News That Matters To Africa©️
Quote of the Day:
“There were two kinds of people in the world: ‘Givers and Takers’. The Takers may eat better, but the Givers sleep better.”
Highlights:
30th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi
Faye sworn in as President of Senegal
SAfr Speaker faces arrest
Egypt’s Sisi sworn in for third term.
Top News:
Eastern Africa
DRCongo President appoints Judith Suminwa as prime minister
Kenyan doctors strike over pay and training extends into third week
Kenyan hospital to dispose unclaimed bodies of 475 babies
Putting your life on hold: The reality of being a PhD student
Seven parties back President Kagame for fourth term
Rwanda: 2200 “Génocidaires” being released in 2024; who are they.
Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda: Causes, What happened, and Justice
Puntland ‘breaks away’ over Somalia law changes
Somaliland reiterates its sovereignty and constitutional independence
Al Hilal: Sudanese champions play on ‘to distract people from war’
Power restored in Tanzania after nationwide blackout
AfDB bans Chinese road builder for graft in Uganda
Cartoons take on Uganda’s repressive government
West Africa
Cameroon opposition: Senegal is example for fair elections, ousting entrenched leader
Guinea-Bissau’s Higher Education reform efforts promote discord and anger
Guinea: Was the stadium massacre a crime against humanity?
Nigeria’s Dangote refinery supplies petroleum products to local market
Nigeria’s Chibok girls: Parents of kidnapped children heartbroken – again
Senegal swears in former opposition figure, recently freed from prison, as new president
Bassirou Diomaye Faye: Senegal election offers hope to frustrated young Africans
Southern Africa
Botswana threatens to deport 20,000 elephants to Germany
When Colonial Germany Committed Genocide in Namibia
SAfr’s parliamentary speaker faces imminent arrest over graft charges after court bid fails
SAfr election turns populist as parties play anti-foreigner card
Gcaba family denies allegations of a role in AKA’s murder
South Africans are compromising on health for affordability amid food price hikes
Zambia sighs in debt deal, but is it relief or new bondage?
North Africa
Egypt’s Sisi sworn in for third term
In Morocco, women’s rights activists face death threats amid family code reform
Africa General
How Gulf states are putting their money into mining
Abortions are legal in much of Africa. But few women may be aware, and providers don’t advertise it
Global chains are driving a boom in Africa’s hotels
Start-up closures and scalebacks leave trail of job losses in Africa
Video of the Day
Io Capitano (Movie) – chilling indictment of the refugee exploitation economy
American cruise ship passengers left behind in “Africa”
Africa News Podcast
Reparations: Can the ICC’s millions benefit victims in Uganda?
(11) Articles on Analysis,Editorial & Opinion
Eastern Africa
DR CONGO
President appoints Judith Suminwa as prime minister
President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday appointed Judith Suminwa as Prime Minister, making her the country’s first ever female to hold the position. The new Prime Minister replaces Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, who resigned at the end of February as a legal requirement after he won a parliamentary seat. Ms Suminwa has been the Minister for Planning since March 2023. Her appointment ends weeks of uncertainty.Tshisekedi’s inauguration for a second term in January kickstarted a lengthy search for a majority coalition in the National Assembly – a key step before a prime minister could be named and a government formed. Her immediate task is to form a new government in a coalition formed between the President’s party and hundreds of political parties. The authorities face a raft of challenges including a worsening conflict and humanitarian crisis in eastern regions and the management of Congo’s considerable mineral wealth. Vast areas of DRC territory in North Kivu, in the eastern parts, are being seized by the M23 rebels and in the major cities, including Kinshasa, urban banditry poses a serious challenge. A sharp depreciation of the local currency has also worsened the economic crisis. The new Prime Minister was not a well-known politician in the DRC until March 2023, when she was appointed Minister for Planning. She holds a master’s degree in applied economics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She worked in the banking sector before joining United Nations agencies, including the UNDP.
KENYA
Doctors strike over pay and training extends into third week
Kenyan public hospital doctors who have been on strike since last month convened in two major cities on Tuesday to discuss their grievances against the government. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which represents over 7,000 members, went on strike on March 15 to demand payment of their salary arrears and the immediate hiring of trainee doctors. The arrears arose from a 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the union said. Doctors are also demanding the provision of adequate medical insurance cover for themselves and their dependants. It also wants the government to address frequent delays of salaries and to start paying doctors who work in public hospitals as part of their higher degree courses. The minister of health Susan Nakhumicha has said the government cannot afford to hire the trainee doctors due to financial pressure on the public kitty. The Kenyan health sector, which doctors say is underfunded and understaffed, is routinely beset by strikes. Talks between the two sides aimed at ending the ongoing strike have so far not borne any deal and other health workers, such as clinical officers, have also joined the doctors in the strike, domestic media reported on Tuesday. “The strike will take as long as it takes the government to wake up,” Onyango Ndong’a, chairman of KMPDU’s branch in the western city of Kisumu, said on Citizen Television ahead of the rallies by the doctors.
Kenyan hospital to dispose unclaimed bodies of 475 babies
Kenya’s largest public referral hospital has announced that it will dispose hundreds of unclaimed bodies currently at its morgue if family members will not collect them. “Interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within seven days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them,” the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) said on Tuesday in a notice published in the privately owned The Star newspaper. The 541 bodies include 475 babies and 66 adults. The hospital published the names of the deceased, but the identities of a few of the bodies are unknown. KNH and other public hospitals and morgues in Kenya frequently issue notices for relatives to collect unclaimed bodies. Bodies that remain uncollected after the grace period are often buried in mass graves. The bodies are usually of patients who die in hospital without the knowledge of their families. Some families also opt to abandon bodies of their loved ones in mortuaries when they cannot afford to clear their hospital or mortuary bills.
