Monday, October 7, 2024
Ethiopia president replaced after falling out with PM
By Kalkidan Yibeltal, ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia
Ethiopia's parliament has approved the appointment of a new president to replace the country's first female head of state, Sahle-Work Zewde.
Taye Astike Selassie, foreign minister since February, has taken up the largely ceremonial role. In Ethiopia, political power lies with the prime minister - currently Abiy Ahmed.
Sahle-Work had reportedly fallen out with Abiy in recent years.
The prime minister's backing of her initial appointment in 2018 was hailed as a breakthrough for gender equality in Ethiopian politics.
On Saturday, Sahle-Work posted a brief and somewhat cryptic message on X, implying she was unhappy as a result of staying silent for the past year.
Sources close to the 74-year-old told our reporter she had not been happy for some time and was eagerly awaiting the end of her term, due later this month.
During her presidency, she made several calls for peace across the country, though she was criticised for not talking more about the gender-based violence during the two-year civil war in Tigray. But it is believed she was concerned about the current conflicts in Oromia and Amhara regions.
In Amhara, federal forces have been fighting a local militia, which has led to hundreds of deaths and security forces being accused of committing crimes against humanity.
President Taye, 68, an experienced diplomat having served at the UN and in Egypt, is considered close to Abiy. He was sworn in in front of MPs on Monday.
The replacement of Sahle-Work means that Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan is currently Africa's only female head of state.
Orlando Pirates, Ahly Paired In CAF Champions League Draw
CAIRO, Egypt
Title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt will face Orlando Pirates of South Africa after both were placed in Group C when the CAF Champions League group-stage draw was made on Monday.
Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria and Stade Abidjan of the Ivory Coast complete the section following the draw at the Confederation of African Football offices in Cairo.
Ahly are the team to beat in the premier African club competition as they seek a historic third straight title having won the past two finals.
The Cairo Red Devils, coached by Swiss Marcel Koller, are unbeaten in 24 Champions League matches since a humiliating 5-2 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa early last year.
They created a Champions League record last season by conceding only one goal in 14 matches en route to winning the competition an unprecedented 12th time.
The achievement was reached despite the lengthy absence of injured goalkeeper and captain Mohamed el Shenawy with Mostafa Shobeir deputising in nine matches.
Ahly and Pirates met in the 2013 Champions League final with the Egyptians winning 2-0 in Cairo after drawing 1-1 in Soweto.
Belouizdad will be making a fifth straight group-stage appearance while 1966 champions Stade Abidjan returned to the competition this season after a 54-year absence.
Sundowns, semi-finalists in the last two editions, face Moroccan clubs Raja Casablanca and FAR Rabat and Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group B.
Chasing a second title after defeating Zamalek of Egypt in the 2016 final, Sundowns recently bolstered their attack by signing South African international Iqraam Rayners.
Young Africans of Tanzania, unlucky quarter-finals losers to Sundowns last season, are in Group A with TP Mazembe of DR Congo, Al Hilal of Sudan and Mouloudia Alger of Algeria.
The Dar es Salaam outfit are coached by Argentine Miguel Gamondi, and boast an outstanding midfielder in Burkina Faso international Stephane Aziz Ki, who scored four goals in qualifiers.
CAF Champions League Draw
Group A
TP Mazembe (COD), Young Africans (TAN), Al Hilal (SUD), Mouloudia Alger (ALG)
Group B
Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA), Raja Casablanca (MAR), FAR Rabat (MAR), Maniema Union (COD)
Group C
Al Ahly (EGY, holders), Chabab Belouizdad (ALG), Orlando Pirates (RSA), Stade Abidjan (CIV)
Group D
Esperance (TUN), Pyramids (EGY), Sagrada Esperanca (ANG), Djoliba (MLI)
Holders Zamalek drawn to face Enyimba - Sfaxien to play Constantine and Simba
CAIRO, Egypt
The 2024/25 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup group stage promises thrilling action after title holders Zamalek were drawn to face Nigerian giants Enyimba following the Group Stage draw on Monday.
