Observers identify flaws in Kenya's electoral technology, propose solutions

By Washinton Mito, NAIROBI Kenya

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) has proposed a raft of changes in the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) technological system after identifying loopholes in the technology used in the concluded August 9 polls.

In a report dated, August 31, the tech-based group noted the issues that were raised over the technology used in the August 9 polls including access to servers by foreigners.

The observer's group indicated that the controversy over the involvement of the three Venezuelans affected the perception of the integrity of the process despite statements by IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati clarifying their participation. 

Notably, the group noted that some of the KIEMS kits malfunctioned on election day as they failed to connect to the network further delaying the electoral process.

Some of the kits reportedly overheated and IEBC took a long time to replace them thus further delaying the voting.

"Some of the polling staff were not all conversant with the use of the KIEMS tablet, especially with regards to the flow of the software user interface, prompts and menus, or how to start or diagnose malfunctions.

"This could partly be due to the fact that the device software is not user-friendly, intuitive, or simple to use," read the report in part.

In regard to the transmission of results, the tech group noted that there were Form 34Bs that lacked critical information hence the queries over the integrity of the polls.

"KICTANet analysed Form 34B’s uploaded on the online portal prior to the announcement of the results. It found that several forms had errors, such as varying numbers of registered voters (32 forms) and computational errors in total valid votes cast (17 forms). 

"Form 34B’s for constituencies such as Fafi, Isiolo South, Igembe North, Tetu, Cherangany, Kipkelion West, Bomet Central, Mumias East, Ikolomani, Luanda, Mt. Elgon, Sirisia, Kanduyi, Muhoroni, Karachuonyo, Suba South, Bonchari, Nyaribari Masaba, and Dagoretti North did not include the total tally," read the report in part.

KICTANet also stated that observers did not have access to the back end of the technology used in the polls recommending more openness in the systems used. 

To this effect, the group recommended training IEBC officials on time to ensure that they are well conversant with the technology. The Commission's officials should as well be provided with the manuals of the technology used.

KICTANet also called on IEBC to protect data that its officials have access to, for security purposes.

IEBC was also urged to invest in innovation in election technology and consider progressively digitising all aspects of the electoral process.

"This can include developing a super KIEMS application to provide a one-stop-shop for services such as voter registration, electronic voting, tallying and display of results. 

"The electoral body should further implement stringent data protection measures with respect to the voter register, and sharing of details of election officials," KICTANet added. 

Angola's opposition urges Constitutional Court to call for fresh polls

LUANDA, Angola

Angola’s largest opposition is still contesting the election results. UNITA's presidential candidate, Adalberto Costa Júnior, is now calling upon the constitutional court to nullify the election and call for a new vote.

The National Electoral Commission had on Monday confirmed win for the longest ruling party MPLA which attained 124 MPs while UNITA got 90 MPs.

"I speak with the expectation that the National Electoral Commission, as well as the Constitutional Court, will truly carry out their functions, in strict respect for the Constitution and the laws. That the National Electoral Commission should not shy away from confronting the results in its possession with the copies of the figures in the possession of the political parties. I reaffirm, that the MPLA did not win the elections of last August 24," alleged Adalberto.

UNITA continues with the legal dispute, now in the Constitutional Court.

The Angolan Electoral Observatory on Thursday presented the preliminary report of their mission that integrated 61 non-governmental organizations and other religious groups.

They noted that the non-publication of the voters' lists "compromised the transparency" of the vote.

"We are in a situation where the candidates are questioning and doubting the election results while the citizen already do not believe in the decisions of the electoral commission. The solution is the court. It is a matter of access to justice, but for the citizen, it is a matter of perception. The challenge is before the institutions like the CNE, the court and the political parties, to respond to this context," said Luís Jimbo, a member of the Angolan Electoral Observatory.

Euronews contacted the National Electoral Commission which declined to comment regarding the election minutes because they were posted at polling stations.

