Most of the young people have been charged with treason following the unrest that gripped the country on the election day and days after.

“For those who were just following the wave, let them be counselled and released,” President Hassan says.

Obiang is son and heir apparent to the aging leader of Equatorial Guinea, an impoverished but oil- and gas-rich former Spanish colony. He is in charge of national defense and security and has long faced sanctions from the U.S. and other countries.

The waiver would allow Obiang — notorious among world leaders accused of corruption for a lavish lifestyle — to travel to cities outside of New York. That includes Miami and Los Angeles, where he has owned property and luxury vehicles, some of which he has had to forfeit in legal proceedings.

The temporary pass on U.S. corruption sanctions follows recommendations that it is in the U.S. national interest to blunt growing Chinese influence in the West African country and boost American oil and gas business interests there.

However, Lissu objected the move.

"It is what I have been fearing all along that the aim is to turn this trial into a kangaroo court and make a sham
of the entire proceedings," Lissu warned.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government had asked the court to ban the livestreaming of the Lissu treason trial.

The state argued that blocking live-streaming is effective in witness protection and protecting the identities of state witnesses testifying against Lissu.

The security minister said the Frenchman acted “on behalf of the French intelligence service, which mobilized political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” in Mali.

There was no immediate word from France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, on the man’s arrest.

The military provided few details about the alleged coup plotters, what it entailed and the French national implicated in it, beyond identifying the man as Yann Vezilier.

Rwanda will be paid by the United States in the form of a grant, the official said, adding that the grant letter was finalized in July. The official declined to say how much the grant was for.

Source: @reuters.com

"Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation," Yolande Makolo, spokesperson for the Rwandan government says.

Biya, in power since 1982, has announced he would run for his eighth term in office in Cameroon's presidential election scheduled for October 12. The seven-year term could keep him in office until he is nearly 100. This has prompted an unprecedented public outcry in Cameroon.

The personnel moves, announced in a series of presidential decrees, affect nearly all branches of the armed forces. They include the appointment of new chiefs of staff for the infantry, air force and navy as well as the promotion of eight brigadier generals to the rank of major general.

He took over the presidency in 1982 from Ahmadou Ahidjo and has won several elections since then, including the most recent one in 2018 with 71.3% of the vote, which his opponents have claimed was fraudulent.

Biya states,"The well-being of our youth and women will be at the heart of my priorities."

In a letter to President Hassan, Polepole expresses his alarm over erosion and disregard for human rights, lack of respect for citizens, and failure to uphold accountability and national ethics. He warns "this deterioration in government performance threatens the broader interests of our Republic."