Category: World News

Former Democratic Republic of Congo health minister Oly Ilunga has been detained over allegations of mismanaging public funds worth $4.3 million that were allocated to fighting the Ebola outbreak in the country, one of his lawyers told CNN on Monday.

Ilunga  quit his position as health minister in July after he was stripped of his responsibility as head of Congo’s Ebola response team. He has denied any wrongdoing, said his lawyer, Guy Bayeka.

In a statement on Monday, his attorneys said $1.9 million of the money was spent after Ilunga resigned from office and he cannot be held responsible for its management.

“He reaffirms firmly his innocence in this case and promises to vigorously defend his honor,” his attorney’s said in the statement.

Bayeka denied claims that Ilunga was fleeing the country when he was taken into police custody on Saturday and called for his immediate release from detention.

CNN has reached out to the police in Congo for comment and is yet to get a response.

Ilunga resigned in protest after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi removed him as the head of the country’s Ebola response team and assigned the leadership of the unit to a committee that will report directly to the president’s office.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing the second deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

With more than 3,000 cases and 2,000 deaths recorded since the outbreak was declared last summer in Congo, the Ebola outbreak has reached another troubling milestone, according to the World Health Organization.

Though the vast majority of infections remain in the nation’s North Kivu province, the virus has spread to neighboring South Kivu province and the transit hub of Goma, on the border of Rwanda.

In July, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as responders continue to combat the spread of the disease.

The region’s political instability, sporadic violence, limited infrastructure and mistrust in vaccines are obstacles to address in ending the outbreak.

Liberia’s President George Weah has invited the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the country to discuss the idea of setting up a war and economic crimes court.

The tribunal is intended to address crimes committed during two bouts of brutal fighting in 1989-1996 and 1999-2003 in which some 250,000 people were killed.

Thousands more were mutilated and raped, often by armies of drugged child soldiers led by ruthless warlords. Regional peacekeepers intervened twice to end the fighting.

Smith Toby, Liberia’s deputy presidential press secretary, told the BBC that President Weah had recently met ICC President Chile Eboe-Osuji in Nigeria to briefly discuss the matter.

“We are awaiting a response [from the judge],” Mr Toby said.

There is growing pressure to set up a court from key players in the West African nation, including traditional chiefs and elders at a recent gathering.

President Weah has also written to the House of Representatives seeking their advice on the matter.

Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, from the opposition Liberty Party, has welcomed the move, saying recently on a radio programme that it was “time to end the culture of impunity in our country”.

But others have criticised Mr Weah for seeking advice instead of presenting a bill to set up a court. The president is suspected of using stalling tactics as some believe his administration is not keen on the court’s establishment.

“This man is playing a game,” prominent talk-show host Henry Costa said.

South Africa has apologized to Nigeria over a spate of xenophobic attacks which led to a spike in tensions between the two countries.

Twelve people were killed earlier this month when mobs attacked foreign-owned businesses, mainly in Johannesburg.

A special envoy from South Africa presented an apology to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

The envoy, Jeff Radebe, expressed the country’s “sincerest apologies” at a meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

“The incident does not represent what we stand for,” he said, adding that South African police would “leave no stone unturned” in bringing those involved to justice.

Mr Radebe also told President Buhari that the South African government condemned the violence and was taking decisive action.

Mr Buhari thanked Mr Radebe for “coming to explain to us what happened in South Africa recently, leading to [the] killing and displacement of foreigners”.

‘Ramaphosa’s shame’

“President Buhari responded to profuse apologies from the South African president, pledging that the relationship between the two countries will be solidified,” a statement from his office said.

At the end of last week, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa told the BBC that he felt ashamed by the recent violence.

“We are very concerned and of course as a nation we [are] ashamed because this goes against the ethos of what South Africa stands for,” he said.

No Nigerians were killed in the violence in South Africa, but Nigerian-owned shops and businesses are believed to have been targeted by the mobs.

Of the 12 people who were killed, 10 are reported to have been South African nationals and two were from Zimbabwe.

Nigeria has been outspoken in its condemnation of the violence. A fortnight ago, it withdrew a delegation from a major international conference taking place in South Africa.

Tensions were inflamed after videos and images were shared on social media purporting to show Nigerians being attacked and killed. The Nigerian government said there was no evidence that this had taken place.

But it did say that Nigerian-owned businesses had been targeted.

The attacks started after lorry drivers staged a strike to protest against the employment of foreigners.

South Africa has become a magnet for migrants from other parts of Africa as it has one of the continent’s biggest and most developed economies.

Evacuation of Nigerians

But there is also high unemployment in the country and some people feel foreigners are taking their jobs.

While the diplomatic mission is taking place, Nigeria has continued to evacuate its citizens from the country.

Last week, Nigeria’s Consul General Godwin Adama said only those who were under distress as a result of the attacks would leave South Africa.

More than 300 Nigerians are expected to arrive in Lagos on Tuesday. Last week, 188 evacuees arrived back.