Tag Archives: BBC

Nigerias Boko Haram Seize Bama Town in Borno

Nigerian troops battling to defeat Militant groups

Nigerian troops battling to defeat Militant groups http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29021037 2 September 2014 Last updated at 08:15 ET

 

2 September 2014 Last updated at 08:15 ET

One of the many issues plaguing the country Nigeria in West Africa has been relentless attacks and occupation by Islamic militants. On September second 2014, BBC News reported that the Nigerian Military has lost control of a town called Bama the second largest town in Borno State. The group responsible for this takeover is a militant Islamic group called Boko Harem. BBC reports that Bama is a key north-eastern state in Nigeria. This takeover was a result of aggressive combat with government forces. Residents told BBC Hausa reporters that initially Boko Haram attacks were “repelled” by the military. However, the Islamic militants returned with reinforcements to seize the town. The militants began by taking over military barracks, which lead soldiers and residents to flee on foot. Many who fled sought refuge by foot in Maiduguri a town within the capital of Nigeria called Abuja.

The takeover of the town Bama by the Boko Haram Islamic militant group is a very crucial issue. The capture of the town Bama places Boko Haram closer to it next target, Maiduguri. As previously stated, Maiduguri is the capital of Nigeria. If the Islamic militants gain control of Maiduguri they will soon be able to control the capitol which will leave Nigeria in a delicate state. According to BBC, the leader of Boko Harem Abubakar Shekau has announced a caliphate in areas controlled by Boko Harem.  It is possible that Nigeria could become populated with many Islamic states ruled by Islamic militants.

As I read the reports by BBC, it was difficult to gauge the author’s point of view of this situation. Throughout the article it was clear that the author worked hard to seem unbiased and to give direct news without interjections of his/her thoughts. However, I noticed a different tone as I continued to read around the article which had quotes in bold with opinions of others about the Boko Harem militant takeover. A man called Mannir Dan Ali was quoted saying, “Just when you imagine that it cannot get worse for the Nigerian military and its pride as a fighting force, it takes a further dive.” This quote seemed to take a hit at the Nigerian Military without the author using his/her own voice to interject his/her opinion of the situation. The author hit on the stereotypical topics discussed in class about reporters concentrating on the corruption, military instability, and lack of leadership in African nations. When the writer of this article put quotes about “Nigerian Military pride as a fighting force” he/she diverged into a stereotyping territory. The writer seems to look down on the Nigerian leaders and their lack of control of Islamic militants.

Throughout my entry I have stated that the source of the article I read was BBC News.   I truly believe that BBC does impact the choice of words that are used in this article. For the most part, the article is very informative and not as biased as many other articles. However, there are instances of biased views in the margins with quotes directly from opposing sides of this situation. The voice of the quotes seems to be that of someone looking down on Nigeria and judging its military strength. Personally I agree with the biased tone of this article. Nigeria needs to strengthen its military might and fight against Islamic militants that are terrorizing the country and its innocent people.  Thought my blog I believe that my biased tone is evident because I strongly believe that Nigerian leaders are slowly losing their grip over Islamic terrorist.

 

Boko Haram’s gaining its power

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29014513

This article is posted on Tuesday September 2, 2014. The article is about how bad the situation in Nigeria is after a long conflict between the military and the opposing Islamic group named “Boko Haram” Mannir Dan Ali, an African journalist wrote a letter to the BBC News to reveal how stressful the situation is and also how the military is lacking of ability to fight back to the Boko Haram.