Several former champions, including USM Alger, Zamalek SC, and RS Berkane are involved in the group stage this year as they gear up for fierce competition.
The Egyptian side Zamalek were also placed in the same group as their compatriot Al Masry and Black Bulls in what promises to be an exciting Group D.
Zamalek SC are seeking to add another TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup to their illustrious history, but face a tricky group.
Group B features former champions RS Berkane of Morocco, who will look to excel against Mali’s Stade Malien, CD Lundal Sul, and South African debutants Stellenbosch.
Berkane are tipped by some as favourites to advance, but their challengers are determined to disrupt the status quo.
Group C includes former champions USM Alger from Algeria, who will battle ASEC Mimosas, ASC Jaraaf and Orapa United.
With USM Alger’s pedigree and ASEC’s ambition, this group is expected to deliver high-quality football with ASC Jaraaf and Orapa United proving to be no pushovers.
Group A is arguably the "Group of Death," featuring Simba SC of Tanzania, CS Sfaxien from Tunisia, and Algerian powerhouses CS Constantine.
Angola’s Bravos do Maquis complete the group, but the focus will be on the heavyweight clashes among Simba, Sfaxien, and CS Constantine, all of whom have serious continental credentials.
The group stage kicks off in November, setting the stage for some of Africa’s biggest clubs to chase TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup glory.
Below are the groups
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 A: Simba SC, CS Sfaxien, CS Constantine, FC Bravos do Maquis
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 B: RS Berkane, Stade Malien, Stellenbosch, CD Lundal Sul
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 C: USM Alger, ASEC Mimosas, ASC Jaraaf, Orapa United
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 D: Zamalek SC, Al Masry, Enyimba, Black Bulls.
Israel commemorates one year since Hamas attack on October 7
UNITED NATIONS, New York
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has reached its one-year mark. On the morning of October 7, Hamas initiated an unexpected attack, launching thousands of rockets and sending fighters into Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip during a major Jewish holiday.
On the eve of the anniversary,
Israel increased its airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon, causing fireballs and loud
blasts to illuminate the darkened skyline of Beirut.
The United Nations issued a
pre-recorded video statement from Secretary-General António Guterres on
Saturday to observe the anniversary of October 7, calling for the
"release" of hostages and the silence of guns.
"Today marks one year
since the horrific events of October 7th when Hamas launched a large-scale
terror attack in Israel killing over 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals,
including children and women. More than 250 people were abducted and taken to
Gaza, including many women and children...I have spoken out about this often
and clearly . It is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the
guns. Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region. Time for peace,
international law and justice..." he said.
Guterres issued his statement
just days after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused him of showing
bias against Israel, alleging that the U.N. chief has failed to condemn the
attacks by Hamas and the sexual violence committed by its members.
Israel has long claimed that
the U.N. is biased and antisemitic, but tensions have escalated significantly
following the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Close to 100 Israeli hostages
remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 thought to be alive.
Today, Israel's military
disclosed that 726 soldiers have been killed over the past year in the war led
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Gaza.
This includes 380 fatalities
from the October 7 attacks last year and 346 from the subsequent ground
invasion.
According to the Gaza Health
Ministry, more than 41,000 Palestinians have lost their lives since the onset
of the conflict, without making a distinction between fighters and civilians.
Ukraine strikes oil depot in occupied Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine
Ukraine's military says it has carried out a strike on a large oil terminal off the coast of the occupied Crimean Peninsula, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting Russian-controlled energy facilities.
Officials in Kyiv said the
country's missile forces launched the strike on the Feodosia terminal - the
largest oil processing facility on the peninsula - in an attack overnight.
Russian-installed officials in
Crimea have not confirmed the strike, but did acknowledge a fire at the
facility. No casualties from the blast have been reported.
A municipal-level emergency
has been declared, with 300 people being evacuated from Feodosia due to the
blaze, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
Footage circulating on social
media appeared to show smoke rising over the Feodosia terminal. Local
Russian-installed officials told RIA Novosti that efforts to extinguish the
fire were ongoing.
Meanwhile, the defence
ministry in Moscow said that 12 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the
peninsula overnight out of a total of 21 launched by Kyiv.
