Bus accident kill 16 in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan

A passenger bus slammed into a parked truck on a highway in the Sudanese city of Omdurman early on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people, police said.

The bus swerved off the road and hit a parked truck in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a police statement. At least 19 people were injured in the accident, police said.

The bus was heading to Khartoum from Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, police said. Ambulances rushed to the scene to transfer the injured to the Omdurman hospital, while the dead were taken to the morgue.

There was no immediate word as to what caused the bus to swerve

Traffic accidents are common in Sudan, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. Thousands of people are killed every year in road accidents.

2 Military Officers Nabbed in Gambia Coup Plot

BANJUL, Gambia

The government said last week that a group of soldiers had been arrested as they attempted a coup against President Adama Barrow in the West African nation of 2.5 million people.

"Two more soldiers linked to the alleged foiled coup plot were arrested over the weekend and are helping investigators unearth allegations of plans to overthrow the Government," government spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh said in a statement.

He said a second-lieutenant of the Gambian infantry and a captain from the military intelligence and security unit were arrested on Saturday and Sunday respectively, noting that the search for other alleged plotters was underway.

Seven people including two officers and five soldiers have so far been arrested in connection with the alleged plot which has been condemned by the African Union and the regional Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS).

The region has seen six successful military coups and violent attempted coups since 2020, thus raising concerns over the decline of democracy in a region.

Gambian political analyst Sait Matty Jaw told VOA that although people are worried about their economic situation, they do not support military involvement in the country's political affairs.

"There are so many other issues people are worried about, but we also know that the majority of Gambians are anti-coup based on survey data. This has been part of the conversation," he said.

Ikemesit Effiong, a Nigerian-based geopolitical analyst told VOA that corruption, economic mismanagement and misuse of power on the continent are to blame for some military power grabs or takeovers.

"If you look at the age profile of a lot of coup plotters in places like Mali, Guinea Bissau, in Burkina Faso right across the region, they are relatively young people and for many of them, democracy has not delivered, they are channeling this popular frustration with a democratic ruling in the region into violence military takeovers," Effiong said. - VoA

DR Congo president under attack over regional security force

KINSHASA, DR Congo

Three prominent Congolese figures, including Nobel winner Denis Mukwege, on Monday, accused President Felix Tshisekedi of pushing the country towards breakup by bringing in outside nations to tackle its security crisis.

In a sign of mounting pressures on Tshisekedi over DR Congo's deeply troubled east, the trio said sub-Saharan Africa's largest country faced "fragmentation" and "Balkanisation."

This is "the result of a blatant lack of leadership and governance by an irresponsible and repressive regime," they said in a communique.

In addition to Mukwege, a gynaecologist who co-won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in helping women victims of sexual violence, the statement was signed by politician Martin Fayulu, whom Tshisekedi defeated in controversial elections in 2018, and former prime minister Augustin Matata Ponyo.

Scores of armed groups roam eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, many of them a legacy of two regional wars that raged at the end of the last century.

The latest emergency is over a resurgent armed group called the M23, which has seized swathes of territory in North Kivu province since emerging from dormancy last year.

With the DRC's armed forces floundering, Tshisekedi has called in a seven-nation body, the African Community (EAC), to deploy troops.

The EAC's members include Rwanda and Uganda, which critics have long accused of stirring up friction in the east.

The DRC in particular accuses Rwanda of abetting the rebels -- a claim Rwanda denies, although the assertion is supported in a new report by independent UN experts.

"Instead of providing the country with an effective army, the government has prioritised externalising national security, (placed in the hands of) foreign forces and, even worse, of countries which are behind the destabilisation of this country," the three said in their statement.The EAC force is under Kenyan command and Kenyan troops have already been deployed. But key details about its planned size, scope and composition remain unclear.

The M23, under pressure from the international community, took part in ceremonies last Friday to hand the strategic town of Kibumba over to the EAC force.

But the following day, the DRC army said the rebels' purported withdrawal was a "sham" and accused the group of reinforcing its positions elsewhere.

Tshisekedi, a veteran opposition figure, was elected president in December 2018.

He succeeded Joseph Kabila, who had ruled with an iron fist since 2001, and whose decision to step down marked the country's first-ever peaceful handover of power.

However, the vote was marked by allegations of rigging, and Fayulu insists he is the legitimate president, claiming more than 60 percent of the ballot.

