Tanzania’s main opposition leader Tundu Lissu told his supporters to have no fear as he appeared in court on Monday for the first time since his arrest on charges that include treason.

Lissu refused to participate in a hearing on April 24 because authorities conducted a virtual, rather than an in-person trial, with him appearing via video link from prison.

On Monday he entered the court with his fist raised in the air as supporters chanted “No Reforms, No Election,” according to a video of the courtroom shared by his CHADEMA party on X.

“We will be fine. You should not fear,” Lissu said as he took his place in the dock, waving victory signs.

Lissu, who was shot 16 times in a 2017 attack and came second in the last presidential poll, was charged with treason last month over what prosecutors said was a speech calling upon the public to rebel and disrupt elections due in October.

A series of high-profile arrests has highlighted the rights record of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who plans to seek re-election. Hassan says the government is committed to respecting human rights.

Lissu’s CHADEMA party has demanded changes to an electoral process they say favors the ruling party before they participate in the ballot.

Several Kenyan rights activists, including a former justice minister, said they were denied entry to Tanzania as they traveled to attend the trial.

Kenya’s former Justice Minister Martha Karua, a prominent lawyer and opposition politician, and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga were among those detained when they landed at Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, they said on X.

Tanzania’s immigration spokesperson Paul Mselle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“Today was going to be a big day and we went out there in solidarity,” Karua told Kenyan broadcaster NTV on Monday after she was denied entry and sent back to Nairobi.

“The state cannot be used as a personal tool. You cannot deport people whom you don’t like, who are not aligned to your views.”

Mutunga and rights activist Hussein Khalid were being held in an interrogation room at Julius Nyerere airport on Monday and expected to be deported, Khalid said on X.

Source: CNN.com

Prof. Kwesi Aning, Head of the Office for International Cooperation at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has asserted that Burkina Faso’s President, Ibrahim Traoré, is disliked by the West because he is using his country’s resources to benefit its citizens.

Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV with Bernard Avle, the Security Analyst argued that Traoré, along with other Sahelian leaders, is reshaping the narrative around governance and development in West Africa.

READ ALSO: Why Burkina Faso’s Junta Leader Has Captured Hearts And Minds Around The World

He likened Traoré’s ideology to that of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and other pan-Africanist leaders, noting that the current generation of Sahel leadership is reviving long-held aspirations for African self-determination.

“The only problem of Ibrahim Traoré and the Nigerien leader is that they are using their resources for their people. So, when I talk about two epochs in Africa’s history that have conflated to give Traoré, the pan-Africanist stance that he’s enjoying. It is because Nkrumah and other earlier leaders have all become the [saviours] of what could have been.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Vladimir Putin Welcomes Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré to Russia for Victory Day Celebrations

“Traoré suddenly encapsulates all these epochs driving together, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to raise critical questions and to bring a different and new understanding to what development and security means,” he noted.

Prof. Aning also criticised Western countries for their failure to curb violent extremism in the region despite decades of involvement.

READ ALSO: Burkina Faso immortalizes Rawlings as son Kimathi rallies Africa for unity

“All these western countries who are making noise about terrorism and extremism, they have been in these three countries for decades, they couldn’t bring the issues under control.

“Overnight, when these guys took over, the terrorists have become much more powerful, with better equipment, more mobile, with great intelligence access, and where is it coming from?”

citinewsroom.com

In a symbolic ceremony that underscored the bond between Ghana and Burkina Faso, a street in Ouagadougou was named after Ghana’s former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. Speaking after the event, his son, Kimathi Rawlings, reflected on his father’s legacy, the legacy of Thomas Sankara, and the urgent need for African unity.

“I think it’s something that should have happened at this magnitude a while ago,” Kimathi said in an interview with GTV. “The Thomas Sankara Foundation has done its best to keep [Sankara’s] legend alive. And we’ve always been happy to support.”

Jerry John Rawlings and Thomas Sankara, both revolutionary leaders of their time, were not only close political allies but personal friends. Their vision for pan-Africanism and grassroots empowerment continues to resonate across the continent, especially following the rise of Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkinabé military officer and politician who has served as interim President of the country since 2022.

Kimathi said: “President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, my father, was a huge supporter of the foundation and he was a very close friend of Thomas Sankara.”

The occasion drew representatives and well-wishers from across the continent, a show of solidarity that Kimathi described as profoundly meaningful.

“It means a lot to be here and it means a lot that the whole of Africa was more or less here to support this momentous occasion,” he said. “United we will rise and divided we will fall. That’s the way I look at it.”

He used the platform to make a broader call for unity across Africa, stressing that the current climate presents a rare and critical opportunity for the continent to come together.

“I think now more than ever, we have the opportunity to come together as a continent. Many have come before who have tried to accomplish this. But I think the atmosphere is perfect for that kind of unity,” Kimathi stated. “We see what is happening in the West and for once I think we are in a position to look inward at ourselves and see how we can progress as a continent.”

He emphasized the need for collaboration, saying Africa must resist working in silos. “Not just divided where everybody is doing something in their own little corner. Together, I think we can be a force for good in this world.”

Kimathi said he believes the continent’s leaders are on the cusp of achieving this long-sought unity.

“Let’s streamline things, let’s work towards a better future. And I think our leaders are on the precipice of making that happen. So I think we’re in a good place.”

“But certainly,” he concluded, “united we will be able to accomplish that.”

Sankara Circle: Ghana did it too

The naming of a street in Burkina Faso after Thomas Sankara follows a similar gesture by Jerry John Rawlings.

Sankara Circle, once a prominent landmark in Accra, has undergone several transformations. Originally known as Akuafo Roundabout, it was later renamed Redemption Circle during the National Redemption Council era. Under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) led by Jerry John Rawlings, it became Sankara Circle, honoring Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara.

In 1997, construction began on Ghana’s first interchange at this site, culminating in the Sankara Interchange’s completion in 1999. However, in 2005, the interchange was renamed Ako Adjei Interchange by the Kufuor administration to honor Dr. Ebenezer Ako Adjei, a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of Ghana’s “Big Six” leaders.

Despite the official renaming, many locals continue to refer to the area as Sankara Circle.