The Office of the President has announced the re-appointment of Mr Gamini Herath as the Auditor General, following the recommendation of the Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA), in accordance with Article 158 of the Constitution.

Mr Herath has been re-appointed for a 7-year period effective from 31st March, 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Rachid Talbi Alami, represented HM King Mohammed VI, on May 23, 2024 in N’Djamena, at the official inauguration ceremony of the President-elect of the Republic of Chad, Mr. Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.

The official inauguration ceremony took place in the capital N’Djamena, in the presence of heads of state, heads of government, speakers of parliament, ministers and heads of delegation, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Chad, and several other personalities.

During this ceremony, which was also attended by Morocco’s Ambassador to Chad, Mr. Abdellatif Erroja, Mr. Talbi El Alami conveyed congratulations and greetings of HM King Mohammed VI to President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and the Sovereign’s commitment to working hand in hand for the development and stability of the African continent.

HM King Mohammed VI had sent a message of greetings and congratulations to the President of the Republic of Chad on the occasion of his election to his country’s highest office.

In this message, the Sovereign expressed His warm congratulations and best wishes of success to the new Chadian Head of State.

“By expressing their confidence in you at this essential stage of the democratic transition process, the Chadian people have shown their gratitude for your commitment to defending their supreme interests and realizing their aspirations for greater progress and prosperity,” HM the King wrote in the message.

President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno earned 61% of the vote to win the presidential elections.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

Media update from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on the latest situation in Gaza, Thursday 23 May 2024.

An update from Suze van Meegen, NRC’s head of operations in Gaza:

“The city of Rafah is now comprised of three entirely different worlds: the east is an archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is a congested mass of people living in deplorable conditions. 

“People have no choice but to put their faith in so-called ‘humanitarian safe zones’ designated by the forces that have killed their family members and destroyed their homes. They have dragged their families and few possessions onward to new locations for the seventh, eighth, ninth time in seven months of war. But as far as we can see, there is nothing ‘humanitarian’ about these areas. If humanitarianism is about reducing suffering, promoting dignity and adhering strictly to a set of principles that separate us from the political agenda of parties to the conflict, we cannot call much in Gaza truly ‘humanitarian’.

“The de facto blockade on humanitarian cargo means we have around 50 trucks stalled at the Egyptian border among more than 2,000 waiting to bring in medicine, tents, water tanks, sanitary pads and the myriad other basics of which people are being actively deprived. The fuel arriving in Gaza this week is about one-eighth of the absolute minimum humanitarian requirement, barely enough to keep a few health services ticking along; completely inadequate to pump or desalinate water, run communications systems and fuel trucks.

“It is incorrect to say that humanitarian assistance in Gaza is ‘suspended’, more accurate to say that it is being systematically paralysed by restrictions imposed by parties to the conflict and toyed with using inadequate workarounds designed by their allies.

“I understand many people around the world are now so exhausted and bruised by the seeming intractability of this situation that they choose to no longer read news about Gaza. People in Gaza need them to keep reading and listening. They need journalists to continue reporting on it. Civilians in Gaza have not given up hope of a ceasefire but achieving it depends very much on the concerted engagement of member states and the citizens pushing them towards it.”

Latest updates from Gaza:

Close to a million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza this month following Israel’s expansion of operations in Rafah and calls for people residing in certain areas to ‘evacuate’. More than 800,000 have been displaced from Rafah since Israel announced operations there earlier this month. A further 100,000 have been displaced due to hostilities in northern Gaza as well, according to the UN.
Those being told by Israel to evacuate have received no assurances of safety, proper accommodation or return once hostilities end for those forced to relocate. The absence of these fundamental guarantees of safety and return, as required by international humanitarian law, qualifies Israel’s relocation directives as forcible transfer, amounting to a serious violation of international law.
The ‘limited’ offensive does not change much in terms of the reality on the ground. The attacks have already displaced people within and outside evacuation zones as people anticipate the operation expanding and fear there will be nowhere to go. There is panic and fear everywhere.
Displacement and hyperinflation have increased since Israel’s Rafah operation announcement: NRC’s teams report massive levels of displacement; people are mainly heading to al-Mawasi, a 14-kilometre-long sandy area by the coast, without adequate shelter, with many sleeping in makeshift shelters directly on the sand.  
People have also returned to Khan Younis, where there are staggering levels of damage to homes and infrastructure as well as risks from unexploded ordnances. There are no tents left for people, as the Rafah crossing continues to be closed due to Israel’s operations. 
There is extremely low liquidity, people have no access to cash to buy food or water or pay for transportation to flee.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Norwegian Refugee Council.

Top Eight Teams to Compete at BAL Playoffs (www.BAL.NBA.com) and Finals in Kigali, Rwanda from May 24 – June 1; Bank of Kigali Joins BAL’s Roster of Marketing Partners for Playoffs and Finals.

