News That Matters To Africa©️
Quote of the Day:
“If a dominant group wants to dehumanise others, the dominant group must first dehumanise itself…”
HIGHLIGHTS
Ramaphosa and Kagame agree a political solution is best in DRC
Liberia senate approves war crimes court’s creation
Zuma cleared to run in upcoming SAfrc elections
Moroccan activist sentenced for criticizing ties to Israel.
TOP NEWS
Eastern Africa
3 Tanzanian soldiers killed in eastern DR Congo
‘We would not survive without coffee’: how rules made in Europe put Ethiopian farmers at risk
Hundreds of Kenya doctors join protest in support of strike
France to build balanced partnerships with Africa, says FM on Kenya visit
UK troops ‘having unprotected sex with prostitutes’ as part of initiation
Rwanda’s leader is concerned over perceived US ambiguity about victims of the 1994 genocide
Ramaphosa and Kagame agree a political solution is best in DRC
US warns of possible attacks on ‘multiple locations’ in Mogadishu
Band members arrested for ‘insulting’ Museveni
West Africa
Why Daesh and its affiliates are on the march in Africa’s Sahel and beyond
Liberia senate approves war crimes court’s creation
Nigeria Binance dispute: Cryptocurrency official denies money laundering
Nigeria’s junior footballers denied visas to play in Spain
European Parliament urges inquiry after Al Jazeera Senegal investigation
Southern Africa
About 100 dead in Mozambique ferry incident
Disinformation on cholera led to Mozambique ferry disaster, officials say
SAfrica: Jacob Zuma cleared to run in upcoming elections
SAfrica proposes ‘innovative’ medical tourism plan allowing use of rhino horn
Cape Town’s digital nomads: Where idyllic lifestyle clashes with local needs
Zimbabwe’s new ZiG currency starts trading, credibility doubts linger
North Africa
Moroccan activist sentenced for criticizing ties to Israel
AFRICA GENERAL
WBank: Sub-Saharan Africa growth not enough to dent poverty
US must boost Africa ties to secure key minerals, report says
TWEET OF THE DAY
VIDEO OF THE DAY
President Ramaphosa on the need for a political solution in eastern DRCongo
(13) ARTICLES ON ANALYSIS, EDITORIAL & OPINION
Eastern Africa
DR CONGO
3 Tanzanian soldiers killed in eastern DR Congo
Three Tanzanian soldiers on deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping force have been killed in a mortar attack on their station east of the country. SADC confirmed in a statement late Monday that three other Tanzanian servicemen were also injured in the missile raid. “This unfortunate incident happened after a hostile mortar round had fallen near the camp where the soldiers were staying,” the statement said without offering further details of where or when the attack occurred and who was responsible. The SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), which was deployed in December 2023, comprises soldiers from Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa. It was approved by SADC heads of state at their last summit in Windhoek, Namibia in May 2023 as a bloc response to deteriorating security in Eastern DRC which has been ravaged by endless conflicts between scattered armed groups. SADC says the peacekeeping force along with “elements of the DRC Armed Forces” are working with the officially recognized Forces Armees de la Republic Democratique du Congo (FARDC) to battle what are considered to be rebel elements in the area.
ETHIOPIA
‘We would not survive without coffee’: how rules made in Europe put Ethiopian farmers at risk
Coffee is Ethiopia’s biggest export – comprising about a third of export earnings – and the main source of foreign currency. The European Union is the biggest market, taking more than 30% of Ethiopia’s beans. Across Ethiopia, 5 million smallholders depend on growing coffee. Another 10 million workers wash, process and transport the beans. The industry has boomed in recent years, helping drive Ethiopia’s economic growth. But producers say it is at risk from new European legislation – the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) – due to come into force in 2025. The EUDR bans the sale of coffee, rubber, cocoa and other products if companies cannot prove that it did not come from deforested land. Environmentalists have hailed it as an historic achievement. Yet Ethiopia’s coffee industry claims the new rules are unfair since almost all Ethiopia’s coffee is grown by poor farmers who own small plots of land and lack the expertise to gather the complex data needed to show compliance. “The EUDR changes everything,” says Abebe Megnecto, the manager of Kafa’s coffee union, which represents 13,676 local farmers. “Meeting the criteria requires a lot of technology and manpower that we simply don’t have.” An EU spokesperson said extensive consultations were held before EUDR’s introduction and that support is on offer for smallholders. Nonetheless, Ethiopia is asking for more time. Cocoa producers in Ghana and Ivory Coast and palm-oil-producing Indonesia also want a delay.
