South African president reshuffles Cabinet

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a Cabinet reshuffle late Monday, appointing a new deputy president and several ministers. 

“I have decided to appoint Mr. Paul Mashatile as deputy president of the republic,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address.

He replaces David Mabuza, who resigned last month.

Mashatile, 61, also serves as deputy president of the ruling African National Congress party (ANC).

Ramaphosa also introduced two ministries, including that of electricity and the other for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation which will focus greater attention on the performance of the government.

He appointed Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as minister in the Presidency for electricity. He will now be responsible for resolving the current electricity crisis facing the continent’s most industrialized economy.

South Africa is facing its worst electricity crisis in decades, with rolling blackouts of up to six hours a day. Power utility Eskom, which generates over 90% of the country's electricity, has been struggling to meet demand and implementing different stages of outages for weeks.

Most of the output from the utility's aging power plant array is coal-fired, with the facilities in need of maintenance.

“The primary task of the new minister will be to significantly reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding (rolling power cuts) as a matter of urgency,” the South African leader said.

Ramaphosa said the electricity minister will be expected to facilitate the coordination of the numerous departments and entities involved in the crisis response, including working with Eskom’s leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations and accelerating the procurement of new generation capacity.

Other ministers appointed include Khumbudzo Ntshavheni as the minister in the presidency. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is now a minister in the presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and Maropene Ramokgopa is a minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Mondli Gungubele is the minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, while Thembi Nkadimeng is the minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The Public Service and Administration minister is Noxolo Kiviet, and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala is now the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. Several deputy ministers have also been appointed.

Burkina Faso announces curfew in northern region

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso

A curfew has been introduced throughout the northern region of Burkina Faso and two other provinces to combat jihadist attacks in the Sahel region.

"As part of the fight against terrorism, a curfew from 10pm to 5am has been introduced throughout the region from Friday 3 March to Friday 31 March," said a note from the secretary general of the governorate of the northern region, Kouilga Albert Zongo.

"During this period, the movement of people, four and two-wheeled vehicles, tricycles (three-wheeled vehicles) and bicycles is formally prohibited," he said, urging people "to strictly respect this decision by staying at home at the times and dates indicated.

According to Mr. Zongo, the measure is aimed at facilitating the actions of the armed forces in this border region of Mali.

Two provinces have also instituted curfews, according to notes from local authorities: Koulpelogo, in the Centre-East region bordering Ghana and Togo, for the entire month of March, and Bam, in the Centre-North region, from March 5 to 20.

In mid-February, the curfew in effect since 2019 in the Eastern region, from midnight to 4:00 a.m., was extended for 3 months, until May 21 inclusive.

Burkina Faso has taken up the fight against jihadist violence head-on, particularly after demanding the departure of French troops from Operation Sabre, which have been present in the West African country since 2009 without any success.

Since 2022, the French presence has been increasingly questioned in Burkina Faso, as in many other African nations, eager to regain control of their sovereignty.

On February 24, Burkinabé authorities terminated the defense agreement signed with French authorities, which allowed the special forces of Operation Sabre to be stationed at the Kamboinsin base. The soldiers of the Sabre task force could be redeployed to neighboring Niger, which already has nearly 2,000 French personnel.

Arsenal stage thrilling fightback to maintain five-point lead

LONDON, UK

Arsenal survived a massive scare in their pursuit of the Premier League title as they came back from two goals down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 with a last-gasp winner from Reiss Nelson in a rip-roaring contest in north London on Saturday.

With referee Chris Kavanagh set to blow the final whistle in the seventh minute of stoppage time a corner was cleared out to Nelson who smashed home a left-footed shot to spark bedlam inside the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City's earlier 2-0 defeat of Newcastle United had ratcheted up the pressure on Arsenal, cutting their lead to two points, and when relegation-threatened Bournemouth's Philip Billing scored after nine seconds the hosts were stunned.

Timed at 9.11 seconds, Billing's close-range finish from an attack straight from the kickoff was the second-quickest goal ever scored in the Premier League era.