Tshisekedi, Fayulu and Matata have already declared their intention to contest the next presidential elections, due on December 20, 2023. - AFP

Arsenal rally to beat West Ham, extend Premier League lead

LONDON, UK

With Arsene Wenger watching from the stands, Arsenal came from behind to see off West Ham United 3-1 at home on Monday and move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Wenger was back at the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving the club in 2018 after 22 years in charge and saw Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah score in a rousing second-half comeback after a Said Benrahma penalty had given West Ham the lead.

The victory maintained Arsenal's 100 per cent home record in the league this season and lifted them to 40 points from 15 games, seven clear of second-placed Newcastle United, who have played 16 matches. They are eight ahead of third-placed Manchester City, who have played 14.

Benrahma sent Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the spot to put West Ham in front in the 27th minute after a foul by William Saliba on Jarrod Bowen.

The hosts were awarded a spot-kick at the end of the first half for handball against Aaron Creswell before referee Michael Oliver overturned his decision after a VAR review, ruling that the ball had struck the defender in the face.

Saka equalised from close range in the 53rd minute while Martinelli smashed the ball inside the near post six minutes later to put Arsenal in front.

Striker Nketiah, making his first league start of the season in the place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, added a third in the 69th and Arsenal kept pushing to score again.

Ten civilians killed in roadside bomb in Burkina Faso

DAKAR, Senegal 

Ten people were killed and several injured when their bus hit a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso, the government said Monday.

The passenger minibus was traveling near the village of Bougui on Sunday afternoon when it hit a mine, Col. Hubert Yameogo said in a statement.

The injured were taken to the hospital in Fada N’Gourma, the main town in the east, and the rest of the passengers on the bus disappeared, Yameogo said. The government is restoring security to the area and trying to locate the missing passengers.

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has wracked the country for more than six years, killing thousands and displacing nearly 2 million people. The government’s inability to stem the attacks led to two coups this year with each junta leader vowing to make security a priority.

However, attacks are continuing and swaths of land are being cut off by jihadis. The east and the Sahel regions have been some of the hardest-hit parts of the country, with towns becoming besieged by jihadis who prevent civilians from moving freely.

Sunday’s attack came one day after another mine exploded in the east, between Ougarou and Matiacoali villages, injuring five soldiers, according to an internal security report for aid groups seen by The Associated Press. The mine was targeting a unit near a mining site, said the report.

A resident of Fada N’Gourma who visited people in the hospital Sunday told the AP that some of the severely injured had died and that everyone was terrified.

Death toll from tanker explosion in South Africa climbs to 15

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South Africa's authorities announced on Sunday that the death toll from Saturday's tanker explosion near Johannesburg has risen from 10 to 15.

The tanker contained 60,000 litres of LPG gas and got stuck under a bridge in the residential area of Boksburg.

"I went upstairs to have my cup of tea and I saw immense flames, I thought a house was on fire. I phoned the fire brigade immediately and they responded, they said "no ma'am its fine, we are sending somebody, its ok, help is on its way." And after that I just received one bit of bad news after the other. There are two children here across the road, 16, the girl and 25 the boy who came and did my lawn every weekend for me, they've charred, they're gone, they’ve died", lamented local resident, Jean Marie Booysen.

Another local resident, William, added "I think I was 50 meters away from the scene and when the third one exploded, I was about 400 meters away, of which like, where we are standing here, most of us we did burn behind our backs. Because even some of the stones from the rail (railway line, Ed.) you can see them on the floor here".

A spokesperson for the local emergency services said the truck was trapped under a bridge early on Saturday.

2-year-old Ugandan boy survives after hippo swallowed him

KAMPALA, Uganda

A 2-year-old boy mysteriously survived a hippopotamus attack in Uganda after the animal swallowed half his body.

The minor identified as Iga Paul had been playing at his home in Rwenjubu cell, near Lake Edward on Dec. 4 when the hippo grabbed him, the Uganda Police Force said.

It took the bravery of a good Samaritan identified as Chrispas Bagonza to save the victim by stoning the hippo and scaring it. By then the Hippo had already swallowed half of the victim’s body but spat him out according to the Ugandan police.

The police said this is the first time a hippo has strayed from the lake to attack a young child.

After the incident, the child was treated at a hospital for injuries to his hand and given a rabies shot. He has since made a full recovery.

Police told residents of Katwe Kabatoro Town Council, which is located within Queen Elizabeth National Park on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to remain vigilant around hippos.

