Venâncio Mondlane announces return to Mozambique

MAPUTO, Mozambique

The Mozambican opposition presidential candidate supported by Podemos, Venâncio Mondlane, revealed that he will return to Mozambique this week.

In a video published on the social network Facebook, Mondlane informed that this is the Spearhead phase, announced about a week ago.

"Next Thursday, January 9th, at 8:50 am, I Venâncio Mondlane will be at Mavalane international airport in Maputo. I will be in Mozambique." assured Mondlane.

"That's the Spearhead", he informed, in his own allusion to the "weapon of war".

Mondlane, who has been out of Mozambique since October 21, when the post-election protests of October 9 began, citing security concerns.

He invited the Mozambican people to welcome him at the airport. And, the leaders of political and justice bodies, namely the Constitutional Council, the body that determined the victory of the FRELIMO candidate, Daniel Chapo.

He insisted that he has no fears about what might happen after his return. "My body is available. They can kill me. The only thing I know is that my fight will never die", he stressed.

In the video, Mondlane filed accusations against the African Union and the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The humanitarian, political, social, electoral crisis that Mozambique finds itself in, the African Union was irrelevant. And the CDC was almost pathetic." Mondlane states that there are international institutions, such as the European Union and the USA, that are "more sensitive to the Mozambican issue".

"In Mozambique we are having a silent genocide", he declared, referring to the current social situation in the country, resulting from the protests and the police who "kidnapped" and "murdered" young people who, according to Mondlane, are his supporters.

"We have hundreds of missing people. These must be the ones in the mass graves", accused the main opposition candidate, dubbing them "heroes of democracy".

All parties have confirmed that the elected parliamentary representatives will take office, including Podemos, which has supported the presidential candidature of Mondlane.

He reiterated that "they can take office", but that "they will take office under a sheet of blood from these heroes of this democracy", without mentioning parties.

Daniel Chapo of the ruling FRELIMO will take office on the 15th, in a ceremony that will take place in Praça da Independência.

China’s top diplomat heads to Africa as West’s attention dwindles

BEIJING, China

China’s top diplomat began his annual New Year tour of Africa on Sunday, maintaining a 35-year-long tradition, to quietly advance Beijing’s already sizeable influence across the resource-rich continent as Europe’s presence wanes and America’s wavers.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi

While global capitals and investors brace for the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House, and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and domestic politics keep German and French ministers occupied, Foreign Minister Wang Yi being in Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad and Nigeria highlights the consistency of China’s engagement with Africa, analysts say.

Wang’s visit through to Saturday also comes as the world’s No.2 economy ramps up its financial support for the debt-laden continent and looks to strike more critical minerals deals and find markets to absorb its exports.

“The decision on which countries to go to each year rarely follows any external logic,” said Eric Orlander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project. “(But) it resonates in Africa as a reminder of China’s consistent commitment to the continent, in contrast to the approaches of the U.S., United Kingdom and European Union.”

Mao Ning, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, announced the visit at a news conference on Friday, saying it aimed to deepen practical cooperation across the board for sustained and substantive growth of China-Africa relations.

As China’s economy slows, Africa offers a much-needed avenue for its state-owned infrastructure firms struggling for projects as indebted local governments hold off on spending, and a market for its electric vehicles and solar panels, areas where the U.S. and EU say it has over-capacity.

Africa’s 50-plus votes at the United Nations could also help advance Beijing’s efforts to reshape multilateral institutions and reinterpret global norms so that they are more in line with its interests, particularly on issues such as human rights.

While current U.S. President Joe Biden’s December trip to Angola was his only visit to sub-Saharan Africa in his presidency, China puts Africa at the front of its diplomatic calendar.

“China has become central to Africa’s policy, as an actor and an inspiration,” said Hannah Ryder, founder of Development Reimagined, an African-owned consultancy, referring to how candidates vying to chair the African Union Commission have talked up Beijing’s ability to improve Africa’s manufacturing capabilities and China’s track record in mass education ahead of February’s election. The commission is the secretariat of the 55-nation African Union.

Wang’s decision to visit the Republic of Congo, which this year takes over as co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) that sets the agenda for China-Africa relations, also points to China’s commitment to implementing the outcomes of last year’s summit, Ryder said, where China pledged $51 billion in fresh financial assistance.

