News That Matters To Africa©️
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
HIGHLIGHTS
‘Time running out to prevent starvation in Darfur’
Niger joins Africa’s oil producer club
Zuma faces dissent in new party
Chad’s first round of Presidential Elections completed
Tunisia dumps refugees on Algeria border
Shipping giant avoid Red Sea by speeding up southern Africa route.
TOP NEWS
Eastern Africa
Russia and China are much less sneaky than the West says DRC president
DRC’s $7B infrastructure plan with China tied to copper prices
Kenya Airways staff freed from DRC detention
Tigray authorities deny involvement in Sudan’s war
Ethiopia HR Commission ‘forced to quit’ Meki investigation into Bate’s assassination
Kenya: Burst dams, washed-away bridges and lost lives
Maasai in Kenya object to carbon credits sold to Meta, Netflix
US Congress considers extending invitation to Ruto
Rwanda admits it can’t guarantee how many asylum seekers it will take in from UK
‘Time running out to prevent starvation in Darfur’
Tanzania closes major highway after floods wash away bridges
LRA’s Kwoyelo: “At no time did I kill anyone”
West Africa
Mali extends military rule, seeks domestic solution to crisis
Niger joins Africa’s oil producer club
‘Nigeria has no plans to host American, French Military bases’
Oil majors offered faster Nigerian exit if they pay for cleanup
Nigeria restricts electricity export to prioritize domestic supply
Southern Africa
Eswatini: Opposition may not oppose – and might be murdered
Malawi court drops corruption charges against vice president
Mozambique’s ruling party announces Chapo as presidential candidate
Namibia: Call for port extension to be halted as genocide remains are found
South Africa: Deadly building collapse leaves dozens trapped
UAE offered South Africa billions to drop Israel lawsuit
News Coverage of SAfrica’s Upcoming Elections
Zuma faces dissent in new party as election nears
Zuma ‘will attend’ disciplinary hearing despite ANC cancelling it
South Africa’s 2024 election: What you need to know
Study: Only around half of South Africa’s youth likely to vote
Zimbabwe says new gold-backed currency now the official unit
North Africa
At Least 107 migrants freed from captivity in Libya
Tunisia police raid sees refugees abandoned near the border with Algeria
Central Africa
News Coverage of Chad’s Upcoming Elections
Chad: First round of Presidential Elections completed
Chad counts votes in presidential election to oust junta rule
Deby seen to stay in power as Chad votes to end military rule
What’s at stake in Chad’s presidential election?
AFRICA GENERAL
UN RELATED NEWS
TWEET OF THE DAY
VIDEO (S) OF THE DAY
PODCAST OF THE DAY
CHART OF THE WEEK
(16) ARTICLES ON ANALYSIS, EDITORIAL & OPINION
EASTERN AFRICA
DR CONGO
Russia and China are much less sneaky than the West – president
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, recently touched on the ease of doing business with Russia and China over the West, according to a report by the Russian newspaper Sputnik. He noted that Russia and China manage ties with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) without “arrogance” and the desire to “read lectures,” emphasizing that so far Beijing and Moscow have treated the DRC with more esteem than the West. The president went on to say that the DRC is entitled to cordial ties with Russia. “In France, Israel was condemned for some actions in Gaza. Does this prevent France from maintaining its relations with Israel? Why do they want to judge us when it comes to Africans? One should not judge us. We have the right to the friends we want and we are friends to all those who want to be our friends … Russians want friendship with Africa and DR Congo, so why should we refuse? There are no reasons for that,” the DRC president stated. China and Russia, the president said, are much less sneaky than the West as they are “partners coming through the front door.” He also stated that he believes that China and Russia would “come out on top.”
Kenya Airways staff freed from DRC detention
Two Kenya Airways staff members who were detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late April have been released, a senior Kenyan foreign ministry official and the airline’s chief executive said. The airline’s flights to Congo, which had been suspended in late April, would now resume, Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka, said in a statement. Congo’s military intelligence detained two of the airline’s staff on April 19, allegedly because of missing customs documentation on some valuable cargo. The company said it had not taken possession of the cargo because the shipper’s paperwork was incomplete. The two were detained despite a court order asking for their release, which prompted the airline to suspend its flights, saying the detention of the employees had made it difficult for the airline to support the flights.
DRC’s $7B infrastructure plan with China tied to copper prices
Chinese companies are set to invest approximately $7 billion in infrastructure projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as revealed in details of a revised minerals deal published on Friday. The success of these investments will hinge largely on the stability of copper prices, according to the agreement. President Felix Tshisekedi’s administration sought to renegotiate the 2008 infrastructure-for-minerals deal with Sinohydro Corp and China Railway Group to ensure greater benefits for the DRC, which is the world’s leading cobalt producer. The revised agreement, signed in March, maintains the existing ownership structure of the Sicomines copper and cobalt joint venture, with Chinese partners holding 68% and the Congolese state miner Gecamines holding 32%. Under the terms of the agreement, the $7 billion investment will primarily fund the construction of roads in a country with limited infrastructure.
