Ivory Coast says French troops to leave West African nation

YAMOUSSOUKRO,  Ivory Coast 

Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military influence of the former colonial power in the region.

In an end-of-year address, Ivory Coast's President, Alassane Ouattara, said the move was a reflection of the modernisation of the country's armed forces.

Separately, Senegal, which last month announced France would have to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025.

Ivory Coast is home to the biggest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa.

There are some 600 French military personnel in the country with 350 in Senegal.

"We have decided in a concerted manner to withdraw French forces from the Ivory Coast," President Ouattara said.

He added that the military infantry battalion of Port Bouét that is run by the French army would be handed over to Ivorian troops.

France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups in those countries and growing anti-French sentiment.

The government of Chad - a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region - abruptly ended its defence co-operation pact with France in November.

Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye said: "I have instructed the minister for the armed forces to propose a new doctrine for co-operation in defence and security, involving, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presences in Senegal from 2025."

Faye was elected in March on a promise to deliver sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.

France will retain a small presence in Gabon.

Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia since kicking out French troops from their countries.

Russia then deployed mercenaries across the Sahel to help them fight off jihadist insurgents.

There are indications that France has now got fewer than 2,000 troops in Djibouti and Gabon.

Political watchers believe that France has been making efforts to revive its waning political and military influence in Africa.

The former political power now appears to be devising a new military strategy of downscaling military ties - a measure that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence on the continent.

For more than three decades after its independence from France, Ivory Coast (also known by its French name, Côte d'Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as its well-developed economy.

The Western African country was hailed as a model of stability. But an armed rebellion in 2002 split the nation in two. Peace deals alternated with renewed violence as the country slowly edged its way towards a political resolution of the conflict.

Despite the instability, Ivory Coast is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens enjoy a relatively high level of income compared with other countries in the region.

Mali opposition leader abducted in Bamako

BAMAKO, Mali 

Ibrahim Nabi Togola, president of the Nouvelle Vision pour le Mali (NVPM) party, was abducted on December 28th, 2024, in Bamako. 

In a statement released on December 29, the NVPM, an opposition party critical of Mali’s transitional authorities, reported that armed unidentified individuals kidnapped Togola in the ACI 2000 neighborhood of Bamako. 

The political leader was preparing to launch a new opposition coalition.

As an advocate for the restoration of democracy in Mali, Togola is a member of several political coalitions, including Jigiya Koura, the Appel du 20 Février, and the Synergie d’Action pour le Mali. 

He is also a signatory of the Déclaration du 31-Mars, which calls for a return to constitutional order.

Togola had planned to announce the creation of a new opposition platform during a press conference initially scheduled for Saturday morning.

However, the event was postponed shortly before his abduction.

A fellow political ally, currently in exile, commented on the incident: “We are living under a dictatorship. In Mali, you either support the military or remain silent. We are deeply concerned about what might happen to him.”

Togola’s disappearance has heightened fears about the safety of opposition figures in Mali and the increasing suppression of dissent under the transitional government.

Burkina Faso approves amnesty for 2015 coup plotters

OUAGADOUGOU,  Burkina Faso 

Burkina Faso is taking steps to confront its turbulent past. The country's transitional parliament has passed a law granting amnesty to soldiers accused of a coup attempt in 2015.

Then, a group of soldiers from the country’s Presidential Security Regiment, loyal to ousted President Blaise Campaore, attempted to overthrow the transitional government less than a month before elections.

The coup failed after a section of the military pushed back.

The masterminds - several high-ranking army officers were sentenced to prison as a result in 2019.

To receive amnesty, they must write to army ruler Captain Ibrahim Traoré appealing for clemency.

Campaore whom the coup plotters wanted to reinstate had been forced out of office in 2014 by protesters angered by his attempt to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule, and fled the country.

The Sahel country has had a chaotic past punctuated by army takeovers and brief experiments with democracy.

Roch Marc Kabore who was elected President shortly after the 2015 coup attempt was deposed by soldiers in 2022.