KENYA
Hundreds of Kenya doctors join protest in support of strike
Hundreds of hospital doctors joined a demonstration in the streets of the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday as a nationwide strike by medics neared its fourth week. About a dozen riot police in pickup trucks were out to monitor the protest, which was not authorised by the authorities. Members of the 7,000-strong Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have been on strike since March 13 to demand better pay and working conditions, disrupting health care at the country’s 57 public hospitals. The union last week rejected an offer by the government that included paying arrears under a 2017 collective bargaining agreement, and hiring trainee doctors on permanent contracts. In March, a labour court had ordered the union to suspend the strike and last week it set a 14-day deadline for the completion of negotiations to end the stalemate. Kenyan President William Ruto, who has embarked on a programme of cost-cutting measures since taking office in 2022, on Sunday ruled out any further concessions. Poor salaries and working conditions have led to an exodus of Kenyan medics to other African countries and further afield. In 2017, Kenyan doctors staged a crippling 100-day nationwide strike that left public hospitals shut and patients unable to access basic medical care.
France to build balanced partnerships with Africa, says FM on Kenya visit
France will aim to renew ties with Africa and build “balanced partnerships” that are beneficial to the continent, the country’s foreign affairs minister Stephane Sejourné said Saturday in Kenya at the start of his first visit to the continent. Relations between France and some former African colonies have worsened of late, as the continent becomes a diplomatic battleground amid growing Russian and Chinese influence. According to the foreign office, the choice to begin Sejourné’s visit in Kenya was also to highlight that France’s relationship with the African continent is not confined to issues of security…France and Kenya enjoy good diplomatic relations – President Macron visited Kenya in 2019 and Kenyan President William Ruto has visited Paris twice since he was elected in 2022. France is Kenya’s fifth largest investor and has strengthened its commercial presence in the east African state over the last decade, almost tripling the number of companies operating there from 50 to 140.
UK troops ‘having unprotected sex with prostitutes’ as part of initiation
Senior British soldiers have been accused of initiating new recruits deployed at the Nanyuki military base in Kenya into having unprotected sex with prostitutes as part of hazing, thus exposing them to sexually transmitted infections. This is according to a report published in the UK-based Mail on Sunday which reveals that the new recruits can decide whether to wear a condom or not at the toss of a coin as part of an initiation process. “The more senior soldiers would flip a coin – heads you could use a condom, tails you could not,” said the report written by the British Medical Journal Military Health.The claims have reportedly alarmed Defence bosses in the UK due to the prevalence of HIV/Aids in Kenya, where it affects five percent of Kenya’s population compared with 0.2 percent in the UK. The report also warned of soldiers’ growing patronage of prostitutes close to the British base in Nanyuki, with some services even offered at barber shops, as revealed by a senior officer who had gone for a trim. Former Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram criticised the military leadership over the incidents. “Sexual health is a part of annual training for all service personnel,” he said. “To hear that soldiers are being forced into some form of sexual initiation ceremony… where HIV rates are very high shocks me to the core. [It] once again highlights a failure in leadership and that the culture in the Army is still fundamentally broken,” he added. Around 10,000 British troops are deployed to Kenya every year to carry out live firing exercises for up to eight weeks.
RWANDA
After a long meeting, Ramaphosa and Kagame agree a political solution is best in DRC
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed they would prefer a political solution to – rather than military action around – Rwanda’s disagreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The two leaders had a relatively long closed-door meeting in Kigali on Saturday – their first direct engagement since SADC troops, led by South Africa, were deployed to the DRC…Ramaphosa said that since he had come into office, he and Kagame had been working on improving relations between the two countries, which hadn’t always been great…He said: It is a relationship that is in existence, like relationships between countries, sometimes they face challenges, they wrinkle up and those wrinkles will be straightened up. Some of the “wrinkles” include Rwandans needing to apply for visas to visit South Africa, something Ramaphosa said he and Kagame had agreed to resolve as “soon as possible”, without giving a timeline.