ETHIOPIA
Tigray authorities deny involvement in Sudan’s war
Authorities in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray have strongly denied involvement as mercenaries in the Sudanese war that has left thousands dead, and millions displaced since last year. They were responding to an accusation by one of Sudan’s warring parties, the RSF, which says there is “documented evidence” that forces loyal to the TPLF, party of Tigray’s ruling coalition, are currently “fighting alongside the SAF [army] and its allied militias”. In a statement, the Interim Administration of Tigray “vehemently denies, and strongly condemns, baseless claims,” made by the RSF. During the 2020-2022 war in northern Ethiopia, thousands of Ethiopians of Tigrayan origin crossed to Sudan to seek safety. Hundreds of former UN peacekeepers hailing from Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray have also sought asylum in Sudan, fearing persecution if they return home. During the war in Tigray, authorities in Addis repeatedly alleged that the Sudanese army was arming, hosting and giving training to TPLF forces, which Sudan always denied…Observers say a number of mercenaries from different countries are fighting alongside Sudanese warring parties.
HR Commission ‘forced to quit’ Meki investigation into Bate’s assassination
A letter by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) addressed to the Oromia regional state government, including President Shimelis Abdissa, revealed the Commission was “forced to quit,” its investigations in Meki city, Oromia Region, three days after its team of investigators began to gather witness testimonies from the scene that showed a trail of activities implicating government security forces in the assassination of Bate Urgessa, Political officer of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). EHRC’s letter, written on 17 April, confirmed that Bate was killed in Meki City, and stated that “as soon as the information was received”, on 10 April, EHRC deployed “investigative experts who were working nearby” to gather information and evidence. EHRC’s letter further stated that although the Commission made “great efforts to ensure the safety of our witnesses” during the investigation process, the police did not only arrest the same witnesses whom the Commission’s investigators spoke to but when the Commission’s team moved around in the city of Meki to carry out the investigation, “unidentified people and vehicles followed the investigation experts and disrupted the movement…”. Furthermore, the police also detained Bate’s family members who were cooperating with EHRC’s investigation. “Therefore, to ensure the safety of the investigative experts, witnesses, and people involved in the investigation, the Commission was “forced to quit” the evidence-gathering work it was doing in the city on 12 April.
KENYA
Burst dams, washed-away bridges and lost lives
The worst floods in 30 years took the country by surprise – despite the president styling himself as a global climate-change campaigner. Rains that started in the middle of March have been historic in their intensity. Bursting rivers and dams, and causing flash floods that have destroyed lives, homes and infrastructure. The catastrophes began with the swelling of the Mathare River in the early hours of 23 April. Gushing through the densely populated, low-income area named after the river, the waters swept aside shanty houses, children and adults. At least 40 bodies have been pulled from the river so far, but at least two dozen residents are still missing, according to the Mathare Social Justice Centre. The most shocking incident would come on 29 April, near the Maai Mahiu town of Nakuru county. Deep in the night, a water channel built in the 1930s burst its walls and sent water and mud downhill, flooding at least 100 homes. At last count, more than 70 people had died. On the heels of that tragedy, the Talek River in the Masai Mara burst its banks on Wednesday, flooding pricy resorts and forcing the evacuation of tourists. At one resort, tourists spent the night perched on water tanks to escape the rising waters gushing through their booked accommodations. Reeling from the scale of it all, Kenyans have blamed everyone and everything.
Maasai in Kenya object to carbon credits sold to Meta, Netflix
Members of Kenya’s Maasai pastoralist community are clashing with managers of a major carbon project, raising new concerns that international demand for carbon credits generated in Africa could have damaging consequences for local communities. The Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project (NKRCP), which describes itself as the world’s largest soil carbon removal project, has sold carbon credits to corporations including Meta, Netflix and UK bank NatWest. It restores and maintains grasslands to absorb carbon, including by managing grazing patterns of livestock herds on the 4.7 million acres it covers. Absorbing carbon allows it to generate carbon credits which can be purchased by corporations to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions. The project, however, continues to face significant opposition from many members of affected local communities, who say it is disrupting their ways of life and denying them access to their ancestral land. Many also say it puts women at risk due to harsh work conditions in some areas.