Shane Long's effort 7.69 seconds after kickoff for Southampton against Watford in 2019 is the quickest.

Arsenal dominated possession and were denied by a combination of visiting keeper Neto and some last-ditch defending although Bournemouth had their moments too.

When Marcos Senesi rose unmarked to head in Bournemouth's second goal just before the hour it looked as though Arsenal's grip on top spot was coming loose.

Then began an Arsenal comeback that could prove a pivotal moment in their hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

Thomas Partey prodded a shot past Neto shortly after the hour mark, and eight minutes later substitute Ben White's volley crossed the line despite Neto's desperate dive.

Arsenal laid siege to the Bournemouth goal but it appeared the visitors had held on for a precious point in their own desperate fight against relegation.

But substitute Nelson supplied the sucker-punch to re-establish Arsenal's five-point lead over City.

Mikel Arteta's side have 63 points from 26 games with City on 58. Bournemouth are in 19th place with 21 points.

Macron pledges aid to DR Congo, warns of sanctions if peace efforts are derailed

KINSHASA, DR Congo

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday pledged 34 million euros ($36 million) as part of an EU aid package to conflict-hit eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. On the final stop in Kinshasa of his four-nation African tour, Macron said any party seeking to derail peace efforts should face sanctions. 

During an official visit to DR Congo, where perceptions of French support for neighbouring Rwanda have stoked anti-French sentiments in the eastern regions, Macron was asked to condemn Rwanda.

"I have been very clear about the condemnation of the M23 and those who support it," said Macron, referring to the M23 rebel group. Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the group. Rwanda denies the allegation.

A peace process brokered by regional powers in Angola in November has so far failed to end the fighting, but Macron said he had confidence in the plan.

"If they do not respect it, then yes there can be sanctions," he said without naming any particular party.

Macron also pledged 34 million euros to a new EU humanitarian aid initiative for the central African nation.

The EU on Saturday announced that it was setting up a "humanitarian air bridge" to deliver aid to the conflict-hit eastern regions.

The air bridge will link with Goma, the capital of DR Congo's eastern North Kivu province, where fighting with the M23 has displaced more than 600,000 people.

The operation will "deliver humanitarian support in the form of medical and nutritional supplies along with a range of other emergency items", a European Commission statement said.

The EU said it was also releasing some 47 million euros to be channelled through humanitarian partners for immediate needs such as nutrition, healthcare, shelter and water.

"The EU stands ready to mobilise all the necessary means to support humanitarian workers, including logistics and air, to meet the needs of the population in Democratic Republic of Congo," said the EU's commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic.

Macron’s visit to DR Congo came a day after his meeting with President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the neighbouring Republic of Congo, after visiting Angola and Gabon.

In the Angolan capital Luanda, Macron held talks with his counterpart Joao Lourenco, calling the oil-rich country a "strategic partner in the region".

Macron, who chaired an economic forum attended by more than 50 French companies, said the "heart of this visit is the strengthening of agricultural partnerships" with Angola.

France has for decades been involved in the petroleum industry in the Portuguese-speaking southern African country, which is one of the continent's top crude producers.

Before leaving Luanda, the French president thanked Lourenco for his work to restore stability to the region, highlighting his diplomatic efforts in conflict-torn eastern DRC.

He added that there are "legitimate hopes" for a de-escalation in the turbulent region.

Macron also met with Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera in Gabon on Thursday, after relations had deteriorated as Russian influence increased in Bangui and French troops left the troubled country last year.

Rwandan soldiers killed a Congolese soldier

GOMA, DR Congo

Rwandan soldiers shot and killed a Congolese soldier who crossed the border and shot at security forces on Friday, triggering a brief exchange of fire between the two sides, Rwanda's defence ministry said.

Already strained relations between the central African neighbours have deteriorated sharply since the M23 rebel group launched a fresh offensive in eastern DR Congo in March last year, displacing over 600,000 people since.

Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led group. The United Nations, the United States, France and other international powers have made similar allegations.

But Rwanda denies this and says it is being scapegoated for Congo's military incompetence.

The incident at the border took place on Friday evening when the Congolese soldier crossed into western Rwanda from the Grande Barriere border post, outside the city of Goma, and shot at Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) soldiers, the ministry said.

"The RDF soldiers returned fire, killing the FARDC soldier on the Rwandan side of the border. Several other FARDC soldiers fired at the RDF position resulting in a brief exchange of fire," it said in a statement.

"The situation is now calm," it added, noting that many similar incidents have occurred in the past.

Colonel Guillaume Ndjike, a spokesperson for DR Congo's army in North Kivu province, said he could not yet comment on the incident but would do so on Saturday.

Rwandan armed forces shot and killed a Congolese soldier in very similar circumstances last June.

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S. Sudan President fires Defence and Interior ministers

JUBA, South Sudan

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has fired his government's Defence and Interior ministers in a move that goes against the terms of a peace agreement signed with opposition party leader Riek Machar. 

The SPLM-IO faction led by First Vice President Riek Machar revealed that President Salva Kiir’s decision to sack the defense minister was not made in a proper manner.

On Friday evening, Kiir issued a decree removing Defense Minister Angelina Teny, a leading member of the opposition SPLM-IO, a principal party to the 2018 peace agreement.

Angelina Teny is also Machar’s wife.

The South Sudanese leader also removed Interior Minister Mahmoud Solomon, a member of the SPLM party. No reasons were cited for the sacking of the two ministers.

The defense ministry was under the SPLM-IO faction under Riek Machar whereas the interior ministry was under the SPLM party led by Kiir per a previous agreement reached by the parties before the formation of the transitional cabinet in March 2020.

The president issued another order that switched the two ministries, saying the ministry of defense will now be led by his party SPLM whereas the ministry of interior will be controlled by the SPLM-IO faction under First Vice President Riek Machar.

Kiir, Machar and other opposition leaders signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended five years of civil war. But implementation has been slow, and the opposing parties have frequently disagreed over how to implement the key provisions of the deal, sparking speculation that such controversies could delay general elections in December 2024.

Puok Both Baluang, director of information and acting press secretary for Machar, said on his Twitter account that the decision issued by the president to remove the defense minister and switch the two ministries was taken unilaterally.

"The republican decree issued this evening by President Salva Kiir on the relieve of Hon. Angelina Teny, and the switching of ministries of defense & veterans affairs and Interior is unilateral and a new cycle of violating the Revitalized Agreement,” Puok said.

There was no immediate comment from Kiir’s camp.

In January, the SPLM-IO condemned and rejected a decision by President Salva Kiir to dismiss the speaker of the Jonglei State legislative assembly, saying it was illegal. 

Amer Ateny Alier, a member of the SPLM-IO faction, had her appointment revoked in a presidential decree. Both sides are yet to resolve their dispute over the matter.

‘Punish Russia for Ukraine War’ - US Secretary of State

NEW DELHI, India 

The so-called Quad group Friday released a statement after their meeting where they said the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons in Ukraine was “inadmissible.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the forum in India where he said allowing Russia to continue its invasion with no consequences would pave way to other nations following suit.

“If we allow with impunity Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it too,” said Blinken.

Senior U.S. officials said the secretary of state met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday for the first time since Moscow’s “special military operation” started just over a year ago.

Officials add that the brief encounter between the two representatives led to Blinken calling on Moscow to end the war in Eastern Europe and reverse its suspension of the New START nuclear treaty.

Russian news agencies report that Lavrov and Blinken spoke for less than 10 minutes and did not engage in any negotiations.

Josep Borrell, European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief said the global community needs to jointly condemn President Vladimir Putin’s administration for the ongoing war.