Boko Haram was founded in 2002 and it was initially focused on opposing the Western education as its name in the Hausa language means “Western education is forbidden.” After being established for seven years, in 2009 Boko Haram launched its military operation hoping to create an Islamic state. The group has been decleared as a terrorist group by the United States since 2013. For the past few months many teenage girls in Nigeria approximately around 200 schoolgirls have been abducted from the northeastern part of Nigeria where the conflict occurs. Sadly, until nowadays there has been no sign and news about the rescue of those girls who have been disappeared. The problem Nigeria is facing is not only just the insurgent in the northeast but also the government’s military that seems to be a little useless and hopeless for the citizens. The Boko Haram is getting more and more power when it invaded and took over several cities in the northeastern region and it seems like it will not stop just that. Ali claimed that the military is lack of equipments and trains, and they are easily defeated by the terrorist. In the article, some soldiers gave interviews announcing that the commander’s order of sending soldiers to encounter with the Boko Haram insurgents without adequate weapons is like sending them to die. Not only the lack of equipment problem, the military commanders seem to be ignoring the fact that they are losing their people and villages and believe in their bias propaganda instead of concerning the true state of incident in the trouble region. The people of Nigeria are now in a serious situation where they have to be scared by the attack of the insurgents and it seems like the only thing they could do is to wait for an unreliable military commander to decide the next step of the fight.

The tones the author used in the article is a little bit pessimistic and hopeless with the government’s action of controlling the rebels. The article gives me a sad feeling and it makes me feel sympathy to the Nigerians’ fate and their unpredictable future. However, the source where the article was written has some influences on the article itself since the article is based on the letters sending from the African journalists. The local people would have put their thoughts and ideas into the letters and that has affected the tones and the words of the article a little bit.

In my opinion, I think the situation in Nigeria is a serious issue that shouldn’t be viewed as only a domestic problem but it should be considered as a world problem. Nigerian people need help from the outside world since the help from their government is not enough at all. The corruption is what makes the country’s military army so weak that they do not have appropriate weapons to encounter the insurgents. Government should take care of corruption problem and build up the strength of their army. If the terrorists could take over the country and set up an Islamic state, it would be a role model for other terrorists group to follow the path and lead into more land secessions and wars in other areas of the world.

Food Shortages in West Africa due to Ebola

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29028768

food

This post by the esteemed BBC or British Broadcasting Corporation, discusses food shortages which are expected to worsen due to the Ebola outbreak in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The United Nations organization, FAO- Food and Agriculture Organization claims food harvests are at serious risk. Rice and corn production are projected to be down this coming harvest.

Already quarantine zones and restrictions on travel have slowed the sale of food. And therefore prices have gone way up as people panic buy and shortages begin to happen.

In the article someone from the FAO, states that already, many were spending up to 80% of their incomes on food. But his wording could have been better. He says “affected areas”, rather than name specific regions or countries.

My scruples are with certain wording, such as the one I mentioned, though I do think the tone is urgent as should be the case. I would have liked, however, an organization’s projections which is located in Africa, rather than have a Western unit looking at it and saying there’s a problem. I’m sure there is quite a shortage for food, and I respect BBC as a source, and you could not get any more credible than the UN, but I wish there were African sources.

Not once in the article, did they have interview segments with any residents of Africa, or any African governments or institutions. I take the expert’s view seriously, but wish there would have been that much more of a participatory role for those actually involved.

-Mike Brush

Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘seize Bankti town near Cameroon

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29048394

 

Jake Langton

9/3/14

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The article from BBC highlights on the ever-gaining control of Nigeria’s militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The group is traveling around east Nigera, in the Borno state, and taking control of surrounding cities. It is believed that the main target of the group is to attack the capital of Borno, Maiduguri. A successful attack on the city could result in the takeover of the entire Borno state, and possibly of Adamawa, Yobe and the country of Cameroon. The article quotes multiple sources to help build suspense and worry in the reader. A quote from the Nigeria Security Network says that, “Unless swift action is taken, Nigeria could be facing a rapid takeover of a large area of its territory reminiscent of Isis’s lighting advances in Iraq.” Multiple references are made to Isis and how this group is creating similar events in Nigeria as Isis did in Iraq. The UN refugee agency said more than 10,000 people have fled the area to Niger and Cameroon, reported Associated Press. When Banki was invaded by Boko Haram, a source says that government troops fled their posts at once. The capture comes less than a week after the group captured Bama, the second largest town in the Borno state. Boko Haram also tried to enter in Cameroon but were fended off by Cameroon’s army. Nigeria has yet to comment on the loss of these two towns and refuses to admit to losing territorial control. However, the soldiers have said they lack the resources to fight back the insurgents. According to locals in Banki, no one in the town has been harmed, however, most men fled the town when the group entered. Regional foreign ministers have discussed the security threats in the Borno state but nothing has come from such meetings thus far. Although China, France, the UK, and the U.S. have sent military assistance to the region, the battle is still being lost.

