President Buhari of Nigeria must understand that Nigerian terrorists like Boko Haram fighters cannot get the type of deal that Colombia is giving FARC members.

Colombia approved amnesty for thousands of guerrilla insurgents. After signing a peace deal with FARC, a decades-old rebel group, the country’s congress passed a law that will free FARC fighters from prosecution for “minor crimes.” It’s estimated there are 7,000 members of FARC in Colombia.

The original peace deal, rejected at a referendum on 2 October, was seen by many as too lenient towards the rebels.

The government and the Farc then went back to the negotiating table to try to strike a new deal acceptable to those who had voted “no”.

The main amendments included:

• The Farc will have to declare all their assets and hand them over. The money will be used for reparation payments for the victims of the conflict

• Concerns by religious groups that the agreement undermined family values have been addressed

• A time limit of 10 years has been set for the transitional justice system

• Farc rebels will be expected to provide exhaustive information about any drug trafficking they may have been involved in
• The peace agreement will not form part of Colombia’s constitution

For Boko Haram, they need to be prosecuted and cannot get a kid glove.

President Obama does not just like Putin especially when the latter contributed for the defeat of Mrs Clinton in the presidential election. Now Obama has one act to perform before he goes on Jan 20th.

The Obama administration prepares sanctions on Russia. US officials are close to announcing punitive measures in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, which could include both diplomatic and economic sanctions.

The actions are expected to include expanded sanctions and diplomatic measures, the officials said, in what the administration deems a proportional response to a Russian operation that went beyond cyber hacking activities common among nations.

But Russia is not just taking it, they have a response also. Official representative for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement on the ministry’s website, “If Washington really does take new hostile steps, they will be answered … any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the US will immediately bounce back on US diplomats in Russia.”

TED, the popular conference, is returning to Africa. Ten years ago, it had a TED Global event in Arusha, Tanzania.  The new edition with theme Builders, Truth-tellers and Catalysts will be held August 27-30, 2017 in the same city.

Ten years on, TEDGlobal returns to Africa. Since our 2007 conference in Arusha, Tanzania, the continent has experienced spectacular economic, demographic and creative growth, and has made exciting progress toward its rightful place in the world. Yet many African nations are beset by challenges. And the stakes have never been higher. As populations continue to surge, both opportunity and danger are rising.

At TEDGlobal 2017, we’ll bring together an incredible group of speakers who can collectively help shape how this plays out. Dreamers and doers. Technologists and entrepreneurs. Business leaders and creatives. The event ten years ago felt like history in the making. The ideas and connections forged then have had untold impact. We want to reignite those sparks and invite anyone passionate about the future of Africa, and the future of the world to come and be part of something special. TEDGlobal2017: “Builders. Truth-Tellers. Catalysts.”

We do think this could possibly be for Americans and Europeans with some selected Africans to enjoy the Arusha August blissful weather since the attendance price tag is huge. You need to be out by $6,000 for the standard fee. For the donor category, you need to be off by $12,000. Of course this is not for farmers and bricklayers, this is a club for the moguls and governments.You must have real weight to attend TED Global 2017 in Tanzania. If not, you can wait for the videos to be posted free online.