Beijing is also beginning to make its presence felt on pressing regional security issues, analysts say, which partly explains why Wang will travel to Chad.

France last month began the withdrawal of its military from the Central African country, after its government unexpectedly ended a defence cooperation pact that had made it a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region.

“China has been a reliable and stable partner for the new military juntas in the Sahel and West Africa,” Orland said.

“For the French and U.S., who see a dilution of Western power in the region, China’s presence is seen as ‘controversial,’ but it’s a very different view from African perspectives.”

Cameroon archbishop urges 91-year-old president not to seek re-election

DOUALA, Cameroon

The Archbishop of Douala called on President Paul Biya of Cameroon not to stand for re-election in October this year.

President Biya, 91, has held his office for 42 years. Although he has not officially declared his candidature for the election, his New Year message to the nation suggested he was committed to leading the country beyond 2025.

“I have heard your calls and encouragements, and I remain dedicated to serving our beloved nation,” Biya said, responding to calls from his supporters to seek re-election.

Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala warned that a new term for the frail leader would be a mistake, telling RFI that it was “not realistic”.

“People are worried,” he said, and called for a “peaceful transition” to a new government. Such a transition, he argued, could only be guaranteed through a free election with an outcome accepted by all.

The archbishop’s intervention met a divided response from the Cameroonian political class.  Jean-Michel Nintcheu, an opposition parliamentarian and chairman of Front for Change in Cameroon, echoed his view, noting that Biya turns 92 in February and “should be thinking of taking a well-deserved retirement”.

The president’s supporters denied these claims. Gregoire Owona, Minister of Labour and Social Security in Biya’s Cabinet, accused Archbishop Kleda of exceeding his clerical responsibilities and acting as an opposition figure, becoming “a prelate who has taken his side”.

“He sometimes feels obliged to take political positions, without analysing all the consequences. So he has taken his position as a citizen, and his flock who want to follow him will follow him,” he said.

Biya first took office in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, who had held power since independence in 1960.

As a young president Biya promised democracy, and in 1992 Cameroon held its first multi-party presidential elections in which the opposition leader John Fru Ndi claimed victory, with backing from national and international observers, but the Supreme Court declared Biya the victor.

Every Cameroonian election since has seen challenges to the result and allegations of irregularities. Archbishop Kleda has said that “democracy doesn’t exist in Cameroon”.

Ukraine presses attacks in Russia’s Kursk region

By Volodymyr Yurchuk, KYIV Ukraine

Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will urge allies to boost Ukraine’s air defenses at a meeting this week in Germany, while both sides said Kyiv’s forces pressed new attacks Sunday in Russia’s Kursk region.

Russian shelling, meanwhile, killed at least one person and wounded another in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, local officials said.

Dozens of partner countries will participate in the meeting of the Ramstein group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday, Zelenskyy said, “including those who can help boost our capabilities not only to defend against missiles but also against guided bombs and Russian aviation.”

“We will discuss this with them and continue to persuade them,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Saturday. “The task remains unchanged: strengthening our air defense.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin will attend the meeting, which originally had been scheduled for October with U.S. President Joe Biden present. The session was postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton striking the state of Florida.

The Biden administration is pressing to send as much military aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump is sworn in Jan. 20.

Trump claimed during his election campaign that he could end the nearly 3-year-old war in one day, and his comments have raised questions over whether Washington will continue to be Ukraine’s biggest — and most important — military backer.

Zelenskyy said last week that Trump is “strong and unpredictable,” and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to the war.

Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine and last year advanced slowly in eastern areas despite high losses of troops and equipment. The war’s trajectory isn’t going in Ukraine’s favor, with the country shorthanded on the front line and in need of more support from its Western partners.

In Ukraine’s incursion in the Kursk region, Zelenskyy said Russian and North Korean troops had suffered heavy losses in fighting in Russia’s Kursk region.

“In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, in the Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroopers,” he said. “This is significant.”

Zelenskyy said last month that 3,000 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August, dealing a blow to Russia’s prestige and forcing it to deploy some of its troops from eastern Ukraine.

