South Sudan Rebels Release 15 Prisoners To Red Cross

A South Sudanese rebel group said on Monday it had released 15 soldiers it had been holding to The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in line with a ceasefire agreed by the government and rebel groups.

On Dec. 21, 2017, the government and rebel groups signed a ceasefire in the latest attempt to end a four-year civil war and allow humanitarian groups access to civilians caught in the fighting.

The ceasefire aims to revive a 2015 peace deal that collapsed last year after heavy fighting broke out in South Sudan’s capital Juba.

SPLA-IO spokesman Lam Gabriel told Reuters the rebel group had released the prisoners on Sunday and that it was collecting names of prisoners of war from battlefields across the Equatorial region, which borders Uganda.

He said more prisoners will be released in the coming days.

International monitors have said the truce negotiated by the East African regional bloc IGAD in December, which included a commitment to release detainees, was violated within hours.

Contacted by Reuters on Monday, the ICRC referred to a statement it released on Sunday saying it had “informed parties involved in the conflict in South Sudan that it can facilitate any potential release of persons detained in relation to the conflict.”

South Sudan descended into civil war in 2013 after clashes between troops loyal to former vice president Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and a third of the population have fled their homes.

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Kano Hisbah Board destroys 30 trailer loads of beer worth N150 m

The Kano State Hisbah Board has seized and destroyed 30 trailer loads of beer worth N150 million. In a statement released on Tuesday December 25th, the board’s Public Relations Officer, Adamu Yahaya, said that the cartons of beer were destroyed on Monday evening December 24th after interception at Kalebawa on Danbata Road in Dawakin Tofa area. “The Kano State Law No. 4 of 2004 has banned the manufacture and use of intoxicants in the state. Furthermore, an order was given by a magistrates’ court for us to go ahead with the exercise,” the public relations officer said. The worth of a trailer load of beer is between N5.2 million and N5.5 million. The sale of beer and its consumption has been banned in Kano state.

BANDIT GUNRUNNER ARRESTED

Police in Zaria city arrested Bilyaminu Saidu 33years, a gun runner, bandit & logistics supplier. He was arrested with 4 AK-47 rifles, 344 rounds of live ammunition & one motorcycle. Bilyaminu is an indigene of Shuwaki village in Bakori LGA of Katsina state.

Airline pilot was "sucked halfway out" when cockpit windshield broke

An airline pilot had a close brush with death when he was "sucked halfway out" of the plane after a cockpit windshield blew out. A Sichuan Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday and it was later reported that the reason for the emergency landing was because the cockpit windshield blew out and almost tossed the pilot out of the plane. But for his seat belt, he would have been sucked out completely. Captain Liu Chuanjian has been hailed as a hero on social media after having to land the Airbus A319 manually. He told the Chengdu Economic Daily his aircraft had just reached a cruising altitude of 32,000ft when a deafening sound tore through the cockpit. There was a sudden loss of pressure and drop in temperature. When he looked over, the right windshield was gone....

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