Another mutiny eight months brought forth a new military junta headed by Traore.

Some people see the amnesty measure as a positive step towards reconciliation, while others question its motivation and implications.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 01/01/2025

 

South Africa sends special envoy to help quell unrest in Mozambique

JOHANNESBURG,  South Africa 

South Africa has sent a special envoy to meet with Mozambique’s outgoing president, in an attempt to quell deadly protests sparked by Mozambique's disputed election in October.

The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, called on special envoy Sydney Mufamadi to voice his government's solidarity with the neighbouring country, and its eagerness to help end the crisis.

Fearing that the unrest could become more widespread, South Africa has ramped up security along its border.

Mozambique’s Constitutional Council recently confirmed the victory of the Frelimo party in the election, sparking a fresh wave of protests.

The main opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, has refused to accept the outcome of the election, describing it as rigged, and has called on his supporters to organise demonstrations.

Buildings, including Frelimo's offices and police stations, have been looted and set alight across the nation.

Capitalising on the instability, hundreds of detainees escaped from a high security prison in Mozambique’s capital last week,

Dozens of people have been killed in the protests since the elections.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 31/12/2024

 

Kenyans protest in Nairobi for end to abductions targeting government critics

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Kenyan protesters took to the streets of Nairobi on Monday, calling for an end to abductions targeting government critics.

Police threw tear gas at demonstrators in a bid to disperse the crowd; opposition politician Senator Okiya Omtatah and several others were arrested.

Among the hundreds who had taken to the streets of Nairobi were relatives of those who have disappeared.

Serah Njeri, the mother of an abducted blogger, said, "I am here so that my child can be released. This is my child, I ask the government to please say where he is. I would rather you kill me, here I am. Many other people are here too with me, release our children please."

The Kenyan National Commission on Human rights has voiced concerns over a growing number of government critics who are thought to have been abducted.

According to the commission, 82 people have been abducted since demonstrations against the government in June.

Rights groups accuse Kenya’s police force of being responsible; police have denied the allegations, and insist that they are looking into the disappearances.

Some protesters blamed the government.

Okiya Omtatah said, "the government of (Kenyan) President (William) Ruto stop abducting people. These actions by the government which is targeting its critics, so this regime has become rogue and we are here to demand, to call the regime back to order. To demand that the regime follows the rule of law or it vacates office."

Several social media users disappeared after sharing AI generated images of the president, viewed as offensive by backers of the government.

Over the weekend, President William Ruto insisted that the government would halt the abductions.

Azerbaijan President asks Russia to pay compensation for downing passenger plane

BAKU, Azerbaijan 

Azerbaijan demanded on Sunday that Russia admit guilt for downing its passenger plane, punish those responsible and pay compensation, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Speaking to reporters in Baku, President Ilham Aliyev confirmed that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, was heavily damaged by ground fire and nearly lost control due to radio-electronic warfare.

"The facts are that the Azerbaijani civil plane was damaged from the outside on Russian territory, near Grozny, and nearly lost control. We also know that our plane has been rendered uncontrollable due to radio-electronic warfare," he stated.

The AZAL flight, en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic, crashed three kilometres (1.8 miles) from Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast on Wednesday.

Kazakh authorities reported that 38 people were killed in the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft, which had 67 people on board, while 29 survived. Investigations into the incident are ongoing in both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Mondlane seeks to remove the weapon from Mozambique’s flag and revise the Constitution

MAPUTO,  Mozambique 

Venâncio Mondlane, who leads the largest challenge to election results in Mozambique since the country’s first elections in 1994, has proposed changes to the national flag and the revision of the Constitution.

“Next year, we want a new flag in Mozambique, and in this new flag, the weapon must be removed (…) the flag represents the spirit of a people, and if there is a weapon on the flag, it means our mentality is still armed,” Mondlane said during a live broadcast on Facebook.

This proposal comes amidst the most significant contestation of election results in Mozambique since the first elections in 1994. The protests, led by Mondlane from abroad, have thrown the streets into chaos, resulting in nearly 300 deaths due to clashes between police and demonstrators.