The slightly more than 100 observers noted that the voting activities, particularly in urban areas, went without problems and that the atmosphere in those areas was calm.

Terrorists strike, beheaded citizens in Cabo Delgado

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Local residents on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning found the bodies of 11 people murdered by islamist terrorists in Metoro administrative post, in Ancuabe district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

Some of the victims had been beheaded, according to a report in Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”. A relative of one of the victims said that two of the bodies were found on Wednesday, and the other nine on Thursday.

The terrorists captured one woman and forced her to watch as they beheaded their victims. She was then released, after they had stolen 1,000 meticais (about 16 US dollars, at the current exchange rate) from her.

READ ALSO: More killings in Cabo Delgado raise fear 

The same group that had attacked Metoro went on to raid Megaruma village, where they killed three people.

It is believed that the same group then moved into Chiure district where they burnt down houses in Muamula and Mecolene villages in the Chiure Velho administrative post. At least one person died in these raids.

Source: AIM

Kenya electoral agency used second set of results forms, Judiciary report reveals

NAIROBI, Kenya

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) used a second set of results transmission forms that it resolved with political parties to seal in tamper-proof envelopes prior to the August 9, 2022 presidential election, a Judiciary report has revealed.

Judiciary staff scrutinize ballot papers for presidential candidates after opening ballot boxes from Mombasa at the Supreme Court on August 31, 2022

The Judiciary ordered a recount of votes in 15 polling stations following a request by Azimio la Umoja’s candidates Raila Odinga and Martha Karua.

Technical teams from the Judiciary were tasked with compiling reports on the recount, and a scrutiny of the IEBC's servers.

An IEBC commissioner has in her affidavit accused the chairperson Wafula Chebukati of secretly printing a second set of the results transmission forms, which show votes garnered by each candidate at polling stations.

Political parties in July protested at the printing of the second set of forms, prompting the IEBC to call them for a consultative meeting.

In the meeting, it was resolved that the second set of forms would not be used in the elections but sealed in tamper-proof envelopes.

In its report, the Judiciary team says it found nine polling stations where the second set of results forms was used, some of which had discrepancies in their tallying.

The 15 polling stations are in Nandi, Kericho, Mombasa, and Nyandarua. Some tallying discrepancies were noted after the vote recount.

For instance, in Kericho’s Chepkutung polling station, two of three, one vote had been taken from Raila Odinga’s tally and attributed to William Ruto.

The report states that another six polling stations failed to provide their sets of forms 34A book two.

“Some returning officers explained the absence of form 34A book 2 by indicating that the presiding officers used them instead of form 34 book 1.

"In such cases the team verified the information by looking for the form 34A book 1 to confirm if it was indeed intact for purposes of accountability. The reason given by some returning officers is that some presiding officers mistook the two books because they did not understand the procedure,” the report states.

“Other returning officers had no explanation for the absence of form 34A book 2. They indicated that they had just learned of the anomaly together with the scrutiny. The Kiambaa constituency returning officer explained that her presiding officer used book 2 because he had spoilt book 1. They, however, did not provide the spoilt form 34A book 1 for the team’s scrutiny, and the PSD did not indicate that the form 34A book 2 had been spoilt,” the report further states.

The second set of forms 34A sampled were from Kericho, Kiambu, Bomet and Kakamega constituencies.

On scrutiny of IEBC’s servers, the report states that voter identification kits used in the elections have an application that converts images into PDF format.

By the time the scrutiny exercise was concluded, the IEBC had not provided a forensic image of form 34C, the final results transmission document for Presidential polls, to the Judiciary’s team. The IEBC, however, committed to submitting the forensic image.

The forensic image is intended to assist in finding out how and when the document was filled with results.

The report has been submitted to the Supreme Court judges for review, and will be the subject of proceedings on Friday. – The EastAfrican

"Venezuelan" decided Kenya's President-elect - Lawyers told Supreme Court

NAIROBI, Kenya

Lawyers representing Raila Odinga and Martha Karua at the Supreme Court made startling revelations as they sought to show that forms 34A on the IEBC server were tampered with by Jose Camargo, one of the three Venezuelan nationals arrested and later deported.

