Female corps member drowns in Enugu swimming pool

Tragedy hit the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, Enugu State over the weekend following the drowning of a female corps members at a hotel swimming pool.

The yet to be identified corps member allegedly drowned on Saturday at a hotel swimming pool at Ugwuoba community in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The Enugu State Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Ebere Amaraizu, (SP), who confirmed this in a statement on made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, disclosed that the Command had arrested two persons in connection with the incident.

According to Amaraizu, “a group of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members had gone to a hotel at Ugwuoba in Enugu State identified as Hotel De Oranzi Resort, Agungwu Ugwuoba for swimming.

“In the ensuing swimming rendezvous amongst the celebrating corps members, one of them whose name is yet to be established allegedly got drowned.

“She was later rescued and rushed to General Hospital, Amaku in Awka, Anambra State, (since Oji River Local Government Area shares boundary with Awka) for medical attention but was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.”

Amaraizu said that the body of the deceased corps member had been deposited at the hospital morgue, adding that the police had intensified efforts to establish the full identity of the deceased corps member.

“The two persons nabbed in connection with the incident are helping the police operatives in their investigation,’’ he said.

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Mother kills neighbour after she finds her having sex with her son

In Kenya, a 46-year-old mother who killed a middle aged woman after she busted her having sex with her 28-year-old son has been sentenced to serve three years in jail.

A High court sitting in Kericho sentenced Irene Chemutia Boror for killing her close neighbour Linner Koroson on January 6, 2016 at Tulwabmoi, Kericho County. Chemutai initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but later offered to plead to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Reportedly, the accused and the deceased were friends and neighbours residing in same area. But dung hit the fan when the accused discovered that the deceased had been having a love affair with her son without her knowledge.

On the fateful day, the deceased had visited the accused at her compound where they spent the better part of the day taking busaa, local brew.

At around 1pm, the court was told the accused left to drive her cattle home from a nearby field where they had been grazing and returned, only to find the deceased missing.

She called out her son’s name to inquire whether he had seen the deceased leaving the homestead, but was no response from her son. She, thus, went to his house and knocked the door several times with no response forthcoming.

It was then that Chemutai decided to forcefully open the door to find out if her son was inside the house, only to find her son and the deceased locked inside behaving in a manner likely to suggest they had been having sex, hence the silence.

The accused’s son was furious that his mother had entered his house and interfered with his love relationship with the deceased leading to fight between the two women.

The accused is said to have picked up a stone from the ground and hit the deceased twice on the head, sending her sprawling on the ground as she bled profusely. The court was told the woman writhed in pain for a while before she lost consciousness.

The accused tried to assist the deceased, but she was not responding. At her wits end, the accused fled the scene, only to surrender to the area chief and confess her sin much later.

In her mitigation, Chemutai said she is a widow and sole bread winner for her family of six children and had no plans or intention of killing to kill the deceased. She pleaded for leniency, claiming that it was just a normal fight that unfortunately turned tragic.

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240 migrants killed in 2 Mediterranean shipwrecks off Libya

Up to 240 migrants have been killed in two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, the UN refugee agency has said.

There were 31 survivors, the United Nations confirmed, after the boats capsized in heavy seas. Spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said 29 people had survived the first wreck, which killed around 120, and been brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

And in a separate operation, two women found swimming at sea told rescuers another 120 people had died in that wreck. Most of those on board are thought to be sub-Saharan Africans although aid worker are still confirming details.

The news came after it emerged that Gambia’s national women’s football team goalkeeper, Fatim Jawara, drowned while trying to make a similar journey.

The 19-year-old was on board a boat last month when it ran into trouble making a crossing, the country’s football association confirmed.Some 4,220 people have died on gone missing crossing the Mediterranean this year, the highest toll on record.

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Woman, 22, killed herself after her step-dad was cleared of repeatedly raping her

A young woman killed herself after her step-father was cleared of repeatedly raping her, an inquest heard.

