🇸🇴🇪🇹 Somalia Wants Ethiopia Excluded From Force Battling Al-Shabaab

Somalia has issued conditions to Ethiopia for its inclusion in the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which is set to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATIMIS) in January 2025.

In reaction to last week's Ethiopian Foreign Affairs statement that Addis will not withdraw its 3000 troops in Somalia with or without the consent of African Union, Somalia Foreign Affairs minister Ahmed Mohamed Fiqi said Somalia had the last word on who will be part of the AUSSOM mission.

"Regarding the new mission (AUSSOM), the participating countries will be determined by us. As long as Ethiopia continues with its maritime ambitions, it will not be part of this mission." Fiqi said.

Somalia’s objections stem from Ethiopia’s ongoing involvement in the northern region of Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 but is not internationally recognised.

The Somali government has expressed concern that Ethiopia’s engagement with Somaliland undermines its territorial integrity and could further destabilise the region.

#Somalia #Ethiopia

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🇧🇼 1,094-Carat Diamond found in Botswana, one of the largest ever

A massive 1,094-carat diamond has been recovered from the Karowe mine in Botswana. This is the second discovery of a diamond weighing over 1000 carats at the mine this year.

The newly found diamond shares similarities with a 692-carat diamond discovered earlier in 2023. Both are expected to yield high-value polished stones through an ongoing partnership with HB Antwerp, a leading diamond company.

The previous 692-carat diamond was polished and sold for over $13 million.

The diamond is considered the second largest gem-quality example ranking behind the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond mined from South Africa in 1905.

Botswana is renowned for its diamond resources, and Karowe has been at the centre of some of the world's most notable diamonds.

#Botswana

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🇳🇬 Nigeria approves borrowing $618m for attack jets, ammunition

Nigeria's cabinet has approved borrowing about $618m (R10.91bn) from a group of financiers to buy six Italian-made M-346 attack jets and ammunition for the country's air force, information minister Mohammed Idris said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month the air force said it was acquiring 24 M-346 combat jets and 10 AW109 Trekker helicopters as part of a fleet renewal strategy.

The first three M-346 jets are expected to be delivered by early 2025, with subsequent deliveries running until mid-2026, the air force said.

Nigeria has ramped up military spending in recent years as it struggles to contain attacks by armed bandits in the northwest and a 15-year Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa province in the northeast.

#Nigeria

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🇬🇦 Gabon's new draft constitution published

The text accompanying the document notes that Gabon has entered a new stage in its history, which requires a revision of the legislative framework and the establishment of civilian rule after the overthrow of the Bongo dynasty in a coup in 2023.

Among the main provisions, a new system of government is noted: the post of prime minister is abolished, and the head of the executive power becomes the president of the state. The presidential term is extended to seven years with the possibility of a single re-election for a second term.

"Gabon's new constitution represents an unprecedented opportunity to redefine the country's political foundations after a period of turbulence. The outcome of the referendum will determine whether this initiative will be a genuine democratic renewal and open the way to a new era for Gabon."

#Gabon

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🇨🇫 Head of UN mission in CAR calls for extension of MINUSCA mandate

During a meeting of the UN Security Council, UN Special Envoy to the Central African Republic Valentina Rugwabiza called for the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Peacekeeping Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) to be extended for another year.

With the disbandment of active armed groups in the country, there is a positive trend, Rugwabiza stressed.

“I am pleased to report that the disbandment of the six armed groups and three factions of armed groups that signed [the agreement] remains effective and has resulted in the disarmament and demobilization of the rebels, with some of them being incorporated into the national armed forces.”

At the same time, Rugwabiza warned diplomats against possible regression if UN support ends and called for the mission to be extended until November 2025:

#CAR #UNO

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🇸🇴🇮🇱 Israel-Somaliland Military Deal to Spark Diplomatic Tensions with Somalia

Israel’s plans to establish a military base in Somaliland is likely to heighten diplomatic tensions between Somalia and the Middle Eastern state. According to the Qatari state-funded Middle East Monitor, Israel is eyeing a northern Somalia military base to monitor activities in Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In exchange, Israel is expected to recognise Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is currently unrecognised by the majority of the international community, which views it as part of Somalia.

