The United States has expressed its deep disappointment at Guinea-Bissau's decision to reinstate an alleged drugs kingpin as head of the navy. The US accuses Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto of playing a key role in international drugs trafficking. This report from Aidan Lewis.
Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto had led Guinea-Bissau's navy until 2008 when he was suspected of plotting a failed coup. He fled into exile in Gambia before returning to Guinea-Bissau disguised as a fisherman late last year. Now the rear admiral has said he feels vindicated by his reinstatement and that he'll push for stability and reconciliation. But Washington says his return is a step backwards. There are growing fears in the US and its western allies that Guinea-Bissau will remain unstable and poor unless its leadership cuts its ties with Latin American drugs cartels.
A former bank executive in Nigeria has been sentenced to six months in prison for fraud and ordered to hand over more than $1 billion in cash and assets. Cecilia Ibru is the first former senior bank official to be sentenced following a financial crisis in Nigeria last year. A number of top executives of several other banks face charges of corruption and share price manipulation.
The World Health Organization says there's been a sixfold increase in a deadly parasitic disease, visceral leishmaniasis, in south Sudan. It says more than 300 people have died in the past 12 months from the disease, which is often spread by sand-fly bites. Symptoms include a high fever and weight loss, and it's almost always fatal if untreated.