“Everybody who is abstaining in several different regions, they have to understand that we are facing something that breaks the possibility of having a world consensus,” said Borrell. - Reuters

"Era of interference in African affairs is over" - President Macron

LIBREVILLE, Congo

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Thursday that Paris has no intention of returning to past policies of interfering in Africa.

He arrived in Libreville on Wednesday at the start of a four-nation African tour aimed at resetting relations with the continent.

“I prefer to be very clear and explicit in meeting you today,” he said in remarks to the French community, “In Gabon, as elsewhere, France is a neutral interlocutor, which speaks to everyone, and whose role is not to interfere in domestic political issues."

Macron visit to four central African countries comes at a time when France finds itself facing a wave of hostility among its former colonies in the Sahel, forcing it to withdraw its troops.

Ahead of his visit, he said there would be a "noticeable reduction" in the French troop presence in Africa "in the coming months" and a greater focus on training and equipping allied countries' forces.

"I’ve decided on a new strategy for all our military bases in Africa. And I have asked the defence minister and the chief of the defence staff to work with their counterparts to adapt our military arrangements,” he said.

Macron insisted that the reorganisation was "neither a withdrawal nor disengagement, but adapting an arrangement" with allies.

Before leaving Gabon, he will attend a conference on preserving tropical forests, an initiative that he and Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba unveiled at last year's UN climate conference.

Later Thursday, he will head to Angola, before travelling on Friday to the Republic of Congo and neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Guinea, Ivory Coast repatriating citizens from Tunisia

By Boubacar Diallo, CONAKRY Guinea

The West African nations of Guinea and Ivory Coast are repatriating citizens who want to leave Tunisia after the country’s increasingly authoritarian leader called for a crackdown on migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Morissanda Kouyate, Guinea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad, was aboard the chartered flight that brought back 49 Guineans to Conakry Wednesday night, the government said. Another 81 are awaiting future flights, he added.

“Our compatriots in Tunisia, we found that some of them had lost hope,” Kouyate said. “And it was with a heavy heart that I was able to meet with them because the conditions were difficult.”

Mamaaissata Sacko, a mother of three children, said her family had been attacked and lived in fear in the North African nation.

“We didn’t go out to get food. As soon as you go out, they hit you with rocks. They say: ‘Leave. Go home — Tunisia is for Tunisians.’ My children and I spent two days without eating,” she said upon her return to Guinea late Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast’s government said about 500 Ivorians have expressed interest in repatriation flights that will be operated by the national carrier Air Cote d’Ivoire.

Tunisia has long been a destination for economic migrants from West Africa because of the French language many share and North Africa’s proximity to Europe. An estimated 21,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africs were living in Tunisia in 2021, most of whom entered from Algeria and Libya.

Last month Tunisian President Kais Saied said that “urgent measures” were needed to address the entry of irregular immigrants from sub-Saharan countries, “with their lot of violence, crimes and unacceptable practices.”

He ordered a rapid response via “diplomatic, security, military fronts” and strict application of the law on foreigners.

Nigeria opposition renews calls to overturn election result

Nigeria's Labour Party's candidate Peter Obi sits in line with his wife Margaret Obi (left)

By Chinedu Asadu, ABUJA Nigeria

Nigeria’s opposition renewed calls for the election result to be overturned on Thursday, a day after the country announced its new president-elect.

“We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians,” third-place Labour Party candidate Peter Obi said at a news conference in the capital. He said that the election would be remembered as one of the most controversial in Nigeria’s history and that it was marred by irregularities.

Hours later, second-place candidate Atiku Abubakar with the Peoples Democratic Party also rejected defeat and said he was consulting with his lawyers on how to challenge the outcome.

“I have come to the conclusion that the processes and outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly election of last Saturday were grossly flawed in every (way) and as such must be challenged,” he told reporters in the capital, Abuja.

At least four other parties are joining them in challenging the results. They have three weeks from the day the final tally was announced to appeal.

But an election can be invalidated only if it’s proven that the national electoral body largely didn’t follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result. None of Nigeria’s presidential election results has ever been overturned by the country’s Supreme Court.