Advocates Paul Mwangi and Julie Soweto showed the apex court judges how one Form 34A they found in the IEBC server had been tampered with and had some numbers changed.

Mr Mwangi showed the court one form 34A uploaded to the IEBC portal that bore the name of Jose Camargo at the top left corner of the form.

Camargo Castellanos Jose Gregorio was arrested together with Joel Gustavo Rodríguez García and Salvador Javier Suarez on Thursday, July 21 while carrying election materials. They were also said to be employees of Smartmatic International B.V, the company procured by IEBC to provide technology for the August 9th General Election.

“We believe these are the fingerprints of one of the suspects of the theft of this election…,” said Paul Mwangi.

During her rejoinder, advocate Soweto managed to download the said file from Gicharaigu Primary School 02 in Kangema from the IEBC portal live in court.

“When we go to the bombshell itself, the top left-hand corner of the form, we were told by Mr Gumbo there were no foreigners in this election, we were told the foreigners left before August 8, we were told they did not even have access to maintain the server…” said Ms Soweto.

“At the top left-hand corner is the name of one of Venezuelans Jose Camargo, this is the person who decided the president-elect of this country.”

Advocate Julie Soweto

This person is the one who was interfering with the forms, a crump was left by God’s grace, we found something… we didn’t make this up, we were told we made this up. This is how the staging, the changes were happening.”

Advocate Soweto also raised the issue of the IEBC stamp on the form which she said looked superimposed and also a sign of tampering with the numbers.

“If we sum up the total votes, we get 316. The total votes cast according to this particular form is 321, different from what we have just seen. The rejected votes are 4, which means already by calculation, there is a problem.

"A close scrutiny of the form shows that the number was probably 455 and the 5 is actually similar to figures written in the votes cast. But somebody or somehow, that figure has been changed to make it look like 488.

She then raised the issue of Kiems kit where she managed to download two forms 34A from Mt. Elgon and Nyeri stations that had the same serial number, F230450M00204133.

“This is the same KIEMS kit one from Mt Elgon 1000 kilometres from Nyeri town two hours later, how is that possible?" she posed.

"Each polling station had its own unique Kiems kit which was supposed to transmit its own unique address…"  - CitizenTV

Gun jams during bid to kill Argentina vice-president

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

A man has been arrested after attempting to shoot Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina's vice-president and former President, at point blank range outside her home in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

A frame from a video released by TN Argentina highlights the moment when a man pointed a weapon at Argentina Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Video of the incident shows the vice president smiling as she walks by a crowd of people. A man in the crowd then surges forward, pointing a gun at Fernández de Kirchner's face and apparently attempting a shot. No bullets are fired and the two-time former President flinches backward, unharmed.

The attacker was taken into custody after a few seconds of confusion and panic.

A frame from a video released by TN Argentina highlights the moment when a man pointed a weapon at Argentina Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Argentina's official news agency, Télam, identified the man as a Brazilian national, later updating his name to Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel.

The Argentine Ministry of Security confirmed the weapon used in the incident was a .380 firearm with bullets inside.

"Cristina is still alive because -- for some reason we can't technically confirm at this moment -- the weapon, which was armed with five bullets, did not shoot although the trigger was pulled," said Argentine President Alberto Fernández in a televised address Thursday evening.

He called the assassination attempt an attack on democracy, saying, "We must eradicate hate and violence from our media and political discourse." He declared Friday a national holiday for the country to rally together in support of Fernández de Kirchner.

Police stand guard outside the residence of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Buenos Aires on September 1.

Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri also renounced the attack on Thursday, calling for an "immediate and profound clarification by the justice system and the security forces."

Fernández de Kirchner is among Argentina's most prominent political figures, having served as President from 2007 to 2015, before taking office as vice president in 2019.