Juliet Crew, 22, left a note behind stating that she felt she had been let down by the legal system. Her church organist step-father Nigel Parkin, 60, was found not guilty in 2012 of sexually abusing her for seven years from the age of nine.

Juliet was found by her mother hanged in the hall of her home in Taunton, Somerset, in August last year. The ‘bubbly’ architecture student had told a court Parkin sexually touched and raped her at least ten times.

Her step-father was cleared after he said Juliet and another alleged victim were both suffering from mental health problems. Taunton Coroners Court heard yesterday that the result of the proceedings took a severe toll on the mental health of the ‘outgoing’ 22-year-old.

Leading up to her death, she dropped to six and a half stone, self-harmed and even overdosed on medication. Leaving behind a note, Juliet said: ‘The judicial system in this country, especially for victims of sexual offences, is disgusting.

‘There is no justice. It only confirmed that I cannot trust people. I do not want to live in a world where there is no justice.’

Parkin, who is employed by the Church of England, was found not guilty of ten serious offences against Juliet in a trial at Taunton Crown Court in 2012.
His trial heard that Juliet, who attended Queen’s College School in Taunton, told a teacher that he had sexually assaulted her.

Although she went on to achieve top grades in her A-Level exams and began studying architecture at Nottingham University in 2011, her mother said “‘she lost her sparkle’. Juliet’s mother Judith told the inquest: ‘She was astounded that Nigel Parkin was still at large among vulnerable people.

‘She never recovered from this feeling of injustice.’

In a tribute to her at the time of her death, her sister posted: ‘My youngest sister Juliet sadly passed away on August 6th, aged only 22.

‘She spent the latter part of her school years at Queens College, Taunton, a place she loved dearly.

‘To commemorate her memory, we would like to place a memorial bench overlooking the school sports fields. Juliet enjoyed playing sport and indeed had a tremendous talent for it.

‘It therefore seems fitting that her many friends can spend a moment in one of her favourite places remembering a bright, talented young woman who touched the lives of so many with her kindness and creativity.’

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Two killed by car being chased by police in South London

Two people have been killed after a car crashed into a family of four in South London this afternoon.
Witnesses described seeing the car, which was being chased by police, smash into a family as it turned into Lennard Road, Penge, at around 2.05pm.

They said people tried to lift the crashed car off a little girl who was struck. The IPCC has been called in to investigate because of police involvement in the chase. It is believed two other children may have been taken to hospital.

Moments before the collision there was an incident at a nearby Sainsbury’s and it has been reported that there may have been an abduction of a child. Tayla Goodman told Sky News she saw ‘children running away’ from the scene in ‘absolute tears, unable to speak’.

She said ‘then a lady ran out across from Penge east station shouting ‘that’s my baby’ … ‘that’s my baby over there’.

‘It just looked like complete carnage. It was absolutely awful to see what happened.’

She said the car was ‘ploughed into the grass bank’ of the housing estate and described people ‘running through’ police tape and screaming.

One man who lives near the scene said: ‘It was a horrific scene on a sunny afternoon in a sleepy place.’ There were reports that two other people were also hurt in the crash, but police could not confirm this.

The witness said that a black car was being chased by two police BMWs when the driver lost control as he turned into Lennard Road.

‘He lost control and ploughed into a family that was walking on the pavement down Lennard Road.

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Family of killed Abuja RCCG preacher announces burial plans

The Family of late Evangelist Eunice Olawale, yesterday, announced the burial arrangements of the 42-year-old mother of seven who was murdered in cold blood by assailants, while she was preaching at Gbazango West area of Kubwa, a satellite town, in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

Pastor Biola Egebeyemi, an Area Pastor of late Olawale’s Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, last week, told journalists that the family had suspended the burial plans of slain Eunice Olawale, which was previously scheduled for July 14, indefinitely to enable the police to conclude its investigations.

