Africa News and Discussions

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The Fall of Tunisia, Last of the Arab Spring Nations
by Patrick Cockburn
August 3, 2021

https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/08/03 ... g-nations/

Introduction:

(Counterpunch) “Do you remember the tomorrow that never came?” asked a sad piece of street graffiti in Cairo, referring to the fate of the Arab Spring that once promised to overthrow the brutal autocracies that rule the Middle East.

That tomorrow moved even further into the future this week when a coup displaced the last surviving democracy to emerge from the Arab uprising of 2011. Appropriately, it took place in Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began a decade ago after a vegetable seller burned himself to death in a protest against the actions of the corrupt and dictatorial regime.

On 25 July, Kais Saied, the Trump-like populist president of Tunisia, sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and declared himself prosecutor general. As with Donald Trump, he had spent the years since he was elected in 2019 blaming members of parliament, critical media and government institutions for the dire state of the country. Polls show that many Tunisians believe him.

The takeover of power has been called “a constitutional coup” because Saied, a law professor by profession, was already president, but decisive steps towards autocracy are being taken. By now this road to dictatorship is well-travelled in many countries and the Tunisian coup is only the concluding episode in the tragic saga of the Arab Spring. Almost every state in the Middle East and North Africa has now returned to – or never left – the political dark ages from which, not so long ago, they thought they might be emerging.

There was nothing phoney about the Arab Spring in its first phases, though western media coverage was over-optimistic about the chances of success. Spontaneous uprisings spread from Tunisia to Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Syria. People poured onto the streets chanting slogans like: “Bread! Freedom! Social Justice! The people demand the fall of the regime!”

Photograph Source: M.Rais – Public Domain

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Ethiopia Calls on Civilians to Join Army to Fight Tigray Forces
August 10, 2021

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/1 ... ray-rebels

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has issued a call for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting raged in multiple regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation.

The call on Tuesday by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader represented the further crumbling of the unilateral ceasefire his government declared in June as its military retreated from Tigray or the abandonment of the ceasefire altogether.

“Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defence Forces, Special Forces and militias and show your patriotism,” Abiy’s office said in a statement.

Abiy sent troops into Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region last November to topple the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional party that dominated national politics for nearly three decades until 2018.

The move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, said Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Abiy sent troops into Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region last November to topple the TPLF.
Eduardo Soteras/AFP

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A Call to Address Climate Change and Improve the Conditions of Refugees Across Africa
by Anthony Akaeze
August 25, 2021

https://baptistnews.com/article/on-worl ... SZsTkuSmM8

Introduction:

(Baptist News) On a continent long reeling from the effects of climate change, the 2021 World Humanitarian Day focused on the human cost of the climate crisis and the need for world leaders to take meaningful action for the world’s most vulnerable people. It was an opportunity for African leaders to recommit to tackling the threat.

And leading the charge was the African Union. H.E Mousa Faki, chairperson of the African Union Commission for World Humanitarian Day held on Aug. 19, called on member states to build their national resilience capacity and place climate change in their priority lists of national development agendas.
“Africa has been affected greatly in recent time by El Niño-related droughts, floods, erratic rainfalls, desertification, and the attendant humanitarian disasters, including food insecurity, internal displacement of populations, and loss of livelihoods of farming communities,” Faki explained, adding that such existing challenges, combined with the effect of the COVID-19 global pandemic, have threatened the humanitarian landscape and grossly affected 27.5 million refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in the continent, most of whom live in dire situations.

Among the African countries where internally displaced people and refugees are living today due to natural and man-made disasters are Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Uganda.

Faki, recognizing this fact, challenged African leaders to do better to improve or change their situation.

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'Unprecedented': Madagascar on Verge of World's First Climate-Fueled Famine
by Julia Conley
August 25, 2021

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/ ... led-famine

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Climate experts are warning the current extreme food shortage in southern Madagascar, following a dearth of rain for the last four years, has driven the country to the brink of the world's first famine driven almost entirely by the climate emergency.
The United Nations estimates that 30,000 people in the country are facing "level five" food insecurity, defined as a "catastrophe or famine" according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. With Madagascar's regular pre-harvest "lean season" looming, many more are expected to face catastrophic hunger in the coming months.

