Two more troop contributing countries exit Mozambique

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Angola and Namibia are the latest troop contributing countries (TCCs) to exit the South African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) as the mission’s July closure looms ever larger.

A farewell ceremony for the Angolan and Namibian contingents at Pemba airport saw soldiers honoured with mission service medals as well as applause and thanks for what they did in the east African country.

Bidding soldiers from the two SADC countries farewell, SAMIM Force Commander, South African Major General Patrick Dube, said the work they did “will always remain in the hearts and minds of Mozambicans”.

SAMIM thanked them for commitment, dedication, courage and skills during the deployment in support of Mozambique security forces with the two-star noting their proud contribution to regional peace and security.

Botswana was the first to exit SAMIM, followed by Lesotho and South Africa, with President Cyril Ramaphosa, SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Commander-in-Chief extending the deployment the day it finished on 15 April. That leaves, as far as can be ascertained, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia with troops on the ground in Cabo Delgado. The presence of Namibian soldiers and equipment was not previously mentioned in SADC statements or SAMIM social media postings.

SAMIM operations to curb ASWJ (Al Sunnah wa Jama’a) started in August 2021 in the Macomia, Muidumbe and Nangade districts of Cabo Delgado.

Rwanda has pledged to send more troops to Cabo Delgado where terrorists have unleashed a fresh wave of attacks in recent months after suffering military losses to international forces.

The Rwandan troops will arrive to help avoid a security gap as SAMIM leaves the province.

In March, 300 rebel fighters reportedly seized and occupied the coastal town of Quissanga, a district capital. Insurgents beheaded three members of the security forces on nearby Quirimba Island the following day.

The new attacks have hit areas that were relatively untouched since the start of the insurgency, including a sustained push into the Chiúre district near Cabo Delgado’s southern border. These attacks are “notable for their relative intensity and the absence of an effective response from state forces,” Cabo Ligado, a website that monitors the insurgency, reported in March.

Brigadier General Patrick Karuretwa, who leads the Rwandan Defensc Force’s international military cooperation, said the country already has about 2 500 soldiers and police personnel in Cabo Delgado’s Ancuabe, Mocimboa da Praia and Palma districts.

The SAMIM withdrawal “obliges us to take certain measures,” Karuretwa said in a report by the Mozambique Information Agency. “We shall train Mozambican soldiers to occupy the places where SAMIM used to be stationed. We are also increasing the number of our own forces, and making them more mobile, so that they can cover larger areas.”

Rwandan forces in 2021 recaptured the northern port of Mocimboa da Praia from insurgents who controlled the city for about a year, disrupting a major natural gas project.

About 300 troops from Tanzania are expected to remain in Cabo Delgado under a separate bilateral security agreement, according to Zitamar News. Tanzanian forces are based in the Nangade district in northern Cabo Delgado.

The final SAMIM forces are expected to leave in July. Mozambique Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo has said SAMIM is departing due to “financial problems.”

“We also have to take care of our own troops and we would have difficulty paying for SAMIM,” Macamo said recently. “Our countries are not managing to raise the necessary money.”

The European Union has pledged $21.3 million to fund the next Rwandan deployment.

After meeting with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in March, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune also pledged to send basic personal equipment for members of Cabo Delgado’s local militias who fight alongside security forces.

SAMIM has helped make significant counterterrorism gains since its deployment and more than 600 000 people who fled violence in Cabo Delgado had returned to their homes as of December 2023, Relief Web reported.

Thomas Mandrup, associate professor at Stellenbosch University’s Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, said he believes the mission achieved its objective of reducing the insurgents’ capacity.

However, “SAMIM has found it difficult to fulfil its mandate of training the Mozambican force because they couldn’t identify their training needs,” Mandrup said in an interview with The Conversation. He added that the mission’s development and humanitarian efforts “have been limited at best.”

11 workers found alive beneath rubble after South Africa building collapse

WESTERN CAPE, South Africa

A multi-disciplinary rescue team, including sniffer dogs, continued the search on Tuesday night for the over 30 people still trapped under the rubble on a construction site in the South African city of George.

Seventy-five people were there when the multi-storey apartment complex, they were building collapsed on Monday afternoon.

At least 7 of them have been declared dead.

But will well over 30 hours since the accident occurred, and many of those taken to hospital in a serious condition, the death toll is likely to rise.

Colin Deiner, head of the provincial Western Cape disaster management services, said the search-and-rescue operation would likely take at least three days.