However, Mr. Akun Oluwadare, a brother to the deceased, told Vanguard that the family had concluded arrangements to properly bury the slain Eunice on Saturday, July 23, 2016. Oluwadare said her burial will coincide with her birthday celebration.

According to him, “The Christian wake-keep will come up on Friday, July 22 by 5pm at RCCG Provincial Headquarters, Phase 3, Kubwa.

“The burial service is fixed for the next day, Saturday 23, which coincides with her birthday, by 12 noon at the same venue. Interment follows immediately at Gudu Cemetery, Abuja.”

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Video: Nice attack - Moment truck terrorist is shot dead after killing 84 people

This is the dramatic moment the gunman who brutally massacred 84 people including ten children in Nice was shot dead by police as he repeatedly fired bullets at them from his lorry. The shootout came after the killer, identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, mowed down crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice last night.

The victims of the attack, and those people still missing, have now been named. Footage shows heavily armed officers approaching the lorry and firing directly at the windscreen and doors until Bouhlel can be heard screaming after being hit by a bullet.

The video then pans to terrified witnesses running away and emergency vehicles rushing to the scene.The gunman was identified as a 31-year-old French-Tunisian who lived in the city, according to an identity card found in the heavy vehicle.

Police say they had previously dealt with the man in connection with crimes involving violence, weapons offences and thefts and had raided his home in the city, but there was no suggestion of his involvement with terrorism.

A witness told the BBC following the massacre: ‘He died inside the vehicle – I saw his head [hanging] out of the window I could see it clearly, they kept shooting him from all sides just to be sure.

‘They used a light to make sure no one else was inside the car then they asked us to run away in case there were others inside the car or a bomb.’

French citizens, two Americans, one Ukranian and one Armenian are among the dead while several Britons were among those injured during the attack.

Other footage has emerged from the attack which show victims seeing the approaching lorry and then running away. See the video below...

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Motorcyclist crushed trying to stop killer truck

A German journalist who witnessed the Nice attack said he saw a motorcyclist chase the killer truck and try to enter the cabin but fall and end up under the wheels.

“I stood on the balcony, right on the Promenade des Anglais, and saw how people celebrated there, and how suddenly a truck drove through the crowd,” Richard Gutjahr, 42, who shot smartphone video footage of the bloody Bastille Day rampage, told AFP on Friday.

“Surprisingly, he drove very slowly, not fast, he drove slowly and he was chased by a motorcyclist,” recounted Gutjahr by telephone.

“The motorcyclist attempted to overtake the truck and even tried to open the driver’s door, but he fell and ended up under the wheels of the truck.”

Gutjahr, a freelance journalist, said he also saw two police officers open fire on the truck.

“Then the driver stepped on the accelerator and the truck sped up, accelerated and drove in a zig-zag course into the crowd.

“In the next 15 to 20 seconds there were shots from several guns. I don’t know who shot at whom.”

After that, “the panicked crowd ran in all directions. Those who could save themselves ran into the hotels, or sought security in the hotel entrances,” he said.

“Right afterwards I personally saw 12 dead bodies, and it was already clear there would be more.”

AFP

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Video: Three men shot by gunmen on Facebook Live

The shooting of three men who were smoking and listening to music in a car was streamed on Facebook Live. The men, aged 27 and 29, were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia shortly after 6.10pm after police responded to reports of gunshots in the area.

TJ Williams, one of the victims, posted a video to Facebook in which he and two others were smoking inside a car. Dante Rashad Williams was identified by friends as the man sitting in the driver’s seat.

Five minutes into the video, shots are heard and the mobile phone falls to the ground. The sound of someone comforting the men and the arrival of emergency responders can be heard.

The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times. Two of the tree men are in life-threatening condition. Police are appealing to the public for help finding the gunman. Watch the video below...

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Bus kills twins, injures brother in Ogun

Two children of the same parents were on Friday crushed to death on their way to school by a commercial bus in Ita Oshin area of Abeokuta. The accident, according to an eyewitness, occurred at about 8. a.m. while the children were on their way to school.

