Main Events in Africa on January 22-28

🇫🇷🇧🇫 France agreed to pull its troops out of Burkina Faso, recalled ambassador to Burkina Faso.

🇺🇸🇸🇴 US raid in Somalia killed top Islamic State leader.

🇪🇹 Oromo Liberation Army published a manifesto with demands to the Ethiopian government, the same day clashes between the Amhara and the Oromo intensified.

🇨🇩🇷🇼 DR Congo’s attack aircraft violated Rwandan airspace.

🇨🇩 In eastern DR Congo violence intensifies between government forces and M23 rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces.

🇲🇼 Malawi cholera death toll passed 1,000 as outbreak spreads.

🇿🇦 South Africa opposition held protest over power cuts

🇷🇺 Russian foreign minister Africa tour began on January 23. Thus far he visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, Eritrea.

🇮🇹🇱🇾 Italy's Eni signed $8 billion gas deal with Libya.

🇹🇿 The construction of Tanzania's Julius Nyerere Hydroelectric Dam reached 80%.

#digest

@africaintel

🇪🇷🇪🇹🇺🇸 Eritrea troops still on Ethiopian soil, U.S. says

A senior U.S. official said on Saturday that Eritrean troops are still in Ethiopia although they have moved back the border, contradicting Ethiopian authorities who say the Eritreans have already left.

Eritrean troops fought alongside the Ethiopian military and allied militias in the two-year conflict against rebellious forces in the northern region of Tigray.

"With respect to Eritreans we understand they have moved back to the border and they have been asked to leave," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said at a news conference during a visit to the Kenyan capital Nairobi. She did not provide any evidence or source for this assessment.

#Eritrea #Ethiopia #USA

@africaintel

🇹🇳 Few early voters in Tunisian election

Tunisian polling stations were quiet on Sunday for run-offs in a parliamentary election that drew only 11% turnout in December's first round, an outcome critics of the president said undermined his claims of public support for sweeping political change.

With political parties boycotting the vote, most candidates are independents and attention is likely to focus on whether there will be higher participation than there was in December.

President's critics accuse him of seeking to dismantle the democratic system enacted after Tunisia's 2011 revolution, which sparked the Arab Spring, and they ridiculed December's ultra-low turnout as evidence that his changes lack popular support.

#Tunisia

@africaintel

🇰🇪🇹🇿 Kenya and Tanzania accuse the KLM airlines of spreading ‘unfounded’ claims about purported ‘civil unrest’

The governments of Kenya and Tanzania have hit out at KLM airlines for spreading “unfounded” claims after the airline published an advisory warning of travel disruptions due to purported civil unrest in the two countries.

The carrier had said that “civil unrest” between Friday and Monday could potentially force flights to be cancelled, before amending its alert to refer to an unspecified “local threat in Tanzania”.

Kenya’s transport minister said that he had protested to the airline over “this unfounded, false, insensitive and misleading information that paints Kenya in bad light”. Tanzania’s government also criticised the advisory, saying there was no truth to the claims.

The airline, which is owned by Air France-KLM, apologised to the Kenyan government, saying the advisory was “only meant for our customers in Tanzania”.

#Kenya #Tanzania

@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nigeria extends collection date for voter cards

The deadline for Nigerians to collect their voter card, which is required to cast a ballot in next month’s election, has been extended by a week to Sunday 5 February.

Known as a Permanent Voter's Card (PVC), it contains biometrical data of the voter and is used as further verification of identity on election day.

This is the second time the deadline for collection of PVCs has been changed. The date initially set was Monday 12 December 2022, before being moved to Sunday 29 January 2023. The latest extension comes as many people have been finding it difficult to get their cards from collection centers, with some being told their cards have yet to be printed or cannot be found.

#Nigeria

@africaintel

🇿🇦 South Africa is not going to abandon coal yet

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has said there are no plans to immediately abandon coal-fired power stations during a proposed transition to cleaner forms of energy.

The country is one of the world's most coal-dependent nations. It is currently experiencing lengthy power cuts blamed on ageing infrastructure and corruption.

Since 2021 South Africa has secured several billion dollars in international loans and grants to support a switch to greener power.

Addressing colleagues from the governing African National Congress party, Ramaphosa suggested it would be unwise to reduce the country's capacity as it made what he called a just energy transition.