Her supporters have been holding rallies outside her home for several days, in response to an ongoing trial in which she is accused of corruption during her term as President.

Earlier in August, a federal prosecutor called for Fernández de Kirchner to serve a 12-year prison sentence. The court is yet to rule on the request.

Days later, her supporters clashed with police in the Argentine capital, with Télam reporting police used sticks and tear gas on protesters after a group of people knocked down fences near her home.

During the national address on Thursday, President Fernández said he had been in touch with the judge assigned to the case to act as quickly as possible.

Argentina has been roiled by demonstrations this summer, with thousands taking to the streets protesting the administration's management of soaring inflation and corruption allegations.

In 2016 a judge indicted Fernández de Kirchner along with 11 others on charges of corruption, illicit association, and aggravated fraudulent administration, freezing $643 million of her assets.

Fernández de Kirchner was charged for allegedly directing public road works to a company called Austral Constructions during her presidency. At the time, she had criticized the investigation as being politically motivated.

She was also simultaneously on trial for another corruption case, in which she was accused of allegedly meddling with the sale of US dollars by the nation's central bank. The case was dismissed in 2021, with the court ruling in favor of Fernández de Kirchner, according to CNN affiliate CNN Español.

Uganda and Rwanda to revive bilateral ties after ten years

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwanda and Uganda have agreed to revive the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) that last met in 2012. The decision was reached during a meeting between Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeje Odongo with his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta on September 1.

Ugandan (left) and Rwandan officials led by Foreign Affairs ministers Odongo Jeje Abubakhar of Uganda and Vincent Biruta (Rwanda) hold bilateral talks in Kigali on September 1, 2022

Odongo is in the country for a two-day visit for diplomatic and political consultations.

“Our relations are very good and we decided on the next meeting of JPC that should be convened before March 2023. JPC had last convened in 2012. We also got into details of our relations and security issues in the region,” said Biruta.

This will be the tenth such meeting between the two countries the upcoming meeting is expected to focus on critical areas taking into consideration the outcomes of the last meeting.

Meanwhile, Odongo said that part of the meeting was to advance means in which both countries can speak with one voice on security matters in the region.

“We also discussed regional matters and we have agreed that we need to be able to speak with one voice, in as far as regional matters, particularly security is concerned. Together, Rwanda and Uganda should now focus on those activities that will bring benefits to our people and the region. It is important that the region hears our collective voice,” said Odongo.

On relations between the two countries, both ministers said that they had turned a new chapter.

“We want to translate our relations into a voice that is in unison on matters that are in relation to our security plans and development. We want to look at those relations in terms of the strategic significance for our two countries and for the region,” said Odongo.

In June this year, regional leaders including Presidents of both Rwanda and Uganda met in Nairobi for the third EAC Heads of State Conclave on DR Congo.

“Both Uganda and Rwanda have concerns about our own security challenges emanating from the territory of our western neighbour (DRC). We have taken cognisance of the actions that our principals did take, when they met in the conclave in Nairobi. We are translating political decisions into actionable actions,” said Odongo.

Both ministers also discussed matters related to trade, investment, and strategic regional projects.

Rwanda prisons overcrowded to alarming level

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwandan prisons are pilling up to problematic levels and the increase in inmates is attracting the attention of rights organisations.

Transparency International and Legal Aid Forum conducted a study and found out that the numbers are staggeringly disturbing.

They disclosed that the overcrowding in Rwandan prison populations has increased to 174%.

The study dubbed Policy Research on the Implementation of Alternatives to Imprisonment in Rwanda by Transparency International Rwanda, a local corruption watchdog said that there are currently 84,710 people consisting of 11,000 people who are detained provisionally excluding those that are held in various RIB stations.

Figures indicate the number of people in jail in 2020 was 6600 at a 136 percent of overcrowding rate, but it has increased to 8400 in two years at 174% overcrowding.

The increasing rate according to legal practitioners is exacerbated by prosecutors who rush to seek imprisonment of suspects before courts without doing thorough investigations or thinking of other possible means.

