Oil Workers, Snagged in a Dispute Over a Dictator's Son's Yacht, Are Freed After Two Years
Equatorial Guinea's dictator freed two South African oil workers his regime had imprisoned for years in apparent retaliation for an unrelated legal dispute involving the ruling family's superyacht and vacation homes.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, in power in the tiny Central African country since 1979, included Frederik Potgieter, 55, and Peter Huxham, 56, among 476 prisoners he pardoned for his birthday this month, according to a social-media message by the president's son.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
an hour ago
- News24
Two South African engineers jailed in Equatorial Guinea freed and back on SA soil
After more than two years behind bars in Equatorial Guinea, Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham have been released and are back in South Africa. The two engineers, who were detained on 9 February 2023, were given a presidential pardon by the president of Equatorial Guinea. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola was at Lanseria Airport, Gauteng on Saturday night to welcome the two men home. 'We are overwhelmed with relief and joy. The last two years and four months have been unimaginably painful for both of our families. Today, we are finally able to say: Frik and Peter are safely back home,' said the families of the men in a statement.
News24
5 hours ago
- News24
What's in City Press: ANC regains some support Steenhuisen still weighing his leadership options
ANC's support returns to election level, while EFF's significantly declines A new poll from the authoritative Social Research Foundation (SRF) shows that the ANC's support among registered voters now stands at 40% again, after an SRF poll in February measured President Cyril Ramaphosa's party's support at just 32%. John Steenhuisen still weighing up third term as DA leader Senior DA members are reportedly pressuring party leader John Steenhuisen to avail himself for a third term at the helm. Steenhuisen, who has led the party since 2020, confirmed to City Press sister publication Rapport this week that he had not yet decided if he would seek re-election. Londie London: 'Minnie Ntuli is lying; she did not apologise to me' Reality TV star, musician and businessperson Londiwe 'Londie London' Zulu says her nemesis from The Real Housewives of Durban, Minenhle 'Minnie' Ntuli, lied that she had sent her a private apology. How former Orlando Pirates star recovered from cocaine addiction Of his past struggles with drug addiction, former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo is not only proud that he beat the habit, but it's how he bounced back that counts for him. Exposed: Slain ANCYL secretary general Sindiso Magaqa's car repairs bill paid from state coffers? Politicians may have used the slain former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa's name to loot the KwaZulu-Natal health department. 'Prime Evil' now auctions jackets and hats on Facebook The former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, one of apartheid's most notorious killers who spent decades in prison for murder and other crimes, is now trying to make ends meet by selling signed police hats and other memorabilia on Facebook. Where will the R700m for the National Dialogue come from? ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said that, rather than spending resources on a dialogue, the money should be used to fix the justice system and develop innovative economic policies to tackle unemployment. Selbeyonce denies jumping ship before Ukhozi FM storm Mkhize was shocked to discover that one of her colleagues shared that she was already skating on thin ice. Without going into much detail, the colleague said Mkhize was close to being let go as she was under investigation and facing a disciplinary hearing. SA military officials criticised for splurging millions on luxury travel despite budget crisis. The military and the department of defence have repeatedly complained about their limited funds over the past few months, but this has not prevented the generals and senior officers from travelling abroad in style. A police officer who was found guilty of having drugs and being linked to gangsters in an internal inquiry had his dismissal sanction changed to a mere two-month suspension. GNU set to debate 'unilateral' foreign policy The Cabinet is set to debate SA's international and national interests amid claims from partners in the government of national unity (GNU) that the ANC is unilaterally determining the country's foreign policy. Gloves off: RAF CEO accuses board chair of misleading Scopa, minister and court Suspended Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo has come out guns blazing, accusing the entity's board chairperson, Zanele Francois, of deliberately misleading Parliament, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and the courts. UDM's Mthunzi Mdwaba faces eviction from luxury Sandton apartment over R130 000 rent arrears Controversial businessperson and politician Mthunzi Mdwaba is facing eviction from his luxury apartment in Sandton after allegedly defying a letter of demand from landlords for failing to pay R46 000 monthly rent. From deputy to 'dirty mouth': Shivambu's explosive splits from EFF and MKP Despite previously declaring that he would never speak ill of the EFF, the former secretary-general of the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Floyd Shivambu, has continued to take subtle, yet increasingly pointed, swipes at the party. Floyd Shivambu snubbed as MKP unveils new list of MPs The Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has excluded Floyd Shivambu from the list of new MPs to be sworn in next week in the National Assembly, despite earlier assurances by the party that he would be redeployed to Parliament after his dismissal as secretary-general. One year later, GNU faces accusations of failure. A year into the government of national unity (GNU), ActionSA has delivered a damning verdict: the administration has failed to live up to its promise of unity, reform and improved governance. The National Dialogue arises from a recognition that something urgent must be done to reignite public interest in our democracy. Marumo Gallants are poised to appoint Alexandre Lafitte as their new head coach, making the 28-year-old Frenchman the youngest manager in PSL history.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Takeaways from AP report on accusation that Wagner commits war crimes by promoting atrocities