Putting your life on hold: The reality of being a PhD student
Africa is struggling to meet its research supply, having about 198 researchers per one million people. In comparison, the United States and the United Kingdom have more than 4,000 researchers per one million people. Kenya is one of several countries in the region that is struggling to meet its research demand. Fewer than 1,000 professors are expected to meet the needs of more than half a million students across the country’s 68 universities. This means the professor-student ratio is 1:500. The last University Statistics Report (2017-18) released by the Commission for University Education (CUE) put the graduate rate for PhD students in Kenya at a mere 13%. While self-abandonment seems to be the go-to mode for PhD students, it only results in feelings of despondence, regret and resentment as they realise the many aspects of their lives that they are forced to sacrifice, according to the CUE report…According to an education psychologist who wished not to be identified, no one should attempt to undertake a PhD if they are not mentally and emotionally prepared for it. “Mental and emotional patience are two important factors I encourage students to have when they decide to pursue a PhD. If you doubt yourself even just a little, do not attempt to do a PhD as things can become challenging in an instant, and people have found themselves quitting after wasting so much time and money,” she said.
RWANDA
Seven parties back President Kagame for fourth term
Two of the oldest and political parties in Rwanda, Liberal Party (PL), and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), have endorsed the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) candidate Paul Kagame in the July presidential race. The two join four smaller political parties, which are already in a coalition with the ruling RPF — Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), Democratic Union of the Rwandan People’s Party (UDPR), Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP) and Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR) — in endorsing Kagame. PL and PSD are historically allied to the ruling party, and their leaders have served in different government positions. For example, president of Liberal Party Donatille Mukabalisa is also the Speaker of Parliament. After Habyarimana’s government was arm-twisted into allowing the return of the multiparty system in 1991, PSD and PL were some of the political parties that were formed. After capturing power and stopping the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, these parties that didn’t participate in the genocide were included in the new government of national unity. Both PL and PSD have had four chances of fielding presidential candidates, in 2003, 2010, 2017 and 2024. A PL member heads Parliament, while a PSD leader heads Senate. Musa Fazil Harerimana, a senator and president of PDI, said the reason his party continues to endorse Kagam is that he puts the needs and interests of all Rwandans ahead of everything else, and because of his relentless pursuit of unity of Rwandans, protection of the country’s sovereignty, development and democracy.
2200 “Génocidaires” being released in 2024; who are they?
Thirty years after the 1994 genocide, thousands of convicted men and women have already been released from prison. Others, like Emmanuel Ruzigana, are on the point of being released after serving their sentences. The government estimates that, putting completed sentences and pardons together, 2,200 “génocidaires” – as they are known in Rwanda – could be released in 2024. Who are they and how are they
preparing? According to the Rwanda Correctional Service (SCR), the prison population reflects all components of society, from the elite to the least educated, who are the most numerous. There are prefects, sub-prefects, mayors, military personnel of all ranks, magistrates, teachers, doctors, pastors, priests, businessmen, journalists and poor smallholders (the majority). Only one member of the interim government, Agnès Ntamabyariro, has been tried and convicted in Rwanda, while 15 other ministers were tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Arrested in Zambia on May 27, 1997 then extradited to Rwanda, Ntamabyariro spent ten years in pre-trial detention before her trial began. On January 19, 2009, she was sentenced by the Nyarugenge High Court in Kigali to life imprisonment. Along with Valérie Bemeriki, a journalist with the notorious Radio-télévision des mille collines (RTLM), Ntamabyariro is one of 77 women sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide in Rwanda.
Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda: Causes, What happened, and Justice
From the colonial period to the tragedy of the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda, this small African country has witnessed a history marked by political violence and communal or ethnic tensions. Amid indelible traumas, the quest for justice emerged as an essential pillar of national reconstruction. National and international tribunals, such as the Gacaca courts and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, were established to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities committed. Through these mechanisms, Rwanda sought to punish the crimes, reconcile society, and consolidate peace. Here is a look back at the history of the genocide in Rwanda and its pursuit of justice.
SOMALIA/PUNTLAND
Puntland ‘breaks away’ over Somalia law changes
Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland says it has withdrawn from the country’s federal system and will govern itself independently until constitutional amendments passed by the central government are approved in a nationwide referendum. The federal parliament in Mogadishu on Saturday approved several constitutional changes that the government says are necessary to establish a stable political system. Critics say the changes, which include introducing direct presidential elections and allowing the president to appoint a prime minister without parliamentary approval, concentrate power in the hands of the executive. “Puntland will act independently until there is a federal government with a constitution that is agreed upon by a referendum in which Puntland takes part,” the state’s council of ministers said in a statement dated March 31. The rift is another headache for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is struggling to end an al Qaeda-linked insurgency, put down a resurgence in piracy and assert federal authority over the breakaway region of Somaliland after it agreed to lease a port to Ethiopia.
SOMALILAND
Somaliland reiterates its sovereignty and constitutional independence
In light of the recent political crisis triggered by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s push for constitutional changes, Somaliland reiterated its “unwavering sovereign independence and established governance structures.” Hargeisa underscored its status as a separate and independent nation, with a distinct political identity from neighboring Somalia. “This independence extends to legal, political, and constitutional matters. For over three decades, Somaliland has functioned as an independent entity, maintaining its own legal framework with no obligations to Somalia’s governmental frameworks” according to its statement. The Somaliland government went on to reflect on the crisis by stating: “Somalia’s recent constitutional development is an internal matter and, as such, any attempt to apply this new constitution to Somaliland lacks legal merit. The provisions of this constitution hold no legal force within the sovereign territory of Somaliland.”