Kagame is concerned over perceived US ambiguity about victims of the 1994 genocide
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Monday he was concerned by what he saw as a U.S. failure to characterize the 1994 massacres as a genocide against the country’s minority Tutsis. Kagame told reporters that the issue was an “element of discussion” in talks with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who led the American delegation to a ceremony Sunday commemorating the 30th anniversary of the genocide in whichHutu extremists slaughtered about 800,000 people, most of them Tutsis, in a government-orchestrated campaign. Many Rwandans criticized U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for failing to specify that the genocide targeted the Tutsis when he wrote late Sunday: “We mourn the many thousands of Tutsis, Hutus, Twas, and others whose lives were lost during 100 days of unspeakable violence.” Responding to a journalist’s question about Blinken’s post on the social platform X, Kagame said he believed he had reached an agreement with U.S. authorities a decade ago for them not to voice any criticism on the genocide anniversary. “Give us that day,” he said, adding that criticism over “everything we are thought not to have at all” is unwanted on the genocide anniversary. Rwandan authorities insist any ambiguity on who the genocide victims were is an attempt to distort history and disrespects the memory of the victims.
SOMALIA
US warns of possible attacks on ‘multiple locations’ in Mogadishu
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi says it has received information about threats to multiple locations in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. One of the locations identified as a possible target for the threat is the city’s main airport, the Aden Adde International Airport, which also serves as a base for the African Union mission in Somalia and multiple embassies, including the United States and other Western countries…The United States did not specify where the threat is coming from, but the al-Shabab militant group has been carrying out attacks against the Somali government, African Union forces and other nations supporting Somalia. One of the installations that al-Shabab penetrated multiple times in the past has been the airport in Mogadishu.
UGANDA
Band members arrested for ‘insulting’ Museveni
Eight members of a Ugandan music band have been arrested for complaining that the president’s speech at the weekend was too long, local media report. The complaint by one of the band members was seen as an insult to President Yoweri Museveni, who was speaking during the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and his wife Jacqueline Mbabazi on Saturday night. The members of the Crane Performers band were speaking in the local Runyankole language, according to security sources, privately owned Uganda Radio Network news website reported. The band members are alleged to have said “Rutabandana Waturusya Rugahamuzindaro”, which loosely translates to “over speaker, we are tired, leave the microphone”, the report added. The musicians are reportedly being held at the Kampala Central Police Station. They have been charged with insulting the president, according to court files seen by the local media. Neither the band nor the police have commented on the matter.
Western Africa
SAHEL
Why Daesh and its affiliates are on the march in Africa’s Sahel and beyond
Despite the loss of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria at the hands of a US-led international coalition, the terror group Daesh has been making alarming advances across the African continent, particularly in notoriously unstable regions such as the Sahel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Mozambique. The resurgence of Daesh in Africa is not only a cause for grave concern for the continent, but it also poses a potential threat to global security, especially with the pace of foreign fighter mobilization in fragile states and the transnational appeal of Islamic radicalism. Recent developments, including arrests in Spain linked to recruitment efforts for Mali, underscore the growing interest and activity of Daesh in Africa. Meanwhile, the substantial revenues generated by Al-Shabab, which takes in an estimated $120 million from extortion alone, is cementing its position as the most cash-rich extremist group in the continent. As international involvement wanes in the Sahel and regional governments grapple with internal instability, terrorist organizations are exploiting the resulting vacuum to escalate their activities.
NIGERIA
Nigerian bank boss pleads not guilty to 26 fresh charges
Nigeria’s former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele pleaded not guilty to 26 fresh charges brought against him by the country’s finance watchdog. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused Mr Emefiele of committing exchange rate violations during his tenure as the central bank chief. He is accused of allocating $2bn (£1.5bn) in foreign exchange without following due process. The court in Lagos on Monday ordered that Mr Emefiele be remanded in the watchdog’s custody until the resumption of the case on Thursday. Mr Emefiele is already on trial on 20 separate charges at a court in the capital Abuja, including unlawfully withdrawing $6.2m from the Central Bank. He is the most high-profile former official to be charged with corruption since President Bola Tinubu took office last May. He was suspended not long after Mr Tinubu used the address at his May inauguration as president to criticise a key policy spearheaded by Mr Emefiele – the redesign of the currency, the naira.