In a statement announcing the
attack, Ukraine's general staff said that oil products shipped from the
terminal were being used to "meet the needs of the Russian occupation
army". Russia illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014.
The facility was previously
hit in a Ukrainian drone strike in March.
Kyiv has said that its strikes
on Russian-energy facilities are fair retaliation for Moscow's strikes on its
own energy infrastructure, which have frequently plunged millions into
darkness.
At least 80% of Ukraine's
thermal power and one third of its hydroelectric power generation has been
destroyed in Russian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in June.
The Crimea blast comes as
officials in Kyiv said the air force shot down 32 drones and two missiles
launched towards the Ukrainian capital overnight by Russia.
Air force officials said one
Kinzhal missile managed to evade air defences and hit an area around the
Starokostiantyniv airfield in the Khmelnytskyi region.
Starokostiantyniv has come
under consistent Russian fire over the summer, with Moscow claiming the base
houses F-16 fighter jets donated by the West.
Around 65 F-16s have been
pledged by Nato countries since US President Joe Biden first authorised willing
European allies to send them to Ukraine in August 2023.
The first batch of jets
arrived earlier this summer, with fresh deliveries said to have arrived from
the Netherlands on Monday.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Mozambique president fires Deputy head of armed forces
MAPUTO, Mozambique
Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi on Friday relieved of his duties the deputy chief of staff of the armed forces (FADM), Lt-Gen Bertolino Capitine.
Capitine (pictured above) was
originally an officer in the former rebel movement, Renamo. Ever since the
formation of the FADM in 1994, a certain balance has been established, with a
Chief of Staff drawn from the former government army, the FAM/FPLM, and a
Deputy Chief of Staff from Renamo.
As is normal in presidential
dispatches, Nyusi gave no reasons for removing Capitine from his post.
However, in some quarters it
is being linked with a speech Capitine gave on Monday at the Joaquim Chissano
University in Maputo, as part of the commemorations of the 60th anniversary of
the FADM.
Capitine’s long and meandering
speech made a number of criticisms which would not be accepted from serving
military officers in many countries.
For instance, he attacked the
alleged poor quality of military equipment purchased second hand. He sneered at
Land-Rovers acquired from the United Kingdom as “older than Queen Elizabeth”.
No new Deputy Chief of Staff
has yet been appointed.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Friday, October 4, 2024
Francophonie summit opens in France
HAUTS-DE-FRANCE, France
The summit of the Francophonie which gathers most of the world's French-speaking countries kicks off on Friday in France, a first in 33 years.
The organization (OIF) gathers
54 members amongst which 29 are African.
For two days, delegations from
around the world will be hosted in Villers-Cotterêts, (France). The theme of
the year "create, innovate and do business in French".
It puts under the spotlight
"themes which were shared by young francophones around the globe when
asked to take a survey in 2020", OIF secretary general Louise Mushikiwabo
revealed.
French is one of the 5 most
used languages in the world. According to the OIF over 321 million people speak
it. If the number of speakers continues to rise in the world, "teaching of
French has shrunk", Mushikiwabo told French newspaper Ouest France.
France received the CMF
presidency from Tunisia for the next two years, as the country hosting the 19th
Francophonie summit in October 2024.
The Francophonie summit will
open on 4 October 2024 at the Cité internationale de la langue française, in
Villers-Cotterêts, a place entirely dedicated to the French language and
French-speaking cultures, inaugurated on 30 October 2023 by M. Emmanuel Macron,
President of the Republic. The summit will continue in Paris on 5 October
2024.
The Francophonie is a platform
through which Emmanuel Macron can meet with African leaders.
Most member of the
Francophonie are African states. This comes at a time where France's so-called
privilege ties with Africa is put to the test.
Countries in the Sahel have shown will to exert more of their sovereignty and notably relegated French to a status of "working language" .
Following military coups in
the region, Niger, where the OIF was created, Mali and Burkina Faso have been
suspended from the instances of the body.
Mali and Burkina Faso,
retrograded French to the level of "working language".
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