EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 07/11/2025

 

Cameroon's Paul Biya sworn in for eighth presidential term amid accusations of 'constitutional coup'

YAOUNDE,  Cameroon 

Cameroon’s long-time leader Paul Biya was sworn in on Thursday for a new seven-year term following his victory in last month's presidential election, which his opposition rival has described as "a constitutional coup.”

Speaking to Parliament, the world’s oldest president promised to stay faithful to the confidence of the Cameroonian people and vowed to work for a “united, stable and prosperous” country.

The 92-year-old incumbent, who is Africa’s second-longest serving leader, took the oath of office during a session of parliament in what residents describe as the heavily militarised and partially deserted capital, Yaounde.

Priscilla Ayimboh, a 40-year-old seamstress in Yaounde, doesn’t see a new term for Biya as likely to change anything.

“I’m tired of Biya’s rule and I no longer care whatever he does. It’s a pity. I wonder what will become of Cameroon in the next seven years: there are no roads, water, and jobs,” she said.

Njewa Betrand Mbohchukeh, 30, who teaches at a high school in the capital, said: “In the next seven years, life in Cameroon may improve if there is a positive change in government policy, or completely worsen if the regime maintains inertia toward the masses.”

Munjah Vitalis Fagha, a senior politics lecturer at Cameroon’s University of Buea, told The Associated Press that Biya’s inauguration was “taking place in a tense yet controlled political atmosphere, marked by deep divisions between the ruling elite and a growingly disillusioned populace.”

Fagha added: “The ceremony occurs amid calls for political renewal, ongoing security challenges in the Anglophone regions, and widespread concerns over governance and succession.”

Cameroon’s top court on Oct. 27 declared Biya the winner of the election, with 53.66 percent of the vote, ahead of his former ally-turned-challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who scored 35.19 percent.

There were protests in several parts of Cameroon days after the Oct. 12 vote, followed by a three-day lockdown this week after Tchiroma claimed victory and alleged vote tampering. The government has confirmed that at least five people were killed during the protests, although the opposition and civil society groups claim the figures are far higher.

Tchiroma insists Biya was awarded a “fraudulent” victory in the election.

“The will of the Cameroonian people was trampled that day, our sovereignty stolen in broad daylight,” Tchiroma wrote on Wednesday night. “This is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful.”

Biya came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president and has ruled since following a 2008 constitutional amendment that abolished term limits. His health has been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving governance to key party officials and family members.

He has led Cameroon longer than most of its citizens have been alive — over 70 percent of the country’s almost 30 million population is below the age of 35. If he serves his entire term, Biya will leave office nearly 100-years old.

The results of his nearly half-century in power have been mixed; armed insurgencies in both the north and west of the country, along with a stagnant economy, have left many young people disillusioned with the leader.

Trump says he’ll skip G20 summit, calls for South Africa’s removal

WASHINGTON, United States 

United States President Donald Trump has announced he will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, saying South Africa no longer deserves a place in the group of major economies.

Speaking at the American Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, Trump said, “South Africa shouldn’t even be in the G’s anymore, because what’s happened there is bad.” 

He added that he would not represent the United States at the meeting, set for November 22–23. Vice President J.D. Vance will attend instead.

Trump has been a vocal critic of South Africa’s land reform policies, accusing the government of targeting white farmers and committing what he called “massive human rights violations.

” Earlier this year, he signed an executive order to cut US aid to South Africa and to support the resettlement of white Afrikaners in the United States, describing them as victims of “unjust racial discrimination.”

Pretoria has rejected the allegations, calling Trump’s statements “factually incorrect” and based on a distorted view of the country’s policies.

AU declares Tanzania’s election flawed and undemocratic

By Fiona Kelliher, ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia 

Last week’s Tanzania elections failed to comply with democratic standards, says the African Union (AU), adding to mounting international pressure on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration over the deadly vote.

The AU’s election monitoring arm – which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election – on Wednesday pointed to ballot stuffing, the government-imposed internet blackout, allegations of excessive military force, and politically-motivated abductions as “compromising election integrity”.

The election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections”, the mission’s report concluded, adding that the environment was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes”.

Protesters poured into the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities following the election, where they faced police violence, clouds of tear gas and limited internet access.

The country’s main opposition party, Chadema, has since claimed hundreds of people were killed, a figure the government has denied.

Videos reviewed by Al Jazeera show dozens of bodies, including of people shot in the head, protesters with bloodied faces, and security forces firing guns in the streets.