Immaculee Ingabire, the Director for Transparency International Rwanda, a local corruption watchdog, says the prosecutors have wrongly made it a norm to seek imprisonment for anyone suspected of committing a crime.

She believes prosecutors should think out of the box and look for other remedies that could render justice instead of imprisonment.

“It has now become a norm that prosecutors’ request 30 days of detention for suspects whenever they appear before the judge. Yet, there are alternatives that can be used as means to punish and rehabilitate offenders without seeking imprisonment,” he said.

She further adds that alternatives to imprisonment serve to reduce pressures on the prison apparatus by reducing pre-trial detention and prison overcrowding.

Theophile Mbonera, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, says the finding is timely emphasizing that the responsible organs will have to consider the finding and respond to it wisely.

“This research can raise the debate where people could discuss the matter and see if the outcome of the findings can be given credit,” he said.

Referring to the increasing number of 11,000 pending cases, Andrews Kananga, the Executive Director for Legal Aids Forum, a local NGO that offers legal assistance to vulnerable communities said judicial organs should foster speedy rendering of justice as a solution to overcrowding.

He said, however, alternative systems can provide a lasting solution.

“I think the institutions should meet and discuss the matter,” he noted.

There are 12 alternatives to imprisonment existing in Rwandan laws. However, the majority of them are not applied.

These include fines without trial, release on parole, plea bargaining, probation, and community service among others.

The study recommends that the alternatives to imprisonment can reduce overcrowding by 97.38% and the financial costs of imprisonment by 98.5%. - Taarifa

Kenya's president-elect walking a tight rope as Supreme Court hearing goes on

NAIROBI, Kenya

The hearing of the 2022 presidential election petition continued on Thursday, with the respondents mounting their defence against claims made by the petitioners who are seeking nullification of the August 9th election.

At the tail end of Thursday’s proceedings, the seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice Martha Koome took turns to ask questions on issues ranging from the technology of the election to the role of the 7 commissioners in tallying and verifying election results.

The legal team for the respondents who include President-elect William Ruto and the IEBC have been given 15 minutes on Friday to respond to the issues raised by the judges.

Jere is a summary of the questions asked by the seven judges:

Justice William Ouko

Was the IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati gazetted as an agent of the commission or as a National Returning Officer in his capacity as chairman of the commission? If he was an agent of the commission, were there any resolutions preceding this appointment?

What was the number of voters from the 235 polling stations where KIEMS kits were not used?

Respond to Okiya Omtata's submission that 1.6 million votes were streaming in many hours after the closure of voting.

Kenyans were following the streaming of results live and then something happened and that stopped.

Explain to us what might have happened for that to stop. 

Justice Isaac Lenaola

Githu Muigai said the whole dispute revolves around numbers... looking at the qualitative/quantitative test, What is the approach we should apply?

There was an extra day by which Chebukati could have declared the results. Why did he not wait until that day, violence or no violence, reach out to the 4 commissioners, try to reach a consensus, and address the issue of the 27 constituencies so that these suspicions that have cropped up could not be an issue? Is there any reason why he did not take advantage of the extra day to do what he had to do?

We are at a point where public office is becoming exceedingly dangerous. Falsehoods are being peddled. What do you want this court to do in the context of the issues?

The format taken of forms 34A is initially jpeg, at what point does it convert to pdf after taking the image?

Justice Njoki Ndung’u

You suggested the term commission can be used in multiple senses. How do we know which sense will be applied when?

Independent commissions and offices were introduced to deal with issues of authoritarianism, accountability, and transparency and to do away with issues of one passing power. But from the narrative, we are hearing we have an all-powerful chair. What is the check if the commissioners have nothing to do with his role?

What would happen if the chair was to announce the wrong results, mentally incapacitated or dead? Who then would announce the results?

What is the role of the other commissioners? It seems to me that the chair works with the CEO who is not vetted by parliament but seems to wield immense power over and above the other commissioners.

