International News
South Korea Votes For New President After Martial Law Turmoil
South Koreans began voting Tuesday for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s disastrous declaration of martial law.
A handful of elderly voters lined up at a polling station in Seoul’s Munrae-dong area at 6:00 am (2100 GMT) to cast their ballots.
“We were the first to arrive with the hope our candidate gets elected, and because the presidential election is the most important,” Yu Bun-dol, 80, told AFP, adding she was voting for the conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate.
Millions have already cast their ballots in the snap election, with more than a third of registered voters doing so last week during two days of early voting, the National Election Commission said.
All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.
Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative PPP — Yoon’s former party — trailed Lee on 35 percent.
The fallout from martial law, which has left South Korea effectively leaderless for the first months of US President Donald Trump’s second term, is the top concern for voters, experts said.
“Polls show the election is largely viewed as a referendum on the previous administration,” Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, told AFP.
“What’s particularly striking is that the martial law and impeachment crisis not only swayed moderates but also fractured the conservative base.”
And analysts say that South Korea’s conservative party is in crisis.
Yoon’s impeachment over a disastrous declaration of martial law, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament, made him the second straight conservative president to be stripped of office after Park Geun-hye in 2017.
Conservative candidate Kim also failed to convince a third party candidate, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, to unify and avoid splitting the right-wing vote.
‘Turning point’
“Conservative politics was associated with competent governance, but it’s now hard to argue that they remain capable,” said Kang Won-taek, a political science professor at Seoul National University.
Lee’s Democratic Party already holds a parliamentary majority and analysts say the fractured conservative base will struggle in opposition unless it can resolve its issues.
South Korean presidents serve a single five-year term.
With a regular presidential election, there is a months-long transition period, and the new leader’s term begins at midnight after the predecessor’s final day.
But in a snap election, the winner becomes president as soon as the National Election Commission ratifies the vote tally.
After months of turmoil and a revolving door of lame-duck acting leaders, many South Koreans are eager for the country to move forward.
In Gwangju, spiritual heartland of the South Korean left, Jung Se-yoon, 65, a retired teacher, said the election was a “turning point”.
“It will take far too long for the country to get back on its feet if we miss this chance,” Jung said.
Experts said voter turnout was expected to be high.
“The focus won’t be on whether Lee will win, but on whether he will secure more than 50 percent of the vote,” Bae Kang-hoon, co-founder of political think tank Valid.
“If he manages to do so, it would give him a significant boost in momentum to govern as president.”
AFP
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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