on the story.
08:15Nestled on the Gambian coastline, this small fishing village is officially known as Ghanatown,
08:22a reference to the Ghanaian migrants who settled here in the late 1950s and whose descendants
08:28are still waiting to obtain Gambian citizenship.
08:32As I said, even if you are a Ghanaian born in The Gambia, you are still a foreigner.
08:39Just like their elders who arrived over 60 years ago, Ghanatown residents mostly make
08:44a living through fishing.
08:46Without official documents, it's impossible for them to apply for a job or even to go
08:51seek opportunities abroad.
08:54I had a scholarship to study in India.
08:56Whenever I go to the immigration department, they say I'm a Ghanaian, I'm from Ghanatown.
09:00So they deny me from having a passport.
09:03Still now I'm here, I couldn't get a passport.
09:06In order to obtain Gambian citizenship, one must be born in the country to at least one
09:11Gambian parent.
09:13This means Ghanatown residents, who are also unable to claim Ghanaian passports, are essentially
09:19stateless and are forced to live on the margins of society.
09:23Hoping to tackle the issue, the UN and The Gambia's Commission for Refugees recently
09:28carried out a series of interviews in the small fishing village.
09:33This assessment is geared towards establishing facts concerning what are some of the challenges
09:39they face when it comes to nationality, what are some of the reforms that will be needed
09:47in order to address the issue of people of Ghanatown.
09:52The Commission will now present its findings and recommendations to Parliament.
09:57Among its proposed solutions, reforming nationality requirements to allow Ghanatown residents
10:03to obtain Gambian citizenship.
10:08Well, not all is doom and gloom.
10:10Parts of Lagos has been transformed into a winter wonderland with dazzling bright lights.
10:16As you can see, ahead of a holiday in an Algerian city is already in a Christmas spirit.
10:21The festive illumination to bring a much-needed respite to the residents.
10:25A way to forget, even for a little moment, the economic hardships.
10:29And this Christmas lights display has become a tradition that residents are said to look
10:34forward to every year.
10:38And this festive moment to conclude our edition of Iron Africa.
10:42Thank you for watching and stay tuned to France 24 for more news.