US Congress considers extending invitation to Ruto
The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has put in a formal request to Speaker Mike Johnson to invite Kenyan President William Ruto to address a joint session of the Congress. President Ruto is scheduled to visit the United States on an official state visit on May 23, 2024, the first time in two decades that an African president has been accorded a state visit in the US.nPresident William Ruto could make history in the United States if a request to the Speaker is granted. He would be the first African head of state to address Congress since former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf eighteen years ago. In their letter to the Speaker, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) said such an invitation would underscore the importance of the U.S.-Kenya relationship and send a valuable signal to the people of Africa. “ This year marks the 60-year anniversary of the U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relationship. The Congressmen also pointed out that the United States maintains an overseas military base at Manda Bay, on the Indian Ocean, to support operations to counter terrorist threats from Al-Shabab. These, they said, are just some examples of the close ties forged between the US and Kenya over the past six decades.
RWANDA
No guarantee on how many asylum seekers will taken in from UK
Rwanda has admitted it cannot guarantee how many people it will take from the UK under Rishi Sunak’s deportation scheme. The east African country did not give assurances that the estimated 52,000 asylum seekers in the UK who are eligible to be sent to Kigali would be accepted, instead saying it would be “thousands”. Yolande Makolo, a government spokesperson, also described suggestions Rwanda would initially welcome only 200 migrants as a “misconception”. Makolo said: “We will be able to welcome the migrants that the UK sends over the lifetime of this partnership. What I cannot tell you is how many thousands we are taking in the first year or the second year. This will depend on very many factors that are being worked out right now. Makolo told critics of the scheme not to attack Rwanda “unjustly” adding: “Living in Rwanda is not a punishment. It is a beautiful country, including the weather.” Keir Starmer said Labour would not keep the Rwanda scheme if it wins the next election. Instead, its national campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden, said the party would spend the money set aside for the Rwanda scheme on a “proper operation to crack down on the criminal gangs”. Responding to Makolo’s comments, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “This interview shows that more people have arrived in the last week than are likely to be sent to Rwanda over the next few years, and the Conservatives are just trying to con people with their failing plans. “Today, we heard a stark admission that Rwanda can only take a tiny proportion of people who are arriving in the UK, yet the government is spending half a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money on this scheme.”
SUDAN
‘Time running out to prevent starvation in Darfur’
UN agencies issued a joint warning that time is running out to prevent starvation in Sudan’s Darfur region due to intensifying clashes around the northern capital of El Fasher, which are hindering efforts to deliver life-saving aid. Since fighting erupted last April between rival militaries, Sudan has witnessed shocking levels of violence, plunging the country into a devastating humanitarian and protection crisis. Close to 25 million people – more than half the population – are estimated to need assistance, with approximately 17.7 million people facing “acute” levels of food insecurity. The cris, Description as being of “epic proportions” by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA), is exacerbated by limited access to vulnerable communities due to ongoing fighting and authorities’ restrictions, particularly in Darfur, while the fighting rages on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The latest escalation of violence around El Fasher has halted aid convoys from Chad’s Tine border crossing, while authorities in Port Sudan are preventing aid transport via Adre, the only other viable cross-border corridor from Sudan’s western neighbour.
TANZANIA
Major highway closed after floods wash away bridges
Tanzania’s 396-kilometre highway connecting the port city of Dar es Salaam and southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara was shut down on Sunday after flash floods washed away at least four main bridges. Flash floods were triggered by an overnight heavy downpour caused by the tropical cyclone Hidaya before it completely lost its strength after its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday. The floods washed away bridges over Mbwemkuru, Somanga, Mikereng’ende and Matandu rivers in Kilwa district in Lindi region. On Saturday night, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority declared that tropical cyclone Hidaya had completely lost its strength following its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday. The tropical cyclone was forecast to hit the country’s Indian Ocean coast regions of Mtwara, Lindi, Coast, Tanga and Dar es Salaam. At least 155 people have lost their lives in flood and landslides-related incidents in the country.
UGANDA
LRA’s Kwoyelo: “At no time did I kill anyone”
Former Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo was able to speak in his own defence for the first time. For a week, ending April 30, a Ugandan court sitting in Gulu heard what he had to say about accusations levelled against him since his capture 15 years ago. First and only LRA commander to be tried, Kwoyelo faces 78 charges, including murder, pillage, cruel treatment, violence to life, outrages against the dignity of humanity, torture, rape, enslavement, imprisonment, kidnap with intent to murder, and aggravated robbery. Kwoyelo appeared composed, attentive and confident, often correcting his Luo language translator. His defence plea was written in his native language. He followed the work of his legal team paragraph by paragraph, seeming organized and coherent. This contrasted with previous appearances, during which he was less confident, absent-minded and less attentive. The former LRA insisted several times: “My work was to look after the sick and get them medicines. The witnesses that have testified against me are liars. Their testimonies before this court should be examined carefully as their claims are not consistent. We worked under a command and all was to be directed by Kony, not for an individual commander to decide”…“Court should be alive to the fact that some people they claim I killed are alive, and would be called to testify. At no time did I kill anyone,” he said. According to Kwoyelo’s lawyer, 48 witnesses will be called for his defense.