SUDAN
Al Hilal: Sudanese champions play on ‘to distract people from war’
Almost a year since civil war broke out in Sudan, the country’s most successful football club Al Hilal say they keep playing to offer “a distraction” to people back home. The conflict has killed over 14,000 people, forced eight million to flee their homes and the United Nations has warned it could trigger the world’s largest hunger crisis. The domestic league has been halted but the Sudanese champions have found a way to continue their activity on the pitch by entering into an agreement with the Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) to play in the country’s top flight from August.
“We are playing during this very sad moment to distract our people from the war,” said Dr Hassan Ali, Al Hilal’s secretary general. A club which is almost a century old, and African Champions League regulars, made requests to several other federations across the continent and had received positive responses from Uganda and Libya before settling on a deal with Tanzania. “We have preferred Tanzania because football there is very progressive and competitive, and we would like to be well prepared for the next competition at African level,” Dr Ali added. Familiarity with Tanzania was also a consideration for Al Hilal as the East African country was the club’s base during this season’s Champions League campaign, which ended in group-stage elimination. TFF spokesperson Clifford Mario Ndimbo told the BBC that all clubs in the league support Al Hilal’s inclusion, but their matches will count as friendly games. Playing in Tanzania could also help Al Hilal avoid a mass exodus of players before their participation in next season’s continental competition. The Omdurman-based club currently has about 10 foreign players on their roster. Al Hilal’s decision to base themselves abroad is a reality which many Sudanese have faced, having been forced to leave their homes since the civil war broke out last April. When professional football will return to Sudan remains uncertain, with military factions still battling for control of the country. But even should the war stop now, Al Hilal will be unable to use their state-of-the-art stadium which was renovated in 2018. The club say it will cost about £3.2m ($4m) to repair damage to their home ground in Omdurman, labelled the ‘Blue Jewel’, which has been looted. Sudan’s oldest club Al Merreikh are also looking for a new home. The club got positive replies from Tanzania, Libya, Uganda, Kenya and Ghana but they will likely be settling for Tanzania like their rivals Al Hilal. While the two biggest clubs in the country have the means to move away from the conflict and continue playing, most of the football clubs in Sudan have been forced to let players go since the league was halted.
TANZANIA
Power restored in Tanzania after nationwide blackout
Power has been restored in Tanzania after a massive nationwide blackout that affected several islands and most of the mainland on Monday. The electricity outage struck shortly after 02:00 local time on Monday, privately owned newspaper Daily Citizen reported. State-run power company Tanesco said the outage was caused by a technical fault at the Kidatu hydroelectric power plant in the east of the country. Its water intake control equipment was affected. The fault resulted in large volumes of water entering the systems, causing them to “suddenly shut down to protect themselves”, and in turn impacting the national power grid, Tanesco added. Energy Minister Doto Mashaka Biteko ordered power officials who were on their Easter break to return to work immediately in order to restore power supplies. On Monday evening, Tanesco said it had restored power to most parts of the country, although several Tanzanians continued to complain of outages on social media.
UGANDA
AfDB bans Chinese road builder for graft in Uganda
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has banned a Chinese road builder, China Henan International Corporation Group (Chico), for engaging in “fraudulent activity” in a project the lender is funding in Uganda. The ban on the Henan-based constructor will last 12 months effective March 28, a period in which Chico will not be able to participate in any new AfDB-funded projects on the continent including Kenya where it has an ongoing project. An AfDB investigation revealed that the Chinese road builder “failed to disclose the use of a commission agent while submitting a bid in the context of a tender for the procurement of civil works for upgrading of Rukungiri-Kihihi-Ishasha/Kanungu to bituminous standard, a component of the Road Sector Support Project in Uganda,” it said on Thursday. The continental financier said the road project, spanning the southwestern and eastern parts of Uganda, is crucial to “promoting regional integration and cross-border trade with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.” Chico has road projects in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, funded by the AfDB, World Bank, and local governments, some of which have also been marred in various ways. AfDB has lately been debarring many companies for what it terms as engagement in fraudulent activities in projects it funds. Last year, it prohibited five companies from engaging in the bank’s funded or affiliated projects, among them Kenyan company Goldsun Investments, which was found to have engaged in corruption during a tender for the dualling of the 84km Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway in Central Kenya.
Cartoons take on Uganda’s repressive government
Ugandan cartoonist Jim Spire Ssentongo didn’t know what he was starting last April when he sent out a tweet encouraging people to post photos of the ubiquitous potholes across the country’s capital. Ssentongo admits that the tweet calling for pothole photos was “partly joking, partly sounding out how it would be received”, adding that he didn’t “plan to turn it into a grand initiative”. But that’s exactly what happened. Ugandans started uploading their photos immediately. By the end of the day, there were more than 13,000 tweets with the hashtag the #KampalaPotholeExhibition, posted by fed-up citizens in the pothole-plagued country. With physical protests all but barred in the country, this was an opportunity to hold the government accountable. And, to Ugandans’ surprise, there were results. Within a day, KCCA’s executive director made a public statement about the pothole situation, saying that the authority was constrained by inadequate government funding. The same day in Parliament the deputy speaker asked the minister of Kampala capital city and metropolitan affairs about the state of the roads. Less than a week after the online outrage began, ageing President Yoweri Museveni, 79, ordered the country’s Ministry of Finance to immediately release six billion shillings ($1,538,784) to repair the roads. The next month his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba inspected some of them. This was the birth of a new form of protest in the East African nation, where those who have taken to the streets to demonstrate tend to languish in jail. Nearly a year since that first exhibition call, Ssentonga has been involved in six more: about hospital conditions, foreign recruitment scandals, corruption and nepotism within non-governmental organisations (NGOs), human rights abuses, and more. Some Ugandans have likened the protests to the Arab Spring.