In addition to removing the weapon from the Mozambican flag by January 10, with an “open competition” for proposals, Mondlane advocates for a revision of the Constitution and the election of district and neighborhood leaders locally in all provinces of the country.

“All institutions, from administrations to provincial governments, are suspended, and the people will choose their true leaders (…). We also want a new Constitution, with the draft revision to be presented on January 15,” Mondlane declared.

Mondlane also called for the renaming of avenues in Mozambique that bear “communist” names, citing as examples Kim Il-Sung and Mao Zedong Avenues located in central Maputo.

“The names of avenues should not be decided by central governments. The names of streets and avenues should be chosen by the people who live in those neighborhoods,” the politician said, suggesting names “important to Mozambique’s history,” such as Samora Machel, the country’s first President; Azagaia, a socially conscious rapper who passed away last year; Alice Mabota, an activist who died in 2023; or Afonso Dhlakama, a historic opposition leader who passed away in 2018.

On Monday, the Constitutional Council of Mozambique declared Daniel Chapo, the candidate supported by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), as the winner of the presidential election with 65.17% of the votes, succeeding Filipe Nyusi. Frelimo also retained its parliamentary majority in the October 9 general elections.

This announcement triggered chaos nationwide, with pro-Venâncio Mondlane protesters—who, according to the Constitutional Council, received only 24% of the votes—taking to the streets with barricades, looting, and clashes with the police, who have been firing shots to attempt to disperse the demonstrators.

Mondlane promised to announce new protests in the coming days, but today, in his live broadcast on Facebook, he mentioned that he is considering allowing a “five-day tolerance” period for the entry of international humanitarian and investigative organizations to assess alleged human rights abuses by the police in Mozambique, soliciting the opinions of Mozambicans via email.

The politician also stated that a group of former Presidents from Southern African countries has expressed interest in mediating negotiations, accusing the ruling party of being uninterested in discussions.

Since October 21, at least 277 people have died in post-election protests in Mozambique, half of whom died after the results were announced on Monday, according to the latest tally by the Decide electoral platform.

Ethiopia: A truck plunged into Galana river killing 71 people

By Yonatan Zebidewos, ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia 

Dozens of people were killed Sunday in Ethiopia in a traffic accident in Sidama region.

Regional and hospital officials told our reporter that 71 people have died in the accident in Bona district, in the Eastern Sidama Zone, south of Addis Ababa.

Mate Mengesha, local administrator of the zone, said that the accident occurred in the Galana River, 125 kilometers from Hawassa, the region's capital.

He said among the dead, 68 were men and three were women. The incident was confirmed on the regional government communications Facebook page.

Ashenafi Bliso, director of Bona Hospital, confirmed the death toll.

He said four people were seriously injured and are being treated at the hospital.

He added that one victim was transferred to Hawassa Referral Hospital for advanced treatment.

Mate said a truck carrying passengers lost control while passing over a bridge and plunged into the Galana River.

Mate said the victims include young people from the same area who were returning from a wedding ceremony and work at a coffee site.

Putin apologises over Azerbaijan Airlines crash, but Russia does not claim responsibility

MOSCOW,  Russia 

Speaking to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised for the recent Azerbaijan Airlines crash, but stopped short of taking the blame.

The incident unfolded in Russian airspace; Putin said it occurred when air defence systems were intercepting Ukrainian drones.

The commercial jet is thought to have attempted touch down in Chechnya but was forced to divert. It then crash-landed in Kazakhstan, claiming the lives of 38 of the 67 on board.

Putin made no admission as to whether the plane had been hit by Russian rockets; both leaders say a thorough investigation is required.

Russian aviation authorities described the situation in the area as '‘very complicated’' due to Ukrainian strikes.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, has argued that the damage to the aircraft was ‘’very reminiscent of an air defence missile strike", and has called for answers from Russia.