It was gathered that the bus lost control and ran over the students, killing two of the children who were twins and injuring the third, an elder brother.

The eyewitness, a mechanic, said he and other sympathisers took the corpses of the 8-year- old twins and their injured 14-year-old brother to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro.

“We heard a sound and we quickly rushed down before we realised that a vehicle had knocked down some pupils in school uniform.

“We immediately stopped a taxi and took the children to the hospital and the nurses tried their best.

“But they later confirmed that the girls were dead while their brother is responding to treatment, ” he said.

Mr Adegoke Adetunji, the FRSC Sector Commander in Ogun, who confirmed the accident, said it was a lone accident in which the driver ran over the children.

Adetunji blamed the driver for dangerous driving, saying that he lost control and ran over the children.

“We got the report of the accident, which happened around 8 a.m., at Ita Oshin area of Abeokuta.

“We gathered that the Toyota Picnic bus with registration number KTU 175 DZ was coming from Sango, “he said.

He said that the driver of the vehicle, who tried to escape, had been arrested by the police and taken to Lafenwa police station in Abeokuta.

The sector commander advised motorists to always avoid dangerous driving, saying they should also put into consideration other road users.

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6 killed as gunmen spray buses with bullets

A report from Nairobi said that six people were killed on Friday when gunmen sprayed two passenger buses with bullets in north-eastern Kenya.

The attack which was attributed to the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab, occurred between Elwak and Wargadud in Mandera County.

It disclosed that a police reservist who was on board to escort the passengers was among those killed, while another reservist was injured. Meanwhile, security officials were unable to give the total number of injured victims.

They warned that due to the security threat posed by al-Shabaab, non-locals living in the county would not be allowed to travel by bus until the end of Ramadan.

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Many feared killed in Ogun as militants strike again

Many people were feared killed when militants swooped on Elepete and Igbo Olomu communities in Ogijo area of Ogun State on Thursday night. The communities are not to be far from Imushin, a community where no fewer than 15 people were killed by militants on Friday last week.

In the latest attack, at Elepete and Igbo Olomu, a source within one of the communities, who spoke anonymously, said several of the victims were landlords.

Due to incessant armed robbery attacks in these areas, the landlords were said to have mobilised themselves, formed a vigilance group, and had made bonfires at strategic points and were on patrol when the militants swooped on them.

‎Mistaken identity

The militants, who were said to be returning around 11pm from the creeks where they had allegedly gone to perpetrate their illegal business, opened fire as they arrived at Elepete after they mistook the vigilance group, for law enforcement agents.

As they fled, the militants were said to have chased them, gunning more of them down. Around noon on Friday, the source said 30 dead bodies had been accounted for from various points, and that many residents have fled the communities for safety.

“They came out from the creeks. The whole communities have already been deserted. We need the presence of the Nigerian Army, Air force and Navy to curtail the excesses of these militants,” the source said.

However, the police said only two persons were confirmed dead. The Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Police Command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said only two people were killed by suspected militants who have been laying siege on the communities.

He said, “Two people have been confirmed dead. The militants came again and attack the community. We will only continue to work collectively with all relevant agencies to stop the attacks. They came yesterday (Thursday) and attacked and went back to the creeks.”

Adejobi added that the police would fish out the criminals.

-Punch

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Four alligators killed in search for missing boy, 2, at Disney World

Police today revealed that four alligators had been killed and dissected in the search for a missing two-year-old boy. The boy, who was on holiday with his family at Disney World, was pulled into a lagoon while paddling in water with his mother.

His father tried to wrestle the boy away from the alligator, but was overcome by its strength. Police said that there were ‘no swimming’ signs near the area where the boy vanished at 9pm local time yesterday evening.

Disney World has also closed its beaches as a result of the incident. Sheriff Jerry Demings said: ‘As they waded into the water along the lake’s edge at the time, that’s when the alligator attacked.