Western Africa
CAMEROON
Cameroon opposition: Senegal is example for fair elections, ousting entrenched leader
Members of Cameroon’s opposition parties] say it’s time for change in Cameroon, where President Paul Biya, now in his 90s, has ruled for more than four decades and is preparing to run for re-election…The opposition says Senegal’s election shows it is possible to stop leaders from clinging to power…But Samson Websi, political analyst at Cameroon’s National Institute of Management and Technology says it will be difficult to oust Biya in an election. He says unlike in Senegal where government institutions are independent, Biya has loyalists planted throughout the government…”Parliament in Cameroon is virtually at the beck and call of the executive. The judiciary in Cameroon is not independent. The president of the republic [Biya] is the head of the judiciary. He is the one who guarantees the independence of the judiciary, which means that democracy is in trouble.”
GUINEA-BISSAU
Government Higher Education reform efforts promote discord and anger
Students and lecturers in Guinea-Bissau have been protesting against their new government firing educational directors and a rector, and their replacements leading a higher education sector that has been accused of being mired in graft and inefficiency. Guinea-Bissau’s Ministry of the Interior and Public Order formally banned all public demonstrations across the country on 15 January 2024, but anger is simmering over the sackings. There is also tension because the new government is refusing to pay lecturers they say have not been properly registered, and sometimes are not teaching at all. This Portuguese-speaking West African nation, which has had four successful and more than 10 unsuccessful coups since independence in 1974, has been run by three different governments since the elections in July 2023. Now the country faces another election in June 2024 after President Umaro Sissoco Embalo in December dissolved Guinea-Bissau’s opposition-controlled parliament. He claimed supporters of the then government had tacitly supported military factions violently clashing in the capital, which amounted to an attempted coup. A new government appointed on 20 December 2023 seems to have promoted more instability in the education sector after decisions by the ministry of national education, higher education and scientific research sparked more protests.
GUINEA
Was the stadium massacre a crime against humanity?
Up to now, former Guinean president Moussa Dadis Camara and the ten other defendants have been prosecuted for mass crimes under ordinary Guinean law.
They are accused of having ordered or participated in the massacre of over 150 demonstrators at an opposition rally that was violently crushed by Guinean security forces on September 28, 2009. This request to reclassify the crimes has been voiced by civil parties since the start of the trial. They support the prosecution initiative, pointing out that crimes against humanity are enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by Guinea in 2002 and incorporated into the Guinean Penal Code in 2016. On March 4, after debating the case for ten minutes, the court decided to put the trial on hold for two weeks, to allow the defence to study the public prosecutor’s brief. The defendants’ lawyers are up in arms about the request. “This request is not legally valid,” said Dadis’s lawyer Pépé Antoine Lamah at the outset of the hearing “As this case is under trial, I find it very inappropriate to put that issue back on the table.” Lamah added that at the time of the judicial enquiry, all appeals had been exhausted. The matter was appealed and even referred to the Supreme Court. In the end, the Supreme Court decided in favour of prosecution under ordinary law. The charges include murder, assassination, rape and torture, most often on the basis of complicity, since the defendants are not alleged to have directly committed the majority of the incriminating acts.Reclassification of the crimes as crimes against humanity would not alter the maximum sentences incurred – life imprisonment in both cases in Guinea. But it could give the prosecution new tools, worries the defence. Whereas complicity can be complex to prove, crimes against humanity, which would give this trial another dimension, would enable the prosecution to invoke “command responsibility”.
NIGERIA
Dangote refinery supplies petroleum products to local market
Dangote oil refinery started supplying petroleum products to the local market on Tuesday, a company executive and fuel marketing associations said, a major step in the country’s quest for energy independence. The refinery, Africa’s largest, was built on a peninsula on the outskirts of the commercial capital Lagos at a cost of $20 billion by the continent’s richest man Aliko Dangote and was completed after several years of delays. Local oil marketers agreed a price of 1,225 naira ($0.96) per litre of diesel following a bulk purchase agreement, before putting their mark-up, said Abubakar Maigandi, head of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria. The association’s members control about 150,000 retail stations across Nigeria, Maigandi said. The smaller Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria said its members were seeking letters of credit to buy petroleum products from Dangote. The Dangote refinery is touted as the turning point to end Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and its top oil producer, yet it imports almost all its fuel due to lack of refining capacity.