The opposition said the delay in uploading results from the country’s 177,000 polling stations to the electoral body’s portal could have made room for vote tampering. They said there was also voter intimidation and cases where people were barred from voting at all.

While there were inconsistencies in the results in Rivers and Imo states between the information gathered by observers on the ground and the results announced by the electoral body, it wasn’t enough to impact the election’s final outcome, said YIAGA Africa, Nigeria’s largest election observer group. Still, the issues spotted could just be the tip of the iceberg, it said.

President-elect Bola Tinubu of the ruling party received 37% of the vote in last weekend’s election and will be Nigeria’s first president to take office with less than 50%, analysts say. The main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, won 29% of the vote, while third-place finisher Obi got 25%, according to official results.

Tinubu, 70, faces a divided nation and many younger Nigerians doubt his ability to improve economic opportunities for all, let alone reduce violence and corruption in a country that is one of the world’s leading suppliers of oil.

While the opposition cried foul Thursday, Nigerians were uncharacteristically indifferent. Unlike after previous elections where people took to the streets to celebrate or protest, the streets in Abuja were largely empty as daily life continued. Tinubu’s supporters believe he won fairly and will be sworn in as president on May 29.

“We have voted for him and he has been sworn in. It is now his turn to help us and see the way Nigeria is suffering,” said Gbemisola Olabogun, a water seller in Lagos city. “He should please look into everything and make life easy for us all.”

Still, opposition supporters are holding out hope that the vote will be overturned.

“As far as I am concerned, Obi is my president,” said Chima Ekwueme a Labour Party supporter. “We will be here when he is declared winner,” he said.

Nigerian opposition to contest the elections results

ABUJA, Nigeria

Nigeria's Labour Party denounced the country's presidential elections on Wednesday, claiming they had not been "transparent, free and fair".

At a briefing on Wednesday, Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed detailed instances of violence and voter intimidation saying the election was conducted "in clear violation of agreed and promised INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), rules and guidelines."

"It is our position that the purported results did not meet the minimum criteria of a transparent, free and fair election. In addition to the most condemnable attacks, violence, voter intimidation and suppression, the election was conducted in clear violation of agreed and promised INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) rules and guidelines." explained Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The tightly contested election has redrawn Nigeria’s electoral geography and produced results that are significantly different from those of past polls, with this being the first time that a president takes office with less than 50% of the vote and where four candidates won over a million votes, say analysts.

Labour Party leader Peter Obi intends to contest the elections results.

"Please be assured of our determination to fight the injustice that have been perpetrated on Nigerians through all legal and peaceful means. While painful, we implore you all to please remain peaceful and calm as our fight and determination for a new Nigeria is just beginning." added Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Civil Society Organizations and members of the Labour Party held a demonstration condemning the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

They held up placards reading "Cancel the 2023 General Elections Now" and "Save Our Democracy."

The parties now have three weeks to appeal results, but an election can be invalidated only if it's proven the national electoral body largely didn’t follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.

Young Congolese protest upcoming visit of French leader

KINSHASA, DR Congo

A few dozen Congolese demonstrated Wednesday (Mar. 1st) against the arrival of French President in the DRC.

Outside the French Embassy in Kinshasa, protesters chanted “Macron assassin” or “Macron get out”, some waving Russia flags.

The protesters pointed out that they consider France a key ally of Rwanda in confrontation with the DRC. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting insurgents on Congolese territory.

Later this week, Macron is scheduled to arrive in Kinshasa as part of his African tour aiming to mend rapidly deteriorating relations with African nations.

"Rwanda, a country which has been attacking us for more than 25 years; leaving over forty million people dead; and France did not intervene. And then Today Mr Macron would like to come here to sympathize with us? To weep crocodile tears?" the coordinator of the Sang-Lumumba citizens' movement asked.

"We refuse the arrival of Emmanuel Macron the French president in our country. Since he is accompanying Rwanda the country that is slaughtering us, the country that is killing us day and night. It is he who supports Rwanda we do not want his arrival here in our Congo," another demonstrator said.