The incursion didn’t significantly change the dynamic of the war, and military analysts say Ukraine has lost around 40% of the land it initially captured.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukraine launched a fresh offensive in the Kursk region. It claimed its forces pushed back Ukrainian troops, but some reports from Russian military bloggers indicated that Moscow’s forces faced significant pressure.

A ministry statement said Ukrainian forces attacked about 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT, 1 a.m. EST) near the village of Berdin with two tanks, a mine-clearing vehicle and 12 armored combat vehicles with paratroopers. Two Ukrainian attacks were repelled, it said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said there was “good news” from Kursk and that Russia was “getting what it deserves,” while Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s official Centre Against Disinformation, said on Telegram that Russian troops were attacked in several places.

M23 seize key DR Congo town of Masisi

GOMA, DR Congo

Rebel forces backed by Rwanda have captured the town of Masisi in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to various reports.

The M23 says it is protecting ethnic Tutsis from persecution

This is the second town seized by the M23 group in as many days in the mineral-rich North Kivu province.

The group has taken control of vast swathes of eastern DR Congo since 2021, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Angola has been attempting to mediate talks between President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame. But these broke down last month.

"It is with dismay that we learn of the capture of Masisi centre by the M23," Alexis Bahunga, a member of North Kivu provincial assembly, told the AFP news agency.

He said this "plunges the territory into a serious humanitarian crisis" and urged the government to strengthen the capacity of the army in the region.

One resident told AFP that the M23 had held a meeting of the town's inhabitants, saying they had "come to liberate the country".

The Congolese authorities have not yet commented on the loss of the town.

It is not clear how many people were killed in the fighting between the M23 and the army and pro-government militias. The town was reported to be quiet on Sunday.

Masisi, which has a population of about 40,000, is the capital of the territory of the same name.

It is about 80km (50 miles) north of the North Kivu provincial capital Goma, which the M23 briefly occupied in 2012.

On Friday, the M23 captured the nearby town of Katale.

Last year, there were fears that the M23 would once again march on Goma, a city of about two million people.

However, there was then a lull in fighting until early December when fighting resumed.

In July, Rwanda did not deny a UN report saying it had about 4,000 soldiers fighting alongside the M23 in DR Congo.

It accused the Congolese government of not doing enough to tackle decades of conflict in the east of the country. Rwanda has previously said the authorities in DR Congo were working with some of those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide against ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

The M23, formed as an offshoot of another rebel group, began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo which had long complained of persecution and discrimination.

However, Rwanda's critics accuse it of using the M23 to loot eastern DR Congo's minerals such as gold, cobalt and tantalum, which are used to make mobile phones and batteries for electric cars.

Last month, DR Congo said it was suing Apple over the use of such "blood minerals", prompting the tech giant to say it had stopped getting supplies from both countries.

Rwanda has denied being a conduit for the export of illegal minerals from DR Congo.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 06/01/2025

Sudan’s army chief welcomes Turkish offer to resolve conflict

PORT SUDAN, Sudan 

Sudan’s army chief has welcomed a Turkish offer to resolve the brutal 20-month conflict between his forces and their paramilitary rivals, the Sudanese foreign minister said.

In early December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with Sudan’s Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan that Ankara could help establish “peace and stability” in the war-torn African state.

At a meeting in Port Sudan on Saturday, Burhan asked Turkiye’s deputy foreign minister Burhanettin Duran to “deliver the Sudanese leadership’s welcoming of the initiative” to Erdogan, Sudanese foreign minister Ali Youssef said in a briefing after the meeting.

“Sudan needs brothers and friends like Turkiye,” Youssef said, adding that “the initiative can lead to... realizing peace in Sudan.”

Erdogan said in his December call with Burhan that Turkiye “could step in to resolve disputes” and prevent Sudan from “becoming an area of external interventions,” according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

Following his meeting with Burhan on Saturday, Turkiye’s Duran said that the peace process “entails concerted efforts,” and that his country was ready to play a “role in mobilizing other regional actors to help overcoming the difficulties in ending this conflict.”

In a statement last week, the UAE welcomed “diplomatic efforts” by Turkiye to “resolve the ongoing crisis in Sudan.”

“The UAE is fully prepared to cooperate and coordinate with the Turkish efforts and all diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict in Sudan and find a comprehensive solution to the crisis,” its foreign ministry said.