The AU’s mission urged Tanzanian authorities to exercise restraint and pursue “thorough investigations” into violence against protesters.

“Tanzania should prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after the 2025 General Elections,” the report said.

The AU Mission led by former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi (above)said the electoral environment “before, during, and after” the vote was not conducive to peaceful and credible elections/MFA_Tanzania

The AU report came amid another rare rebuke from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) earlier this week, which detailed violence, censorship and “general intimidation” of the public and opposition figures.

Overall, “voters could not express their democratic will”, SADC said in a preliminary report on Monday, adding that the elections “fell short” of SADC principles.

Hassan swept nearly 98 percent of the vote after her two main competitors were barred from competing. 

Chadema was disqualified in April after refusing to sign an electoral code of conduct, while the country’s second-biggest opposution party, ACT-Wazalendo, was excluded after an objection from the attorney general.

Chadema’s leader Tundu Lissu separately faces a treason trial after calling for election reforms.

SADC chronicled such events directly, writing that the disqualifications had created an “uneven political playing field” that undermined the democratic process.

The last time SADC openly criticised an African election process was during Zimbabwe’s election in 2023. It has since observed a handful of other elections, including in Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In her first comments after being sworn in, Hassan appeared to blame foreigners for the protests, saying “it was not a surprise that those arrested were from other countries”, according to a translation by the Associated Press.

Hassan first took power in 2021 after the unexpected death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

Since then, local and international watchdogs have repeatedly raised the alarm over her administration’s alleged campaign of forced disappearances, torture and assault of critics, as well as widespread media repression.

In June, a panel of United Nations experts said they had documented more than 200 disappearances in the country since 2019.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 06/11/2025

 

Tanzania partially restores internet access, warns against image sharing

NAIROBI,  Kenya 

The government in Tanzania has warned people not to share photos and videos that may cause panic as the internet slowly returns after a six-day shutdown during deadly protests that began on election day.

Mobile phone users received a text message on Monday night saying that sharing images that could cause panic or demean human life would lead to “court charges.”

The messages came shortly after the internet was reconnected, when people began sharing unverified images of bodies they claimed were victims of the election protests.

A social media page that had been uploading videos and photos of purported election protest victims was pulled down on Monday evening, after attracting thousands of followers within a day.

The government has yet to release an official death toll from the protests, but President Samia Suluhu Hassan, during her Monday swearing-in, said there had been loss of life and urged security agencies to ensure a return to normalcy.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday condemned the violent crackdown on protesters in Tanzania and cited officials from the main opposition party, Chadema, who said more than 1,000 people had died in the protests.

The Catholic Church on Monday also said that people had died in their “hundreds,” but it too was unable to verify or confirm the exact numbers.

President Hassan ran in a disputed Oct. 29 election from which candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred. She was declared the winner with more than 97% of the vote, despite a low turnout reported by international observers.

Chaos broke out on election day as youths protested the exclusion of the main opposition parties, and demonstrations continued for several days as protesters called for a halt to vote tallying. Security agencies cracked down on protesters by firing live bullets and tear gas canisters, and a nationwide curfew was declared.

On Tuesday, life was slowly returning to normal in the capitals Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, with gas stations and grocery shops reopening and public transport resuming after days of closure.

The government spokesperson on Monday asked all government workers to return to work, effectively ending a work-from-home order that had been announced after the curfew imposed on election night.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday asked the Tanzanian government to ensure accountability for all election-related deaths, citing point-blank shootings reported by various residents.

“The Tanzanian authorities’ violent and repressive response to election-related protests further undermines the credibility of the electoral process,” said Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The rights group also called for the full restoration of internet connectivity, saying that restrictions violate the right to freedom of expression and access to information.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 05/11/2025

 

Amnesty International calls for unconditional release of Tanzanians arrested during protest

LONDON, England

Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Tanzanians who were arrested for protesting on election day.

In a statement, the lobby urged the Tanzanian government to respect and protect the right to peaceful assembly and release all individuals arrested solely for taking part in peaceful protests.

“Authorities must immediately refrain from suppressing protests and instead respect, protect, and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly. They must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested solely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly,” said Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

The lobby condemned Tanzanian authorities over its termed as unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, and the ongoing suppression of protests following the 29 October general election.

The organisation said it was alarmed by reports of excessive force used by security forces during post-election protests, which have resulted in deaths and injuries.