The eastern stretch of the country has been beset by violence for nearly 30 years with numerous armed groups active.

Among them, M23 fighters whom Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting.

Brazen bandit turns local school in Kenya into his home after villagers flee

NAIROBI, Kenya

A bandit has seized a primary school block in Baringo County, in the Rift Valley province in Kenya and turned it into his home in a brazen show of impunity.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki

The criminal has converted the school’s classrooms into bedrooms and allocated them to members of his family.

In a shocking revelation by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday, senators heard the Standard Eight classroom is now the man’s bedroom while the Standard Seven one belongs to his first wife.   

The man’s second wife sleeps in the Standard Six classroom while his first-born child has taken up Standard Five.

Appearing before the Senate’s National Cohesion committee, Mr Kindiki said the bandits have terrorised Baringo South and Baringo North leading to the closure of 21 schools.

Although the government has managed to reopen 14 learning institutions, the school, which the CS did not name, is among seven that remain closed.

The remaining seven, the CS said, were completely destroyed but Sh100 million has been secured to rebuild them and reopen them next term.

The CS at the same time vowed that the ongoing security operation in the banditry-prone north will be sustained until the menace is eradicated.

Prof Kindiki told the senators that part of the elaborate security plans by the government will see the region populated with enough security personnel, who will not leave the six affected counties until all bandits are cleared and the region is safe.

Prof Kindiki told the committee led by Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute that the government has set aside Sh20 billion to acquire sophisticated weapons as part of a police modernisation programme.

Two weeks ago, the CS declared six counties in the North Rift as ‘disturbed and dangerous’ following a wave of banditry attacks that left several people, including security officers, dead.

The counties are Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Laikipia and Samburu counties where President William Ruto ordered the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces and other security officers.

“We must make it painful for the criminals and lawbreakers who have made our life unbearable. I want to assure you we will win this battle. We will crush the bandits,” he added. 

He said the government will continue with a disarmament exercise targeting all illegal guns in the north and other parts of the country. The CS said the three-day grace period to surrender guns will not be extended, adding that 43 guns, 136 rounds of ammunition, two fragmented rifle grenades and three rocket-propelled grenades have been voluntarily surrendered since the operation began. 

Pledging to become “the minister who will lead the team to finish this banditry menace” once and for all, Prof Kindiki told the senators that securing the north is integral to the country’s economic development due to its abundant resources. 

Prof Kindiki said the criminal activities that are persisting in the region create a fertile breeding ground for terrorism. He said hundreds of security personnel have lost their lives in banditry attacks. 

Turkana Senator James Lomenen raised the issue of porous borders.

“How do the bandits get their ammunition? Do they get them from the police, army, Uganda or do they have their own factories?” Mr Lomenen asked. Prof Kindiki said Kenyan officials have met with their Ugandan counterparts to seal all escape routes used by the bandits.

Last week, East Africa Community (EAC) CS Rebecca Miano and Interior PS Raymond Omollo met with Ugandan officials in Moroto where they discussed security concerns.

Nominated Senator Joyce Korir pointed an accusing finger at political leaders who, she said, know the financiers of the criminals as they are people living within their communities.

Mr Kindiki vowed to spare no politician aiding and abetting banditry. 

He said President Ruto has said he is willing to lose political support to end the banditry menace. “If you fall afoul of the law, it will not matter which side of the political divide you belong to”

Nominated Senator Raphael Chimera criticised the government for its knee-jerk reactions to the insecurity situation.

EU extends arms embargo on Zimbabwe

BRUSSELS, Belgium

The European Union (EU) has extended by a year its arms embargo against Zimbabwe while underplaying the impact of its sanctions against the southern African country.

Zimbabwe has been under sanctions from the EU and the United States for the past two decades and this has impacted negatively on its economy that has been in decline for years.