It is hard to find a tone from this article since it is written but it seems to be installing fear and worry into the reader. The word lightening is used in two different references and possibly could be used to invoke the thought that the group is moving without trouble and cannot be stopped. The article mostly states facts and gives little opinion of its own, however, the quotes used from the Nigeria Security Network indicate the hopelessness of the country and surrounding area. It seems in stories like this, leaving out any positive input is the way to go. I think the shock factor of the story would keep the reader interested. It is possible that there is no positive news about the story, but I believe if BBC wanted to, they could have found some information that would give the reader hope for the outcome. Stating that the story is similar to Isis in Iraq is great for receiving recognition. With Isis being the hot topic in the news, so it seems, saying that this situation is similar allows the reader to connect closer with the story.

 

 

 

 

Amnesty offered to al-Shabab members

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29044368

Al-Shabab

African Union Soldiers

The issue being presented in this article is that the Somalia government has offered a pardon to the fighters in a Islamist group, al-Shabab, even though they are uncertain if their leader survived one of the US air strikes. The government is giving them 45 days to surrender in return of an amnesty. The group al-Shabab is refusing to tell weather or not their leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, survived during the air strike. Many people are saying that the Somalia’s government offer is an attempt to calm down the fighters and try to keep peace.

The event of the US air strike took place on Monday, September 1st , when Ahmed Godane was traveling in a convoy in the lower southern region of Somalia. It was stated that a witness saw US troops land on the site of the airstrike shortly after the damage was done. The troops were then in a gun battle with the al-Shabab and proceed to take away some of the bodies after the battle was over. No one knows if they to Godane’s body, but the US are doing a DNA tests on the bodies and it could take them awhile to complete them.

Al-Shabab

Al-Shabab

The African Union wants to take down the al-Shabab and take back control of Somalia so they are encouraging defections. The Islamic group has lost control of four of their towns in the past week leaving the African Union to keep pressing on towards their main base, Barawe. The African Union has managed to gain back some control in Somalia, but the al-Shabab still has control over a lot of territory in the rual areas enabling them to continue their bombings and assignations in Mogdaishu.

This article takes on a very optimistic tone, by keeping an open mind about the entire situation. The author of the article seems to be hopeful that the Islamic group will be stopped and that there will be justice for the people of Somalia. They use words such as “regain”, which sounds hopeful that they with get back what they are suppose to have from the al-Shabab. Words in this article are very positive and are more towards the side of the Somalia government because it is a positive thing happening in Africa. They want the African Union to take back Somalia in order to restore order in their country.

The source of my article was from BBC Africa and I believe that because they are so diverse the story is very reliable in the way it is presented. I do think the source impacts the tone and choice of words because they are a diverse company they present there stories in a way to relate people from all different walks of life

My personal thought on this article is that, I want Somalia to regain its control in its country. A strong country tends to be one that is unified and it is hard for them to do that when they have the Islamic group trying to change every move they make. I think it is important that they keep on fighting for what is there’s and continue to overrule the al-Shabab. In time they African Union will get control of its people and the Somalia government will officially be back on the right track. I loved reading this article and I never thought things like this were going on in places like Somalia. Its hard to believe that a group of people could just begin to overrule a government and create their own rules, but it is clear that in Africa it does happen. I really do hope for change in Somalia.