The prospect of official recognition has already sparked unease in Mogadishu, as it could bolster Somaliland’s independence claims, further straining relations between Tel Aviv and Somalia.

The potential for broader regional implications looms large, with both Israel and Ethiopia’s moves in Somaliland threatening to upset the fragile balance in the Horn of Africa.

#Somaliland #Israel

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🇬🇭 In Ghana, Sahel jihadis find refuge and supplies, sources say

Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso are discreetly using Ghana's north as a logistical and medical rear base to sustain their insurgency, say seven sources, a move that could help them expand their footprint in West Africa.

The sources, who include Ghanaian security officials and regional diplomats, said Ghanaian authorities appeared to be mostly turning a blind eye to the insurgents crossing over from neighbouring Burkina Faso to stock up on food, fuel and even explosives, as well as getting injured fighters treated in hospital.

But they said that approach, while so far sparing Ghana from the kind of deadly Islamist attacks that have plagued its neighbours, risks allowing militants to put down roots in the country and recruit in some marginalised local communities.

Ghana shares a 600 km (372 mile) border with Burkina Faso, the country at the heart of an insurgency that has killed thousands, displaced millions and, according to some experts, turned the Sahel region into the epicentre of global terrorism as factions loyal to al Qaeda and Islamic State expand their presence.

#Ghana #BurkinaFaso

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🇲🇿 Mozambique's ruling party wins landslide in disputed poll

Mozambique's ruling party, Frelimo, has won the country's divisive, violence-marred election, extending its 49-year grip on power in the southern African nation, the election commission has announced.

Daniel Chapo, Frelimo's relatively unknown presidential candidate who has been seen as an agent of change, will replace Filipe Nyusi, who has served two terms.

At 47 years old, Chapo, who gained 71% of the vote, will be the first president born after Mozambique's independence in 1975. His closest challenger, Venancio Mondlane got 20%.

The election has been marred by allegations of rigging and the killing of opposition supporters, prompting protests across the country.

Former rebel group Renamo, which was previously the main opposition party, came in third.

The electoral commission says 43% of the more than 17 million registered voters took part in the elections.

#Mozambique

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🇨🇩 Congo President Tshisekedi draws criticism over constitutional reform plans

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has announced plans to establish a commission to explore revisions to the country's constitution, potentially removing term limits and paving the way for his pursuit of a third term.

Tshisekedi's decision to address the contentious issues of constitutional reform and presidential term limits risks pushing the mineral-rich nation, which has endured decades of conflict, into further political crisis and unrest.

Tshisekedi was sworn into office in January after a contested re-election in December for a second and final term. On Wednesday he set out plans to look at revising the constitution, saying the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, does not align with the country's current realities.

Opposition political leaders in Congo see Tshisekedi's move as a strategy to prolong his tenure, mirroring similar actions taken in other African countries like Guinea under former president Alpha Conde and Cameroon under President Paul Biya.

#DRCongo

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🇫🇷🇳🇪 French nuclear multinational Orano halts uranium output at Niger's Arlit mine amid financial strain

Orano will suspend production at its Arlit uranium mine in northern Niger due to financial difficulties faced by its Nigerien subsidiary, Somaïr. The decision comes as border closures between Niger and Benin, triggered by the July 2023 coup, have blocked all uranium exports.

The Arlit uranium mine in northern Niger is operated by its local subsidiary Somaïr – Orano owns 63.4 percent and the Nigerien state-owned Sopamin the rest.

Orano, which owns 63.4 percent of Somaïr, announced on Wednesday that the company would stop operations from 31 October, citing Somaïr's worsening financial situation.

The closure of the main export corridor between Niger and Benin has left 1,050 tonnes of uranium concentrate from the 2023 and 2024 stockpiles stranded.

Orano estimates the value of the blocked uranium at €300 million, representing almost half of the site’s average annual production.

#Niger #France

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🌍 Africa reports 134 new polio cases on World Polio Day

As the globe marks World Polio day, Africa has recorded 134 new polio cases in at least seven countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.

The regional director of the WHO for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, stated that the circulating variant of polio type 2 has been detected in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

In 2023, 541 children worldwide were impacted by polio, with 85 percent residing in 31 countries that are fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable, as reported by a recent UNICEF analysis on World Polio Day.