"Although the hippo was scared back into the lake, all residents near animal sanctuaries and habitats should know that wild animals are very dangerous," Uganda Police said. "Instinctually, wild animals see humans as a threat and any interaction can cause them to act strangely or aggressively."

Hippos are the second-largest land mammals on Earth, and they have a reputation for being aggressive, can snap a canoe in half with their strong jaws, according to National Geographic.

Hippopotamuses kill an estimated 500 people a year in Africa

Dutch apologizes for Netherlands’ role in slave trade

By Mike Corder, THE HAGUE Netherlands 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized Monday on behalf of his government for the Netherlands’ role in slavery and the slave trade, in a speech welcomed by activists as historic but lacking in concrete plans for repair and reparations.

"Today I apologize,” Rutte said in a 20-minute speech that was greeted with silence by an invited audience at the National Archive.

Ahead of the speech, Waldo Koendjbiharie, a retiree who was born in Suriname but lived for years in the Netherlands, said an apology was not enough.

"It’s about money. Apologies are words and with those words you can’t buy anything,” he said.

Rutte told reporters after the speech that the government is not offering compensation to “people — grandchildren or great grandchildren of enslaved people.”

Instead, it is establishing a 200 million-euro ($212 million) fund for initiatives to help tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to boost education about the issue.

Rutte apologized “for the actions of the Dutch state in the past: posthumously to all enslaved people worldwide who have suffered from those actions, to their daughters and sons, and to all their descendants into the here and now.”

Describing how more than 600,000 African men, women and children were shipped, “like cattle” mostly to the former colony of Suriname, by Dutch slave traders, Rutte said that history often is “ugly, painful, and even downright shameful.”

Rutte (pictured above) went ahead with the apology even though some activist groups in the Netherlands and its former colonies had urged him to wait until July 1 of next year, the anniversary of the abolition of slavery 160 years ago and said they had not been sufficiently consulted in the process leading up to the speech. Activists consider next year the 150th anniversary because many enslaved people were forced to continue working in plantations for a decade after abolition.

Mitchell Esajas, director of an organization called The Black Archives and a member of activist group Black Manifest, did not attend the speech despite being invited because of what he called the “almost insulting” lack of consultations with the Black community.

He said it was a historic moment but lamented the lack of a concrete plan for reparations.

“Reparation wasn’t even mentioned,” Esajas said. “So, beautiful words, but it’s not clear what the next concrete steps will be.”

Rutte’s gave his speech at a time when many nations’ brutal colonial histories have received critical scrutiny because of the Black Lives Matter movement and the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.

The prime minister’s address was a response to a report published last year by a government-appointed advisory board. Its recommendations included the government’s apology and recognition that the slave trade and slavery from the 17th century until abolition “that happened directly or indirectly under Dutch authority were crimes against humanity.”

The report said that what it called institutional racism in the Netherlands “cannot be seen separately from centuries of slavery and colonialism and the ideas that have arisen in this context.”

Dutch ministers fanned out Monday to discuss the issue in Suriname and former colonies that make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands — Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten as well as three Caribbean islands that are officially special municipalities in the Netherlands, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

In Suriname, , the small South American nation where Dutch plantation owners generated huge profits through the use of enslaved labor, the largest opposition party, NDP, condemned the Dutch government for failing to adequately consult descendants of enslaved people in the country. Activists in the country say that what’s really needed is compensation.

"The NDP therefore expresses its disapproval of this unilateral decision-making process and notes that the Netherlands is comfortably taking on the role of the mother country again,” the party said in a statement.

The year starting July 1, 2023, will be a slavery memorial year in which the Netherlands “will pause to reflect on this painful history. And on how this history still plays a negative role in the lives of many today,” the government says.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, said Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. In June, King Philippe of Belgium expressed “deepest regrets” for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the church’s role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged fights over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

Now the Netherlands has joined their ranks.

But for some in the Black community, the notable day was tinged with disappointment.

"For a lot of people, it’s a very beautiful and historic moment but with — in Dutch we say — a bitter taste ... and it should have been a historic moment with a sweet taste,” Esajas said. -AP

'88,966 fans attended World Cup final in Qatar' - FIFA

DOHA, Qatar

FIFA announced that the Qatar tournament attracted more than 3.4 million spectators, making it one of the most watched ever.