"We are going to give it the absolute maximum time to see how many people we can rescue," Deiner said at a press conference. "It is very, very difficult if you are working with concrete breakers and drillers close to people."

ALSO READ: Deadly building collapse in South Africa leaves scores trapped

Earlier in the day, Deiner said some of the workers had limbs trapped under concrete and couldn't move. 

"Our big concern is entrapment for many hours, when a person's body parts are compressed**.**So, you need to get medical help to them. We got our medics in as soon as we possibly could," he said.

Deiner said a critical part of the rescue operation came when they ordered everyone to remain quiet and shut off machinery so they could listen for any survivors. 

"We were actually hearing people through the rubble**,"** Deiner said.

Family and friends of the workers had gathered at the nearby municipal offices and were being supported by social workers, the George municipality said.

Authorities were starting investigations into what caused the tragedy, and a criminal case was opened by police, but there was no immediate information on why the building suddenly collapsed. 

CCTV footage from a nearby home showed the concrete structure and metal scaffolding collapsing at 2.09 p.m. Monday, causing a plume of dust to rise over the neighborhood.

Alan Winde, the Premier of the Western Cape province, said there would be investigations by both the provincial government and the police.

The provincial government has appointed a structural engineering firm to determine the cause of the collapse and who is responsible.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa released a statement offering his condolences to families of the victims and also called for investigations into the cause of the collapse.

Putin sworn in for new term in ceremony boycotted by US

MOSCOW, Russia

President of Russia, Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term on Tuesday at a Kremlin ceremony that was boycotted by the United States and other Western countries at which he said he was potentially open to nuclear talks with the West.

Putin, in power as president or prime minister since 1999, begins his new mandate more than two years after he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, where Russian forces have regained the initiative after a series of reversals and are seeking to advance further in the east.

At 71, Putin dominates the domestic political landscape. On the international stage, he is locked in a confrontation with Western countries he accuses of using Ukraine as a vehicle to try to defeat and dismember Russia.

Putin told Russia's political elite after being sworn in that he was not shutting down dialogue with the West but that it would have to make its own choice about how to engage with his country.

He said talks on strategic nuclear stability with the West were also possible, but only on equal terms.

"We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, we will bring to life everything we have planned. Together we will be victorious," Putin said.

Putin in March won a landslide victory in a tightly controlled election from which two anti-war candidates were barred on technical grounds.

His best-known opponent, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony a month earlier, and other leading critics are in jail or have been forced to flee abroad.

The United States, which said it did not consider his re-election free and fair, stayed away from Tuesday's inauguration ceremony.

Britain, Canada and most European Union nations also decided to boycott the swearing-in, but France said it would send its ambassador.

Ukraine said the event sought to create "the illusion of legality for the nearly lifelong stay in power of a person who has turned the Russian Federation into an aggressor state and the ruling regime into a dictatorship".

Sergei Chemezov, a close Putin ally, told Reuters before the ceremony, that Putin brought stability, something which even his critics should welcome.

"For Russia, this is the continuation of our path, this is stability – you can ask any citizen on the street," Chemezov said.

"President Putin was re-elected and will continue the path, although the West probably doesn’t like it. But they will understand that Putin is stability for Russia rather than some sort of new person who came with new policies – either cooperation or confrontation even."

Russia's relations with the United States and its allies are at their lowest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the world came to the brink of nuclear war.

The West has provided Ukraine with artillery, tanks and long-range missiles, but NATO troops have not joined the conflict directly, something that both Putin and President Joe Biden have warned could lead to World War Three.

Underscoring the rise in nuclear tensions, Russia said on Monday it would practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as part of a military exercise, after what it said were threats from France, Britain and the United States.

"We hope that this event will cool down the 'hotheads' in Western capitals," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

One of the decisions awaiting Putin in his new term will be whether to seek to renew or replace the last remaining treaty that limits Russian and U.S. strategic nuclear warheads. The New START agreement is due to expire in 2026.

It remains unclear how far he will seek to press his war in Ukraine - a decision that will depend in part on whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November.

In line with the constitution, the government of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin resigned at the start of the new presidential term. Putin will appoint a new one which is expected to include many of the same faces.

China hospital attack leaves more than 10 dead, many others wounded

YUNNAN, China

An attack at a hospital in southwest China left more than 10 people dead or wounded on Tuesday, according to state media, which did not specify the nature of the attack.