Green revolution meeting considers Africa’s food future

Africa’s Food Future

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29013095

September 2nd 2014

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The issue discussed in this article was based on The African Green Revolution Forum planning and discussion of ways to improve Africa’s food security. The forum initially targeted to double food productivity and to halve poverty in Africa by 2025. Continuing with this motive, the meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will focus on establishing of an agricultural-led economy in sub-Saharan Africa, in which, almost 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the four-day extensive meeting. The article proceeded to discuss how the food industry employs more than 65% of all Africans. Therefore, improving agricultural factors were considered an “absolute prerequisite of prosperity for our continent ”.

This article is important because it addresses starvation, an iconic issue that has both shaped and is now shaping Africa’s reputation. One of the misconceptions we have learned in class was Africa’s ‘hunger’ and ‘poverty’. These issues clearly exist in Africa, but the media’s exaggeration has made people interpret the problem incorrectly; that hunger is inevitable and is not in the process of improving. The article stated that 200 million people in Africa are malnourished and 5 million die each year due to starvation. These statistics create a bad impression about Africa.

There are several keywords used in this article, such as ‘poorest’, ‘malnourished’, and ‘hunger’. Although these words cause a negative effect in the article, surprisingly, I found the text quite neutral.  The author did not refer to Africa as a country, but clearly as a continent. Along with this, the writer also presented the article with actual quotes. For example, “I am proud that many African nations are becoming economic powerhouses, but without a viable agricultural sector and a strong rural economy, there cannot be a viable future for Africa,” This quote seems like a harsh one for Africa, but it is actually neither positive nor negative. It shows that if the continent focuses to improve its agricultural sector, it’s definitely possible to decrease hunger.

The source of the text was the BBC, which is considered to be a biased website. Grabbing the reader’s attention is the main goal for these types of sites; so news often gets distorted. However, I think that the article displays both the positive and negative side explored; not pampering the problem, but rather, focusing on improvement.

The only thing that bothers me is how the author mentioned the statistics on malnourishment and starvation, which makes the article more dramatic in order to grab attention, or maybe just to inform readers on how severe starvation is in Africa.

Personally, I think that this article is interesting. It is great to know that Africa is working hard to decrease the issue of hunger. Other people might think that it has neglected the issue because there are still many news articles and media displays asking for donations. The fact that more than 65% of Africa’s labor force is involved in the food industry surprised me as well. With this at hand, if Africa can scale up its agricultural sector to its full potential, it can slowly eliminate the problem of hunger and improve living conditions of rural citizens.

Corruption ‘impoverishes and kills millions’

Source: BBC news, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-29040793

2 September 2014

The issue discussed in this article is corruption, how it causes more poverty and also deaths and how the money should be invested (in education and health) in sub-Saharan Africa

This issue is very important and delicate specially in Africa because the continent is wealthy in natural resources and a lot of money is generated but is not well distributed and most of the population still lives in poverty while a small percentage accumulates most of the wealth.

The words “corruption” and “developing countries” are the most used by the author while describing the situation. We have not discussed this words in class yet but I believe we will because corruption is one of the biggest issues in Africa and its consequences are devastating for the continent and its countries because the majority of the population suffers from inequality.

The author uses the expression “developing countries” which sometimes can be viewed as expression of inferiority and because he repeats the expression when he could just say sub-Saharan countries (the countries that the topic is about) it just makes it worst. He also uses the expression “poor countries” to describe the topic’s countries and that might not be very well accepted by some people. Besides that, when it comes to the topic in discussion which is corruption the author is pretty neutral, direct and straightforward reaching the main point.

The source of the story is BBC News.

I think that the source impacts the choice of words because I’ve seen other news and articles use of the same words and expressions when referring to African countries.