As Doha began a post-World Cup cleanup, starting to take away the tens of thousands of crowd barriers around the city's streets, the world body said the 29-day tournament had attracted more than 3.4 million spectators.

There were 88,966 fans inside the Lusail stadium for the final, FIFA said.

"Attendance for the final match pushed the cumulative total for this FIFA World Cup over 3.4 million spectators, with an average attendance capacity of 96.3 percent," the organisation said in a statement.

The 1994 World Cup in the United States had the most spectators with more than 3.5 million. Brazil in 2014 also had more than 3.4 million spectators.

More than one million visitors went to Qatar to watch the matches, the statement added. The Gulf state had predicted that more than one million people would visit despite negative publicity over its rights record.

FIFA said the top visiting nations were Saudi Arabia, India, the United States, Britain and Mexico.

The statement added that the six-goal final made 2022 the highest-scoring World Cup with 172 goals in all, ahead of the 171 goals at the 1998 and 2014 tournaments.

The French team left their hotel to fly back to France on Monday following their defeat on penalties by Argentina on Sunday in one of the most acclaimed World Cup finals ever.

Coach Didier Deschamps said the manner of his side's defeat, after twice fighting back to level scores 3-3 at the end of extra time, had been "cruel". He refused to give an immediate answer on his own future.

The final was a crowning glory for what FIFA president Gianni Infantino described as the "best ever" World Cup. - Africa

Enzo Fernandes crowned World Cup 'young player'

DOHA, Qatar

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been crowned Young Player of the Tournament after his country's triumph over France on penalties. 

Enzo Fernandez was crowned Young Player of the Tournament after Argentina's triumph (Courtesy)

Lionel Messi finally claimed the prize he has craved the most as Argentina overcame the disappointment of twice leading and twice being pegged back by winning from 12 yards - their sixth World Cup penalty shootout victory in all.

Fernandez's team-mates, Emiliano Martinez and Messi, also won personal gongs in claiming the Golden Glove and Golden Ball awards, respectively.

Kylian Mbappe, who became the first player to score a World Cup final hat-trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966, won the Golden Boot. 

Argentina ended 36 years of pain by ending their World Cup drought - rather poetically their last came in 1986. 

Fernandez, who only joined Benfica this summer from River Plate, is already being touted for a big move. Former Argentina international Pablo Zabaleta tipped the midfielder to move to a 'better league' this summer. 

Argentina not only claimed the main prize - but they also swept up the individual gongs (Courtesy)

The Benfica midfielder beat off competition from the likes of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and team-mate Julian Alvarez to claim the gong.  

'He showed his personality, class on the ball. I think maybe next summer, he will go to better league,' he said on the BBC. 

He added: 'A very complete midfielder. He can put tackles in, good on the ball and can pass it effectively.' 

With various Premier League clubs said to be interested, Alan Shearer joked: 'Let’s see if he would like to play against Bournemouth [for Newcastle] on Tuesday night.'

Fernandez put in a series of impressive performances at the base of Argentina's midfield - while he also scored against Mexico in the group stages. 

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, said: 'There will be top, top clubs sniffing around him, he was so composed for a kid playing at that level.'

The midfielder has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid - while it is also believed a host of other European clubs will be chasing his signature. 

Argentina beat France to win World Cup

DOHA, Qatar

Lionel Messi crowned his glittering career with victory in the World Cup on Sunday as Argentina beat France on penalties in a final for the ages, triumphing 4-2 after Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick ensured the game ended level following extra time.

Gonzalo Montiel rolled in the deciding penalty to give Argentina their third World Cup and prevent France becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy.

But a truly remarkable game saw Messi and Mbappe both live up to their billing, with Messi scoring twice and Mbappe becoming the first player since England's Geoff Hurst in 1966 to net a World Cup final hat-trick in a game that ended 3-3 after extra time.

Messi had opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half before Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina's lead at the end of a brilliant counter-attack in the 36th minute.

But the astonishing Mbappe breathed life into the holders as he pulled one back from the penalty spot with 10 minutes to go before equalising in stunning fashion just 60 seconds later to force extra time.

Messi then seemed to have decided the contest in Argentina's favour once and for all when he converted a rebound in the 109th minute, only for Mbappe to net from another spot-kick, bringing the game level at 3-3 and forcing a shoot-out.

The third World Cup final penalty shoot-out started with Messi and Mbappe both scoring, but Kingsley Coman's next kick for France was saved and Aurelien Tchouameni then crucially missed the target.

