By CGTN Africa

Smokers have up to a 50 percent higher risk of developing severe diseases and death from COVID-19, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedos Ghebreyesus said.

The Secretary-General made the remarks on Monday in a message to commemorate World No Tobacco Day, globally marked on May 31 annually, in a bid to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

According to him, quitting is the best thing smokers can do to lower their risk from coronavirus as well as the risk of developing cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses.

“We urge all countries to play their part by joining the WHO campaign and creating tobacco-free environments that give people the information, support and tools they need to quit, and quit for good.”

The director-general announced that WHO was taking advantage of digital tools to help tobacco users and had released the Quit Challenge chatbot and the Artificial Intelligence digital health worker Florence.

“The Quit Challenge gives daily notifications of tips and encouragement for up to six months to help people remain tobacco-free. It is available for free on WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger and WeChat,” he said.

According to the UN health agency, the report that smokers are more likely to develop severe disease with COVID-19 compared to non-smokers triggered millions of people to want to quit tobacco.

Currently, over 70 percent of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide lack access to the tools they need, and the gap in access to cessation services was further exacerbated in the last year as the health workforce was mobilized to handle the pandemic.

(With input from agencies)

The ministry of health on Monday called on citizens who received their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine to return to vaccination sites for their second dose.

In a statement, the ministry said: “The Ministry of Health wishes to inform the public that in relation to the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the following will be implemented with immediate effect: all individuals who have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine between 05 March and 08 May 2021 are urged to return for their second dose before 27 June 2021;

“The priority is now being shifted to administering the second dose to people who took their first dose due to low stock of COVID-19 vaccines.

“People who have had their first shot can return to any of the vaccination sites for their second dose. To locate vaccination sites, please call 1025.

“All efforts are being made to ensure additional stocks of vaccines are available in the country as soon as “possible to ensure the continuity and success of the vaccination campaign.

“Please note that the second dose is necessary in order to obtain maximum immunological protection against the virus. Therefore, those who have taken their first dose are urged to return for their second shot.”

A Gambian in France has died after he suffered multiple stab wounds during a street fight, The Fatu Network understands.

The man identified as Yusupha York was attacked by a group of white men last week. His attackers said to be Armenians.

In a video seen by The Fatu Network, the man was stabbed multiple times including at his neck and stomach.

Watch video below, even as we advise viewer discretion;

APRC deputy interim leader Ousman Rambo Jatta has called on supporters of the party to be on standby amid the end of the TRRC.

The TRRC this past Friday ended its public hearings into the human rights violations and abuses that took place in the 22 years rule of former tyrant Yahya Jammeh.

Jammeh’s supporters had all throughout denied Jammeh committed any rights violations – and the party’s deputy leader has now asked APRC supporters to be on standby.

He wrote on his Facebook as he shared a screenshot of a message purportedly sent to Essa Faal: “This is a WhatsApp post between the wife of the last witness at the Gambia’s witch hunt truth and reconciliation commission and the lead counsel Essa  Faal. Am been vindicated as usual. A commission that legitimize Coups and call terrorists heroes. Your turn is over, now it’s ours. The green family, be on standby and wait for the recommendation which shall be flushed in the toilet.”

TRRC lead counsel Essa Faal has explained why the investigation did not invite former President Yahya Jammeh to appear before the investigation and responds to allegations of human rights violations and abuses made against him.

At least 220 murders were said to have taken place in The Gambia while the former dictator was in power.

The TRRC closed its public hearings into Jammeh’s crimes last Friday without Jammeh ever called to explain his side of the story.

And when asked during his appearance on For The People By The People Show on Sunday, Essa Faal said: “Yahya Jammeh is outside, in a jurisdiction that Gambian authorities do not have control over. And he is an adversely mentioned person.

“We do not want him to bring the commission into disrepute. And that’s why he is not invited. This is an investigation.

“He will have his opportunity if there is going to be prosecution. He would have the opportunity to state his case or state his defence.”

Baye Modou Fall alias Boy Djiné has escaped from prison again, local media reported on Sunday.

Boy Djine’s escape from the Freedom 6 Penal Camp was noted around 5 a.m. on Sunday, according to Senego relying on Seneweb.