As I referred before this is a very important topic and in my personal opinion one of the most devastating problems in Africa. I believe the governments should try their best to eradicate corruption from African countries because it causes a lot of suffering to the African population that already suffered so much in the past and deserve better days and a brighter future.
The author refers to corruption as a killer and I strongly agree with that because when the money is not properly invested in public education the majority of the population is not able reach a certain level of education and thus have the possibility to fight for better jobs to provide for their families, and then they grow up and grow old as poor as always with very few chances to thrive in life.
When the money  is not properly invested in health care the populations gets sick easier, takes a lot more time to recover and die more, especially the children.
The author refers to a report that states that because of corruption 3.6 million people die every year and if corruption was eradicated from sub-Saharan Africa the following would be possible:

  • Education would be provided to an additional 10 million children per year
  • Money would be available to pay for an additional 500,000 primary school teachers
  • Antiviral drugs for more than 11 million people with HIV/Aids would be provided

African countries should do their best and find ways to slow down and eventually stop corruption so that the majority of the Africa’s population can access the basic conditions and stop living in poverty suffering from inequality when they are living above the natural resources that originate the money that is moved away from them.

I believe that education and health are the most important sectors in a continent like Africa that has been devastated by slavery and war for so many years so that the African people can actually have better chances to succeed and prosper in life and take their respective countries and whole continent to better days._77339170_023719317-1 corruption money

Mali Landmine Kills Four UN Peacekeepers

September 2nd, 2014

Source from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29036996

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BBC posted this news article on September 2nd, 2014. This article states that four of the UN peacekeepers were killed and fifteen other were injured by the landmine in Northern Mali; in which was resulted from the increased attack in the past week. At first, no one declares to be an attacker of this attack; later on, Al-Qaeda claimed to be an attacker.

This article is very important as it shows how cruel the Al-Qaeda is and what the UN peacekeepers and soldiers have to face in their daily life. This stimulates the feeling of sadness and sorrow toward the fallen soldiers. This reminds people that the world that they live in is not a peaceful world, but it is very brutal.

The author uses strong words to create strong tone toward the situation. For example, the author uses the phrase “extremely serious condition” to show how badly injured the peacekeepers are. This phrase gives the strong and pessimistic tones toward this situation. It makes the reader to think that the situation is very serious and cruel. The author shows how the fatal the situation is in Mali by using the word, “increased attacks.” The author also uses normal tone when representing the facts to show that the facts that they are representing are real.

This tone and words make me to have a negative feeling toward Mali. It makes me feel scare to go to Mali. I think this news only represents the bad side of Mali, which shows the stereotype of how people think that the countries in Africa are full of terrorists and danger. It gives the sense of hopelessness where the situation could not improve, but instead it could possibly get worst.

The source of this article is from BBC News. BBC News is a famous news organization, which many people trust in. Therefore, the article from this news industry is very powerful. People tend to believe in what this news industry presents not only on the Internet, but also on the television. This is also an Western news industry, so it can be a little bias toward the UN side. This news might exaggerate the cruelty of the terrorists to create hatred from the people toward the terrorists.

In my opinion about the issue, I think that this is a very serious issue that UN should take care of immediately. I do not want to read, hear, or watch this news about the terrorists’ attack or war in Africa anymore. I think that there are other alternate ways to solve this problem other than responding by force. The terrorists should start to realize that what they are doing is wrong and need to be stop. For the words and tone, I think that the tone that the author of this article uses is an appropriate tone. I think that they use the tone to provoke people to realize that there is a situation that needed to be fixed in Africa and warn them that there is danger in Mali. This problem needs to be fixed and it should bring back the peace to Mali.

 

Animation Innovation In Africa

The article I found describes a new program in Dakar that brings ten students from all over Africa to learn and develop their skills in animation. It is a private school funded by the European Union to help enhance the creativity and media in present day Africa. These students are found from all parts of Africa including Senegal, Madagascar, and Congo. These students are learning about computer software and design techniques among other things. They are using techniques and mediums from other parts of the world like Asia, Europe, and even the United States. When the students graduate they will return to their home countries and only a few of the students will receive additional funding to create their own startup and continue to produce creative content.