Chibok girls: Parents of kidnapped children heartbroken – again
Ten years after Boko Haram gunmen abducted his daughter from her school in the Nigerian town of Chibok, Yama Bullum feels as if he has lost her once again. His daughter, Jinkai Yama, was one of 276 girls kidnapped from the secondary school in on the night of 14 April 2014 by the Islamist fighters. Fifty-seven of them escaped shortly afterwards. Then between 2016 and 2018 an additional 108 were either rescued by the military or released through negotiations. Ninety-one others remain missing, but Ms Yama is one of 20 “Chibok girls” rescued over the last two years from Boko Haram hideouts in Sambisa Forest in north-eastern Borno state, the epicentre of the 15-year insurgency. Yet her father has been outraged to discover that like some of other recently freed women, she has decided to remain married to one of the fighters who once held her captive. These couples now reside in the city of Maiduguri – Borno’s capital, 125km (78 miles) north of the remote town of Chibok – in housing organised by the state’s governor Babagana Umaru Zulum. “I am not happy with what the governor did. The girls managed to come out of the forest and the governor married them off again. Her mother is very angry,” Mr Bullum said. He found out when his daughter called him up to tell him last August – and handed over the phone asking him to talk to her husband, the former insurgent. Until then, Mr Bullum had assumed she was with other freed Chibok captives and her three children in a special welfare programme. Like a number of other Chibok parents, Mr Bullum is disturbed by what seems to be the Nigerian government’s approval of marriages between their rescued daughters and the men who abducted them. Allowing the freed women to live with their former captors as wives, while their accommodation is provided by the government, is perceived by the parents as Governor Zulum sacrificing their daughters in the quest for stability in the region. They see these marriages as a way to appease the former militants. Most of the girls taken from the Chibok school were Christian.
SENEGAL
Former opposition figure, recently freed from prison, sworn-in as new president
Senegal inaugurated Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its new president on Tuesday, completing the previously little-known opposition figure’s dramatic ascent from prison to the palace in recent weeks. The election tested Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region that has experienced coups and attempted coups. It followed months of unrest ignited by the arrests last year of Sonko and Faye and concerns that the president would seek a third term in office despite constitutional term limits. Rights groups said dozens were killed in the protests and about 1,000 were jailed. Faye, 44, campaigned on promises to clean up corruption and better manage the country’s natural resources. His victory was seen as reflecting the will of young people frustrated with widespread unemployment and former colonial ruler France, seen by critics to be using its relationship with Senegal to enrich itself. Such frustrations are common across many countries in Africa, home to the world’s youngest population, where a number of leaders have clung to power for decades. In his first speech as president-elect, Faye promised to fight corruption and reform the economy. The new president was little known until Sonko, a popular opposition figure who came third in the previous election in 2019, named him to run in his place after being barred from the election for a prior conviction. While Sonko’s future role in the new administration is unclear, he is expected to have a prominent role.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye: Senegal election offers hope to frustrated young Africans
Few political turnarounds can match the last month in Senegal.
Just over two weeks ago, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was a little-known opposition leader languishing in jail, detained without trial on charges including inciting insurrection, who had never held elected office. One week ago, he defeated the governing party’s candidate, Amadou Ba, in the country’s presidential election, winning 54% in the first round. The story of Mr Faye’s victory will also inspire other leaders across the continent, who have experienced years of rising repression, intimidation and censorship. According to long-time Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who has recently worked with his younger counterpart Bobi Wine to campaign for democracy in his country, “Senegal’s extraordinary electoral process has demonstrated, again, that with a well-mobilised, resilient and well-led population, it’s possible to non-violently achieve the desired democratic transition in Africa”. Mr Faye’s victory could not have come at a better time for opposition politicians across the continent. On the same weekend as the election, prominent opposition figures from countries such as Angola, Uganda and Zimbabwe met in Cape Town to discuss “the rising tide of authoritarianism, military dictatorships and hollowed democracies where elections are abused to preserve power”. Amid growing frustration at the increasingly violent strategies being used to repress critical voices, news of a democratic transfer in Senegal was roundly celebrated, lifting spirits and reaffirming the importance of non-violent strategies of resistance. As Dr Besigye put it, events in Senegal were an important reminder that democratic transitions benefit a whole country, while coups “only recreate a new form of autocratic leadership”. This does not mean that the Senegalese experience will be easy to replicate in other countries, however. In states such as Uganda and Zimbabwe, this is much harder because electoral commissions are less independent, the judiciary is more compromised, and the security forces are even more repressive…The most effective thing that opposition parties can do to boost democracy is to govern inclusively and to demonstrate that respecting political rights and civil liberties is the best way to ensure economic development and political stability.
Southern Africa
BOTSWANA
President threatens to deport 20,000 elephants to Germany
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany as the countries argue over the import of hunting trophies. “No joke,” he told the German tabloid BILD on Tuesday. Masisi attacked the German federal government, and the environment ministry in particular, led by Green minister Steffi Lemke, for seeking to ban the import of trophies despite Botswana’s overpopulation of elephants. “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world,” he said. Botswana, home to about 130,000 elephants according to the president, has sent 8,000 to Angola already. “We would also like to make such an offer to the Federal Republic of Germany,” announced Masisi. “We won’t take no for an answer. We want our elephants to roam freely. The German weather is bad enough for them,” he added. “If you like them so much, then please accept this gift from us.” Officials from the southern African country already protested a potential U.K. ban on safari hunters importing trophies, warning in March they would send 10,000 elephants to Hyde Park in London. Botswana’s president described his country’s elephant situation as serious. Elephants were trampling people to death, crops were destroyed and villages devastated. He also invited the minister to inspect wildlife protection in Botswana. His country does more “than any other country in the world,” he stressed, adding that a move to ban importing trophies would worsen poverty.