Nigeria Binance dispute: Cryptocurrency official denies money laundering
An executive from cryptocurrency firm Binance has pleaded not guilty to money laundering charges in a Nigerian court. US citizen Tigran Gambaryan was arrested in February, along with his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan dual national. Their detention came as Nigeria accused Binance of being behind the country’s economic turmoil. Two weeks ago Mr Anjarwalla escaped from custody and his whereabouts are unknown. On Monday, Mr Gambaryan rejected five counts of money laundering filed against him by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mr Gambaryan and Mr Anjarwalla had previously been detained in an unknown location. After the hearing, he was transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre, a prison in the capital, Abuja…The EFCC had accused Binance – understood to be one of the most popular cryptocurrency platforms in Nigeria – along with Mr Gambaryan and Mr Anjarwalla, of laundering $35.4m (£28m). In February, Mr Gambarayan, who is in charge of financial crime compliance at Binance, and Mr Anjarwalla, who is Binance’s Africa Regional Manager, were detained after arriving in Nigeria for meetings to discuss the platform’s operations in the country. Binance was later that week ordered to pay a fine of $10bn (£8bn). The government accused it of currency speculation and fixing exchange rates, leading to the free-fall of the local currency, the naira.
Nigeria wants a road to rival the Pacific Coast highway. A prime Lagos beach resort stands in the way
When Lagos state authorities notified Nigerian business mogul Paul Onwuanibe in late March that he had seven days to leave his multimillion-dollar beach resort so it could be torn down, he thought it was an April Fools’ Day hoax come early. Onwuanibe, 58, was told in a government letter that his Landmark Beach resort – a top-tier destination visited, he says, by about a million local and foreign visitors last year – had to be removed as it “falls within the right of way” of a planned 700-kilometer (435-mile) coastal highway designed to link the former capital city to Calabar, a port city near the border with Cameroon. Approval for the new coastal road was given on February 27 by the federal authorities, according to presidential aide Temitope Ajayi. He said on X that the superhighway, “when completed, will enter the world record books among iconic coastal routes like the Wild Atlantic Highway in Ireland and the Pacific Coastal Highway in the United States.” Onwuanibe said the demolition of the beach would be an enormous loss, with millions of dollars of borrowed money already spent on developing the resort. Onwuanibe added that “without the beach, the entire ecosystem is at risk and is severely damaged,” he said, adding: “I have had widespread panic calls from my international and local investors as well as local debt providers threatening to pull the plug as they think this is material to our survival as a business.”
Nigeria’s junior footballers denied visas to play in Spain
Members of Nigeria’s junior football team have been denied visas to attend a tournament in Spain, the country’s football federation says. The visa denials affected both players and officials of the under-15 football team, the Future Eagles, it said. The team would “therefore not be travelling to take part in the Uefa U16 Development Tournament”, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) tweeted. It did not say what reason had been given for the visa denials. The Future Eagles were set to leave Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of their first match against Belgium on Friday. The 20-player squad was also due to play against Italy and England. Nigerian athletes and their supporters often complain about being denied visas by other countries, even when they say they have fulfilled all the visa requirements. In February, Nigeria’s national football team pulled out of a planned friendly match against Argentina, which was to be held in the US, after the Nigerian players failed to secure visas on time.
SENEGAL
European Parliament urges inquiry after Al Jazeera Senegal investigation
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has asked the European Commission to open an investigation into the mismanagement of European Union funds in Senegal after a joint investigation between Al Jazeera and porCausa Foundation revealed how an EU-funded cross-border crime unit was used to repress pro-democracy protests in the West African country. The joint investigation, published in February, focused on the Rapid Action Surveillance and Intervention Group, known as GAR-SI – a 74 million euro ($81.3m) funded project by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), implemented by Spanish government development agency FIIAPP between 2017 and 2023.