"These are famine-like conditions and they're being driven by climate, not conflict," Shelley Thakral, senior communications specialist for the World Food Program, told the BBC.

"This is unprecedented," Thakal added. "These people have done nothing to contribute to climate change. They don't burn fossil fuels... and yet they are bearing the brunt of climate change."

In interviews with the press, families in farming communities across the southern part of the country have described foraging for cactus leaves and insects including locusts in order to avoid starvation as they struggle to grow crops.

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Unclaimed Terrorist Attacks That Killed Forty in Burundi Lead to Arrest of Opposition Political Leaders
by Eddy-Claude Nininahazwe
August 12, 2021

https://www.amjamboafrica.com/unclaimed ... n-burundi/

Extract:

(Amjambo Africa) Forty Burundian civilians were killed in two separate attacks along a major national road in May and June, and the attacks have reawakened long-buried memories of the civil war era. The attacks were grisly, with the murderers ambushing their victims, then burning some people alive in their cars, while pursuing and then shooting others who escaped their cars. The Ministry of Public Security of Burundi has attributed the killings to marauding groups of armed robbers, and said investigations are underway. However, Burundians fear that the attacks are the work of rebel groups that might be gathering strength in the country.

…Police announced through the ministry in charge of security that those attacking the civilians in May were gangsters, and had all been neutralized. The ministry confirmed to the media that they have 30 suspects in custody. The attack was followed in short order by arrests within the political opposition.

Arrests within the opposition worrying

More than 10 activists of the Congress for National Liberty (CNL) were arrested two nights after the second attack. Those arrested included key figures in the party. Kajeta Niyongere, ideological leader of the CNL party in Muramvya province, was said to have been arrested at his home and detained, as was Claver Kobako...

“They are being held in a secret place, and their families are worried,” one source said. Assisted by the Imbonerakure Youth from the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie, or CNDD-FDD) party, police also raided the homes of opposition party activists in Rutegama commune. According to witnesses, they found nothing suspicious. More arrests were made in Ndava district.

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Guinea military officials say they have detained the president and taken control of the country
Source: Washington Post

CONAKRY, Guinea — Soldiers have detained the president of Guinea, the head of the West African nation’s special forces said in a video Sunday, adding another potential coup d’etat to the country’s long record of military takeovers.

Col. Mamady Doumbouya said President Alpha Condé was in custody following hours of gunfire in the capital, Conakry, and warnings for people to stay indoors.

The military has seized control of Guinea, dissolved its government and sealed the borders, Doumbouya said, citing “the trampling of the rights of citizens” and “the disrespect of democratic principles” as motivations.

Military officers repeated the takeover claim on national television with Guinea’s red, green and yellow flag draped on their shoulders, adding that they planned to forge a transition government.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... -takeover/

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What’s Next for Morocco's Islamists After Suffering Crushing Electoral Defeat?
by Ahmed Maher
September 9, 2021

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/20 ... al-defeat/

Introduction:

(The National) Mariam Iblil walked home with a heavy heart from the Justice and Development Party (PJD) offices in Rabat on Thursday, a few hours after the crushing defeat of the long-ruling Islamists in the parliamentary elections.

Losing dozens of seats in parliament has extinguished any hope for the party to stay in power and could spark a full-blown crisis among its leaders.

“The internal schism in the party was very evident during the election campaign, and the leadership of the PJD succeeded in concealing it for five years. But the picture is now clear, and it is expected that even members of the party didn't vote for it,” Ms Iblil, a 26-year-old supporter of the PJD, told The National.

The PJD, which headed the ruling coalition for a decade, saw its support collapse from 125 seats in the outgoing assembly to just 12.

It was far behind its main liberal rivals, the National Rally of Independents (RNI), led by billionaire tycoon and Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch, and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), with 97 and 82 seats respectively, and the centre-right Istiqlal Party, with 78 seats, in the 395-seat assembly.

[wjfox]

Kenya to manufacture Covid vaccines starting next year

Wednesday September 15 2021

Kenya will next year start manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines locally in collaboration with unnamed pharmaceutical firms in a move aimed at easing supply hitches that have derailed mass inoculation.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe revealed in an internal vaccination blue print that the country has started the process of building a filling plant for the Covid-19 vaccines.