NAMIBIA
When Colonial Germany Committed Genocide in Namibia
Between 1904 and 1908, Germany’s colonial forces reacted to a rebellion by Ovaherero and Nama people in Namibia with brutal violence and prison camps. The trauma and political repercussion remain unresolved. Background to genocide and its aftermath:
SOUTH AFRICA
Parliamentary speaker faces imminent arrest over graft charges after court bid fails
South Africa’s parliamentary speaker faces imminent arrest over corruption charges after a court on Tuesday dismissed her bid to block police and prosecutors from arresting her. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who is a senior member of the ruling African National Congress party, is accused of receiving bribes from a defense contractor while she was defense minister. According to prosecutors, she received 11 payments totaling $135,000 between December 2016 and July 2019. She sought another bribe of $105,000 but that wasn’t paid, prosecutors said. Opposition lawmakers have called for her to step down from her position as speaker over the allegations. Mapisa-Nqakula last week launched an urgent court bid to block her arrest, but a judge at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed her application on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after the judgment was delivered, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga did not say when the arrest would be made but confirmed the judgement paved the way for it to occur. Before launching her court bid, Mapisa-Nqakula was told by prosecutors she should turn herself in to authorities for processing and to appear before a judge. Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest African National Congress leader to face corruption allegations as the party prepares to fight tough national elections this year.
South African election turns populist as parties play anti-foreigner card
A clutch of opposition parties, often championing identity politics or anti-immigrant sentiment, have emerged ahead of the May 29 vote…Jacob Zuma, the former president, this week released a TikTok video that claimed there was “no crime” in South Africa “before foreign nationals came”…Zuma’s new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) is widely regarded as courting chauvinist sentiment among Zulu people, the country’s biggest ethnic group. Separately, the Patriotic Alliance — which frequently uses the anti-immigration slogan abahambe, meaning “they must go” in Zulu — has appealed primarily to communities that identify as “coloured”, while the Freedom Front Plus, a rightwing Afrikaner party, has supported CapeXit, the independence of Western Cape from the rest of South Africa. “The rise of xenophobic, patriarchal types of politics arises out of the manipulation of black political disappointment,” said Joel Modiri, associate professor at the University of Pretoria.
Gcaba family denies allegations of a role in AKA’s murder
South Africa’s influential Gcaba family has denied speculation that one of its members was involved in the murder of popular rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, who were shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban in February last year. Last Wednesday, prosecutors in the trial of the rapper’s suspected killers implicated Sydney Mfundo Gcaba, a member of the Gcaba family, in the rapper’s killing. A statement presented to court by the investigating officer alleged that one of Mr Gcaba’s companies sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, one of the suspects being tried for the rapper’s murder. Reports that the payment was made a day after AKA’s murder fuelled suspicion that Mr Gcaba might have paid the suspects for the murder. The prosecutor also argued that there was no proof that Mr Gwabeni provided services in exchange for the money. But in a statement issued on Sunday, the Gcaba family said that the payment was part of several transactions between Mr Gcaba and Mr Gwabeni, which were “purely for business purposes. These numerous transactions over a long period of time can be verified through bank records and were neither unique nor isolated,” the family’s statement said. The family added that it was “concerned” that authorities have not asked Mr Gcaba to share his side of the story, but that he was ready to clear his name.
South Africans are compromising on health for affordability amid food price hikes
Essential food items have increased and many families are finding it increasingly difficult to decide what to prioritize in the monthly shopping trolley. According to the Household Affordability Index by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, which tracks food price data from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Mtubatuba and Springbok, a number of household core food staples or food prioritised by households found in a household food baskethas increased. Core foods are purchased first by households and these foods ensure that families do not go hungry whilst ensuring that meals can be cooked. Out of the 17 core foods, 11 core foods increased in cost from February 2024 and March 2024. When the prices of core foods increase, consumers have less money to secure other important mostly nutritionally-rich foods, which are essential for health and well-being and strong immune systems. According to data from the index, the core foods contribute 54% of the total cost of the Household Food Basket. In March 2024, the average cost of household core foods was R2,821.58. These core foods are relatively very expensive in comparison to the total money available in the household to secure food. Regardless of the price hikes in food prices, these foods must be purchased. The high cost of core staple foods result in a lot of proper nutritious food being removed off the family plates.
ZAMBIA
Zambia sighs in debt deal, but is it relief or new bondage?
Zambia’s historic agreement with its creditors to restructure its $3.5 billion Eurobond has come as a huge sigh of relief to the Southern African country that has had a long-drawn debt crisis. Either that or it could only delay a bigger crisis in future. President Hakainde Hichilema announced this week that an agreement was reached under the G20 Common Framework, lifting a key hurdle in his government’s push to restructure the country’s $18.6 billion external debt. The debt restructuring negotiations have been held back by differences between China and Western creditors. The new deal will see bondholders forgoing about $840 million of their claims, compared with $700 million under the initial agreement that was reached in November 2023, but was rejected by China. Bondholders also agreed to extend payment dates and provide relief, which will enable Zambia to continue receiving funds under a $1.3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. The World Bank said the new deal “meets comparability of treatment requirements” and was a major milestone for Zambia towards restoring debt sustainability. “The World Bank welcomes the agreement between the government of the Republic of Zambia and bondholders on the terms for restructuring Zambia’s Eurobonds,” the Bank said in a statement. Zambia’s next hurdle in its efforts to move from debt distress is to agree on terms with commercial creditors, who include two Chinese state-owned banks.
Lusaka owed the China Development Bank $469 million as of June 2023 and the China Industrial Commercial Bank of China $461 million. Observers say Zambia’s deal could give hope to other African countries like Ghana that are clamouring for debt restructuring. The Rane Network, a geopolitics intelligence solutions provider, said the Eurobond agreement did not only provide a glimmer of hope for the Zambian economy, but also gave confidence to countries such as Ghana and Ethiopia who are engaged in debt restructuring talks.