When results for other elective positions area announced locally at constituency or county tallying centres, how is that information transmitted to the public? Are the commissioners involved or is it the CEO only or chairperson only? Who is involved in the public declaration of those results? 

Justice Smokin Wanjala

We have been told some commissioners were allocated oversight roles others welfare scenarios, protocol and media… what is oversight and what would they be oversighting over? At what point does the chair disengage from other commissioners?

You said the contract between IEBC and Smartmatic company involved supply and maintenance. What does this maintenance entail? What was he (Venezuelan) maintaining in that server?

How relevant is this voter turnout to the determination of whether a candidate got 50 percent plus one vote?

Who do we believe on the question of National Security Advisory Council? Lawyer George Oraro says the team led by Attorney General Kihara Kariuki visited the chair at Bomas to ask him to expedite verification and tallying of results on the other hand the chair says the distinguished individuals paid that visit to tell him to re-engineer the results in favour of one of the candidates.

"If the intention was to influence the declaration of the results, are we to assume by the time that call was placed they already knew the results,” posed Justice Wanjala.

When calm was restored at Bomas why did the chair not include the results from the 27 constituencies in the final tally yet we are told they had been verified and tallied?

What advice would Advocate Kioko Kilukumi in line with the King Solomon biblical narrative where one mother was saying cut the baby but the other was willing to let the baby be handed to the other was willing to surrender the baby.

Justice Mohamed Ibrahim

Would you expect us to make a determination on the chaos that erupted at Bomas, apportion blame yet the matter is not before us and yet neither of us were witnesses or at Bomas?

Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu

What is the constitutional role of the six commissioners under article 140 and juxtaposition their role against that of the staff of the secretariat and the chair? Article 138(3c)

Comment about the walking away of the 4 commissioners to go to Serena, almost at the same time when the chairperson was about to announce their results. How was it timed?  Does their walking out mean anything under Article 140? If it does, what is it? If it doesn’t, why not?

Did the postponement of elections in 8 regions among them Mombasa and Kakamega only affect the vote of the president? And since elections have since taken in the postponed area, have the subsequent elections returned a different result on the turnout? If they have, in what aspect?

Where agents are not present during an election. Is it not the role of IEBC to ensure that the law is upheld or the process in the event where there is no agency?

Some of the 4 commissioners were named as respondents as well as interested parties. By whatever name called they remain commissioners. We have seen affidavits they have sworn which tend to show that they take certain positions. What is the position to be taken by a commissioner? is it a position of the party or a neutral position of IEBC? And when they take a position, as I think they have done in this case, what is the court to do?

About Mr. Joseph Kinyua’s call and the night meetings… The commission is supposed to be independent. When it comes to writing the judgement what I’m supposed to write?

Chief Justice Martha Koome

Why did the IEBC Chairperson deem it fit to allocate ‘domestic’ chores living the core business of IEBC to the CEO to supervise?

Why did the live streaming of results stop?

Demonstrate how forms 34A attached by the respondents in their affidavit were photoshopped.

Mali army killed 50 civilians in April - UN

BAMAKO, Mali

The United Nations said on Wednesday that at least 50 civilians were killed in an operation by Malian soldiers accompanied by "foreign military personnel" in April. This is out of a total of 96 civilians killed during the second quarter of the year in army operations.

On April 19 in the central town of Hombori, after an improvised explosive device detonated as a Malian convoy passed by, Malian forces, accompanied by "foreign military personnel, conducted a military sweep in the locality during which at least 50 civilians (including a woman and a child) were killed and more than 500 others arrested," UNMIS said in its quarterly note on human rights violations.

UNMISMA did not provide any details about these foreign fighters. Several Western countries accuse the junta in power in Bamako since 2020 of having hired the services of the controversial Russian security company Wagner. The junta denies this and speaks of the presence of Russian army instructors in the name of long-standing military cooperation.

Since 2021, the Malian military has completely turned away from the former French ally, which has just completed its military withdrawal from Mali after nine years of involvement.

