ICC RATTLES AGAIN, THIS TIME HITTING CONGOLESE WARLORD THOMAS LUBANGA:

ICC RATTLES AGAIN, THIS TIME HITTING CONGOLESE WARLORD THOMAS LUBANGA:

Delivering its first sentence, the International Criminal Court jailed Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for 14 years yesterday for recruiting child soldiers.

Lubanga wa found guilty in march of abducting boys and girls under the age of 15 and forcing them to fight in a war in the DRC in 2002 and 2003.

About 60,000 people were killed in the Ituri region of eastern DRC between 1999 and 2003 in an ethnic conflict that set Lubanga’s Union Of Congolese Patriots against militias from the Lendu ethnic group, including the Congolese Popular Army and the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri.

The landmark ruling comes just months after Liberia warlord, Charles Taylor got 50 years in jail. Even with the court recently celebrating its 10^th Anniversary, many especially in Kenya are awaiting the post election violence suspects’ trials set for next year in April.

ONLY IN AFRICA: OF THE AFRICAN CULTURE AND THE SEX TALK DEBATE!

ONLY IN AFRICA: OF THE AFRICAN CULTURE AND THE SEX TALK DEBATE!

Let’s talk about sex! Wait a minute, this is Africa son! Where our sex lives are riddled with fear, shame and embarrassment.

Think about it! Why do many people who call into radio stations or TV- shows, or even write on sex related questions, either ask to remain anonymous or have their original names changed.

Welcome to Africa, where the fear of humiliation, fear of looking bad and the shame that surrounds sexual expression is real. Why you ask? Because we were told so many times as kids that “sex is bad”.

In my own opinion, many Kenyans and Africans as a whole don’t feel comfortable openly talking about sex. Ask any parent. The hardest talk they’ll ever have with their kids (in this case teens and young adults) is the sex debate.

The problem is we have failed to address and educate our children on issues that get swept under the carpet.

Why? Because our culture considers it a taboo to speak about “bedroom antics”, let alone the other “unmentionable” things. But then again, this is Africa right, the Dark Continent!

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: NIGERIA TO DEBUT IN THE OLYMPICS

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: NIGERIA TO DEBUT IN THE OLYMPICS

After whooping the Dominican Republic 88-73 in the decisive qualifier in Caracas, Nigeria will make their Olympic basketball debut in London.

The Olympics and road to Olympics has always seen surprise packages ( ask Usain Bolt after being beaten in the 100m and 200m trials by fellow Jamaican compatriot Yohan Blake ).

Termed as underdogs in the tournament, Nigeria completed their memorable campaign with a resounding victory.

BEWARE AFRICA GRACE AMSALU IS A PRANKSTER ON THE LOOSE:

BEWARE AFRICA GRACE AMSALU IS A PRANKSTER ON THE LOOSE:

Someone once told me that, “ if the deal is too good, think twice…” I got a message from a certain girl through a certain social media that read:

zita amslu

tue at 9:29 pm

(No Subject)

graceamsalu10@yahoo.com Hello I saw your profile today and it was so good to me.u know that i am interested to be a friend first.please i will like you to contact me direct to my e-mail address, (graceamsalu10@yahoo.com) so that i can give you a full introduction of my self with my pictures ok. i will be waiting for your mail to my e-mail address(graceamsalu10@yahoo.com) as you know there is no age,race,colour and religion bar in knowing each other thanks. cares Grace.

so being a naïve and accommodating person, I did send her an email that read-

hey grace,

its funny i had no idea i had a profile on that site. but this is my email, lookin forward to a greater friendship.

Just a young chap with a passion for writing….that’s how I would describe myself. My curious attitude inspires my writing since writing requires you to be interested in everything.

Talking is my favorite sport, and writing is a way of talking on paper. I’m a daydreamer, which helps me to come up with ideas. I love words so much and the bit of playing with words really intrigues me.

Above all, I enjoy the struggle to come up with just the right words as I write and rewrite….

If you are a culprit of not listening, then be warned. The tragedy is that most of us, who do not listen, do sometimes carry out very expensive experiments, just to try and satisfy ourselves that we are right and others are wrong.

thats a bit about me which you will find on my blog-  http://bukhungu-bukhanga.blogspot.com follow it , tell ur pals and lets share.

on facebook find me at- oracles vincent libosso chronicles

cheers gal

But little did I know what was awaiting me and that offering my email was not a good idea. So I got a reply from her that read:

Subject: PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOU

I am very happy to receive your reply Like I said before my name is Grace, 23yrs old, Fair/African lady and never married. I am a simple person who likes to have fun and offers the same to my companion. I do tend to be a little shy in the early going but with the right person it goes away pretty quickly. I believe is important to know each other better for trust and confidence which is necessary in any good and lasting relationship built on truth and real love. I like reading and spots either, walking or just sitting at the beach (watching the sun go down is the best time).I love children too & can also carry on a good conversation but I also have a great pair of ears for listening. I am from Sudan and i am presently staying in a refugee camp here in Senegal. I came here  because my parents died  and our region is not safe at all because of the rebel soldiers who are rapping women everyday and i escaped through the help of the unicef and red cross and i am now registered with the united nation high commission for refugees Dakar Office here in Senegal. I choose to come to Senegal because i came once to Dakar three years ago with my late father because he was in oil business  . I will tell you more about my family and everything about me when i am sure who you are and that i can trust you with my life as true friend and guardian, Attached here is my picture I will tell you more about myself in my next mail. Please send your own picture and telephone number in your next reply. Hoping to hear from you soonest! cares Grace.

 

Being an investigative journalist, I embarked to find who this girl was. My first step was the UNHCR website but there was no info on registered refugees. So I typed her name and google searched her. That’s when my fears were confirmed on who she is, whether it’s a he or a she.

In one social media site we discovered her. Her post read;

grace amsalu added a new comment on yettyolukoya's profile.

graceamslu@yahoo.com Hello I saw your profile today and it was so good to me.u know that i am interested to be a friend first.i also believe that coming to you will be a probability of meeting that very love that has been lacking in my entire life. please i will like you to contact me direct to my e-mail address, (graceamslu@yahoo.com) i dont know the posebility of remaing in forum for long time,i will give you a full introduction of my self with my pictures ok. i will be waiting for your mail to my e-mail adsdress(graceamslu@yahoo.com) as you know there is no age,race,colour n religion bar when it comes to true love, cares Grace.

This site was- grace amsalu - Female - Senegal | WDY | Nigerian Music

www.wetin-dey.com/fconn/graceuu/

but more investigations revealed another site that discovered her prank too but here she was using a different name ( we assume! )

 

- FRAUD | Lightstalkers

www.lightstalkers.org/posts/fraud

14 Jan 2012 – Amsalu Tina amsalu_tina@yahoo.com ... I hope by Gods grace i will come out of here soon if everything works out well between me and you ...

SO WE ARE SENDING A DISCLAIMER OUT THERE TO FELLOW AFRICANS TO BE AWARE OF THIS PRANK!

AFRICA'S MOVERS AND SHAKERS

HABIBA GHRIBI:


Today we travel to Tunisia to meet the beautiful, sensational and talented athlete Habiba Ghribi. The Tunisian athlete made history twice in August 2011 with her silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase in Daegu, South Korea.

She became the first Tunisian woman to win a world championship medal and set her country's national record.

A SELF OPINIONATED PIECE ON THE WAY FORWARD FOR SOUTHERN SUDAN:

A SELF OPINIONATED PIECE ON THE WAY FORWARD FOR SOUTHERN SUDAN:

Happy first anniversary! One of the hardest questions I have had to endure while writing this piece is that of “what do you think needs to happen so that South Sudan can prosper as a nation?”

First thing first, like a one year old baby trying to prove that it is independent and can try to walk, that is what the youngest potential state in Africa is trying to do.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the rest of African nations and the world too as a whole corporately are these close friends to the already birthed mother- Kenya.

Kenya, here is like the closest thing to a mother to South Sudan, since Kenya played a critical role in peace negotiations that led to the signing of the CPA ( Comprehensive Peace Agreement ) in 2005. This effectively put an end to the civil war between the two “Siamese twins”- the north Sudan and the South Sudan.

The most important asset to a country is the citizens. The plea and cry has gone out loud and clear from South Sudanese people and the government. An appeal to fellow compatriots in the Diaspora to go back home and help rebuild their country.

But even with this call, the South Sudanese government will need to provide a convincing open book on how serious it is in implementing reforms, fight corruption and reverse the legacy of political and social exclusion perpetuated earlier by Khartoum.

Trade and economic development needs to be championed. Trade cannot be divorced from peace, so to maintain internal peace, there is even more need to resolve the demarcation of borders between the half brother republic of Sudan. Enjoying border shares with Northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, DRC and Central African Republic, cross border trade should be a channel of exploration.

With an oil crisis being experienced now, and the long term measure of linking the Lamu port in Kenya to South Sudan via pipeline not in place, the short term option remains in re- negotiating a new equitable, functional and just oil- wealth sharing agreement with the North. This is one space the larger international community is monitoring. The issues largely being commercial investment and energy cum- trade investment.