The project’s stated goal was to create and equip a special intervention unit in the town of Kidira along the border area between Mali and Senegal to fight armed groups, smuggling, trafficking and other cross-border crimes. However, the investigation found visual evidence, Spanish government contracts, a confidential evaluation report and three sources close to the project that confirmed the GAR-SI unit was used by then President Macky Sall’s government to repress protesters in Senegal during demonstrations between 2021 and 2023. At least 60 people died during the protests, Amnesty International estimates. No one has been prosecuted to date. The political unrest also coincided with a big spike in migration towards Spain.
Southern Africa
MOZAMBIQUE
About 100 dead in Mozambique ferry incident
More than 100 people died after a ferry boat sank off the northern coast of Mozambique, President Filipe Nyusi said on Monday, and almost 20 others were still missing. An official from the country’s Maritime Transport Institute (Intrasmar) said the vessel carrying 130 passengers was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licensed to transport people. It was ferrying people from Lunga in Nampula province to Mozambique Island on Sunday, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of Intrasmar, said on state television, adding that initial reports indicated that it was hit by a tidal wave. The passengers were reportedly fleeing a cholera outbreak, the Office of the Secretary of State for Nampula Province said in a statement, adding that 10 people had been rescued and nearly 20 others were still missing. Mozambique and other countries in Southern Africa have been battling cholera outbreaks since last year.
Disinformation on cholera led to Mozambique ferry disaster, officials say
Disinformation over a cholera outbreak has been blamed for the deaths of almost 100 people after an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique. At least 96 people, many of them children, drowned with another 26 still missing after the converted fishing boat capsized late on Sunday. Officials said the vessel was crowded with panicked passengers attempting to flee the mainland after the spread of false narratives over the disease. Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries, is no stranger to fatalities caused by the deliberate spread of false information relating to cholera. In January a wave of disinformation about the causes of cholera led to the murder of at least three community leaders and the destruction of 50 houses in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado. Conspiracy theories have gained traction at a time when the southern African country is battling a genuine cholera outbreak with, according to government data, almost 15,000 cases of cholera and 32 deaths recorded since October. Nampula province – whose coastline the ferry sank off – is the worst affected region, accounting for a third of all cases. Officials said the vessel was trying to reach the Island of Mozambique in order to escape reports of the disease.
SOUTH AFRICA
Former president Jacob Zuma cleared to run in upcoming elections
South Africa’s Electoral Court on Tuesday ruled that former President Jacob Zuma can run for office as a lawmaker in the upcoming election, overturning an earlier decision that had barred him from contesting the polls. The decision paves the way for Zuma to run for president on behalf of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, a new political organization that he joined last year after denouncing the ruling African National Congress party that he once led. The Independent Electoral Commission had earlier ruled that Zuma could not run for office due to his criminal record, after it received an objection against his candidature. South Africa’s constitution does not allow people who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine to stand for elections as lawmakers. Zuma was convicted and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment in 2021 for defying a court order to appear before a judicial commission probing corruption allegations in government and state-owned companies during his presidential term from 2009 to 2018. However, in a brief court order released on Tuesday, the court announced that an appeal by Zuma and his party was successful and that the objection against his candidature had been dismissed.
SAfrica proposes ‘innovative’ medical tourism plan allowing use of rhino horn
South Africa is proposing allowing tourists to use rhino horn powder within its borders for its claimed medicinal effects as part of a wider strategy designed to extract more economic value from the country’s wildlife…The revamped 10-year plan, known as the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy, envisages particular financial benefits for Black communities historically excluded from the white-dominated wildlife and conservation industries…Barbara Creecy, the environment minister, told the Financial Times that the proposals were a way of ensuring that “people in rural areas have an incentive for conservation”. If poorer South Africans living around game reserves were simply excluded, some would resort to land invasions and poaching, she said.