"The incident occurred at a local hospital and as of 1:20 pm (0520 GMT)... more than 10 people have been wounded or killed," state news agency Xinhua said.

The attack took place in Zhenxiong County in southwestern Yunnan province and authorities were investigating, it added.

Images published by the state-run news site The Paper appeared to show a man pointing a knife at another man wielding a stick in a hospital lobby, as well as police officers arriving at the scene.

"It happened around 11 in the morning... it's still a bit chaotic, they're still determining the numbers," a local resident told The Paper.

Mass violent crime is rare in China, which strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms, but there has been a spate of stabbings in recent years.

Last August in Yunnan, two people died and seven others were wounded after a man with a history of mental illness attacked people with a knife.

The month before that, six people were killed and one wounded in a kindergarten stabbing in southern China's Guangdong province.

And in August 2022, three people were killed and six wounded in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southeast China's Jiangxi province.

Malawi court drops corruption charges against vice president

LILONGWE, Malawi

A court in Malawi has dropped corruption charges against the country’s Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, clearing a legal hurdle over his potential candidacy in next year’s presidential election.

Chilima was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations after the country’s corruption watchdog alleged, he was rewarded for assisting Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies connected to British businessman Zuneth Sattar, to be awarded contracts by the Malawi Government.

Both Chilima and Sattar denied any wrongdoing.

In a notice seen by our reporter, Judge Redson Kapindu said the decision to drop the charges was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) filed a notice for the case to be discontinued.

Kapindu ordered the DPP to provide reasons for discontinuing the case to the legal affairs committee of parliament within 10 days as required by the country’s constitution.

Chilima’s lawyer, Khumbo Soko, said his team was relieved that the criminal charges against the vice president had been dropped.

“As of now, we do not know the reasons for the discontinuance, suffice to say only parliament has the mandate to know,” said Soko.

Zelensky’s term would have expired in May 2024, but he’s staying

KYIV, Ukraine

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky's term in office is supposed to end on May 20, 2024 – but it won’t.

As Russia’s war delayed the elections and Zelensky's term is looking indefinite, Ukraine’s President’s Office is preparing to weather the storm of critics questioning the president’s legitimacy.

Officially, the administration stays away from the topic. Unofficially, its members have been warning allies for months that Russia was preparing a targeted campaign to undermine Zelensky’s legitimacy in the eyes of Ukrainians and the West.

Undermining Zelensky’s legitimacy is part of Russia’s multi-component plan to destabilize Ukraine, Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Vadym Skibitsky told the Economist in a recent interview.

Two sources in the President’s Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Western allies were aware of the threat and weren’t willing to push Ukraine toward presidential and parliamentary elections in the near future.

The question of whether Zelensky can stay in office after May is debated in Ukraine, as well, albeit not massively. Zelensky’s critics argue that the Constitution does not authorize the extension of Zelensky's powers under martial law. However, constitutional lawyers say that such an extension is legal and complies with the Constitution.

While legality means compliance with the law, another issue is legitimacy – acceptance of the government by the population.

Zelensky's approval rating, boosted by his leadership during the war, has been falling, leading some to question his legitimacy. However, even after the fall, it stays above 50%.

Political analysts also say that there will be no genuine problems with Zelensky's legitimacy unless there are large-scale protests similar to the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution.

The Ukrainian authorities have denied the claim that there are problems with Zelensky’s legality or legitimacy, and have dismissed it as an artificial issue forced by Russia.

"This Russian narrative has no legal grounds," Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, formerly a legal scholar, said in March. "The Constitution's Article 108 clearly says that the president of Ukraine fulfills his duties until the next president takes office. This is the principle of the continuity of power."

Zelensky’s spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov told the Kyiv Independent that the president’s team does not comment on the issue.

Zelensky was elected president in April 2019 and was inaugurated in May. If martial law had not been imposed, the next presidential election would be held on March 31, 2024, and Zelensky’s term would end on May 20.

Similarly, if not for martial law, a parliamentary election would have been held on Oct. 29, 2023, ending the term for the current parliament elected in July 2019.

The Ukrainian Constitution stipulates that the authority of the country's parliament must be extended until the expiry of martial law. However, the Constitution does not contain similar explicit provisions on presidential elections.

Some of the president’s critics have argued that there is a legal collision between the Constitution and the martial law act. They claim that, since the Ukrainian Constitution is the supreme law, it overrides the martial law act, and presidential elections cannot be postponed.