He added: ‘The father entered the water and tried to grab the child but he was not successful in doing so. I’m told that at some point, the mother also entered the water.’

The mother also tried to rescue the boy and a nearby lifeguard was told of the attack, Demings said.
Mr Demings said more than 50 law enforcement personnel are searching the Seven Seas Lagoon for the boy and will keep looking.

Wildlife and marine officials have also been drafted into the search, which will run into the night. ‘We are putting every effort forward,’ said Chad Weber, an officer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

He added there have been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks at the lake.

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Teenager killed herself after nude shower video goes on Snapchat

A teenage girl killed herself after her friends filmed a video of her in the shower and posted it on Snapchat, her family said. Tovonna Holton stole a gun from her mother Levon Holton-Teamer’s handbag and shot herself in the family’s bathroom, according to her mother.

The 15-year-old from Florida was found dead hours after the footage was uploaded on the social media app. Ms Holton-Teamer, who has posted pictures of her with her daughter on Facebook, said Tovonna locked herself in the bathroom.

‘The bathroom light was off so I tried to get in and I looked down and I saw the puddle of blood. I tried to apply the pressure, the pressure to her head. I tried to save her.’

She also spoke about the last conversation she had with her daughter. Tovonna would say, ‘Mommy, I owe them; I owe them.’ I said, ‘What do you mean you owe them?’ I couldn’t understand what was wrong.’

After her death, Tovonna’s aunt Angel Scott discovered that bullies had shared the naked images of Tovonna. She told the news station: ‘Everybody was out there talking about her and calling her names and they said it went up on social media, Snapchat. I’d never heard of that before about three-something that afternoon.

‘I want [the bullies] to pay, to feel what we feeling, even if their child is convicted or in trouble, they can go visit their child.’

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Grandmother, 60, killed by a great white shark

A 60-year-old British grandmother described as a 'beautiful person who everyone loved' has been killed by a great white shark which was 'bigger than a boat' while diving off the coast of Australia.

University lecturer Doreen Collyer, who is originally from Chester, Cheshire, was diving off Mindarie Beach, about 35 kilometres north of Perth, when she was attacked yesterday. Her husband Dave had been driving to the beach to meet his wife and her diving companion when she was attacked by the shark.

Police said her 43-year-old diving partner John pulled her from the water but she died before they made it back to the shore. Her injuries were described as being 'apparent and severe' and consistent with a shark attack.

Three men who came to the pair's aid reported seeing a shark which was longer than their 18-foot long fishing boat. Local authorities have now closed the surrounding beaches until the animal is caught.

Paying tribute to his 'loving wife' today, Mr Collyer said the pair – who have two children together and a granddaughter – moved to Australia about five years ago to be closer to their son and grandchild.

Speaking from their home in Iluka today, he said: 'Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her, she was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife.'

He said she had been a keen swimmer in the UK, but fell in love with diving when they moved abroad. She had an advanced open water diver's certificate and used to dive up to four times a week in the summer.

Mr Collyer learned his wife had died after arriving at the boat ramp to meet her yesterday afternoon.
He said he saw helicopters circling overhead as he approached the beach and discovered it was his wife who had been attacked when he was greeted by the emergency services.

He added that it was the first time in weeks she had been out diving due to recent bad weather.

Mrs Collyer and her diving partner had been to the reef where she was attacked about a 'dozen' times before. They were searching for crayfish and had only been in the water about 25 times when John felt the shark 'brush past them'.

He returned to the surface and realised Mrs Collyer – who he described as a 'phenomenal' diver – had been attacked. He tried to comfort her and bring her ashore, but she died while still at sea.

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Photos: Hoodlums takes over Osodi - Apapa expressway as LASTMA Vehicle kiiled Truck driver (Graphics)

According to reports by @lanreneville on twitter. Between Sanya and Ijesha Apapa Oshodi LASTMA officials with Nigeria Police killed a Petrol Tanker Driver. The lifeless body of the driver whose name is not known as at press time is still on the express way. Area Boys from Ijesha community has since blocked the expressway saying they are await for Lagos state governor.