South Korea orders air safety probe after plane crash kills 179

SEOUL, South Korea 

South Korea has ordered an air safety investigation after one of the country's worst aviation disasters. A jetliner skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed.

Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024.

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country's entire airline operation system as investigators worked to identify victims and find out what caused deadliest air disaster in the country.

All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when a Jeju Air 089590.KS Boeing BA.N 737-800 belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall. Two crew members were pulled out alive.

The top priority for now is identifying the victims, supporting their families and treating the two survivors, Choi told a disaster management meeting in Seoul.

"Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families," he said.

"As soon as the accident recovery is conducted, the transport ministry is requested to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the entire aircraft operation system to prevent recurrence of aircraft accidents," he said.

The transport ministry said authorities were considering whether to conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airliners.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dies at 100

GEORGIA,  United States 

Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday afternoon at the age of 100.

The Carter Center confirmed that Carter died peacefully and surrounded by his family at his home in Plains, Georgia. At 100, Carter was the longest-living president in U.S. history. 

A lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, he was the first president to welcome a Super Bowl champion to the White House (the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980, who visited alongside the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates).

Carter also was president in 1980 when he announced that the United States would boycott the Olympic Summer Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. More than 60 nations ultimately boycotted the Games, including West Germany, Japan and China. Writing in his 2010 book, "White House Diary," Carter observed that in hindsight, with respect to the U.S. team, "one of my most difficult decisions was supporting the boycott of the Summer Olympics."

In his presidential memoir, "Keeping Faith," Carter also discussed the choice not to send a U.S. team to Moscow. The boycott of the Moscow Olympics led to a retaliatory Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that included more than a dozen countries.

"For the Soviet Union, the Moscow Olympics was much more than a sporting event," Carter wrote. "They saw it as a triumph for communism and a vivid demonstration to other nations of the world that the Soviets represented the true spirit of the ancient Olympics."

After the boycott was formalized with a vote by the U.S. Olympic Committee, Carter invited the entire American team to the White House, where each athlete got a brief handshake, posed for a picture with the president, and received the Congressional Gold Medal.

A moment of silence was held Sunday night before the Atlanta Falcons' game at the Washington Commanders in honor of Carter. 

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he was "deeply saddened by the loss of [his] dear friend and role model, President Jimmy Carter" in a statement earlier Sunday. 

"He was a great American, a proud Georgian and an inspirational global humanitarian," Blank said.

Carter (born James Earl Carter Jr.) served one term as U.S. president, from 1977 to 1981. He lived longer after leaving office than any other previous U.S. president, and his legacy is noted by his post-presidency work.

He founded The Carter Center in 1982, a nonprofit, nonpartisan center focused on issues of public policy. 

Through the center, he worked as an advocate for democracy, human rights, disease prevention and conflict resolution and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter also partnered with Habitat for Humanity for more than 30 years.

Carter, who returned to his home state of Georgia after leaving the presidency, attended numerous Braves games, including the final game at Turner Field in October 2016, and was caught on the kiss cam with his longtime wife, Rosalynn, on more than one occasion.

"President Carter was a testament to the best America, and Georgia, can produce," the Braves said in a statement. "He served both his country and home state with honor his entire life. While the world knew him as a remarkable humanitarian and peacemaker, we knew him as a dedicated Braves fan and we will miss having him in the stands cheering on his Braves."

Among his other sports-related activities, Carter was a member of the cross country team during his time at the Naval Academy and was also a tennis, track and basketball player in high school. He was also an avid softball player.

Carter grew up in Plains, Georgia, and served in the Navy for seven years before returning to his home state to take over his family's peanut farm. 

Carter was a Georgia senator and governor in the 1960s and '70s before being elected president. He was diagnosed with cancer in August 2015 but announced in early 2016 that he no longer needed treatment.

Carter entered hospice care in February 2023; the Carter Center said that in the wake of a series of short hospital stays he "decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention."

Carter married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946. She died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 96. They are survived by their three sons and a daughter, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 30/12/2024