Former Speaker Dmytro Razumkov, once an ally and now a critic and political opponent of Zelensky, claimed in February that the president's authority would expire in the spring of 2024, after which he must transfer his powers to the parliament speaker. The speaker would then remain acting president until a new president is elected.

This line of reasoning has been extensively used by Russian propaganda.

Vasily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the UN, claimed in March that Zelensky's "decision not to hold presidential elections makes him illegitimate after May 21."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was more ambiguous.

"As far as May 21 is concerned, let's live until it happens," he said. "Maybe we won't have to recognize (Zelensky as legitimate)."

Deadly building collapse in South Africa leaves scores trapped

WESTERN CAPE, South Africa

A rescue operation is continuing in South Africa after a five-storey building under construction collapsed, killing two people and leaving another 53 trapped.

Officials in the city of George, Western Cape province, say 22 people have been pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital.

A team of 75 crew were on the site when the building collapsed on Monday.

The cause of the incident in the coastal city is being investigated.

The building crumbled at 14:09 local time (12:09 GMT), Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said.

"Seventy-five members of construction crew have been confirmed on site at that time of the incident," he added.

Emergency services were seen rushing to the scene to search for survivors in the city 450km (279 miles) east of Cape Town.

Two of the 22 people pulled from the wreckage later died of their injuries.

"Our thoughts are with the families and all those affected who continue to wait for word of their loved ones," said George Mayor Ald Van Wyk.

The officials say they have been able to establish contact with some of those trapped, and heavy lifting equipment and sniffer dogs have been brought in to assist the operation.

Photos have emerged showing a completely flattened construction site, with parts of the building's roof laying atop the rubble.

"I saw one guy was working and then 'boom' and I saw the whole building collapsed... I'm also traumatised. It is very sad," local councillor Theresa Jeyi was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Tanzania closes major highway after floods wash away bridges

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

Tanzania’s 396-kilometre highway connecting the port city of Dar es Salaam and southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara was shut down on Sunday after flash floods washed away at least four main bridges.

“The highway has been closed until further notice,” Joseph Mwasabeja, the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force commander for Lindi region, told Xinhua when reached on phone.

Mr Mwasabeja said the flash floods were triggered by an overnight heavy downpour caused by the tropical cyclone Hidaya before it completely lost its strength after its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday.

He said the floods washed away bridges over Mbwemkuru, Somanga, Mikereng’ende and Matandu rivers in Kilwa district in Lindi region.

Mohamed Nyundo, Kilwa district commissioner, said the floods also submerged several houses in seven villages, displacing scores of villagers and damaging hundreds of hectares of farm crops.

On Saturday night, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority declared that tropical cyclone Hidaya had completely lost its strength following its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday.

The tropical cyclone was forecast to hit the country’s Indian Ocean coast regions of Mtwara, Lindi, Coast, Tanga and Dar es Salaam.

At least 155 people have lost their lives in flood and landslides-related incidents in the country.

Russia’s president Putin orders nuclear drills with troops near Ukraine

MOSCOW, Russia

President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills involving the navy and troops based near Ukraine, the defense ministry said Monday.

Putin has upped his nuclear rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began, warning in his address to the nation in February there was a “real” risk of nuclear war.

“During the exercise, a set of measures will be taken to practice the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the defense ministry said.

Non-strategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for use on the battlefield and can be delivered via missiles.

The ministry said the exercises would take place “in the near future” and were aimed at ensuring Russia’s territorial integrity in the face of “threats by certain Western officials.”

Aircraft and naval forces will take part, as well as troops from the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine and includes the occupied Ukrainian territories, it said.

Western officials have become increasingly alarmed by the Kremlin’s nuclear rhetoric during the offensive in Ukraine, with Putin frequently invoking Russia’s nuclear doctrine.

Last year Russia ditched its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and pulled out of a key arms reduction agreement with the United States.

Chad presidential vote set to end military rule

N’DJAMENA, Chad

Chad is set to become the first of Africa's current junta-led states to move to democratic rule with Monday's presidential vote.

It will end a three-year transition imposed after the sudden death of long-serving leader Idriss Déby Itno while fighting rebels.

But as his son, and successor, Gen Mahamat Déby is one of the favourites to win, there is some scepticism about whether this will bring about change.

Prime Minister Succès Masra is among his nine challengers and is seen as his biggest rival.