Eyewitness said the driver was observing his Solat (Prayer) beside his truck when LASTMA & Police arrived. He was arguing with one of the officials when he dragged him off his vehicle, the man then fell off truck and the LASTMA vehicle climbed over him and he gave up the ghost right there.

According to the motor boy Haruna, the LASTMA team and men of Nigeria Police hurriedly left the scene to avoid any mob attacks. Meanwhile the boys from the community took over the expressway burning tyres on the expressway.

Team of Policemen from Ijesha police station visited the scene firing shot into the air but this did not bring any solution as they also left to avoid mob attack. OP MESA team who are across came, showing sympathy, and left after taking report.

Meanwhile the deaceased is still been covered on the expressway with the mat he used to observe solat. May his soul rest in peace. See more pictures below.....

Photo & Report: Enyi-Ora1

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11 IS militants killed in clashes in western Iraq

A total of 11 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in clashes and artillery shelling in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said on Wednesday.

Iraqi soldiers engaged in heavy clashes with a group of IS militants who were hiding in a tunnel in al-Doulab area west of the provincial capital city Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad.
However, they left five soldiers killed.

Meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition warplanes bombarded an IS warehouse of weapons and ammunition in the battleground of al-Doulab area. Also in the province, army artillery pounded IS positions in the militant-seized city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, killing six militants and wounding five others.

In December, the troops recovered Ramadi, the provincial capital of the country's largest province of Anbar. Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units have been battling IS militants for re-control of large territories in northern and western Iraq that was seized by the IS since June 2014. 

(Xinhua/NAN)

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Wife slits husband’s throat, kills him over unresolved quarrel

A house wife, Bassey Grace, has been arraigned before an Ebute Metta Magistrate’s court sitting in Lagos for allegedly killing her husband, Lucky Bassey, after an unresolved misunderstanding. The incident happened at 23 Abari Street in Iyana Ipaja area of the state where the couple, from Akwa Ibom State reside.

According to P.M. News, detectives at the State Criminal Investigation department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, apprehended Grace and one Benjamin Otu, her accomplice. Grace was said to have used a kitchen knife to slit the throat of her 49-year-old husband while he was asleep.

According to a police source, ”Bassey bled profusely and helplessly as Grace watched and ensured that he died before she alerted their neighbors who reported to the police and Grace was subsequently arrested.”

Following her arrest, Grace reportedly confessed, saying Otu was her accomplice in the act. Otu was consequently arrested and taken to the SCID Panti. During interrogation, Grace and Otu reportedly confessed to the act.

Otu told the police it was Grace that used a knife to cut her husband’s throat before he died while he, (Otu) held Bassey to the bed before Grace had access to slit his throat. Following their confession, the duo was charged with conspiracy and murder under the Criminal Code, to which they pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. M.O. Olajuwon on Thursday, did not take their plea as she ordered that they be remanded in prison custody, pending advice from the Directorate for Public Prosecution, DPP.

Olajuwon adjourned the matter till April 29, 2016.

-DP

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The artist who was killed by jihadists - and what she was trying to tell the world

Scores of women were among the crowd saying goodbye to an artist and human rights campaigner whose death has sent shockwaves rippling across Africa. French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui was among the victims of the al-Qaeda attack on the Cappuccino Café in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

That so many women were among the estimated 1,000 people who attended her funeral in Marrakech, in defiance of local norms, is testament to Ms Alaoui’s rare ability to break down barriers between opposing worlds.

The 33-year-old was working for Amnesty International on a major project exploring women’s rights in Africa when she was killed by jihadists from the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group.Born in France, brought up in Morocco and trained in photography in New York, Ms Alaoui’s friends and family say she was fascinated by the idea of passing through the borders put up by people between countries, races, religions and genders.

