- A group of Nigerian gunmen who claimed to have drifted into Equatorial Guinea by accident have been slapped with prison terms as well as heavy fines.
The men, captured during the failed attacked at the presidential palace in February, have all been sentenced to 12 years in jail as well as fines to be paid in foreign US Dollar currency.
The Nigerians, believed to have belonged to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have always maintained that their missions was not to attack in Equatorial Guinea, but were rather on a route to Cameroon, when their boat was swept by heavy storms.
MEND has however denied any knowledge of the mission.
Several of the local men who were also brought into the case, have been released in most cases for lack of evidence.
The government of Equatorial Guinea has always maintained that the attack was part of the plan to overthrow or destabilise the government.
Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema since 1979, when he seized power from his uncle in a coup.
He has survived several coup attempts, the closest being the 2004 one, where British and South African mercenaries were involved.
However, President Obiang surprised everybody on 15 October last year when announcing the 29 November elections and his government went a step further with a pardon of and freeing of British and South African mercenaries that stood behind an alleged coup in 2004.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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