WEST AFRICA
MALI
Mali extends military rule, seeks domestic solution to crisis
Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of the junta in Mali, kicked off the national phase of inter-Malian dialogue on Monday, aiming to address the country’s ongoing crisis with domestic solutions. This dialogue, titled “inter-Malian dialogue for peace and national reconciliation,” commenced after local consultations and is set to conclude on Friday. However, a significant portion of the opposition has opted to boycott the process, alleging that the colonels are leveraging the dialogue to bolster their increasingly challenged legitimacy and prolong their stay in power. Since the consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali has been under military rule, with promises of a transition to civilian governance through elections in February. Nevertheless, these elections have been postponed indefinitely due to a deteriorating security situation exacerbated by insurgent attacks. In April, the military authorities further intensified their grip on power by suspending all party political activities and silencing dissenting voices, including opposition figures, journalists, and human rights activists.
NIGER
Niger joins Africa’s oil producer club
Niger is expected to export its first shipment of oil this month, part of a $400 million commodity-backed loan agreement with state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Under the loan agreement, Niger will send oil to China over 12 months as payment with a 7% interest rate. CNPC has already built a 1,200-mile pipeline to move oil from Niger to neighboring Benin, part of a $4.6 billion investment in Niger’s petroleum industry. The increased oil production is expected to help expand Niger’s economy by more than 12% this year, making it the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank. The loan is seen as a lifeline for Niger’s beleaguered military junta which took power in July last year. S&P Global Commodity Insights expects Niger to start shipping 90,000 barrels per day this month, and projects that number will reach 110,000. China is Niger’s “great friend,” said Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. Niger has cut ties with former colonial administrator France, and long-time ally the US.
NIGERIA
’Nigeria has no plans to host American, French Military bases’
Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris has refuted claims from some stakeholders in the country that the West African nation was considering approving a deal with the United States and France to establish military bases in the country to host soldiers from both Western powers following their ouster from neighboring Niger. Minister Idris said the government “has neither received nor was it considering” any proposals for the establishment of foreign military bases in Nigeria. The government, he said, already enjoys foreign cooperation in tackling ongoing security challenges, “and the President remains committed to deepening these partnerships”. Earlier a group of leaders from the country’s northern region wrote an open letter to President Bola Tinubu urging him to “tread with caution” over the alleged signing of a defence pact with the US or the French government, noting that any such deal “will be a profound threat to the country’s sovereignty and independence”.
Oil majors offered faster Nigerian exit if they pay for cleanup
Major oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Shell that aim to exit Nigeria’s onshore oil can get quicker approval to do so if they take responsibility for spills rather than wait for authorities to apportion blame, the regulator said. Exxon, Shell, TotalEnergies, and Eni have all sought to leave Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger delta in recent years citing security concerns, including theft and sabotage, to focus on deepwater drilling. However, their exits have been delayed by regulatory hurdles. At a meeting with the companies in Abuja, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) chief Gbenga Komolafe offered a short-term option with faster approval if the companies commit to cleaning up spills and compensating communities. “We have the undertaking here. The consent here though fixed for June, could be much shorter,” he said. “If you agree to take that option, you sign the undertaking knowing that there are obligations to be fulfilled,” Komolafe said. NURPC is seeking to balance a faster exit for oil majors with protecting the environment, local communities, and the long-term viability of the assets. The companies are reviewing the options and will respond soon, they said. Analysts say the accelerated option could cost oil majors millions of dollars for cleanups and reparations.
Electricity exports restricted to prioritize domestic supply
Nigeria’s electricity regulatory body, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has instructed the grid operator to curtail electricity exports to bolster domestic availability. NERC highlighted that the current approach to managing supply has led to considerable hardships for Nigerians, as supply commitments to international customers, under bilateral contracts, take precedence over domestic requirements. Effective from May 1, NERC has imposed a 6% cap on the total grid generation available for international off-takers for the next six months. Nigerian power firms have established contracts with neighboring African nations to provide energy, securing foreign currency to supplement revenue from tariffs that are below cost-recovery levels. However, these firms have faced challenges with timely payments from these customers. Nigeria frequently experiences power shortages, exacerbated recently by escalating demand. Despite tariff hikes for some domestic consumers promising increased daily supply, power companies struggle to meet these commitments. Following the directive, grid service data indicates a rise in electricity supply from the national grid, surpassing 4,700 megawatts since Saturday, compared to the usual daily allocation of less than 4000MW for local consumers.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
ESWATINI
Opposition may not oppose – and might be murdered
Political challenges to the absolute rule of the king are not permitted, and will be punished. Opposition parties in Eswatini face a greater problem than those in much of the rest of the continent – they are not even allowed to contest elections. The country has effectively been a no-party state under the control of the king for 51 years. Rivals to the king’s dominance, such as the People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), Swaziland Youth Congress and Swaziland Solidarity Network, were proscribed under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. Aspiring opposition leaders, activists and protesters face severe intimidation and death. Those killed include former Pudemo leader Sipho Jele, killed in 2010, and advocate Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer, gunned down in front of his wife and two children in 2023. Although Maseko’s assassination was condemned by the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, nothing has been done to secure justice for his family or to end King Mswati III’s repressive reign. Instead, the government has rubbed salt in the wounds…Maseko’s wife, Tanele Maseko – herself a widely respected gender activist – was detained, interrogated and stripped of her passport and phone at a border post between South Africa and Eswatini in March.