The Minusma document also gives a version favorable to France of a case of corpses in which Bamako has accused Paris of manipulation.

The French army said in April that it had filmed and released images of what it claimed were Russian mercenaries burying bodies near the northern base of Gossi, from which the French army had recently withdrawn. The purpose was to accuse the French of leaving a mass grave behind.

Malian authorities accused the French of fabricating these images "in order to accuse (Malian soldiers) of being the perpetrators of civilian killings.

Minusma said it had opened an investigation. It said the bodies buried at Gossi were transported to the site on April 20, the day after the French handed over the Gossi camp to the Malians, and "came from Hombori.

Poland seeks €1.3 trillion from Germany in reparations for Nazi occupation

WARSAW, Poland

Poland’s government on Thursday estimated the financial cost of World War II losses to be 1.3 trillion euros and said it would “ask Germany to negotiate these reparations”.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), announced the huge claim at the release of a long-awaited report on the cost of years of Nazi German occupation.

"We not only prepared the report but we have also taken the decision as to the further steps,” Kaczynski said during the report’s presentation, time to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the start of World War II.

"We will turn to Germany to open negotiations on the reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding that it will be a “long and difficult path”.

Since coming to power in 2015, Poland’s governing PiS party has often championed the issue of war reparations.

Work on the reparations report began in 2017, when the conservative government insisted that Germany had a “moral duty” in the matter.

Germany has previously dismissed Poland’s claims, pointing to a 1953 decision by Poland’s then-communist leaders to renunciate reparation claims against East Germany.

But Poland’s current government says it rejects that decision, stressing that it was made under pressure from the Soviet Union.

On Thursday, Kaczynski brought the issue back front and centre.

"Germany has never really accounted for its crimes against Poland,“ he said, claiming that many Germans who committed war crimes lived in impunity in Germany after the war.

"The Germans invaded Poland and did us enormous damage. The occupation was unbelievably criminal, unbelievably cruel and caused effects that in many cases continue to this day,” the PiS leader added.

Kaczynski claimed the German economy was capable of paying the bill and insisted the move would serve “true Polish-German reconciliation”.

The release of the three-volume report was the focus of national observances of the anniversary of the war that began on September 1, 1939, with Nazi Germany’s bombing and invasion of Poland that was followed by more than five years of brutal occupation.

The head of the report team, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said it was impossible to place a financial value on the loss of some 5.2 million lives he blamed on the German occupation.

He listed losses to the infrastructure, industry, farming, culture, deportations to Germany for forced labor and efforts to turn Polish children into Germans.

A team of more than 30 economists, historians and other experts worked on the report since 2017. The issue has created bilateral tensions.

The war was “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” President Andrzej Duda said during early morning observances at the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, one of the first places to be attacked in the Nazi invasion.

"Not only because it took our freedom, not only because it took our state from us, but also because this war meant millions of victims among Poland’s citizens and irreparable losses to our homeland and our nation,” Duda said.

In Germany, the government’s official for German-Polish cooperation, Dietmar Nietan, said in a statement that September 1 “remains a day of guilt and shame for Germany that reminds us time and again not to forget the crimes carried out by Germany” that are the “darkest chapter in our history” and still affect bilateral relations.

Reconciliation offered by people in Poland is “the basis on which we can look toward the future together in a united Europe,” Nietan said. - France24

IMF bails out debt-ridden Zambia with $1.3bn

LUSAKA, Zambia

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1.3 billion loan to Zambia to help the debt-ridden country restore fiscal stability.

In 2020, battering the Covid-19 pandemic and choking under the weight of loans, Zambia became the first country in Africa to default on foreign debt.

According to official government data, the southern African country’s debt totalled $31.74 billion at the end of 2021, of which $17.27 billion was external debt, mostly from two Eurobonds and China.

Africa’s second-largest copper producer has struggled to jumpstart its economy as it grapples with a debt load reaching 120 percent of the GDP.