The EU has eased its travel bans and assets freezes against government officials and security chiefs, but maintains an arms embargo and asset freeze against the Zimbabwe Defence Industries.

In its latest review of the embargo, Brussels said it decided to keep the arms embargo in place because of concerns that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is not keeping its reform promises.

 “The EU will continue to closely follow developments, with a particular attention to the human rights situation and recalls its readiness to adapt the whole range of its policies accordingly,” the EU said in its review.

The remaining restrictive measures in place do not affect the people of Zimbabwe, its economy, foreign direct investments, or trade.

“Zimbabwe continues to benefit from duty free and quota free access of its exports to the EU, while negotiations are ongoing to deepen the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Economic Partnership Agreement.

“There is significant potential in terms of investments and job opportunities, provided that the government promotes political and economic reforms, facilitate a conducive and more predictable business environment, tackle corruption and foster respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

Zimbabwe has been lobbying for the lifting of the Western sanctions, arguing that they are unjustified and a strain to its struggling economy.

African leaders have also joined the lobby and have in the recent years used global platforms to push for the removal of the embargo with no success.

The US, United Kingdom and the EU insist that Zimbabwe must show a commitment to political and economic reforms for the sanctions to be lifted.

Disputed election

Zimbabwe was first hit with sanctions after a disputed 2002 presidential election where then leader Robert Mugabe was accused of electoral fraud and human rights violations. 

The EU said it was concerned about President Mnangagwa’s moves to introduce legislation that will severely limit the civic and democratic space.

“Other developments are of concern from a democratic and civic space perspective,” the Council of the EU added.

“These include the Data Protection Act and, if enacted, bills such as the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill and the envisaged “patriotic provisions” in the Criminal Law Amendment Bill.

“The EU also maintains its concerns that the recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry have not been followed substantially and the perpetrators of violations which occurred in August 2018 and January 2019 are to date still enjoying impunity from prosecution.

“It is important that international human rights obligations are adhered to and the constitutional rights of the people of Zimbabwe respected.”

Zimbabwe will hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year and Western countries, including members of the EU, say it is crucial for the country to organise free and fair elections if its international isolation is to end.

US increases military support for Somalia against al-Shabab

By Omar Faruk, MOGADISHU Somalia

The United States is increasing its military assistance to Somalia as the country sees success in battling what the U.S. calls “the largest and most deadly al-Qaida network in the world.”

Sixty-one tons of weapons and ammunition arrived Tuesday in Mogadishu, the U.S. said in a statement of support for a historic Somalia-led military offensive against al-Shabab extremists that has recaptured dozens of communities since August.

In a separate joint statement with other leading security partners Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Britain, the U.S. said they will support Somalia’s efforts to manage weapons and ammunition that could allow the United Nations Security Council to lift its arms embargo on the country.

“A very productive meeting,” Somalia’s national security adviser, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, tweeted after the Washington gathering.

The government of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared “total war” last year on the thousands of al-Shabab extremists who for more than a decade have controlled parts of the country and carried out devastating attacks while exploiting clan divisions and extorting millions of dollars a year in their quest to impose an Islamic state.

The current offensive was sparked in part by local communities and militias driven to the brink by al-Shabab’s harsh taxation policies amid the country’s worst drought on record. Somalia’s government quickly lent support. Now neighbors Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti have agreed to a joint “search and destroy” military campaign.

Somalia is recovering from decades of conflict, and the federal government is eager to shed the country’s history as a failed state and attract investment. Under the current president, the government is cracking down on al-Shabab’s financial network and encouraging religious authorities to reject the extremist group’s propaganda — even enlisting a former deputy al-Shabab leader as Somalia’s current minister for religious affairs.

The U.S. has an estimated 450 military personnel in Somalia after President Joe Biden reversed his predecessor Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces. The U.S. supports Somali forces and a multinational African Union force with drone strikes, intelligence and training.

The increased support for the Somalia-led offensive comes as the AU force is set to withdraw from the country and hand over security responsibilities to Somalia by the end of 2024.