Shot twice in the leg and chest, Ms Alaoui had recovered to a stable condition after surgery and was able to speak to her parents before, as a medical evacuation was being prepared, she suffered a fatal heart attack.

Her death, announced in a statement from Amnesty on Monday morning, saw the death toll from that attack rise to 30, as well as scores wounded. Ms Alaoui had been parked outside the Cappuccino Café with Amnesty employee and driver Mahamadi Ouedraogo, a father of four who was also killed.

After attacking the café, a popular destination among foreigners in the city, the gunmen took hostages in a nearby luxury hotel. The siege was broken on Saturday morning with the assistance of French anti-terror experts, and all four gunmen were shot dead.

As she died in a hospital in Burkina Faso, 3,000 miles away in Paris an exhibition of her last completed work The Moroccans was coming to the end of its showing at the prestigious Maison Européenne de la Photographie.

The exhibition featured life-size portraits of people from different communities across Morocco, and Ms Alaoui said the project was designed to counter the “tired exoticisation” of North Africa and the Arab world.

Speaking to The Independent after attending Ms Alaoui’s funeral on Wednesday, her cousin, Yalda Alaoui, said the artist was fast “becoming an icon” in her home country.

“She was representing Arab women in the art world, a visionary when it came to topics like immigration and women’s rights,” Yalda says.

“Demonstrations happened in her name today in Morocco and over 2,100 articles were written about her. The French parliament observed a minute of silence for her today too.

“However all this will not bring me back my closest cousin, who was like a sister to me. We were very similar, both physically and mentally.”

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The artist who was killed by jihadists - and what she was trying to tell the world

Scores of women were among the crowd saying goodbye to an artist and human rights campaigner whose death has sent shockwaves rippling across Africa. French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui was among the victims of the al-Qaeda attack on the Cappuccino Café in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

That so many women were among the estimated 1,000 people who attended her funeral in Marrakech, in defiance of local norms, is testament to Ms Alaoui’s rare ability to break down barriers between opposing worlds.

The 33-year-old was working for Amnesty International on a major project exploring women’s rights in Africa when she was killed by jihadists from the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group.Born in France, brought up in Morocco and trained in photography in New York, Ms Alaoui’s friends and family say she was fascinated by the idea of passing through the borders put up by people between countries, races, religions and genders.

Shot twice in the leg and chest, Ms Alaoui had recovered to a stable condition after surgery and was able to speak to her parents before, as a medical evacuation was being prepared, she suffered a fatal heart attack.

Her death, announced in a statement from Amnesty on Monday morning, saw the death toll from that attack rise to 30, as well as scores wounded. Ms Alaoui had been parked outside the Cappuccino Café with Amnesty employee and driver Mahamadi Ouedraogo, a father of four who was also killed.

After attacking the café, a popular destination among foreigners in the city, the gunmen took hostages in a nearby luxury hotel. The siege was broken on Saturday morning with the assistance of French anti-terror experts, and all four gunmen were shot dead.

As she died in a hospital in Burkina Faso, 3,000 miles away in Paris an exhibition of her last completed work The Moroccans was coming to the end of its showing at the prestigious Maison Européenne de la Photographie.

The exhibition featured life-size portraits of people from different communities across Morocco, and Ms Alaoui said the project was designed to counter the “tired exoticisation” of North Africa and the Arab world.

Speaking to The Independent after attending Ms Alaoui’s funeral on Wednesday, her cousin, Yalda Alaoui, said the artist was fast “becoming an icon” in her home country.

“She was representing Arab women in the art world, a visionary when it came to topics like immigration and women’s rights,” Yalda says.

“Demonstrations happened in her name today in Morocco and over 2,100 articles were written about her. The French parliament observed a minute of silence for her today too.

“However all this will not bring me back my closest cousin, who was like a sister to me. We were very similar, both physically and mentally.”

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