Prison authorities are said to have opened an investigation into the matter.

Boy Djine is an expert thief who made a huge fortune from criminal acts like robbery. He once fled to The Gambia after escaping from prison.

By AP

West African leaders suspended Mali from their regional bloc Sunday over what they said amounted to a coup last week, Ghana’s foreign minister said after an emergency meeting to address the political crisis in Mali.

The bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, “is worried about the security implications for West Africa because of the continued insecurity brought about by the political upheavals in that country,” Foreign Minister Shirley Attorkor Botchwey said.

At the end of their summit, the heads of state of the ECOWAS member nations demanded that Malian authorities immediately release former transitional President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, who are being kept under house arrest.

In their statement, the leaders condemned the arrests by Mali’s military, which they said violated mediation steps agreed to last September, a month after a coup d’etat led by the same man who has now again taken power in Mali, Col. Assimi Goita.

ECOWAS also called for a new civilian prime minister to be nominated immediately, a new inclusive government to be formed and the 18-month transition of power leading to February 2022 elections to be carried out, saying a monitoring mechanism will be put in place to assure this.

In addition, the statement said, the head of the transition government, the vice president and the prime minister should not under any circumstances be candidates in the planned Feb. 27 presidential election.

ECOWAS urged all international partners, including the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union, to continue to support the successful implementation of the transition in Mali.

The heads of state expressed “strong and deep concerns over the present crisis in Mali, which is coming halfway to the end of the agreed transition period, in the context of the security challenges related to incessant terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 Pandemic with its dire socio-economic impacts,” the statement said.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo opened the summit in Accra on Sunday, saying ECOWAS must “ remain resolute in supporting the people of Mali to find a peaceful solution, and restore democracy and stability in the country.”

Boo Jarju on Sunday joined the National People Party 12 days after a rare interview with The Fatu Network – where he said President Barrow cannot do anything because the leaders he was entrusted with the responsibility have all betrayed the country.

“He (President Barrow) cannot do anything. The reason is the people who have been entrusted with that responsibility have all betrayed the Gambian nation. But because Barrow is at the helm of affairs, he is the only single person people have been talking about,” Mr Jallow told The Fatu Network on May 18.

Mr Jarju was a member of the UDP and later joined APRC. He has since left APRC too.

“I’m a silent person trying to watch over all what is happening. Because I do not go for a party just because I want to be in a political party set up. I want to see what it will take for the Gambian people to get what they want, what they opted for the past over 50 years. I have to see that in a political dispensation and then even if they person has only one person, I will be with that person,” Mr Jarju told The Fatu Network.

And now while speaking at a meeting with NPP officials on Sunday, Mr Jarju who lost to President Barrow as flagbearer for UDP in 2016 said: “Journalists have asked me where (political party) I belong but my words are powerful. I don’t give my word until when it’s time and the time is today.”

CA presidential candidate Dr Ismaila Ceesay visited an agricultural institute in Bremen, Germany on Friday.

In a statement on the visit, Dr Ceesay said he visited the institute “to get us prepared for sustained food production”.

“To eradicate hunger and ensure food security within a generation, we need to urgently boost agricultural production and its value chain through technological innovation,” the politician insisted.

He added: “Our beautiful country ranks 174 out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (2019). Poverty rates remain at 48 percent, while food insecurity has risen from 5 to 8 percent over the past five years due to weak food production. We produce only 50 percent of our food needs as we highly depend on imports.

“Technological innovations in farming will help us graduate from subsistence farming to large-scale commercial agriculture and manufacturing. This will promote food security and provide sustainable livelihoods and a prosperous future for our young people.”

People of Guinea Bissau turned out in large numbers to receive comedian Kitabu Fatty amid his tour of Guinea Bissau.

Kitabu is currently in Guinea Bissau for a tour of the country.

The comedian expressed happiness over hospitality and support he has received in the country when The Fatu Network reached out to him.

His Bissau trip comes amid his plan to run for president in December.

The Senegalese army began a fresh offensive against rebel bases in Casamance, weeks after seizing two important rebel bases near Senegal’s border with Guinea Bissau.