Over the last five years, polio cases in these regions have more than doubled, and routine childhood immunization rates have decreased from 75 to 70 percent, significantly lower than the 95 percent required for community immunity.

A worldwide drop in childhood immunization rates has resulted in a rise in polio outbreaks, even in nations that had been free of the disease for many years.

This situation is particularly pronounced in areas affected by conflict, with 15 out of 21 such countries—like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen—currently facing polio challenges.

#Africa

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🇸🇴 Somalia security cameras aim to cut Al-Shabaab attacks, but groups fights back

Thousands of security cameras have been installed across Somalia’s capital to monitor the movement of Al-Shabaab militants and reassure residents, but they have also made business owners fearful of reprisal attacks, Reuters has reported.

Rolled out this year as part of a municipal government initiative, officials say that CCTV cameras have helped authorities keep track of militant activity in Mogadishu and ensure that security forces are doing their jobs properly.

The aim is to stave off the bombings and shooting that have plagued the capital in Al-Shabaab’s nearly two decade-long fight to overthrow the government. However, in a city where the group has eyes and ears everywhere, some businesses who have installed cameras have themselves come under attack.

At least three people have been killed and four wounded in assaults on such businesses since the start of October in the Daynile and Hodan districts of Mogadishu, Deputy Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Diriye told Reuters. Several businessmen told the agency that Al-Shabaab had ordered them to take down the cameras, but government officials have warned that they could face consequences for doing so.

#Somalia

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🇳🇬 Nigerian military kills 140 gunmen, kidnappers

The Nigerian military has confirmed that 140 suspected terrorists and armed kidnappers were killed in operations against Boko Haram, the Daesh-linked Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and various criminal gangs last week.

According to Nigerian Defence Headquarters spokesperson Edward Buba, the operations targeted areas across multiple regions in Nigeria. Buba provided an update at the military's weekly briefing on Thursday.

During these actions, 135 more suspects were taken into custody, and 76 people who had been kidnapped for ransom were safely rescued.

Nigeria has struggled for years with attacks from armed groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, along with kidnappings carried out by various criminal gangs. In response, some states have introduced the death penalty for kidnapping; however, abductions remain common. These armed groups frequently target villages, schools, and travellers in the northern regions, often demanding ransoms.

#Nigeria

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🇿🇼 Zimbabwe’s devaluation of ZiG sees return to double-digit inflation

Zimbabwe’s monthly inflation rate surged after a steep devaluation of its gold-backed currency stoked prices.

Inflation in October rose to 37.2% from 5.8% a month earlier, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency said Friday in an online briefing.

It’s the third consecutive month that prices have increased in the southern African nation since the introduction of the ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold, in early April. But the scale of the rise was much larger after the currency’s official exchange rate against the dollar was slashed.

The ZiG was devalued by 43% on September 27 after the gap between the official and unofficial exchange rates significantly widened, in part due to dollar shortages caused by increased food imports because of a severe drought in southern Africa.

That evoked painful memories of the past, when Zimbabweans suffered hyperinflation due to government printing money to finance spending, destroying savings and prompting the central bank to infamously issue a 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note.

#Zimbabwe

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🇳🇬 Nigeria Mulls Diaspora Bonds Issuance In 2024

Nigeria has qualified for processing of $2.25 billion loan from the World Bank at one per cent interest rate.

Plans are also underway to float a Diaspora Bond later this year to attract funds held abroad by Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.

The Finance Minister, Wale Edun, disclosed these during a joint press conference of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the just concluded Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, in Washington D.C.

The loan, described as a grant by Edun, which has already been approved by the Board of Directors of the World Bank, offers a 40-year term with a 10-year moratorium and a nominal one per cent interest rate.

On concerns about debt sustainability, Edun highlighted the pivotal role of revenue generation.

Specifically, he said oil revenue stands as a primary source, with efforts aimed at maximizing its potential for the benefit of Nigerians.

#Nigeria

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🇺🇬 Uganda sentences LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years for war crimes

A court in Uganda has sentenced Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of violence.

The sentence was announced on Friday by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case, at a court in the northern city of Gulu.

Justice Duncan Gasagwa, one of four judges on the case, said “the convict played a prominent role in the planning, strategy and actual execution of the offences of extreme gravity”. He added that “the victims have been left with lasting physical and mental pain and suffering”.