The 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs will tip off on Friday, May 24 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda featuring the top eight teams (https://apo-opa.co/3wP67QQ) from the league’s Kalahari (https://apo-opa.co/3wCKu6N), Nile (https://apo-opa.co/4awYBbE) and Sahara (https://apo-opa.co/3yxDXuA) conference group phases that were held in Pretoria, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; and Dakar, Senegal, respectively: FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Ly (Libya), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), AS Douanes (Senegal) and US Monastir (Tunisia). 

The complete game schedule for the Playoffs and Finals, which is available at BAL.NBA.com, features four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination playoffs, culminating with the 2024 BAL Finals on June 1 at 4:00 p.m. CAT.  Tickets for the Playoffs and Finals are on sale now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticqet.rw.

In conjunction with the Playoffs and Finals, the BAL and Bank of Kigali today announced a collaboration to drive fan attendance and elevate the in-arena experience throughout the week. Bank of Kigali joins the BAL’s roster of partners that also includes Foundational Partners Rwanda Development Board, NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson, as well as marketing partners Afreximbank, Castle Lite, Hennessy and RwandAir.

Below are notable facts and figures about the 2024 BAL season:

1,600,000 – BAL games have reached 1.6 million live viewers across the NBA and BAL’s social and digital media channels this season [the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/43eJtgR), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/3twvshm)].

238,000 – BAL games have generated 238,000 total watch hours across the NBA and BAL’s social and digital media channels this season.

125,000 – The Nile Conference game on May 26 between defending champion Al Ahly (Egypt) and first-time BAL participant Al Ahly Ly (Libya) was the most-watched game this season on the BAL’s YouTube channel with 125,000 unique viewers.

80,000 – The BAL set a single-season attendance record as more than 80,000 fans attended games across the three conference group phases.

5,000 – This season, the BAL has engaged more than 5,000 youth from local communities through BAL4HER, BAL Advance, U-23 women’s camps, Special Olympics programming, Jr. NBA clinics, Fan Zone, and in-arena gameday experiences.

544 – Al Ahly Ly scored 544 points over six games during the Nile Conference group phase, the most points scored by any team during a group phase this season.

500 – More than 500 media members from 20 countries across Africa, Europe and the U.S. were credentialed to cover the three group phases.

375 – The BAL engaged 375 coaches and 141 referees through clinics in Pretoria, Cairo and Dakar.

226 – Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) guard Kelvin Amayo and Bangui Sporting Club (Central African Republic) guard Rolly Fula Nganga each played a total of 226 minutes during the group phases, the most minutes played of any players this season.

214 – The 2024 BAL season is reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with the African Union of Broadcasting, American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, NBA TV, SuperSport, Tencent Video, TSN, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/43eJtgR), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/3twvshm). 

154 – The 12 BAL teams this season collectively featured 154 players from 25 countries across Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the U.S., including five players with NBA experience, 19 players with NBA G League experience, 48 former NCAA Division I players, 18 former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) campers, 12 NBA Academy Africa prospects, and 39 players who have represented their national teams at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and FIBA AfroBasket.

135 – Al Ahly Ly center Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. scored 135 points over six games during the group phase, making him the BAL’s leading scorer. The South Sudanese center is averaging 23 points per game this season.

110 – On April 27, Al Ahly Ly scored 110 points in its win against the City Oilers (Uganda), which marks the most points scored in a BAL game this season.

51 – US Monastir (Tunisia) guard Chris Crawford helped his team qualify for the Playoffs with a league-leading 51 assists over six games. The 2023 All-BAL First Team member and former NBA G League player is averaging 8.5 assists per game.

42 – On April 27, Al Ahly Ly center Jo-Lual Acuil Jr. set a new BAL single-game scoring record with 42 points when he led his team to a 110-78 win over the City Oilers.

22 – Bangui Sporting Club guard Rolly Fula Nganga led the league in three-pointers (22) during the group phases.

17 – City Oilers center Khaman Maluach led the league in blocked shots (17) during the group phases. The South Sudanese NBA Academy Africa prospect and Duke University commit averaged 13.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.

12 – As part of the third edition of the BAL Elevate program (https://apo-opa.co/3WSZp7d), one NBA Academy Africa prospect joined each of the 12 BAL teams for the 2023 season. NBA Academy Africa is an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal for the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa and the first-of-its-kind on the continent.

5 – Five new teams and three new countries were among the 12 club teams from 12 African countries that qualified for the 2024 BAL season (https://apo-opa.co/3KfHLTI).

3 – 2022 BAL champion US Monastir is the first team in league history to overcome a 0-3 start in the group phase and qualify for the Playoffs after a 3-3 finish. 

2 – The BAL had its first-ever double-overtime game when the Rivers Hoopers defeated Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball (APR; Rwanda) 78-71 on May 11.

2 – US Monastir and 2022 runner-up Petro de Luanda (Angola) are the only two teams that have participated in all four BAL seasons.

1 – The inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase in March marked the first time BAL games have been held in South Africa and the first time the league expanded to four different countries.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Contact:
Edwin Eselem 
Basketball Africa League 
+221 786154287 
EEselem@thebal.com