The country had reached a tentative agreement with IMF in December for a $1.3 billion facility, contingent on Zambia taking steps to reduce its debt to levels IMF deemed sustainable.

In late July, its creditors led by China and France, pledged to negotiate a restructuring of Zambia’s debts, a move IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said was “clearing the way” for funding.

Since coming into power a year ago, the new government of Hakainde Hichilema has made progress in restoring relations with donors as it tackles years of economic mismanagement.

The IMF says the $1.3 billion credit line will help Lusaka’s homegrown reform plan to “restore debt sustainability, create fiscal space for much-needed social spending, and strengthen economic governance”.

The IMF statement said Zambia’s economic growth “has been too low to reduce rates of poverty, inequality, and malnutrition that are amongst the highest in the world.

“Zambia is in debt distress and needs a deep and comprehensive debt treatment to place public debt on a sustainable path”.

President Hichilema welcomed the IMF decision Thursday and pledged that his government would avoid borrowing recklessly while implementing reforms to fix the economy.

The approval by the IMF’s Executive Board will unlock an immediate disbursement of about $185 million. - AFP

Over 200 South Sudan soldiers died of hunger and lack of medication in training

JUBA, South Sudan

More than 200 soldiers died during the training at various camps in South Sudan prior to the graduation of the first batch of the unified forces on Tuesday, First Vice-President Riek Machar said early this week.

First Vice-President Riek Machar 

Machar said the soldiers succumbed to harsh weather conditions and other factors while speaking during the graduation ceremony in the capital, Juba.

Majority of those who died were from the former rebel groups – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

“I know over 200 of your comrades have died in the 18 training centres – some died because of diseases as there was no medication, some died because of hunger as food was not available.

“Today I congratulate you for your endurance and perseverance,” Machar told the graduating forces.

He said the graduation of the unified forces was an event people have been waiting for – as it gives hope to millions of refugees in neighbouring countries and displaced people in the country for them to return home.

More than 22,000 men and women comprising the national army and the national police service graduated from the training centres, according to a presidential decree read on the graduation day.

They are the first national armed forces to reflect South Sudan’s ethnic diversity. - BBC

More killings in Cabo Delgado raise fear

MAPUTO, Mozambique

People in southern Cabo Delgado, a Mozambican province that has been the scene of armed violence for five years, reported the discovery of four dead locals on Wednesday.

A resident of Mbonge, in Ancuabe district, witnessed the collection of the bodies of two inhabitants of the village, father and son, found dead with signs of violence on the path that connects the fields and the houses.

“The victims lived in the village and were returning from the ‘machamba’ (vegetable garden) during the afternoon,” on Tuesday, he reported.

According to the same source, the bodies were found on the banks of the Muaguide river, hours after residents found the delay of both strange. This raised suspicions given the insecurity in Ancuabe, with attacks since June.

The district is about 100 kilometres from Pemba, the provincial capital.

Another resident in Metoro, in the same district, told about relatives of an elderly couple found dead in a vegetable garden 10 kilometres from the population centre, also showing signs of aggression.

“We are crying” about the situation, he said, and there is “fear” of returning to the ‘machambas’, said another resident.

Different local sources confirmed the case.

The population and local authorities suspect that these killings near the Muaguide river and in the surroundings of Metoro are the work of an armed group hiding in the woods of that area.

On Monday, an unidentified group of hooded men with guns looted and burnt houses in Nacuale, another village in the district.

An insurgent movement whose origins remain unclear has terrorised Cabo Delgado since October 2017.

A military offensive with support from several African countries liberated areas around gas projects in northern Cabo Delgado a year ago, but scattered groups have attacked elsewhere in the province.

Since June, violence has hit the Ancuabe area to the south, near Pemba, the provincial capital.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned in July of the severity of these new attacks, causing 36,000 displaced people in districts hitherto considered safe.

The figure is in addition to the approximately 800,000 displaced people already affected by the wave of violence, with the death toll estimated at least 4,000 victims. - Lusa