Local media reported on Sunday the fresh offensive began Sunday morning and it involved heavy artillery bombardment.

According to Senego, the bases being target in Kasssolole, Casamance, are under the control of top rebel leader Cesar Atoute Badiate.

It comes four days after MFDC rebels allegedly attacked forest and water officials in Koudioube and which resulted in the death of a civilian.

By AFP

West African leaders will meet in Ghana on Sunday to discuss a response to Mali’s second coup in nine months, with the new president Colonel Assimi Goita attending.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) invited Goita to come to Ghana’s capital Accra for “consultations” ahead of an extraordinary summit on Sunday devoted to Mali, according to a letter from the 15-nation bloc seen by AFP.

He flew to Accra on Saturday, military and airport sources said.

In a statement on Facebook, the office of the Mali presidency said Goita would “take part alongside his counterparts in the sub-region”.

He had served as vice president since leading a coup last August that ousted the democratically elected president, with the roles of president and prime minister held by civilians after pressure from ECOWAS, which has served as a mediator.

However on Monday, soldiers detained transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane, releasing them on Thursday while saying that they had resigned.

The twin arrests triggered a diplomatic uproar and marked the second apparent coup within a year in the Sahel country.

Mali’s constitutional court completed Goita’s rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president.

With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges, including holding elections in early 2020.

The junta said this week it would continue to respect that timetable, but added that it could be subject to change.

The constitutional court said Goita would “exercise the functions of transitional president to lead the transition process to its conclusion”.

ECOWAS, which issued sanctions against Mali after the August coup before lifting them when the transitional government was put in place, will meet from 2:00 pm (1400 GMT) in Accra on Sunday.

The 15-nation bloc has warned of reimposing sanctions on the country, as has the United States and former colonial power France.

French leader Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Rwanda and South Africa, said Saturday that he told West African leaders they could not back a country “where there is no longer democratic legitimacy or transition”.

Ndaw and Ouane’s detention came hours after a government reshuffle that would have replaced the defence and security ministers, both of whom were army officers involved in the August putsch.

On Friday, Goita said the army had had little choice but to intervene.

“We had to choose between disorder and cohesion within the defence and security forces and we chose cohesion,” he said.

Goita added that he wants to name a prime minister from the opposition M5 movement within days.

M5 spearheaded protests against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020 that built up pressure ahead of his ouster, but it was excluded from key posts in the army-dominated post-coup administration.

A rapprochement with the group might serve to soften domestic and foreign criticism of the military.

Mali is regularly ranked among the world’s poorest countries. The previous ECOWAS sanctions were felt hard by the country, which is reeling from numerous crises including a grinding jihadist insurgency.

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe told supporters on Saturday his victory in this December’s presidential election is ordained by God.

“On the 5th of December, it’s God himself who ordained it… Ousainou Darboe [will be] president of this country,” Mr Darboe told supporters in Brufut at a huge rally on Saturday.

The UDP Brufut meeting is the first major political gathering for the party since the end of the Ramadan fast month.

At the meeting, the UDP leader pleaded with Gambians to give the party a chance to be in power if they are to enjoy greater development in all sectors.

Mr Darboe said: “We want you to give us a chance to show you we are not like the others. The only choice is United Democratic Party. Whether one likes it or not, United Democratic Party was there when everyone thought we were foolish.

“United Democratic Party was there when people thought we were committing suicide over what we were doing.”

Essa Faal insisted on Friday ‘justice must happen’ as he disclosed over 200 people were killed during former President Yahya Jammeh’s 22 years rule.

The TRRC which has been investigating the former dictator’s disastrous 22 years rule ended its public hearings on Friday after more than two years.

And in a powerful closing statement, the probe’s lead attorney Essa Faal said: “Between 220 murders and 250 murders occurred in this country during Jammeh’s rule, attributable to Jammeh. And that is not the enforced disappeared. All what I’ve heard tells me crime against humanity, crimes against humanity, crimes against humanity.

“And the forum to deal with that is not only limited in Gambia. It could be Gambia, it could be Ghana, it could be West Africa, it could be somewhere in Africa, it could be the ICC.