North Africa
EGYPT
Sisi sworn in for third term
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in for his third term on Tuesday in the country’s new capital, the largest of the mega-projects that have signified his rule while stretching the country’s finances. Sisi swept to victory in an election last December with 89.6% of the vote and no serious challengers. While his message of stability and security resonated with some voters with the war raging in neighbouring Gaza, many showed indifference, occupied with rising prices and considering the result a foregone conclusion. Last month, Egypt allowed its currency to plummet after a $35 billion lifeline secured in a landmark deal with an Emirati wealth fund helped ease chronic foreign currency shortages that have hobbled imports and depleted reserves. The move and the renewed commitment to extensive reforms including reducing the role of the state in business, paved the way for an expanded $8 billion deal from the International Monetary Fund. Since Sisi became president in 2014, Egypt has embarked on an infrastructure splurge spearheaded by the military, which Sisi says is essential for economic development and to accommodate a population that has grown by 6 million since hitting the 100 million four years ago. The $58 billion New Administrative Capital in the desert east of Cairo is the largest of the mega projects, which also include an expansion of the Suez Canal, extensive road building, and other new cities. Critics blame such projects for contributing to Egypt’s economic woes, saying they divert resources and increase Egypt’s debt burden. Though economic troubles threatened Egypt’s stability, its global position has been bolstered by the Gaza crisis, in which it has served as the main conduit for aid and an initiator of ceasefire talks. Sisi, a former intelligence general, rose to power in 2013 after deposing of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi, Egypt’s only freely elected president. Rights groups estimate tens of thousands of people including liberal activists as well as Islamists have been jailed since Mursi’s ouster. Sisi and his supporters say that stability and security and paramount, and that the state is working to provide social rights such as housing and jobs.
MOROCCO
Women’s rights activists face death threats amid family code reform
In Morocco, women’s rights activists are facing death and rape threats as the country moves to overhaul an archaic family code. On 28 March, an Instagram account with the handle “hydra21” shared a death list of twenty-two Moroccan women’s rights and LGBTQ+ activists, threatening imminent assassinations. The list included renowned artist and activist Zainab Fassiki and members of famous local feminist NGOs such as Moroccan Outlaws, Politics4her, and Kif Mama Kif Baba. The Instagram account, which uses a fake name, has privately messaged several targeted activists, threatening their families and workplaces for promoting “anti-Islam beliefs” and “trying to destroy the values of Moroccan society.” In a joint statement, the targeted activists urged local authorities to take immediate action to investigate the incidents. So far, the identities of the harassers are still unknown. This is not the first time Moroccan women’s rights activists have come under attack for their demands. Cyber-harassment and bullying are a daily reality for Moroccan feminists simply for urging progressive changes such as the criminalisation of child marriage, calling for equality in inheritance, or advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in the North African Kingdom.
AFRICA – GENERAL NEWS
How Gulf states are putting their money into mining
In the summer of 2023, Rothschild bankers working for Zambia’s government were close to finalising a shortlist of buyers for a prized copper mine. Mopani, a troubled but rare asset formerly owned by resources giant Glencore, had drawn offers worth hundreds of millions of dollars from big names in the mining world eager to gain access to a metal that is crucial to clean energy technologies of the future. The list had been narrowed down to China’s Zijin Mining and South African deep-level excavation expert Sibanye-Stillwater when seemingly out of nowhere came a third contender: an obscure company from the United Arab Emirates called International Resources Holding. But behind the scenes IRH’s parent, International Holding Company, the $240bn business empire of powerful Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, had been courting the highest levels of Zambia’s government for nearly two years. By December, IRH had agreed to buy a 51 per cent stake in the mine for $1.1bn and overnight became the industry’s fastest-moving newcomer in decades. The Mopani deal finalised at the end of March marks a new force sweeping through the global mining sector. Gulf nations, hungry to diversify their economies beyond fossil fuels, are redirecting petrodollars to secure copper, nickel and other minerals used in power transmission lines, electric cars and renewable power. Beyond the UAE, chief among them is Saudi Arabia which wants mining to contribute $75bn to its economy by 2035, up from $17bn. Oman has started construction of what could be the world’s largest green steel plant that plans to use iron ore from Cameroon, while the Qatar Investment Authority, the gas-rich state’s sovereign wealth fund, is now Glencore’s second-biggest shareholder. For resource-rich nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the entrance of these middle powers into the critical minerals battleground is a welcome alternative to decades of exploitative arrangements underpinned by either western colonialism or Chinese debt. These nations believe that selling to Gulf states can help sidestep tension between the US and China over their copper, iron ore and lithium — resources the two powers need to electrify their economies.
Abortions are legal in much of Africa. But few women may be aware, and providers don’t advertise it
More than 20 countries across Africa have loosened restrictions on abortion in recent years, but experts say that like Efua, many women probably don’t realize they are entitled to a legal abortion. And despite the expanded legality of the procedure in places like Ghana, Congo, Ethiopia and Mozambique, some doctors and nurses say they’ve become increasingly wary of openly providing abortions. They’re fearful of triggering the ire of opposition groups that have become emboldened since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the nationwide right to abortion. The Maputo Protocol, a human rights treaty in effect since 2005 for all 55 countries of the African Union, says every nation on the continent should grant women the right to a medical abortion in cases of rape, sexual assault, incest, and endangerment for the mental or physical health of the mother or fetus. Africa is alone globally in having such a treaty, but more than a dozen of its countries have yet to pass laws granting women access to abortions. Even in those that have legalized the procedure, obstacles to access remain. And misinformation is rampant in many countries, with a recent study faulting practices by Google and Meta. Across Africa, MSI Reproductive Choices — which provides contraception and abortion in 37 countries worldwide — reports that staff have been repeatedly targeted by anti-abortion groups. The group cites harassment and intimidation of staff in Ethiopia. And in Nigeria, MSI’s clinic was raided and temporarily closed after false allegations that staffers had illegally accessed confidential documents. “The opposition to abortion in Africa has always existed, but now they are better organized,” said Mallah Tabot, of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in Kenya. She noted that a significant amount of money backing anti-abortion efforts appears to have come from conservative American groups — and severalreports have found millions in such funding from conservative Christian organizations. The spike from opposition groups is alarming, said Angela Akol, of the reproductive rights advocacy group Ipas. “We’ve seen them in Kenya and Uganda advocating at the highest levels of government for reductions to abortion access,” she said.