Cape Town’s digital nomads: Where idyllic lifestyle clashes with local needs
Digital nomads – the laptop-wielding new generation of remote workers – have found themselves at the sharp end of a debate in the South African city of Cape Town about whether or not they are good for the more permanent residents. Supporters see the international influx as a financial boon and something to be encouraged, but their detractors are not so kind. For 25-year-old South African social media content creator, Az’emahle Dyubeni, the city is facing a “digital nomad epidemic” that is pushing up housing and other costs. Ms Dyubeni has lived in the beautiful coastal city all her life and says since Covid-19 the number of remote workers, mostly from the West, has increased substantially…If all that is needed is a decent internet connection then why not set up in one of the world’s most picturesque cities? With Table Mountain in the background, ocean vistas and a perfect summer climate, the attraction is obvious compared to a mundane, grey office cubicle. Currently many of these visitors, who do things like copywriting or digital content creation, are allowed to live in the country and work for a foreign company for up to 90 days, though the time varies depending on their nationality. “Cape Town is an ideal destination for digital nomads who are looking to blend aspects of tourism and work into their day-to-day activities,” says Alderman James Vos, who is on the city’s committee for economic growth. In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a proposal for a remote-working visa that would be available to “so-called digital nomads, who are able to work virtually from any location in the world” and are employed by foreign organisations.
ZIMBABWE
New ZiG currency starts trading, credibility doubts linger
Zimbabwe’s new gold-backed currency started trading on Monday amid doubts that the country’s third such re-launch in a decade will have any more success in ending repeated, crippling bouts of high inflation. The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) was announced on Friday by the central bank with an initial rate of 13.56 to $1, replacing the Real Time Gross Settlement Dollar (RTGS), which had lost about 80% of its value this year and had been trading at 28,720 to $1 before the change. ank balances were transferred into the new currency over the weekend while their customers will have 21 days to do so, and the new banknotes will enter circulation at the end of this month, according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. The RTGS, also known as the Zimdollar , was launched in 2019 after a decade of dollarisation, which included so-called bond coins and bond notes, notionally pegged to the U.S. dollar and introduced in 2014 and 2016 respectively. However, the Zimdollar struggled to gain trust and this year’s precipitous slide pushed annual inflation above 55% in March , raising fears of a return to the 2007-2009 era of hyperinflation under former president Robert Mugabe. Commercial banks were using the new official exchange rate on Monday, according to Reuters enquiries. It was not immediately clear whether the currency, which the central bank described as “structured” and “anchored by a composite basket of foreign currency and precious metals (mainly gold) held as reserves”, would be able to retain this value. Nor was it given that companies and citizens would accept it as a form of payment and a store of value. Some 80% to 85% of transactions are currently carried out in foreign currencies, according to the central bank.
North Africa
LIBYA
Inside the plan to send American diplomats back to Libya
The Biden administration has notified Congress of its plan to restore the US diplomatic presence in Libya, a decade after unrest in the North African country forced American diplomats to evacuate the US Embassy in Tripoli. The State Department submitted a formal notification to lawmakers this month, kicking off what the department expects will be a one-to-two-year process to establish “an interim diplomatic facility” in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. The United States has been without an embassy in Libya since its personnel withdrew under heavy military escort in 2014 amid the budding civil war. American diplomats relocated to Malta and later Tunisia, where they now form a remote mission known as the Libya External Office. The Biden administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 seeks $57.2 million to fund a more robust diplomatic presence in Libya, including property costs, travel, equipment and security at its facility located in the western suburbs of Tripoli. The US facility won’t be a formal embassy, at least not for the foreseeable future. The Tunis-based diplomats assigned to Libya will instead use it to make more frequent and longer trips to the country…I’mproved security conditions have led several US partners to reopen their embassies in recent years, including Italy in 2017, France in 2021 and the United Kingdom in 2022. But for the United States, raising its flag in Libya risks becoming a partisan issue.
MOROCCO
Activist sentenced to 5 years for criticizing country’s ties to Israel
An activist who criticised Morocco’s decision to normalise relations with Israel was sentenced to five years in prison, as some of the Arab world’s largest pro-Palestinian protests continue to sweep the country. Abdul Rahman Zankad of Mohammedia, Morocco was arrested in March after posting on Facebook about Israel’s war on Gaza and Morocco’s 2020 decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, the Moroccan Space for Human Rights said in a statement. Tens of thousands of protesters across the political spectrum have taken to the streets in Morocco to denounce Israel and express support for the Palestinians. The protesters have criticised Israel’s allies including the United States and chanted demands for the government to “overturn normalisation.” Morocco was one of four Arab nations to establish ties with Israel in 2020, as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, which led to both the United States and Israel recognising Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara.