With security termed as the determinant for canvassing foreign investment, there is still one thing going for Juba. The south is blessed with arable land, water and natural resources that the north can only dream of. All these are awaiting exploitation.

Despite the challenges, there is still hope in this long journey. Nation building requires strong institutions, and even though many may criticize South Sudan as a ‘failed state’, I believe just like a baby who marks any birthday anniversary, it is a hope for growth and development. So this one year anniversary is that same bright hope for Southern Sudan.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS- » Top African players at Euro 2012

http://www.africaplays.com/index.php

» Top African players at Euro 2012

Friday, June 8th, 2012 at 17:02

Over a dozen players with African histories will feature for top teams at the 2012 European Championship which kicks of today in Poland and Ukraine. France, unsurprisingly, lead the others with eight African players, followed by Portugal who have three players, all of whom are from the Cape Verdean Islands. Africaplays.com takes a peek at some of the players. v     PATRICE EVRA - FRANCE Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra was born in Dakar, Senegal, to a Senegalese diplomat of Guinean descent and a Cape Verdean mother. v     STEVE MANDANDA - FRANCE Born in Kinshasa, the Marseille number one goalkeeper Steve Mandanda is number two to Hugo Lloris in the France team. His brother, Parfait, also a goalkeeper with Belgian club Sporting Charleroi, has played for Congo DR. v     ALOU DIARRA - FRANCE Imposing midfielder Alou Diarra was born in Villepinte in France to Malian parents. The Marseille star turned down the opportunity to play for Mali in 2004. v     ADIL RAMI - FRANCE Valencia centre-back Adil Rami was born in Bastia to Moroccan parents. Morocco tried unsuccessfully to secure his switch to the Atlas Lions. v     SAMIR NASRI - FRANCE Born in Marseille to Algerian parents, France, Manchester City attacking midfielder Sami Nasri is a key member of Laurent Blanc's France. v     KARIM BENZEMA - FRANCE Immensely talented Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was born in the French city of Lyon to Algerian parents. He made his debut for France in 2006. Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has his roots in Algeria v     BLAISE MATUIDI - FRANCE Idolised Nigeria's Jay-Jay Okocha when he was growing up, but now plays in the defensive midfield position at Paris Saint Germain. He was born in Toulon to an Angolan father and a French mother. v     HATEM BEN ARFA - FRANCE Newcastle United's creative attacking midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has a Tunisian father, but a French mother. His father Kamel was a Tunisian international. v     NANI - PORTUGAL Manchester United's dashing winger Nani was born in Praia, Cape Verde, and he moved to Lisbon at an early age. v     SILVESTRE VARELA - PORTUGAL FC Porto winger Silvestre Varela is one of three players in the Portuguese squad, including Nani, whose parents hail from the Cape Verde Islands. v     ROLANDO - PORTUGAL FC Porto defender Rolando was born in Sao Vicente in Cape Verde and moved to Portugal at the age of 14. v     JEROME BOATENG - GERMANY Brother of Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jerome, has been a regular feature in the German team's defence since the 2010 World Cup. He was born in Berlin, to a Ghanaian father and a German mother. v     SAMI KHEDIRA - GERMANY Another in the German team from Africa is Real Madrid holding midfielder Sami Khedira. Born inStuttgart to a German mother and a Tunisian father, he was impressive for Germany at the 2010 World Cup, bagging the winning goal in the third-place match against Uruguay. Tunisian roots, Germany star v     KHALID BOULAHROUZ - NETHERLANDS Born in Maassiluis to Moroccan parents, 30-year-old defender Khalid Boulahrouz will be flying the Dutch flag at the championship. v     IBRAHIM AFFELAY - NETHERLANDS Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Affelay was born in Utrecht to a Moroccan family. He opted to play for the Netherlands despite interest from Morocco. v     ANGELO OGBONNA - ITALY Centre-back Angelo Ogbonna was born in Cassino to Nigerian parents. He is a team-mate of Super Eagles star Nnamdi Oduamadi in Torino, both helping the Serie B side gain promotion to the topflight this past season. Born to Ghanaian parents, Mario Balotelli will lead Italy's attack. v     MARIO BALOTELLI - ITALY Young maverick Mario Balotelli was born in Italy to Ghanaian parents. He was put up for adoption and raised by an Italian family. The Manchester City star turned down a chance to play for the Black Stars, opting for the Azzurri. v     THEODOR GEBRE SELASIE - CZECH REPUBLIC Defender Theodor Gebre Selassie is the son of an Ethiopian father, Gebre Selassie and plays for Czech side Slovan Liberec. v     DANNY WELBECK - ENGLAND Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck was born in Manchester to Ghanaian parents. The Manchester United forward broke hearts in Ghana when he opted to play for England.