“We are being stared at strangely and we are being verbally abused,” says Pastor Thaddeus Ejiofor Eze as mood changes in town against Africans The Nigerian asylum-seeker suspected of killing Soopika P., a refugee aid worker, in the western German town of Ahaus on 11 February has agreed to be swiftly extradited to Germany from Switzerland. According to Martin Botzenhardt, …
Read More »No justification to deport 12,000 Nigerians from Germany, says Kenneth Gbandi, chair of NIDOE
He debunks the argument of the German government that the Nigerian asylum claims are not credible, arguing that there are enough grounds to allow them to stay just as the Syrians are granted residency.
Read More »Full Speech: My Vision for The Gambia, by President Adama Barrow
Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, unveiled the key programmes of his government at the country’s 52nd independence anniversary celebrations on Saturday. Mr Barrow, 52, who was elected in last December’s election, was also sworn-in as Gambia’s third president at the event, attended by thousands of citizens and graced by foreign guests, including several African heads of states. Below is the …
Read More »German migration office to tap asylum-seekers’ mobile phones to determine their true identity
Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge or BAMF) would be allowed to examine refugees’ mobile phone records to establish their true identity under a proposed law. The bill aims to prevent refugees from giving false identities, reports Kate Brady. According to information published by three German media outlets on Sunday, a new draft legislation …
Read More »Black youth assaulted by French police leaves hospital, thanks supporters
The 22-year-old man whose arrest in northern Paris sparked nights of protests across France has thanked his supporters. Theo posted the video message on Facebook after being discharged from hospital. The protests, which have led to over 200 arrests around France, follow allegations that he was beaten and raped with a police baton during an arrest attempt on February 2. …
Read More »Bono on why Germany is smart by placing Africa on the G20 agenda
If your eyes roll at international gatherings like the G20 foreign ministers’ summit this week in Bonn or the Security Conference I’ll be attending this weekend in Munich, let me confess, mine used to as well. But after nearly two decades of harassing and attending such gatherings, I’ve discovered the dirty little secret of these events is they’re often not …
Read More »Gambia’s President Barrow to be sworn in today again
Thousands of people are expected to witness the official inauguration of Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, today in Banjul. The event, to be attended by many African heads of state, also marks the country’s 52nd independence anniversary. Barrow, who was first sworn in on 19 January in the Senegalese capital Dakar, is the third president in the history of independent …
Read More »G20 foreign ministers meet in Bonn, discuss poverty in Africa
G20 foreign ministers will discuss ways to fight poverty in Africa, strengthen governmental institutions and better utilise the potential of many African countries, German ministry officials said on the eve of a two-day meeting (16-17 February) in Bonn. G20 comprises 19 major industrialised and emerging economies and the European Union. Germany, keen to improve conditions in Africa and halt a growing …
Read More »Nigerian wails as DNA test reveals he’s not biological father of his 32-year-old son
A father was left heartbroken after discovering the son he has raised for 32 years isn’t biologically related to him. Nigerian-born Oscar and his son Valentine appeared on a popular British TV show The Jeremy Kyle Show on Monday. Oscar and Valentine had gone on the tabloid talk show presented by Jeremy Kyle to find out if the pair are …
Read More »Police arrest Nigerian suspected of killing German woman in Ahaus
The police have arrested a Nigerian man on the suspicion of having murdered a young German woman in the town of Ahaus, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 27-year-old asylum seeker was arrested on Tuesday (14 February) in Basel, the prosecutor’s office in Münster has announced. The woman, aged 22, was stabbed in the streets of Ahaus in the early hours …
Read More »UN team visits Germany to investigate racism against Africans
A UN expert group will visit Germany from 20-27 February to investigate the human rights situation of people of African descent in the country. The visit is taking place within the framework of the International Decade of People of African Descent (2015–2024), which highlights the human rights situation of the African Diaspora worldwide and aims to fight racial discrimination against …
Read More »Slovaks mad over Black man featured in sportswear advertisement
A Slovakian sportswear firm called Nebbia has promised to refund customers offended by its advert featuring a Black Norwegian bodybuilder – on condition that they send their requests to an email address that reads “I am racist” in Slovak. In a series of blog posts, Nebbia CEO Martin Pecko threw himself into the uproar sparked by photographs posted on Nebbia …
Read More »How police rape of young Black man sparked days of rioting in Paris
The north-western Paris suburb of Argenteuil was in disarray on Sunday in the latest of a string of violent protests over the alleged police rape of a 22-year-old black man identified as Théo. Video that apparently showed Theo’s arrest has been circulating on the internet for many days, showing the youth worker on the ground against a wall being beaten …
Read More »Newly-elected President Steinmeier as “German answer to Donald Trump”
Former Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected Germany’s new president on Sunday by the 1,260-member Federal Assembly, made up of national lawmakers and parliamentarians from the country’s 16 states. Five candidates participated at the election. In addition to Steinmeier, other candidates for the presidency were the political scientist Christoph Butterwegge, the vice-chairman of the AfD, Albrecht Glaser, the TV …
Read More »Germany elects Frank-Walter Steinmeier as new president
Former Foreign Minister and presidential candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to be elected as Germany’s new ceremonial head of state on Sunday. As president, the 61-year-old, who regularly polls as Germany’s most popular politician, will represent the country abroad and act as a kind of moral arbiter for the nation. For the Social Democrats (SPD), his appointment raises the party’s …
Read More »What future for DR Congo after opposition leader’s death?
The death of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi at a critical moment in the DR Congo’s history is an irreparable loss for a country trying to navigate a constitutional crisis without descending into bloodshed. The best way to honour Tshisekedi is to continue the fight for democracy in the country, argues Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja. Etienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba, the historic leader …
Read More »Germany launches plan for quick deportation of rejected asylum-seekers
Germany’s federal and state governments have agreed to a plan to quickly deport rejected asylum-seekers. Although deportations are a state matter, the federal government has made it clear it wants to play a bigger role. Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the premiers of Germany’s 16 states in Berlin on Thursday (9 February) and agreed to a plan that will speed …
Read More »Nigerians in Europe to hold conference in Hamburg
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Europe will hold a conference in the German city of Hamburg on 17-18 February. According to Kenneth Gbandi, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of NIDO Europe, the event will discuss how to reposition the group for greater effectiveness. International brand management expert Charles O’Tudor will deliver a keynote speech at the two-day …
Read More »Nigerian arrested in German city of Göttingen for plotting terror attacks
Two Muslims suspected of planning terror attacks in Germany have been arrested during widespread raid against radical Islamists. Police in the town of Göttingen, the state of Lower Saxon (Niedersachsen), arrested the two men suspected of plotting a terror attack on Wednesday evening, officials announced on Thursday (9 February). The men arrested, a 27-year-old Algerian and a 23-year-old Nigerian, are …
Read More »Protest against police shooting of African in Hamburg
About 400 Africans and German sympathisers turned out on Wednesday (8 February) to protest against the police shooting of Augustine Akwasi Obenga in Hamburg a week ago. The demo started from the central train station and proceeded through the Lampedusa Tent in Steindamm and back to the train station. Protesters spent about three hours in the biting cold to register …
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