It is the second time in five World Cups that France have lost the final on penalties after they were beaten by Italy in 2006, and it is Argentina who are champions for the first time since 1986.

The win allows Messi, at 35, to complete his glorious career by emulating Diego Maradona, and this will be remembered as his tournament despite the best efforts of Mbappe, who finished as the tournament's top scorer on eight goals, one more than his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Messi.

France's quest for history had been threatened by a virus in the days leading up to the final and they appeared sluggish before Argentina went ahead.

France conceded a penalty for the fourth time this tournament when Di Maria was clipped by Ousmane Dembele, and Messi stepped up to score from the spot for the fourth time in Qatar, his 12th World Cup goal allowing him to equal Pele's tally.

The expected response from the defending champions was not forthcoming and Argentina increased their lead in the 36th minute.

Messi and Julian Alvarez combined to release Alexis Mac Allister bursting through the middle, and he played a first-time ball to the back post for Di Maria to finish.

Having hardly featured in the knockout rounds due to injury, Di Maria had returned here and appeared tearful as he celebrated his goal, which was a World Cup final classic.

France had not even mustered a shot and Deschamps moved before the interval to replace Olivier Giroud and the struggling Dembele.

On came Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram, as Mbappe moved into the middle of the attack.

Argentina had famously blown a two-goal lead before eventually emerging victorious in their last World Cup final triumph 36 years ago, but there appeared little prospect of a repeat of that scenario.

However, the French were suddenly given hope when they won a penalty 10 minutes from time as Kolo Muani was brought down by Nicolas Otamendi.

Mbappe smashed the spot-kick into the net and the watching French President Emmanuel Macron rose to his feet. France had hope, and within another minute they were level.

Messi was robbed of possession by Coman in the lead-up, before Mbappe found Thuram and then met his partner's knockdown with a stunning volley.

It will go down as one of the most dramatic moments in World Cup history, and the French players on the bench raced across the pitch to celebrate with their teammate.

Argentina, who lost the 2014 final in extra time, looked shattered, and yet it seemed again that they had won it when Messi followed up to score early in the second extra period after Lautaro Martinez's shot was saved.

But France were again saved by Mbappe as he converted another penalty following a Montiel handball.

It was end to end, and Argentina needed a brilliant Martinez save from Kolo Muani to take it to penalties and Montiel's kick proved decisive to spark wild Argentinians celebrations.

Zinedine Zidane declines World Cup final invitation

By John Menzies, PARIS France

Rumoured new France head coach Zinedine Zidane will not attend the World Cup final in Qatar on Sunday.

The former Real Madrid manager has been heavily linked with taking over the post from current coach Didier Deschamps, whose contract is up at the end of the tournament.

Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021, having been in charge for two weeks. His previous spell at the Santiago Bernabeu had been between 2016 and 2018.

According to MD, The French Football Federation (FFF) had invited Zidane to the match in Doha as a special guest. However, he has turned down the opportunity to attend, as he does not want to take any attention away from Deschamps and Les Bleus during the match on Sunday.

MD state that Zidane has verbally agreed to take over as manager on January 1, which would be his first venture into international football.

However, there are also reports that Deschamps has the options to unilaterally request the option to renew his contract once it expires at the end of the year.

Tensions rise between Burkina Faso and Ghana

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso

Tensions are rising between Burkina Faso and neighbouring Ghana following Ghana's claim that Ouagadougou had invited Russian mercenaries into the country.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo made the comments last Wednesday sparking a diplomatic row.

"These 48 hours were marked by the words of Ghana's president Nana Akufo Addo on an alleged contract between the transitional government and a private Russian company. Faced with such a situation, the logical thing to do was to urgently summon the Ghanaian ambassador in Ouagadougou, but also our ambassador in Accra for consultation", said Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, Burkina Faso's Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation.

Faced with jihadist attacks since 2015, Burkina Faso has been increasing ties with Russia in a bid to defeat the rebels.

"As for our ambassador in Accra, he reported to us as soon as these remarks were made. So we also invited him for consultation so that we could examine together what action would be taken on this matter. In any case, a verbal note of protest was sent to the Republic of Ghana via its national representation in Burkina Faso", added the Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation.

Moscow has been actively courting public opinion on social media and enjoys growing popular support in several French-speaking African countries as France, the former colonial power, is increasingly reviled.