A full-fledged vaccine manufacturing plant will be built by 2024, said Mr Kagwe. A fill and finish facility helps third parties put the vaccine from the main manufacturers into vials or syringes, sealing them and packaging them up for distribution.

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/ ... ar-3550684

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Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Regarding the Crisis in Ethiopia
September 17, 2021

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-roo ... -ethiopia/

(The White House) The ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia is a tragedy causing immense human suffering and threatens the unity of the Ethiopian state. Nearly one million people are living in famine-like conditions, and millions more face acute food insecurity as a direct consequence of the violence. Humanitarian workers have been blocked, harassed, and killed. I am appalled by the reports of mass murder, rape, and other sexual violence to terrorize civilian populations.

The United States is determined to push for a peaceful resolution of this conflict, and we will provide full support to those leading mediation efforts, including the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo. We fully agree with United Nations and African Union leaders: there is no military solution to this crisis.

I join leaders from across Africa and around the world in urging the parties to the conflict to halt their military campaigns respect human rights, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and come to the negotiating table without preconditions. Eritrean forces must withdraw from Ethiopia. A different path is possible but leaders must make the choice to pursue it.

My Administration will continue to press for a negotiated ceasefire, an end to abuses of innocent civilians, and humanitarian access to those in need. The Executive Order I signed today establishes a new sanctions regime that will allow us to target those responsible for, or complicit in, prolonging the conflict in Ethiopia, obstructing humanitarian access, or preventing a ceasefire. It provides the Department of the Treasury with the necessary authority to hold accountable those in the Government of Ethiopia, Government of Eritrea, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and Amhara regional government, among others, that continue to pursue conflict over negotiations to the detriment of the Ethiopian people.

The United States remains committed to supporting the people of Ethiopia and to strengthening the historic ties between our countries.

These sanctions are not directed at the people of Ethiopia or Eritrea, but rather the individuals and entities perpetrating the violence and driving a humanitarian disaster. We provide Ethiopia with more humanitarian and development assistance than does any other country benefitting all of its regions. We will continue to work with our partners to address basic needs of at-risk populations in Ethiopia and the greater Horn of Africa.

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Tunisians Stage Protest Over President Saied’s Seizure of Powers
September 18, 2021

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/1 ... -of-powers

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Protesters have taken to the streets of Tunisia’s capital, in a rare show of public dissent towards President Kais Saied’s move to seize extra powers.

Thousands of people rallied in the centre of Tunis on Saturday chanting, “shut down the coup” and “we want a return to legitimacy”. Saied supporters held a counter-demonstration chanting, “the people want to dissolve parliament”.

The protest, which was met by a heavy police presence on Habib Bourguiba avenue, was the first major demonstration since Saied declared on July 25 he was sacking the prime minister, suspending parliament and assuming executive authority – moves his opponents branded a coup.

The former constitutional law professor justified his move by citing emergency measures in the constitution that his critics and many legal scholars said did not support his intervention.

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Burundi Suspends Multinational Mining Contracts
by Eddy Claude Nininahazwe
September 17, 2021

https://www.amjamboafrica.com/burundi-s ... contracts/

Introduction:

(Amjambo Africa) In response to criticism that foreign companies are reaping overly large profits in Burundi from the exploitation of natural resources such as nickel, rare earth, gold, and coltan, the government has suspended the mining activities of all foreign companies beginning July 14, 2021. In his speech on the country’s July 1 Independence Day this year, President Evariste Ndayishimiye ordered the suspension.

As far back as 2004, when President Pierre Nkurunziza took office, Burundian nationals were already beginning to question the mining contracts, and over the years, especially during election campaigns, leaders have promised to spur the growth of Burundi’s economy through its own significant natural resources. A 2010 study made clear just how abundant those resources are – there is enough nickel in the ground for 40 years of nonstop mining in just one of Burundi’s 117 communes, Musongati commune in Rutana Province, in the southeastern part of Burundi. In 2015, the late President Nkurunziza promised that Burundi would “say goodbye to poverty, thanks to its natural resources.”

The mining code in Burundi allows foreign companies that invest in mining to own 90% of the shares, leaving just 10% to Burundi. Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd. is one such company. Based in England, Rainbow Rare Earths mines in Gakara Hill, located in rural Bujumbura. The Gakara mining area has enormous reserves of rare earth elements – heavy metals that are essential in the manufacture of high-tech devices such as smartphones and TV screens.