MALAWI
Court drops corruption charges against vice president
A court in Malawi has dropped corruption charges against the country’s Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, clearing a legal hurdle over his potential candidacy in next year’s presidential election. Chilima was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations after the country’s corruption watchdog alleged he was rewarded for assisting Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies connected to British businessman Zuneth Sattar, to be awarded contracts by the Malawi Government. Both Chilima and Sattar denied any wrongdoing. Judge Redson Kapindu said the decision to drop the charges was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Kapindu ordered the DPP to provide reasons for discontinuing the case to the legal affairs committee of parliament within 10 days as required by the country’s constitution. Chilima’s lawyer said his team was relieved that the criminal charges against the vice president had been dropped. “As of now, we do not know the reasons for the discontinuance, suffice to say only parliament has the mandate to know,” he added.
MOZAMBIQUE
Ruling party announces Chapo as presidential candidate
Mozambique’s ruling FRELIMO party has announced Daniel Chapo will be its presidential candidate in an election scheduled for October. FRELIMO has governed the southern African country since gaining independence in 1975 and hopes Chapo will lead the party to another victory in the Oct. 9 election.”The soap opera of speculation is over, including speculation about the third term,” President Filipe Nyusi said on state television on Sunday, dismissing the prospect of contesting elections again. Mozambique’s constitution limits the president to two five-year terms. However, there had been media speculation that Nyusi would seek a third term after his re-election as party leader in 2022. A relatively unknown figure in national politics, Chapo is the governor of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. He won 225 votes (around 94%) cast by the party’s central committee, according to a party statement. A former radio announcer, Chapo was born in 1977, making him the first FRELIMO candidate born after the country’s independence.
NAMIBIA
Call for port extension to be halted as genocide remains are found
The Namibian authorities are being urged to halt plans to extend a port on the Shark Island peninsula after the discovery of unmarked graves and artefacts relating to the Herero and Nama genocide. Forensic Architecture, a non-profit research agency, said it had located sites of executions, forced labour, imprisonment and sexual violence that occurred when the island was used by the German empire as a concentration camp between 1905 and 1907. More than 65,000 Herero people and 10,000 Nama were killed by German troops between 1904 and 1908 in what is widely acknowledged as the first genocide of the 20th century. The attack was in retaliation for a revolt against colonial rule led by paramount chief Samuel Maharero. Many were killed in the camp on the island, which is now a peninsula. Forensic Architecture’s findings are part of a body of digital restitutive evidence it is gathering in support of the Herero and Nama people’s calls for direct reparations for the genocide.
SOUTH AFRICA
Deadly building collapse leaves dozens trapped
Rescuers in South Africa were searching for survivors after a five-storey apartment block under construction collapsed on Monday, killing five people and leaving at least 50 trapped. Officials in the city of George, Western Cape province, say 26 people have been pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital but there were dozens more workers were on the site when the building collapsed. The cause is under investigation. Video footage taken nearby showed a huge cloud of dust as the building fell. The majority of the workers who were on the construction site are still unaccounted for and it has been a long and slow process to bring survivors out. Two of those pulled from the wreckage died of their injuries. Another three deaths were reported later by medics.
UAE offered South Africa billions to drop Israel lawsuit
Diplomatic sources revealed an offer made by the UAE to South Africa, which includes huge investments to withdraw from suing Israel in the International Court of Justice. Emirates Leaks sources reveal UAE officials sought to persuade South Africa to drop its Court of Justice case against Israel by offering billions in oil refinery investments. According to the sources, Emirati officials sought for weeks to secretly offer various temptations to their counterparts in South Africa, including opening various economic relations between the two countries. In addition, the only Emirati request from South Africa was to withdraw from suing Israel or at least reduce the severity of the genocide charge included in the file in the Court of Justice. However, South Africa insisted, after filing the lawsuit, on proceeding with the International Court of Justice and ignoring the Emirati offer, according to the same sources who indicated extreme disappointment in Abu Dhabi at the failure of these attempts.