The war in Sudan, which has pitted Burhan against his former deputy and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 12 million more.

It has also pushed the country to the brink of famine, with analysts warning involvement from other countries will only prolong the suffering.

Thousands flee potential volcano in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA,  Ethiopia 

Thousands of civilians in a remote part of northeastern Ethiopia are being evacuated after potentially dangerous volcanic activity, officials said Friday.

The evacuations come after steam eruptions have been seen since Thursday from the long-dormant volcano of Mount Dofen, raising fears of a volcanic eruption that could put many people at risk.

Volcanic mud flowing from Dofen has caused huge cracks in critical infrastructure, including major roads, and dozens of properties have been severely damaged in the region of Afar, according to the Afar Region Disaster Risk Management.

The agency said on Friday that the evacuations are precautionary.

The residents are being taken to safer areas within the region.

However, Atalay Ayele, professor of geophysics at the Institute of Geophysics Space Science and Astronomy, based in Addis Ababa University, said the steam eruptions may not necessarily lead to a full-blown volcanic eruption.

Afar is one of Ethiopia’s driest and hottest regions, with a history of volcanic eruptions and frequent earthquakes.

The region is also prone to drought, famine and flooding that has forced many evacuations in recent years.

Biden plans to send $8bn arms shipment to Israel

By Ana Faguy, WASHINGTON United States 

The United States Department of State has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, an American official has confirmed to our Correspondent.

The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes missiles, shells and other munitions.

The move comes just over a fortnight before President Joe Biden leaves office. Washington has rejected calls to suspend military backing for Israel because of the number of civilians killed during the war in Gaza.

In August, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

The latest planned shipment contains air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, artillery shells and bombs, the US official said.

A source familiar with the sale told the reporter on Saturday: "The president has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organisations.

"We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel's defence."

Biden has often described US support for Israel as iron-clad.

The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, having helped it build one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries in the world.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 69% of Israel's imports of major conventional arms between 2019 and 2023.

In May 2024, the US confirmed it had paused a single consignment of 2,000lb and 500lb bombs over concerns Israel was going ahead with a major ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. But Biden immediately faced a backlash from Republicans in Washington and from Netanyahu who appeared to compare it to an "arms embargo". Biden has since partially lifted the suspension and not repeated it.

The planned shipment is one of a number of steps taken by the Biden administration in recent weeks, as the outgoing president attempts to shore up his legacy.

It will likely also be the last planned weapons sale to Israel before he leaves the White House on 20 January 2025, when his successor Donald Trump is inaugurated.

The president-elect has previously spoken of ending foreign conflicts, and of reducing US involvement, including during his re-election bid.

Trump has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel, but has urged the American ally to finish its military operation in Gaza quickly.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Syria militias go after former regime soldiers, spies

DAMASCUS,  Syria 

Security forces of the new de facto authorities in Syria continued their search for militants affiliated with ousted President Bashar Assad in the city of Homs on Friday, officials said.

The forces over the past few weeks have raided and arrested security officials who they said worked under Assad's notorious web of intelligence and security branches.

Officials said they detained Assad loyalists who refused to turn in their weapons over to the new authorities.

On Thursday, state media reported, citing a military official, that the new de facto authorities led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had set up centres in Syria’s third largest city for former soldiers and militants to hand over their weapons, similar to other parts of Syria.

In early December, a lightning insurgency took out the decades long rule of Assad in less than two weeks.

HTS have since run much of war-torn Syria under the de facto rule of its leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.

In a show of force, the security forces were seen firing into the air as they were deployed in alleyways in Homs.

Police and soldiers from Guatemala, El Salvador arrive for Haiti mission

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

The first fighting contingents of soldiers and military policemen from Latin America arrived in Port-au-Prince on Friday to join the armed international security mission in Haiti’s fight against terrorizing gangs.

The 83 security personnel included an advance team of eight soldiers from El Salvador and the first 75 of 150 military police officers from Guatemala.

While the Salvadorans will be providing casualty and medical evacuations in support of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, the Guatemalans will be joining operations to take down Haiti’s gangs.

Their presence adds a much requested beefed up military presence to the fight, which until now has been mainly police-led.