The start of voting was marked by delays, with polls opening an hour behind schedule in some areas.

President Déby kicked off the exercise by casting his ballot in the capital, N’Djamena.

He said he was proud to have fulfilled his promise to respect the deadline for “elections that will signal a return to constitutional order.”

“It’s up to the Chadian people to vote massively and choose their president,” he added.

“We will vote. It’s our duty… even if it takes time,” said one voter, who stood in a long queue waiting to cast his ballot.

Ten other politicians who had been hoping to run, including two prominent figures, Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh, were excluded by the constitutional council because of “irregularities”. For example, Mr Koursami was accused of forgery.

But some have argued that the decision to bar certain people was politically motivated.

Another potential opponent, Yaya Dillo, was killed by security forces in February while allegedly leading an attack on the National Security Agency in the capital, N’Djamena.

Activists have called for a boycott of the election that they termed a ploy to lend a sheen of democratic legitimacy to the Déby dynasty.

Many are still in exile following a deadly crackdown on opponents following protests in October 2022.

Nevertheless, Chad’s election is a milestone for countries in West and Central Africa that have fallen under military rule since a spate of coups began in 2020.

It may serve as a template for juntas seeking to maintain political influence after first coming to power illegitimately.

The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people has not had a free-and-fair transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

Idriss Déby overthrew Hissène Habré in 1990 and remained in charge for the following three decades until his battlefield death in April 2021 at the age of 68.

His son, now 40, took over in what opponents described as a constitutional coup and initially pledged to stay on as interim leader for just 18 months, a period that was later extended. He also said that he would not run for president.

General Déby has tried to dismiss concerns that he is part of a dynasty.

“If I am elected, I will serve my five-year term and at the end of my term, it will be up to the people to judge me. As for a dynasty, our constitution is very clear – a candidate cannot serve more than two successive terms, “ he told the France 24 TV channel.

Mr Masra, who is also 40, was named prime minister by Gen Déby in January after a deal was brokered to mend political fractures from the October 2022 protests.

The economist has been accused by some of betraying the opposition but he has dismissed rumours of a secret post-election power-sharing agreement with Gen Déby.

He has urged Chadians to vote for him to end six decades of “obscurity” and “darkness”.

People are desperate for change in Chad.

But when it comes to the vote, there is a mixture of hope and despair.

Hope that this vote, whoever wins, could spark a new era of young leadership in the country, but despair as over the past three decades, life has become tougher for many in the country.

The results are expected to be released by 21 May, but a second round could be held in June if no candidate gains more than 50% of the vote in the first round.

Growing concern as DRC prosecutors open judicial inquiry against Cardinal

KINSHASA,  DR Congo 

There is growing concern after prosecutors in the Democratic Republic of Congo opened a judicial inquiry against Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa for “seditious comments”.

The Archbishop is believed to be one of Pope Francis’ main advisors and the Vatican says it is closely monitoring the situation.

Ambongo was accused of “incitement” after speaking out against insecurity in the east of the country, where the army is fighting the M23 rebels, during his Easter Mass..

Ongoing violence in North Kivu province has caused almost two million people to flee their homes since the end of 2021.

Prosecutors says his comments were likely to discourage soldiers in the east and encourage mistreatment by the rebels fighting them.

Reactions to the announcement of the judicial investigation against Ambongo have been swift with both clergy, human rights groups, and opposition politicians rallying to his defence.

Opposition leaders say the state’s case against the Cardinal sets a dangerous precedent for those wishing to criticise the government.

The Catholic Church in the DRC has been a vocal critic of corruption, human rights abuses, and bad governance for decades.

Many Catholics consider the government's investigation into Cardinal Ambongo as sacrilegious.

The move is likely to cause divisions in the country that is struggling to end a war in the east.

Botswana buries 44 victims of South Africa bus crash

MOLEPOLOLE, Botswana

At least 44 people who died in a horrific bus crash during Easter weekend in South Africa were laid to rest in neighboring Botswana on Saturday.

About 5,000 mourners clad in black gathered in the Botswana village of Molepolole to pay their last respects nearly a month after the bus crash that claimed the lives of everybody on board except one 8-year-old child.

The bus driver, Ogaufi Noonyane, was buried separately in the village of Thamaga, about 40 kilometers away.

The victims were travelling to an Easter pilgrimage of the Zion Christian Church, one of the biggest churches in southern Africa, when their bus plunged about 50 meters from a bridge near Mokopane village in South Africa's northern province of Limpopo.