News Coverage of SAfrica’s Upcoming Elections:
Zuma faces dissent in new party as election nears
Former South African President Jacob Zuma is facing an attempt to oust him from leadership positions in his new party, state broadcaster SABC reported on Tuesday, three weeks before an election in which he is expected to attract significant support. One of the most divisive figures in South Africa, Zuma was president from 2009 until 2018, when he was forced to quit following a string of corruption scandals involving his administration. Openly hostile to his successor President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zuma announced in December he would not vote for the ruling African National Congress, his longtime party, in the May 29 election, instead backing new party uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK). With polls suggesting the ANC will lose its majority for the first time since it came to power in 1994, smaller parties like MK could potentially gain leverage after the election in a scenario where the ANC is looking for coalition partners. Support for MK has hovered between 8% and 13% since Zuma’s endorsement, according to polls. Zuma has become the party’s public face despite remaining an ANC member. But after Zuma fell out with MK founder Jabulani Khumalo and ousted him from the party, Khumalo has hit back by writing to the electoral commission saying Zuma was not the rightful leader of MK and his face should not appear on ballot papers, SABC reported. A spokesperson for MK said Zuma was the party’s president and Khumalo had been expelled. The electoral commission said it did not wish to involve itself in internal party disputes and Zuma had been the registered leader of MK since April 10.
Study: Only around half of South Africa’s youth likely to vote
Just under half of South Africa’s young voters are likely to cast a ballot in the general election this month, owing mainly to corruption, high unemployment and gender-based violence, a study showed Tuesday. Some 49% of 18- to 24-year-olds “say they are likely to vote later this month, while 16% say they won’t and another 35% haven’t yet decided”, according to the survey by the Johannesburg-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation. South Africans vote in parliamentary elections on May 29, in what is set to be the tightest vote since democratic rule was introduced at the end of apartheid. Frustration with the ruling African National Congress (ANC), accused of corruption and mismanagement, is widespread. Graft, high unemployment and gender-based violence rank as the top causes of concern among the younger generation. As a result, 48% of young people have expressed an interest in leaving the southern African country — with 85% saying they are “very concerned” about graft. Three-quarters of respondents said they believed South Africa was headed in the wrong direction 30 years since the dawn of democracy.
2024 election: What you need to know
South Africans vote in national and provincial elections on May 29 that could test the ANC’s 30-year rule. After the vote, held every five years, the new National Assembly will choose the country’s next president from among its members. Here are some facts about the election and the voting process:
ZIMBABWE
Govt says new gold-backed currency now the official unit
Zimbabwe’s treasury said on Tuesday the newly introduced gold-backed currency is the official unit of exchange for transactions and that it would soon introduce regulations to ensure businesses stick to the official rate. Although it has remained stable on the official market since its launch early April, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) has been off to a nervy start on the parallel market, with traders charging a premium of 65% to the official rate to obtain dollars. Some supermarkets are also charging a premium above the market rate, which is set at ZiG 13.6 per U.S. dollar, for customers paying in the new currency while the ZiG is being rejected by informal traders. “To ensure orderly pricing, Government will soon be introducing the necessary regulations to ensure that no exchange rate other than the official rate will be used for the pricing of all goods and services,” Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in a statement. The government has been making efforts to keep the ZiG afloat since its launch, with authorities launching a blitz on illegal foreign currency traders last month. This is Zimbabwe’s fourth attempt at having a local currency inside a decade, with the southern African country dumping the Zim dollar last month after it lost 70% value since the start of the year.
NORTH AFRICA
LIBYA
107 migrants freed from captivity in southeast Libya
107 migrants including women and children have been freed from captivity in a town in southeast Libya, a security force spokesman said on Monday. According to some migrants, mainly from Somalia, they were held in captivity for up to seven months and “they wanted to go to Europe.” “We raided a hideout in the downtown of Kufra last night and we found illegal migrants including women, children and old men who some have marks of torture and bullets,” the spokesman said. “The migrants have been all handed over to (the) illegal migration agency for completion of some procedures,” he added. CID posted video footage of their force demolishing the house where the migrants were held. Other footage included shots of migrants with torture marks on their bodies. Some migrants were seen being carried toward an ambulance by aid workers. U.N. special envoy Abdullah Bathily, who had tendered his resignation to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said “recent reports…revealed shocking treatment of migrants in arbitrary detention, underscoring the urgent need for action by Libyan authorities to ease human suffering.”