Croatia and Morocco dust themselves off for bronze

DOHA, Qatar

As Croatia and Morocco pick up the pieces after their World Cup semifinals defeats, the two teams will welcome the prospect of potentially leaving Qatar on a high when they square up in the third-place playoff on Saturday.

Beating two world class teams in Argentina and France to reach the final proved to be a step too far for Croatia and Morocco, who handsomely defied pre-tournament odds to reach the semis.

Morocco rewrote history along the way when Walid Regragui's fearless squad became the first African team to reach the last four of football's showpiece event.

They will be welcomed home as heroes regardless of the result having not only earned the respect and support of the continent and the Arab world, but also having found a place in the hearts of neutral fans who love a true underdog story.

Croatia and Morocco will face off in Qatar for a second time after playing out a 0-0 draw in their group opener, just as in 2018 when Belgium and England met each other in the group stage and third-place playoff.

"It will be difficult on a mental level. I will give opportunities to those who did not play and we will try to clinch third place," Regragui said.

"The important thing is that we presented a good look to our team and that football in Morocco is not far from the top level."

For 2018 runners-up Croatia, reaching a second consecutive final looked unlikely when they won just one group game.

But through sheer graft and tenacity, two penalty shootout wins over Japan and favourites Brazil earned them a semifinal match with Argentina, where an in-form Lionel Messi was the architect of their destruction.

"Realistically speaking, before the start of the tournament, we would all have accepted reaching the semifinals. However, we started to dream about the trophy," Croatia midfielder Lovro Majer said.

"Still, we will give everything we've got on Saturday and try to win the bronze medal."

For Croatia it represented an opportunity missed to crown their golden generation of players, with coach Zlatko Dalic confirming most of them will not play in the next World Cup.

"I told the players they need to keep their heads up, be proud of giving their maximum and be ready, we must prepare to fight for third place," Dalic said.

"There is no blame on our guys, I congratulate them for everything they've done at this World Cup. Now we have to get up, dust ourselves off and try to win the bronze medal."

Pain for Kenyans as external debt rises to $24.4 billion

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s dollar-denominated debt hit 69.3 percent of the country’s external debt in October, exposing the taxpayers to higher financing costs due to the sharp depreciation of the shilling against the US currency.

This translates to Ksh3.02 trillion ($24.4 billion) of Kenya’s growing external debt that rose to Ksh4.35 trillion ($35.3 billion) in October, with that proportion growing by 2.3 percentage points from 2021 and an increase of 3.4 percentage points compared to 2020.

Kenya’s National Treasury data shows the proportion of external debt denominated in the euro stood at 18.8 percent in the same month, 4.1 percent in yen, 5.3 percent in yuan, and 2.3 percent in pounds sterling while currencies accounted for 0.2 per cent of the total external debt.

This comes at a time the Kenyan shilling has continued to weaken against the greenback due to the raises of lending rates by the US Federal Reserve causing an outflow of dollars from the global market into the US which heavily affected developing countries.

The dollar was trading at a mean of Ksh122.94 Thursday compared to a mean of Ksh113.17 at the start of the year, a rise of 8.6 percent, increasing Kenya’s external debt load.

"Overall, the national government’s external debt stock increased by Ksh24.78 billion ($201.4 million) from Ksh4,334.79 billion ($35.2 million) in September 2022 to Ksh4,359.57 billion ($35.4 million) in October 2022. This was attributed to disbursements made during the month and the exchange rate depreciation,” said the Treasury.

This comes at a time the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), a key office that guides Kenyan lawmakers on monetary policy, has called for the issuance of a portion of external debt in local currency to reduce the impact of exchange rate risk and change the currency composition of Kenya’s debt portfolio.

This even as the office flagged the dollar, euro and Japanese yen as posing the biggest risk to the debt burden as they make the largest composition of the country’s foreign debt portfolio.

"It is the movements of the exchange rates related to these three currencies that have the highest impact on the composition of the external debt stock and also the in-year external debt servicing,” said PBO.

Kenya’s public debt stock hit Ksh8.74 trillion ($71.03 billion) in October which is 62.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The domestic debt stock stood at Ksh4.38 trillion ($35.6 billion) (31.2 percent of GDP), while the external debt stock was Ksh4.35 trillion ($35.4 billion) (31.1 percent of GDP).

"The government is currently exercising currency diversification with an aim of mitigating the exchange rate risk on external debt,” said the Kenyan Treasury. - Nation