“For close to a week now, many people in Tanzania have suffered nationwide internet and electricity shutdowns. Amnesty International is particularly alarmed by reports that amidst the blackouts, security forces have used excessive force to suppress and disperse ongoing post-election protests,” Chikwanda added.

The organization further criticised authorities for imposing a partial internet shutdown. It noted that this is the third such restriction in under a year, claiming that it was being used to silence dissenting voices and prevent the documentation of human rights violations.

Amnesty International also called for independent and transparent investigations into all reported killings by security forces.

The organisation demanded that those suspected of responsibility be brought to justice in fair trials and that victims and their families be granted access to justice and effective remedies.

 “The authorities must also allow both local and international media to freely report on the human rights situation in the country and refrain from restricting access to information, both online and offline, including by immediately restoring internet access and access to basic public services.”

US circulates draft UN resolution to establish international security force in Gaza - Report

WASHINGTON, United States

The United States has circulated a draft resolution to members of the UN Security Council calling for the creation of an international security force in Gaza with a mandate lasting at least two years, the Axios news site reported Monday.

According to a copy obtained by Axios, the draft resolution, which was designated "sensitive but unclassified," would give the US and other participating countries a broad mandate to govern Gaza.

A US official told Axios that the draft resolution will be the basis for negotiations over the coming days between Council members, with the goal of voting to establish it in the coming weeks and deploying the first troops to Gaza by January.

The official added that the International Security Force (ISF) will be an "enforcement force and not a peacekeeping force" which would involve troops from several participating countries and be established in consultation with the Gaza "Board of Peace."

According to the draft resolution, the ISF would be tasked with securing Gaza's borders with Israel and Egypt, protecting civilians and humanitarian corridors and training a new Palestinian police force, with which it is to partner in its mission.

The draft also calls for the Board of Peace to remain in place at least through the end of 2027, according to Axios.

The ISF would also "stabilize the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups," the draft said.

It said the ISF will take on "additional tasks as may be necessary" in support of the Gaza agreement.

Earlier Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that countries will decide on troop deployment depending on the wording of an expected UN Security Council resolution.

“What the countries we’ve spoken with have said is this: they will decide whether or not to send troops based on the content of the definition in the resolution expected from the UN Security Council,” Fidan told a news conference after hosting a meeting on Gaza in Istanbul attended by foreign ministers from Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and representatives from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Noting that discussions and various efforts are ongoing, Fidan said a key issue emphasized by countries is the establishment of a force whose mandate and legitimacy are defined within the framework of a Council resolution.

He underlined that in the process of defining the force’s mandate, first a general consensus must be reached on a draft, and then it must be approved by the UN Security Council without being vetoed by the council’s permanent members, adding that Türkiye and partner countries are continuing their efforts at every stage of the process.

Guinea's junta leader enters presidential race

CONAKRY, Guinea

The military commander who has ruled Guinea since a coup four years ago has entered the presidential race, breaking an earlier promise to hand power to a civilian government.

Col Mamadi Doumbouya submitted his candidacy at the Supreme Court on Monday, flanked by soldiers and wearing black sunglasses. He did not make any public comment.

Two of Guinea's biggest opposition parties - RPG Arc en Ciel and UFDG - have been excluded from December's contest.

This has raised concerns about the election's credibility.

Guineans had reacted with shock last month when it was announced that presidential candidates would need to pay a deposit of 875m Guinean francs ($100,000; £75,000) to contest the election.

While the previous deposit was almost as high - 800m francs - some analysts had hoped it would be reduced to encourage more people to stand in these historic elections.

Four years ago, Col Doumbouya had pledged to hand power back to civilians, saying "Neither I nor any member of this transition will be a candidate for anything... As soldiers, we value our word very much." ‎

The election is being held under a new constitution that allowed Col Doumbouya to run for the presidency.

Under his rule, the Guinean authorities have been cracking down on peaceful dissent, including attempts to mobilise people towards a return to democratic rule.

The junta has been criticised for suspending media outlets, restricting internet access and brutally suppressing demonstrations.

Yet Col Doumbouya justified deposing then-83-year-old President Alpha Condé on similar charges - including rampant corruption, disregard for human rights and economic mismanagement.

Prior to seizing power in the 2021 coup, Col Doumbouya was a middle-ranking soldier. His 15-year military career included missions in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic and close protection in Israel, Cyprus, the UK and Guinea.

Aged 40, he is currently the youngest African head of state.