The Tanganyika Mining Company, owned by Russian oligarchs, mines gold deposits in the hills of Cimba, Mageyo, Gakekwa, Gafumbegeti, Mukoma, Rutorero, and Muhungu in Mabayi commune, Cibitoke Province, in western Burundi.

On May 19, 2021, residents of the lands impacted by the Tanganyika Mining Company, tired of what they perceive to be exploitation, gathered in the streets to demand compensation for their land, which had been targeted for mining. The residents, supported by the local administration, barricaded the roads leading to the mining sites. Those barricades have now been removed, however the residents have not dropped their demands.

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Ethiopia Expels UN Officials, Accusing Them of 'Meddling' in the Country's Internal Affairs
October 1, 2021

https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-10-01/ ... al-affairs

(PRI)
Ethiopia

Ethiopia has announced that it is expelling several UN officials, accusing them of “meddling" in the country's internal affairs. Global pressure and criticism have been growing on the Ethiopian government over its blockade of the country’s northern Tigray region, which has reduced aid deliveries to 10% of what is needed. The move comes days after the UN’s aid chief warned of a famine in the country. The restrictions will further curtail humanitarian access to the war-torn region of around 6 million people. Thousands of people have died and more than 2 million have been forced to flee their homes because of the 10-month conflict between Ethiopia's federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

Senait Ambaw, left, who said her home had been destroyed by artillery, leaves by foot along a path near the village of Chenna Teklehaymanot, in northern Ethiopia, Sept. 9, 2021.
AP

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UN Says Ethiopia Has No Legal Right to Expel 7 UN Officials
October 1, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/un-says- ... officials/

Introduction:

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief informed Ethiopia on Friday that it has no legal right to expel seven U.N. officials and warned that severe restrictions on desperately needed aid to the conflict-wracked Tigray region have created a humanitarian and human rights crisis that is “spiraling out of control.”

Tigray is facing a near-blockade by the government on deliveries of food, fuel and other humanitarian supplies, and children are reportedly dying of famine.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at least 5.2 million people in the region need humanitarian assistance including at least 400,000 “living in famine-like conditions.” Child malnutrition levels are now at the same level as they were at the start of the 2011 famine in Somalia, he warned.

[caltrek]

Why Ethiopia Wants to Expel UN Officials
by Ellen Iaones
October 2, 2021


https://www.vox.com/2021/10/2/22705570/ ... -civil-war

Extract:

(Vox) Abiy’s Thursday announcement, which gave the officials just 72 hours to leave the country, is a rare departure from international norms. While it’s not completely unprecedented for a nation to kick UN officials out, it is unusual — and according to the New York Times, Abiy’s decision would be among the largest such expulsions of UN officials in history, outpacing Syria’s removal of three UN officials in 2015.

As of Saturday, however, it’s unclear whether the seven officials have left the country — and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has already pushed back on the move, saying in a statement Friday that the UN is “now engaging with the Government of Ethiopia in the expectation that the concerned UN staff will be allowed to continue their important work.”

US officials have also condemned Abiy’s push to expel UN officials.

“The expulsion is counterproductive to international efforts to keep civilians safe, and deliver lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the millions in dire need,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Thursday statement.

…The Dutch arm of Médecins Sans Frontières — MSF, or Doctors Without Borders — suspended its activities in west and northwest Tigray for three months starting in early September after the Ethiopian Agency for Civil Society Organizations directed them to do so in late July. The Norwegian Refugee Council was issued the same order July 30 and suspended its Ethiopia operations in early August; Ethiopian authorities had accused the groups of backing the Tigrayan political cause, even claiming that aid workers armed members of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF.

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Google Sets Up $50 Million Fund to Invest in African Startups
by Tage Kene-Okafor
October 6, 2021

https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/06/googl ... -startups/

Introduction:

(TechCrunch) Google plans to invest up to $50 million in African early and growth-stage startups via its Africa Investment Fund, ramping up efforts to support more businesses on the continent.

Google made known its plans today in a virtual event where CEO Sundar Pichai announced the tech giant’s intentions to commit $1 billion over the next five years in tech-led initiatives in Africa.

These initiatives range from improved connectivity via Google’s subsea cable Equiano to investments in small businesses and startups.