AFRICA – GENERAL NEWS
Sub-Saharan Africa growth not enough to dent poverty, says World Bank
Economic growth is set to rise for the next two years in Sub-Saharan Africa, but not enough to make a significant dent in poverty on the continent, the World Bank said in a report on Monday. The region’s economy is set to expand 3.4% this year and 3.8% in 2024 as falling inflation boosts private consumption, up from 2.4% in 2023, the World Bank said in its biannual Africa’s Pulse report. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were hit hard by the shocks of COVID-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which pushed up inflation at the same time as rising global interest rates made borrowing prohibitively expensive. Drought and conflict have also affected swathes of the region. “Growth is set to bounce back in Sub-Saharan Africa but the recovery is still fragile,” the report said. “The pace of economic expansion in the region remains slow and insufficient to have a significant effect on poverty reduction.” “Per capita GDP growth of 1% is associated with poverty reduction of only 1% in the region, compared to 2.5% in the rest of the world.” South Africa’s growth rate is forecast to double in 2024, but just to 1.2%, while Angola’s is set to pick up to 2.8% from 0.8% last year, driven mainly by the non-oil sector amid falling oil production.
US must boost Africa ties to secure key minerals, report says
The US must boost commercial ties with African countries to curb reliance on China for supplies of critical minerals, a Washington-based think tank said on Tuesday. “US economic and national security depend on securing a reliable supply of critical minerals, including from Africa,” the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) said in a report. The US is almost 100 percent reliant on “foreign entities of concern”, mainly China, for key critical minerals, it said, and must come up with own sources of supply to avoid being shorthanded and vulnerable to China’s export curbs. Western mining companies are lagging Chinese rivals in the race to tap Africa’s abundant mineral resources, key to sectors from electric vehicle manufacturing to defence industries. To counter China’s head start in Africa, Washington must roll out “more vigorous commercial diplomacy with a keen eye toward building critical minerals partnership in Africa,” the 76-page report said. One option for the US would be to increase commercial diplomacy in countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s No. 1 cobalt supplier, and Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, it said.
The competition for securing minerals in Africa is heating up as cash-rich Middle East firms join the race. While Western mining companies still see hurdles in investing in countries such as Congo, which lacks vital infrastructure such as roads and adequate electricity, Chinese miners have strengthened their grip in the country and are broadening investment throughout Africa.
TWEET(s) OF THE DAY
After Paul Kagame’s speech, at the 30th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi, the South African President @CyrilRamaphosa returns to South Africa convinced that a political and non-military solution is needed in the east of the DRC:
“I leave Rwanda with a renewed feeling and the intention that a political solution is needed,” he declared in Kigali.
Reno Omokri @renoomkori on “X”
VIDEO OF THE DAY
President Cyril Ramaphosa on the need for a political solution in eastern DRCongo
AFRICA – ANALYSIS, EDITORIAL/OPINION
CFA franc: conditions are ripe for replacement of the west African currency rooted in colonialism – expert
The fallacy of the ‘West versus the rest’ worldview
Horn of Africa’s new security landscape: Geopolitical consequences of the conflict-cooperation dynamics
Egypt
Why Is Sisi’s Egypt ‘Too Big to Fail’?
Ethiopia
Ethiopia Back on the Brink
How Abiy’s Reckless Ambition—and Emirati Meddling—Are Fueling Chaos in the Horn
Ghana
Why is Ghana so hot this year? An expert explains
Niger
What Niger-US rupture says about Russia and West’s shaky future in Sahel
Rwanda
Rwanda’s genocide could have been prevented: 3 things the international community should have done – expert
The judicial legacy of the Rwandan genocide: 30 years of double standards
The international community’s efforts to prosecute perpetrators of core crimes remain selective and politicised.
South Africa
South Africa’s crucial water supplies from Lesotho: what the six-month shutdown means for industry, farming and residents
South Africa’s conservation model: why expanding the use of biodiversity to generate money is a good idea
Beyond Racism
The Challenges Faced by Black African Immigrants in South Africa
Tunisia
Tunisia’s El Kef city is rich in heritage: centuries of cultural mixing give it a distinct identity
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