Kwoyelo was found guilty in August of 44 offences, including murder and rape, and not guilty of three counts of murder. Thirty-one alternate offences were dismissed.

#Uganda

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🇬🇧 King Charles acknowledges ‘painful’ history amid calls for slavery reparations at Commonwealth summit

ritain’s King Charles III has told world leaders that “none of us can change the past” but that nations can commit to finding “creative ways to right inequalities that endure,” as calls grow for reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade.

The 75-year-old monarch was speaking to leaders and dignitaries from the 56 Commonwealth nations at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, which is this year being held on the Pacific island nation of Samoa.

He used his first address to the summit since becoming head of the organization to call for unity, asking leaders to “find the right ways, and the right language” to address contemporary problems rooted in the past.

“Our cohesion requires that we acknowledge where we have come from. I understand from listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate,” Charles said. “It is vital therefore that we understand our history, to guide us to make the right choices in the future.”

A row over reparations has gained momentum in recent days after renewed calls from some members for Britain to pay compensation for its historical role in slavery.

#UnitedKingdom

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🇹🇷🇩🇯 Turkey to seek improved Africa co-operation in Djibouti talks, officials say

Turkey's foreign minister will travel to Djibouti next week to attend a Turkey-Africa ministerial meeting and discuss improving co-operation between Ankara and the continent, officials from his ministry said.

Nato member Turkey has ramped up its presence and influence in Africa in recent years, increasing trade nearly eight-fold, giving diplomatic and military support to some countries and inking deals in some fields.

The meeting will be held on November 2 and 3 and will be attended by representatives from 14 African countries, along with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, the officials said.

This comes amid Turkish mediation efforts to resolve a dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over a deal in which Ethiopia agreed to lease a stretch of coastline from Somaliland, and at a time when West Africa struggles with surging terrorism.

#Turkey #Djibouti

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🌍🇩🇿 Life Expectancy Soars in Africa: Algeria Tops List with 77 Years

Africa has made significant strides in life expectancy over the past two decades, with an average increase of 10 years per person, according to the United Nations.

This improvement reflects efforts to improve health and well-being across Africa. In the UN’s 2022 World Population Prospect report, Algeria leads the continent with a life expectancy of 77 years, followed by Cabo Verde and Tunisia with 76 years. Morocco, Mauritius, and Seychelles rank next with 75 years each. Libya comes seventh with a life expectancy of 73 years, while Egypt, Western Sahara, and Senegal rank eighth, ninth, and tenth with 71, 70, and 69 years.

Despite ongoing challenges across the continent, this positive trend highlights Africa’s progress and promising future.

#Africa

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🇧🇼 Botswana Election: President Masisi and Three Challengers Battle for Presidency

Botswana’s national election on October 30 will see incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) face three challengers who will be looking to upstage him.

Masisi, in power since 2018, seeks a second term and is the favorite, bolstered by a new diamond sales deal with De Beers. However, his tenure has been marked by economic challenges, and he has faced criticism for not diversifying the economy enough or creating sufficient jobs.

Duma Boko, leader of the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), presents the strongest challenge. In his party manifesto, he advocates for increased government intervention in the economy. Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) campaigns under the motto “Save Botswana,” while Mephato Reatile leads the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), a party backed by former President Ian Khama, who is a critic of Masisi.

#Botswana

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France accused of 'complicity' in Rwanda's 1994 genocide

France has been accused of “complicity” in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

In an unprecedented hearing, the Paris Administrative Court on Thursday began tackling a request from several survivor associations to examine the role played by the French state.

They are hoping to prove France’s tacit support of events through a defence agreement, illegal arms deliveries, and the abandonment of civilians. Survivors are seeking $540 million in reparations.

Paris has been repeatedly accused of supporting the government in power at the time of the 100-day killing spree by Hutu extremists.

More than a million people were killed in the violence which only ended when rebels of the Tutsi-dominated Rwanda Patriotic Front - led by now President Paul Kagame - drove the Hutu army and millions of civilian Hutus into exile.

French President Emmanuel Macron has previously said he believed France and its allies could have stopped the genocide, but did not have the will to do so.

The court ruling is due on 14 November.

#Rwanda #France

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