Start-up closures and scalebacks leave trail of job losses in Africa
A record 20 start-ups closed down across Africa last year, and many more scaled back operations due to a general funding drought that impacted many countries on the continent, leaving a trail of job losses. Last year, the amount of funding raised by start-ups on the continent declined by 31 percent to about $4.5 billion, from the $6.5 billion raised in 2022, which significantly impacted cash flows for budding companies. According to the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA), a number of start-ups, which had previously raised significant amount of funding from investors, last year closed down after failing to raise follow-up funding rounds. “Reasons for their ultimate death range from a lack of working capital after failing to raise follow-on funding rounds, difficulties establishing sufficient and sustainable market penetration, and allegations of corporate governance misconduct against founders” said AVCA. In Kenya, where start-up funding defied the global drought to post a significant increment, at least five firms which have each raised over $1 million in funding in the past, either shut down or scaled back, after failing to raise additional funding. Across Africa, thousands of people are estimated to have lost their jobs in the wave of start-up closures and scale-backs last year, mostly in the top four start-up markets on the continent – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa. Nigeria had the most casualties, with at least eight start-ups, including genomics firm 54gene, crypto exchange platform Bundle Africa and web3 firm Lazerpay, folding, and several others downscaling. The number of young companies sent into the graveyard may continue to increase this year, should the funding drought continue on a downward trajectory, according to AVCA’s prediction. Meanwhile, the era of foreign nationals dominating the African innovation scene, may be coming to a close as majority of start-ups that receive investor funding to solve problems on the continent are founded purely by Africans.
Global chains are driving a boom in Africa’s hotels
The world’s largest hotel chains, including multiple American majors, are behind the rising number of newly planned hotel and resort projects in Africa. At the end of 2023, international hospitality chains had 524 hotels with over 92,000 rooms in their pipelines across 41 African countries, due to a 9.2% increase in new deals from the previous year. It’s the largest annual increase since 2018, according to W Hospitality Group, a consultancy that has tracked hotel projects in Africa for over a decade. U.S. multinationals Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, and French chain Accor have the most newly commissioned hotel projects in Africa, to date. With IHG Hotels, a British chain, the five companies account for two in three hotel projects across the continent, W Hospitality’s latest tally shows. These hospitality groups and 42 others have active deals in 41 African countries to build hotels or resorts. Resorts have become of particular interest with new deals increasing 32%. Zanzibar typified the interest in new resorts with a doubling of new signed projects over the past year. But broadly, Africa’s most sought-after destinations for new hotel projects are Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Cape Verde. The largest project being planned is an 1,800-room resort by Turkish company Rixos in Sharm El Sheikh, one of Egypt’s most notable resort towns.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Io Capitano (Movie) – chilling indictment of the refugee exploitation economy
Two teenage boys star in Matteo Garrone’s passionate exposé of how greed, trauma and corruption drive the modern-day slave trade in would-be migrants.
American passengers slam cruise ship for leaving them in “Africa”
A group of Norwegian Cruise Lines passengers have been left stranded after they missed the all-aboard time during a stop off the coast of Africa. Passengers Jay and Jill Campbell speak about their efforts to get back on the ship.
AFRICA NEWS PODCAST
Reparations: Can the ICC’s millions benefit victims in Uganda?
On February 28, judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced their decision on reparations to victims in the case of Dominic Ongwen, a former Ugandan rebel commander. A total of more than 52 million euros, to be distributed among 50.000 victims. Can the ICC, which awards these astronomical sums, ensure that they reach the victims? That’s what our partners from the Asymmetrical Haircuts podcast are discussing today with two Ugandan experts, Sarah Kasande and Pamela Angwech.
AFRICA – ANALYSIS, EDITORIAL/OPINION
TPLF at Crossroads: Ethiopia’s once-dominant ruling party facing uncertain future
The Sahel’s ‘Axis of Resistance’
The African Sahel is revolting against western neocolonialism – ejecting foreign troops and bases, devising alternative currencies, and challenging the old multinationals. Multipolarity, after all, cannot flower without resistance paving its path.
Decolonise How? | Biased Gaza coverage is the tip of a much larger media iceberg
How Ethiopia can achieve transitional justice
The draft criminal procedure and evidence code must be approved to ensure the legitimacy of trials in the transitional justice process in Ethiopia.
Stingray sand ‘sculpture’ on South Africa’s coast may be oldest example of humans creating an image of another creature
El Niño disasters: governments know what’s coming, but are unprepared – what must change
Fuji music in Nigeria: new documentary shines light on a popular African culture
Zimbabwean migration to South Africa: how technology helps keep families together
Digital trade protocol for Africa: why it matters, what’s in it and what’s still missing
If you benefit from this update, why not recommend it to a friend? They can subscribe using
Anti-slavery laws and Abolitionist thought in pre-colonial Africa
The Africa Edition ©️ 
Leave a comment