December's election will take place in the absence of several prominent figures - such as ex-President Alpha Condé who was kicked out of power in 2021, and former Prime Ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Touré - all of whom are currently living abroad.

 

Young Africans draw Al Ahly for CAF Champions League group stage

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

Tanzania Premier League reigning champions Young Africans SC have been placed in a tricky group ahead of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League group stage.

The draw supervised by CAF’s head of Competitions Division, Nassar Khaled and assisted by African legends Alex Song (Cameroon) and Christopher Katongo (Zambia) was carried out at the Supersport Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday.

Young Africans SC have been placed in Group B alongside three teams from North Africa that include the 12 time champions Al Ahly (Egypt), AS FAF (Morocco) and Algeria’s JS Kabylie.

Another Tanzanian side Simba SC who reached the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup last season have been placed in Group D alongside Esperance de Sportive (Tunisia), Atletico Petroleos de Luanda (Angola0 and Stade Malien FC (Mali).

Al Hilal SC from Sudan have been placed in Group C alongside 2016 champions Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), MC Alger (Algeria) and FC Lupopo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The group stage matches will kick off on November 21^st running through till February 2026.

Group A: RD Berkane (Morocco), Pyramids FC (Egypt), Rivers United FC (Nigeria), Power Dynamos FC (Zambia)

Group B: Al Ahly (Egypt), Young Africans SC (Tanzania), AS FAR (Morocco), JS Kabylie (Algeria)

Group C: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Al Hilal SC (Sudan), MC Alger (Algeria), FC Lupopo (DR Congo)

Group D: Esperance de Sportive (Tunisia), Simba SC (Tanzania), Atletico Petroleos de Luanda (Angola), Stade Malien (Mali)

African poll observers say Tanzanians unable to 'express democratic will'

DODOMA,  Tanzania 

Tanzanian citizens could not "express their democratic will" in elections last week, African observers said Monday in a first report citing intimidation, censorship, and lack of an opposition.

Hundreds of people are reported to have died in protests after the east African nation's presidential and parliamentary polls on October 29, with key candidates either jailed or barred from participating.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was inaugurated on Monday, claiming 98 percent of the vote, even as the opposition labelled it a "sham".

In a statement Richard Msowoya, head of the Southern African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), said it was their "tentative conclusion that, in most areas, voters could not express their democratic will".

The 66 observers came from 10 countries -- Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe -- and were deployed across 27 of 31 Tanzanian regions.

The report said stakeholders warned the election-day quiet "belies covert acts of general intimidation of the population and opposition".

"They also described a tense and intimidating political atmosphere," noting a rise in political abductions.

Tanzania's Tanganyika Law Society said before the polls it had confirmed 83 abductions since Hassan came to power in 2021, with another 20 reported in recent weeks.

SEOM said turnout was "very low", noting a visible security and police presence throughout the day.

"In some polling stations, they [police officers] were more than the number of voters," they said.

Tanzania's electoral commission claimed turnout was 87 percent.

The report said in some polling stations, "there were multiple orderly stacked ballots in the ballot box during voting, which created a perception of ballot stuffing".

It added there were impressions some people "cast more than one vote at a time with the intention to cheat the election system".

It noted violence in Mbeya, Dodoma, Arusha, and in the largest city of Dar es Salaam.

An opposition spokersperson said Saturday they believed "no less than 800 people" died during days of unrest.

SEOM also noted concern that there was "increasing covert and overt limitations on the right to freedom of expression", and that there was "heavy censorship of online information platforms".

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 04/11/2025

US Embassy urges Americans to leave Mali immediately amid Jihadi fuel bloackade

 BAMAKO, Mali

The United States Embassy in Mali is urging all American citizens to leave the country immediately, warning of rising terror threats and a worsening fuel crisis caused by a jihadi blockade.

In a statement, the embassy said travelers should use commercial flights, as overland routes are too dangerous, with terrorist attacks reported along national highways.

It’s the second alert in just three days, following an earlier warning against travel to Mali because of crime, terrorism, and kidnappings.

The al-Qaida-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, announced in September that it had blocked fuel tankers from entering the country, part of its campaign against Mali’s ruling military authorities. Fighters have set more than 100 trucks on fire, crippling the nation’s fuel supply.

The impact has been severe, schools and universities have shut down nationwide, and transportation has nearly ground to a halt.

JNIM is one of several armed groups destabilizing the Sahel region, a vast stretch of desert from North Africa to West Africa, where an insurgency is spreading fast and the humanitarian toll is growing.