CONTINENTAL DRIFT

‘Jungle Jabbah’ sentenced

Since the 1990s, Mohammed Jabbateh has looked like any other respectable businessperson. He ran an international shipping concern from a Philadelphia suburb. No one suspected his dark past as one of Liberia’s most notorious warlords, known as “Jungle Jabbah”. But his lies eventually caught up with him, and this week he was sentenced to 30 years in jail — not for his alleged crimes against humanity but for lying to immigration officials about them. “He thought he could hide here but, thanks to the determination and creativity of our prosecutors and investigators, he couldn’t,” said a United States official.

Lost in space

The Angolan government has confirmed that its first telecommunications satellite, Angosat-1, is no longer operative after its launch in December. The Russian-made Angosat-1 suffered setbacks after the launch, and contact with the satellite was lost. It was meant to improve satellite communication and internet access in the country and beyond. The telecommunications minister, José Carvalho da Rocha, announced that a new satellite was being built and would be completed in 18 months.

Prodigal president returns