The accident was a tragic reminder of how deadly South Africa’s roads become during the Easter period, when millions crisscross the country during the long holiday weekend.

The mass funeral followed the repatriation of the victims' remains to their home country of Botswana.

"We stand here with devastated hearts," said Limpopo provincial minister of health Phophi Ramathuba, who was among the South African dignitaries who attended the funeral.

Atlang Siako, the sole survivor, was transported back home to Botswana after receiving medical attention in South Africa.

Last month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Botswana counterpart Mokgweetsi Masisi visited the scene of the crash, where they laid wreaths and paid their respects to the deceased.

Togo ruling party wins sweeping majority in legislative election

LOME, Togo

Togo's ruling party has won 108 out of 113 seats in parliament, according to the final provisional results of last month's legislative election announced on Friday.

The sweeping majority secured by President Faure Gnassingbe's UNIR party follows the approval of controversial constitutional reforms by the outgoing parliament that could extend his 19-year rule.

The new charter adopted in March also introduced a parliamentary system of government, meaning the president will be elected by parliament instead of by universal suffrage.

Opposition parties were hoping to gain seats in the April 29 vote to enable them to challenge the UNIR party after they boycotted the last legislative poll and left it effectively in control of parliament.

The election had been delayed twice because of a backlash from some opposition parties who called the constitutional changes a maneuver to allow Gnassingbe to rule for life.

Constitutional amendments unanimously approved in a second parliamentary vote earlier in April shortened presidential terms to four years from five with a two-term limit.

This does not take into account the time spent in office, which could enable Gnassingbe to stay in power until 2033 if he is re-elected when his mandate expires in 2025.

US greenlights $60M in military assistance to Haiti amid rampant gang violence

WASHINGTON,  US

The Biden administration has approved a $60 million military aid package to help Haiti quell violent gangs wreaking havoc in the country, according to documents obtained by our reporter.

The package, the second the U.S. has approved for the Haiti crisis this year, includes mostly small arms but also some armored vehicles. The notification lists at least 80 Humvees, 35 MaxxPro infantry carriers, sniper rifles, riot control gear, firearms, ammunition and surveillance drones.

The move would send weapons and equipment to the Haitian National Police as well as to nations supporting the multinational security mission to help quell the violence in Haiti: Kenya, Jamaica and the Bahamas among others, the memorandum of jurisdiction for the drawdown reads.

The latest package brings the total contribution from U.S. stockpiles for the Haiti crisis to $70 million, after the Biden administration approved a $10 million package earlier this year. The cap for this authority is $75 million and expires at the end of the fiscal year.

Spokespeople for the State Department, Defense Department and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

France probes TotalEnergies over Mozambique attack

PARIS,  France 

Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation into TotalEnergies to establish whether the energy giant can be charged with involuntary manslaughter linked to an Islamist militant attack on its facilities in Mozambique.

The probe follows a legal complaint brought by victims’ families and attack survivors, accusing the French energy company, which was developing a major liquefied gas project in the region, of failing to protect its subcontractors, the prosecutors’ office told reporters. 

The survivors and families say TotalEnergies also failed to provide fuel so that helicopters could evacuate civilians after Islamic State-linked militants killed dozens of people in the Mozambican port town of Palma on March 24, 2021.

The entire attack in Cabo Delgado province lasted several days, claiming several hundred lives. Some of the victims were beheaded and thousands fled their homes.

Contacted by our reporter Saturday, a TotalEnergies spokesman reiterated a previous statement saying it “firmly rejects the accusations”.

He said the company’s Mozambique teams had supplied emergency aid and made the evacuation of 2,500 people from the plant possible, including civilians, staff, contractors and sub-contractors.

The French investigation also seeks to establish whether TotalEnergies is guilty of non-assistance to people in danger, prosecutors said.

Seven British and South African complainants – three survivors and four relatives of victims – accuse TotalEnergies of failing to take steps to ensure the safety of subcontractors even before the assault.

The Al-Shabab group – unrelated to the Somali group of the same name – which carried out the attack had been active in Cabo Delgado province since 2017 and drawing ever closer to Palma.

“The danger was known,” said the complainants lawyer Henri Thulliez in 2023 at the time of the lawsuit.

Depending on the outcome of the preliminary probe, the case would either be dropped, or the investigation intensified with a view to bringing possible charges, they said.