The group was greeted at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport by Haitian authorities.

In preparation for the additional boots on the ground, the Biden administration has flown at least 22 flights into Haiti in the past month with much needed equipment for the Haitian police and the Kenyan mission including armored vehicles.

The group’s arrival has been long awaited and comes at a critical moment for Haiti, which is seeing an alarming rise in armed attacks in the metropolitan area.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 05/01/2024

 

World's oldest person Tomiko Itooka dies aged 116

HYOGO,  Japan

A Japanese woman, recognised as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records, has died aged 116.

Tomiko Itooka died in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, according to officials.

She became the oldest person in the world after Spain's Maria Branyas Morera passed away in August 2024 at age 117.

"Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life," Ashiya's 27-year-old mayor Ryosuke Takashima said in a statement.

"We thank her for it."

Ms Itooka was born in May 1908 – six years before the World War One and the same year that the Ford Model T car was launched in the US.

She was verified as the world's oldest person in September 2024 and was presented with the official GWR certificate on the Respect for the Aged Day, which is a Japanese public holiday celebrated annually to honour the country's elderly citizens.

Ms Itooka, who was one of three siblings, lived through world wars and pandemics as well as technological breakthroughs.

As a student, she played volleyball and climbed the 3,067-metre (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice.

In her older age, she enjoyed bananas and Calpis, a milky soft drink popular in Japan, according to the mayor's statement.

She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness.

During World War Two she managed the office of her husband's textile factory. She lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979.

She is survived by one son and one daughter, and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held with family and friends, according to officials.

As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people who were 100 or older - 88% of whom were women.

Of the country's 124 million people, nearly a third are 65 or older.

Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka and is 116, is now believed to be the world's oldest person.

Ghana President’s ADC collapses in parliament

By Olugbenga Ige, ACCRA Ghana 

A dramatic moment unfolded on the floor of the Ghanaian Parliament on Friday when Colonel Isaac Amponsah, the Aide-de-Camp to President Nana Akufo-Addo, collapsed during the President’s final State of the Nation address.

Our Correspondent  reports that the incident occurred shortly after the President began his speech, highlighting his administration’s achievements in the last eight years.

In a viral video seen by our correspondent, Amponsah was standing guard in the chamber when he suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

The video also showed members of the parliament’s medical team rushing to provide immediate assistance.

After receiving first aid,  Amponsah was transported to a nearby medical facility for further evaluation.

Visibly alarmed by the situation, Akufo-Addo paused his address briefly to ensure his ADC received urgent care before resuming his speech.

The aide-de-camp of the Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, immediately took over to stand behind the President.

The cause of Amponsah’s collapse and condition remain undisclosed as of the time of filing this report.

Ghana opens up visa-free travel to all Africans

ACCRA, Ghana 

All African passport holders are now able to visit Ghana without needing a visa, outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo has said.

He announced the plan last month but in his final state-of-the-nation address on Friday he said that the policy had come into effect at the beginning of the year.

Visa-free travel within the continent has long been an aspiration for those promoting pan-African values and is seen as vital for economic cooperation.

Ghana is now the fifth African country to offer this to travellers from the rest of the continent.

Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin are the others.

"I am proud to have approved visa-free travel to Ghana for all African passport holders, with effect from the beginning of this year," Akufo-Addo told lawmakers in his last address to parliament before he steps down next week after eight years in office.

"This is the logical next step to the African Continental Free Trade Area and the workings of the largest trading bloc in the world," he said referring to the zone that came into effect four years ago.

In an annual African ranking of visa-openness, Ghana was placed fifth last year as it already offered visa-free travel to citizens of 26 continental countries.

Ghana in recent years has been promoting itself as a destination for people from the continent and the African diaspora to visit. In 2019, Akufo-Addo launched the Year of Return - an initiative to encourage those with African roots to invest in the country.

The president used his last state-of-the-nation speech to review his two terms in power.

Despite him overseeing tough economic times for most Ghanaians, he said that "growth has returned to the pre-Covid trajectory" adding that he leaves behind a country "that is thriving".

Having served two terms already, Akufo-Addo was unable to run for re-election last month. But the man his party chose to succeed him, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, lost by a large margin to John Mahama.

Mahama is due to be sworn in on Tuesday.