TUNISIA
Police raid sees refugees abandoned near the border with Algeria
In the early hours of Friday morning, police swept into camps, plus a protest site outside the offices of the UNHCR, clearing them of the shelters erected there and bundling the men, women and children onto municipal buses to the Algerian border. The Refugees in Libya organisation claims they were taken off the buses near the border town of Jendouba – whose governorate borders Algeria – where they were left without food or water to fend for themselves. The raids in Tunis are the latest example of an increasingly hostile environment taking hold in Tunisia. One where irregular sub-Saharan African arrivals, their numbers swelling by the day, find themselves attacked by both security services and politicians, forced to shelter in open fields while increasingly vulnerable to kidnapping and ransom. There are currently tens of thousands of irregular sub-Saharan African arrivals sheltering in Tunisia, nearly all hoping to continue their months-long journeys on to Europe…Some have returned to the outskirts of the city, squatting in the working-class districts close to the rail tracks. More shelter in the fields near Zarzis, close to the Libyan border, clustering around the UNHCR office in hopes of securing refugee accreditation and a degree of protection in a country that offers none. Accounts of kidnapping, torture and trafficking are rife among the sub-Saharan African refugee community. In March, the practice was called out, by a group of 27 international and national NGOs, including the regional office of Lawyers Without Borders, who said the prevalence of kidnapping was the outcome of official attitudes towards migration.
CENTRAL AFRICA
CHAD
News Coverage of Chad’s Upcoming Elections:
First round of Presidential Elections completed
The first round of presidential elections in Chad ended May 6. This election was supposed to be the end of the provisional transitional regime installed after the death of President Idriss Déby Itno, who was killed by rebels on the front lines on April 20, 2021. His son, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, took power and became interim president. The outgoing president was also one of the candidates in yesterday’s elections, the results of which are due to be announced on May 21st. If none of the candidates meet the quorum to win in the first round, there will be a runoff election on June 22nd. The outgoing president’s main challenger is Prime Minister Succès Masra, a former opposition figure who has joined the regime. Despite the opposition’s call to boycott the election, the Archbishop of N’Djamena, Goetbé Edmond Djitangar, called on Chadians to go to the polls and “fulfill their civic duty with conscience and responsibility.” “It is a civic act of great importance. We should therefore not give up exercising our right to freedom of expression at the ballot box under the pretext that everything has already been decided in advance,” he stressed…Meanwhile, on February 28, Yaya Dillo, opposition politician and leader of the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF), was killed in an attack on his party’s headquarters. The death of the main opponent was followed by a series of arrests and intimidation.
Votes are counted in presidential election to oust junta rule
Chad commenced the vote-counting process on Monday evening as part of a presidential election aiming to conclude three years of military rule, which critics of junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno have denounced as rigged. The outcome of the election will determine whether the Deby family’s three-decade-long reign will be extended in a nation crucial to combating insurgency across the Sahel desert region. Chad marks the first of four military-led regimes in the Sahel to hold elections following successive coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020. Deby’s primary opponent is former opposition leader Succes Masra, who critics dismiss as a puppet due to the absence of other significant challengers. Both candidates have expressed confidence in securing victory in the first round of polls, despite concerns raised by international rights groups about the fairness and freedom of the electoral process, especially following the death of Deby’s main rival and the banning of other contenders. Ballot counting commenced with most polling stations closed on Monday evening after voters had queued earlier in the day to cast their votes.
Deby seen to stay in power as Chad votes to end military rule
Polls opened in Chad on Monday as the country votes in a presidential election, which analysts say incumbent military leader, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who seized power after the death of his father three years ago, is likely to win. Some 8.5 million registered voters in the country of nearly 18 million began casting their ballots at 7 am (GMT+1) in different polling centres on Monday, a day after soldiers had started voting, with provisional results expected in two weeks and final outcome on June 5. A second round will be held on June 22, in case no candidate wins with more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round. Though there are ten candidates in the election, the race to occupy the country’s highest office, analysts say, is a two-horse race between the junta leader and his prime minister, Succes Masra, with Deby predicted to give his challenger a first-round knockout. Dr Evariste Ngarlem Tolde, a political scientist and researcher at the University of N’Djamena, says the junta leader would win the polls. “There is no election; this is a selection with already known results…the election would hardly go into the second round, except they want to pretend to make it look democratic.”
What’s at stake in Chad’s presidential election?
Chadians headed to the polls on Monday to elect a new president in what could be the nation’s most-watched election in three decades. A second round of votes is expected on June 22, with provisional results due on July 7. Here’s all you need to know about the candidates and state of play:
AFRICA – GENERAL NEWS
Shipping giant, avoiding Red Sea, speeds up southern Africa route
The Danish shipping group, Maersk, says the disruption to container traffic in the Red Sea is worsening because drone and missile attacks on ships by Yemen’s Houthi rebels are reaching further offshore. Maersk said it estimated the industry had lost between 15% and 20% of its capacity on the Far East to Mediterranean and northern Europe routes. It said it had added container capacity and was sailing faster on the route around southern Africa to offset some of the disruption, but noted that it is using 40% more fuel as a result. Maersk said it would be unable to use the route through the Red Sea until the end of the year, because of continuing Houthi attacks.