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Editor's Note: This story contains graphic images and descriptions of atrocities. The International Criminal Court has been asked to review a confidential legal brief asserting that the Russia-linked Wagner Group has committed war crimes by spreading images of apparent atrocities in West Africa on social media, including ones alluding to cannibalism. The brief was seen exclusively by The Associated Press. Violence in the Sahel, an arid belt of land south of the Sahara Desert, has reached record levels as military governments battle extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Last year, it became the deadliest place on earth for extremism, with half of the world's nearly 8,000 victims killed across the territory, according to yearly data compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace. While the United States and other Western powers withdraw from the region, Russia has taken advantage, expanding military cooperation with several African nations via Wagner, the private security company closely linked to Russia's intelligence and military. Observers say the new approach has led to the kind of atrocities and dehumanization not seen in the region for decades. Social media offers a window into the alleged horrors that often occur in remote areas with little or no oversight from governments or outside observers. Experts say the images, while difficult to verify, could serve as evidence of war crimes. The confidential brief to the ICC goes further, arguing that the act of circulating the images on social media could constitute a war crime, too. It is the first such argument made to the international court. Here are some takeaways from AP's report on the issue. Videos which humiliate and dehumanize The brief, along with AP reporting, shows that a network of social media channels, likely administrated by current or former Wagner members, has reposted content that the channels say are from Wagner fighters. They promote videos and photos appearing to show abuses by armed, uniformed men, often accompanied by mocking or dehumanizing language. In the videos, men in military uniform are shown butchering corpses of what appear to be civilians with machetes, hacking out organs and posing with severed limbs. One fighter says he is about to eat someone's liver. Another says he is trying to remove their heart. While administrators of the channels are anonymous, open source analysts believe they are current or former Wagner fighters based on the content as well as graphics used, including in some cases Wagner's logo. AP analysis of the videos confirms the body parts shown are genuine, as well as the military uniforms. The videos and photos, in a mix of French and local languages, aim to humiliate and threaten those considered the enemies of Wagner and its local military allies, along with civilian populations whose youth face pressure to join extremist groups. But experts say it often has the opposite effect, prompting reprisal attacks and recruitment into the ranks of jihadis. The governments of Mali and Burkina Faso earlier condemned the graphic videos and said they would look into them, but it is not clear whether anyone in them has been identified. Russia's presence continues The U.S. State Department has described Wagner, a network of mercenaries and businesses, as 'a transnational criminal organization.' Wagner did not respond to AP questions about the videos. Since Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in 2023, Moscow has been developing a new organization, the Africa Corps, as a rival force under direct command of Russian authorities. Earlier this month, Wagner announced its withdrawal from Mali, declaring 'mission accomplished' in a Telegram post. In a separate Telegram post, Africa Corps said it is staying. In Mali, about 2,000 Russian mercenaries are fighting alongside the country's armed forces, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many have been with Wagner or are with the Africa Corps. Outrages on personal dignity Under the Rome Statute that created the ICC, the violation of personal dignity, mainly through humiliating and degrading treatment, constitutes a war crime. Legal experts from UC Berkeley, who submitted the brief to the ICC last year, argue that such treatment could include Wagner's alleged weaponization of social media. The brief asks the ICC to investigate individuals with Wagner and the governments of Mali and Russia for alleged abuses in northern and central Mali between December 2021 and July 2024, including extrajudicial killings, torture, mutilation and cannibalism. It also asks the court to investigate crimes 'committed through the internet, which are inextricably linked to the physical crimes and add a new dimension of harm to an extended group of victims.' The ICC told the AP it could not comment on the brief but said it was aware of 'various reports of alleged massive human rights violations in other parts of Mali,' adding that it 'follows closely the situation.' Its Office of the Prosecutor said investigations have focused on alleged war crimes committed since January 2012, when insurgents seized communities in Mali's northern regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu. Lack of accountability Human Rights Watch has documented atrocities committed in Mali by Wagner and other armed groups. It says accountability for alleged abuses has been minimal, with the military government reluctant to investigate its armed forces and Russian mercenaries. It has become difficult to obtain detailed information on alleged abuses because of the Malian government's 'relentless assault against the political opposition, civil society groups, the media and peaceful dissent,' said Ilaria Allegrozzi, the group's Sahel researcher. That has worsened after a U.N. peacekeeping mission withdrew from Mali in December 2023 at the government's request. That void, she said, 'has eased the way for further atrocities.' Monika Pronczuk And Sam Mednick, The Associated Press