“So no matter how people deny, no matter how one may control what could happen in Gambia, that same institution cannot control what happens outside or elsewhere. We have Hissene Habre. He’s ran away for 20-something years, he had to face the law. Justice must happen.”

The leader of Gambia Action Party Musa Ousainou Yali Batchilly has become one of the first Gambians to be issued with a voter’s card.

Mr Batchilly got registered on Saturday and his party while sharing a photo of his new voter’s card said the politician got registered at his address in Latrikunda German.

“He’s urging every patriotic citizen of the Gambia especially the Gambia Action Party’s surrogates to get registered as soon as possible and brace for December 04th Election,” a statement by the party’s administrative secretary Muhammed Kandoro Yaffa said.

The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission has said Gambians living abroad cannot vote unless a new law is created to pave the way for their voting.

“You have 53 constituencies and these are limited to Gambians here in The Gambia. For them to be able to vote as diasporans, there has to be a change in the constitution. Because they’re planning to have five constituencies abroad and unless this law is changed, it remains they cannot really vote,” Alieu Momar Njai told reporters on Friday.

The IEC today began registering Gambians ahead of the December presidential election, the first presidential since Jammeh was removed from power.

Gambians in the diaspora have been pushing for the creation of new constituencies that will enable them to vote in the elections.

It’s unlikely new constituencies will be created and the IEC chairman’s comments means any Gambian who lives abroad and wants to vote will have to physically travel to The Gambia.

Essa Faal branded former President Yahya Jammeh a ‘charlatan’ and a ‘quack’ who hoodwinked sick Gambians into a fraudulent treatment programme – referring to the former dictator’s fake HIV/AIDS cure.

“We’ve heard about the fraudulent PATP. Well, only one person claimed to have been cured and that person did not come to the commission. It’s being rumoured out there. But everybody else who was in that programme and testified in this commission said they are still HIV-positive and that soon after the treatment they had to go into convention medicine. Without that they would have died. They were hoodwinked into believing that our president had a cure. He (Jammeh) fraudulently lured our sick people into a treatment programme that was bogus. He was a charlatan. He was a quack. Can’t be described in any lesser way,” Mr Faal said while addressing TRRC commissioners on Friday as the curtain fell on the probe’s public hearings after more than two years.

Mr Faal said elsewhere, of Jammeh’s crimes: “We’ve heard how the West African migrants were butchered in several places around the country, 67 of them. Initially we thought they were 34, then 44, then 57 and ultimately 67. Butchered and the government went on a campaign to cover this up.

“Well, we have heard even today the witch hunting exercise that was ordered by Jammeh. Forty-one people died, a lot of them our grandmothers and our grandfathers. Humiliated, tortured, some sexually abused.”

The chairman of the TRRC Dr Lamin J Sise has said the last 871 days brought pain and bewilderment to Gambians – as the TRRC drew the curtain down on its public hearings into the human rights violations and abuses that occurred during the 22 years rule of former president Yahya Jammeh.

Dr Sise in a closing statement on Friday said: “During the 871 days, The Gambia and indeed the world heard from 392 witnesses, the majority of whom were victims of atrocities meted out to innocent civilians by the State, its agents or individuals sponsored by both. The witnesses appearing before the Commission also included self-confessed perpetrators.

“The testimonies heard during the 871 days of public hearings brought pain and bewilderment to the population. They could not believe that the atrocities they were hearing from witnesses could occur in their country. A land of peaceful coexistence! A society imbued with tolerance of the highest order! “They could not believe that innocent and ordinary citizens and other nationals found in the territorial jurisdiction of The Gambia, many murdered in cold blood, would be victims of the atrocities narrated.

The commission of these atrocities by Jammeh and his cohorts achieved the desired effect of instilling fear among the Gambian population. It also gave them time and space to pillage the resources of the country.”

President Adama Barrow will attend an Extra Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS scheduled for 30th May 2021 in Accra, Ghana, State House has said.

“Following the recent Coup d’Etat in Mali, President Barrow will join other Heads of State and Governments to discuss the situation in the country.

“The meeting is a collective regional effort geared towards restoring democracy as well as strengthening peace and security in the region,” State House said in a terse statement.