Elections in Africa
Chad held its presidential election on Monday in a bid to end three years of military rule. Interim president Mahamat Deby Itno is expected to win, analysts believe. About 8 million people in the oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million citizens had registered to vote in the largely peaceful election, with 10 candidates on the ballot. Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party said it picked regional governor Daniel Chapo, 47, as its candidate for the Oct. 9 presidential election to succeed the outgoing President Filipe Nyusi. Togo’s ruling Union for the Republic party won a parliamentary majority in legislative elections held on April 29, the electoral commission announced on Saturday. The win follows the contested new constitution, which would allow President Faure Gnassingbé — in office since 2005 — to extend his time in power.
UN RELATED NEWS
African academics urged to do more research about the SDGs
African academics should conduct research about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and national plans, which could help the continent achieve the goals set by these initiatives, according to John Victor Mensah, a professor at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Mensah said: “Academia possesses the necessary expertise and knowledge to conduct research that will help us to achieve the various goals that we have.” He said the goal date for achievement of the SDGs is 2030 and academics across Africa could monitor and evaluate these goals to ensure that the continent was able to achieve them, adding, “let us hope that positive actions will be taken so that we will be able to say that, even if we have not been able to achieve all 17 goals, we have been able to perform creditably so that we will get a pass mark”. In 2015, the UN adopted the SDGs with 17 goals as part of its efforts to bring about peace and prosperity for all people around the globe in 2030. The Agenda 2063, on the other hand, is a set of initiatives proposed and currently under implementation by the African Union. It was also adopted in 2015, with the stated goals to achieve economic development, including the eradication of poverty on the continent.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Eluid Kipchoge on online death threats and AI at the Olympics
PODCAST OF THE DAY
The State of the Sahel: Niger and Chad
Prof. Alex Thurston discusses the situations in Niger and Chad now that the two nations have respectively kicked out most US troops. Also discussed is the State Department’s underwhelming treatment of some African heads of state, how this dynamic differs when working with a military junta, what specifically precipitated the US withdrawals from Niger and Chad, AFRICOM’s security-focused framing, how Russia’s role in the region factors into things, and more.
Don’t call it a “coup epidemic” in Africa
In the last few years, militaries have carried out coups in numerous African countries, including Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Chad, and Mali. Does this signify the beginning of a much broader continent-wide “coup epidemic?” Or are these coups mostly affecting especially weak states that face specific challenges? Where is democratic resilience strong and where is there a risk of continued democratic backsliding?
26 minutes of reflection on my 20 years at Oxfam
TWEET(s) OF THE DAY
The True Size of Africa
A comparison of Africa’s land-area to selected countries/regions
Massimo@Rainmaker1973 on “X”
CHART OF THE MONTH
Following the release of the IMF’s well economic outlook for 2024, this chart
llustrates an important dynamic: of the top twenty economies that are projected to experience the fastest growth rates in 2024, nine are African countries. These are Niger, Senegal, Libya, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, the Gambia, and Benin. Niger will be not only the third-fastest-growing economy in the world but also, surprisingly, the fastest-growing in Africa.
AFRICA – ANALYSIS, EDITORIAL/OPINION
The West should engage with reparations for slavery and colonialism
Wagner in Africa
‘A colonial mindset’: why global aid agencies need to get out of the way
With the world’s humanitarian system in crisis, many NGOs now recognise that local charities can deliver much more at far less cost.
How the AGOA reauthorization process could help diversify U.S. critical mineral supplies
How the United States can deliver on its commitment to African infrastructure
Tomorrow’s Global Financial Architecture: A reform plan for people and planet
Multilateral Collaboration Is Indispensable To Unlocking Africa’s Potential
Kenya
Why foreign Presidential addresses to the US Congress matter
The tax man dines at Kenya’s Java House
Morocco
Will the war in Gaza and ‘Normalization’ spell trouble in Morocco?
Niger
Russia gains ground in Niger, leaving the West on the backfoot
Senegal
Senegal’s Presidential Election, a victory for democracy in Africa
Somalia
The Mogadishu analogy
In Gaza and Haiti, the specter of another Mogadishu is being raised to alert on-lookers and policymakers of unfolding tragedies. But we have to be careful when making comparisons.
Sudan
Local mediation leading the way in Darfur
Women Must Be Included in Efforts to End Sudan’s Civil War
West Africa
Geopolitical Competition Is Reshaping West Africa
The Africa Edition ©️ 
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