Until now, Google had fulfilled its obligations in the latter through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program and the recently launched Black Founders Fund.

In three years, the accelerator program has supported more than 80 startups in seed to Series A stages, providing equity-free mentorship and resources. Google for Startups Accelerator Africa has accepted startups like Twiga, Paystack, and Piggyvest and collectively, these 80+ startups have raised over $100 million in venture capital.

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Ethiopia Is Plunging Into Chaos. It’s Time for a New Dayton Peace Process.
by Alex Rondos and Mark Medish
October 17, 2021

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/1 ... ess-516117

Introduction:

(Politico) Right now, Ethiopia stands on the brink of escalating civil war and state failure. Last week, fighting intensified dramatically, with Ethiopian forces striking hard against rebels from the Tigray province. Millions are starving — and time to avert a descent into chaos is running out.

The plight of places like South Sudan and Afghanistan after years of U.S.-led support should remind everyone of the limits of any outside nation’s influence. But Addis Ababa is not Juba or Kabul. Two years ago, Ethiopia was one of the emerging economic success stories of sub-Saharan Africa. Which means there’s a chance to turn things around. If we act now.

This is the moment to prepare for concerted international action to prevent further drift and to focus diplomacy on a comprehensive settlement for this nation of more than 110 million. Nothing less than a Dayton-style peace process with visible, American- and neighbor-led daily engagement will pull Ethiopia back from the brink.

National security officials in the U.S., Europe and regional neighbors —who already have full inboxes — will need to pay urgent attention. Sanctions certainly provide leverage but may not be enough. Military intervention or occupation is not an option in a country twice the size of Afghanistan and which is already sliding into civil war. This crisis will require diplomacy and mediation on a scale not seen since the 1995 Dayton peace process to end the bloody war in Bosnia.

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Sudan Security Forces Arrest Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Other Ministers
by October 25, 2021

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/ ... est-report

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Security forces in Sudan have arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and several other members of the country’s civilian leadership, the information ministry said, as a military officer dissolved the transitional government.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a general who headed the Sovereign Council, a power-sharing ruling body, announced a state of emergency across the country and dissolved the council and the transitional government.

Hamdok was arrested and moved to an undisclosed location after refusing to issue a statement in support of the coup, said the information ministry, still apparently under the control of Hamdok’s supporters.

The arrests on Monday prompted thousands of people to take to the streets in the capital, Khartoum, to demand the release of the political leaders amid reports of clashes and gunfire.

Soldiers were stationed on the streets of Khartoum and restricted civilians’ movements, as protesters opposed to the military takeover carried the national flag and burned tyres across the city.

[caltrek]

Burundi Hands Over Armed Rebels Linked with Rusesabagina to Rwanda
by Eddy-Claude Nininahazwe
October 19, 2021

https://www.amjamboafrica.com/burundi-h ... to-rwanda/

Entire article (excluding photographs):

(Amjambo Africa) Eleven fighters from the National Liberation Front were handed over to Rwanda this Tuesday, October 19 at the Burundi-Rwanda border of Gasenyi-Nemba. The rebels, arrested on Burundi soil, belong to the National Liberation Front “FLN” – a group founded by Hotel Rwanda movie star Paul Rusesabagina, who previously was sentenced by Rwandan courts to 25 years for terrorism. The eleven rebels were handed over to Rwanda, with their weapons.

Colonel Musaba Ernest, head of military intelligence, who represented the Burundian army during the handover, said the gesture proves good relations exist between the two sister countries. This senior Burundian army official announced that Burundi will never give shelter to criminals who want to destabilize Rwanda.

Brigadier General Vincent Nyakarundi, head of military intelligence in Rwanda, acknowledged the handover as a positive gesture, and encouraged the government of Burundi to continue tracking down criminals who try to disrupt the security of Rwanda.

A reciprocal handover happened in July when Rwanda sent 19 rebels of the Red Tabara rebel movement to Burundi after they were caught on Rwandan soil. The United Nations and African Union representatives witnessed the handover of these captured rebels. FLN rebels have claimed responsibility for attacks on Rwandan soil, and Red Tabara has done the same in Burundi. The two groups have said they have bases in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and are believed to shelter in a dense forest that extends along the shared border of Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC.

Map of Rwanda