I believe this is an important article because it finally puts Africa and its culture and people in a good light in the media. We usually see Africa in the news for negative happenings and situations but this story is quite the opposite. This article highlights the progress and innovation that’s taking place in Africa, which is something that us casual news viewers rarely see. Articles like these will start to remove stereotypes and generalizations about Africa over time.

This article is meant to give off hopeful and positive vibes to its viewers. Africa is rarely in the news for something positive, let alone media innovation. This gives us a real account of the type of development and sophistication that the country beholds. Adjovi gives an uplifting tone to the story and provides a sense of relevance, in the way that Africa isn’t technologically absent and the fact that some of their animation will eventually make its way to other parts of the globe. I believe the tone of the video is important to delivering the message.

The source of the story is BBC news Africa. BBC is one of the largest news corporations in the world and is very reliable in terms of sources and information. BBC is not very biased either, never subjecting their own political influences on their stories.

I believe that BBC does carefully choose what words and phrases to use. BBC tries to uplift the image of Africa and in doing so, must leave out words that are normally used to portray Africa. I believe they also use a hopeful tone to enhance their story and message. I believe they try to cater to the western media to change the opinions and views of Africa. They create a tone that Africa is a technologically sound country, which is contrary to many peoples’ beliefs.

This video was pretty eye opening for me. I can say I’ve been pretty ignorant when it comes to Africa and I was surprised to see this type of innovation and creativity going on in Africa. My purview has been limited to the sad and violent events that come from Africa. Watching a video like this changes my perspective of the country and makes me curious of all the developments and innovation occurring in Africa.

Embracing Animation in Africa. Perf. Laeila Adjovi. BBC News Africa, 2014. BBC News. 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.

LINK HERE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29009063

Ebola: Guineans Riot in Nzerekore over Disinfectant

Ebola: Guineans Riot in Nzerekore over Disinfectant

http://www.bbc.com/new/world-africa-28984259

1 September 2014

The issue of this article was about how the residents of Nzerekore, Guinea rioted after their market place was sprayed with disinfectant to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus. The local residence feared that the spray would spread Ebola, leading to the attack on health workers and the hospital in Nzerekore. Therefore causing them to flee to nearby military bases for protection. This fear was fabricated by a rumor that the spray would help spread the Ebola virus to the locals. The article continues to talk about how the outbreak of Ebola started in Guinea and has claimed over fifteen thousand lives so far. The article then continues to go into how the local traders were not warned about the epidemic and held protest at the local hospital. Furthermore the article goes into how Senegal has confirmed its first case of Ebola, which was a Guinean citizen.

_77257455_77255649            The main issue of this article was eluded, which is Ebola has a serious issue and what can be done to prevent the spread. Anytime we as a people have an epidemic dealing with some form of disease it affects the entire world. If we look at history we will see how diseases like cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, and the plague have spread around the world claiming many lives. These diseases all started in one location then spread like wild fire to the rest of the world, and at no fault to any one person or nation. This is the nature of diseases, and Ebola is no different.

This article was very biased against Guinea and tossed blame on the country for the outbreak. The writer states, “the current outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea, and has killed more than 1,500 people in four countries.” That statement places direct blame on the country for the outbreak and the death for the people in the neighboring countries. It also goes into how the Guinea citizen was at fault for Senegal’s first case of Ebola.

This is not only stereotypical but also a damaging article to their country and the continent of Africa. Every country in the world relies on import and export, so this article helps create a tone of fear around the world. Transactions and opportunities that normally would have been possible may have halted or damaged for good, because of fabricated fear that is created by the press. I believe by the tossing of blame, and reporting actions of a scared group of people is very damaging. The things that should be coming out of this part of the world should be positive. They should discuss the issue of the disease and the ways to prevent the spread.

In conclusion, this article was very damaging to Guinea and the neighboring countries. The writer only discusses the fear that was created from the viruses, and how the people are reacting based off of that fear. Other then targeting the domestic issues of this country in its dyer need. The writers from this organization should focus on information that can be useful to the world, because this virus affects everyone and isn’t bias to who it targets.