#SouthAfrica

🇺🇳🇨🇬 UN envoy meets with Congolese President to discuss Libyan Crisis

The UN envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily met Congolese President and the Chairman of the African Union High Level Panel on Libya, Sassou Nguesso, to brief him on his recent consultations with all Libyan stakeholders and the efforts to bring stability and security, as well as to restore legitimacy in the country through elections in 2023.

“President Nguesso pledged his full support to the UN efforts highlighting the risks associated with the continuation of the status quo. He also emphasized that the Libyan issue is of African, Arab and international concern and thus all should play a positive role in its resolution,” Bathily said.

Nguesso emphasized that the Libyan crisis can only be resolved through an inclusive process with positive international support, stressing that national reconciliation in Libya can only be achieved through positive engagements by all Libyan stakeholders.

#UN #Congo

@africaintel

🇿🇦 Ruling ANC outline plans to end load shedding by end of this year

South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) says its strategic goal is to end the rolling blackouts before the end of the year or reduce it to at least to Stage 2.

In his political overview, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tabled some of the interventions to end load shedding

Ramaphosa says for now the country’s objective is to decrease rolling blackouts to lower levels. He has, however, warned that interventions that have been proposed will take sometime to take effect.

#SouthAfrica

@africaintel

🇷🇺🇸🇴 Russian helicopter in Somalia was fired upon by Al-Shabaab

A Russian helicopter that was taking part in the UN humanitarian mission in Somalia was fired upon at Mogadishu airport by members of the al-Shabaab group. This was reported by the Russian embassy in Djibouti and Somalia. No one was injured.

“A Russian UTair helicopter, which was in the parking lot, participating in the air transport support of the UN humanitarian mission in Somalia, was fired at the international airport in the city of Mogadishu,” the embassy said.

The incident occurred on January 23; the embassy reported it only on January 29. Russian pilots continued to work as usual in Somalia.

#Russia #Somalia

@africaintel

🇿🇦🇪🇺 South Africa gets 280 million euros in EU grants for green transition

The European Union announced it would invest more than 280 million euros in grants in South Africa to help the country green its coal-dependent economy.

"Together with South Africa, we are committed to a decarbonisation pathway," Josep Borrell, who is in South Africa for talks, said in the statement.

The EU said the money came as part of the bloc's recently unveiled Global Gateway initiative, which is in part aimed at countering China's and Russian growing influence.

#SouthAfrica #EU

@africaintel

🇸🇴 Top al-Shabab commanders killed by Somali forces

The Somali government says it has killed more than 130 fighters from the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab - including top commanders. It says a joint operation was carried out with Somalia's international partners, which include the US military.

Over the last six months the al-Shabaab group has lost swathes of territory as the result of an operation led by pro-government forces.

It is impossible to verify the details of this attack but the Somali government has described what sounds like a significant setback for al-Shabaab.

An information minister said 136 jihadist fighters had been killed in a joint operation with Somalia's international partners.

#Somalia

@africaintel

🇹🇳 Tunisia's second-round poll sees 11% voter turnout

The tepid turnout of 11.3%, according to provisional figures, came as opposition groups boycotted the second round of parliamentary elections. The numbers were almost as low as the first round, held in December 2022.

Opposition parties boycotted the poll, accusing the president of staging a coup after he shut down parliament in 2021 and gave himself almost unlimited executive powers.

The elections were seen as a test in Saied's move to consolidate power, but the legitimacy is now being questioned due to the low turnout.

#Tunisia

@africaintel

🇿🇦 Eight killed in mass shooting at birthday party in South Africa

Gunmen killed eight people and wounded three others at a birthday party in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, police said.

Two gunmen entered the yard of the house on Sunday evening in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and started shooting at guests, a police statement said.

The gunmen fled after the attack, and no arrests have been made, the police said. Investigations into the circumstances and possible motives for the attack were ongoing. Police have not named the victims, but confirmed that the owner of the house was among them.

#SouthAfrica

@africaintel

🇸🇩🇹🇩 Sudan's leader Burhan visits Chad to boost relations

Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan travelled to neighboring Chad on Sunday for talks aimed at cementing ties between the two countries.

Al-Burhan and Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby met in N'Djamena and renewed their commitment to implement a 2018 bilateral agreement. They also expressed their concern over communal violence in their countries and agreed to form a joint force to handle insecurity along their border.

Burhan and Déby also agreed to take the necessary steps to tackle irregular immigration and weapons smuggling. They also agreed to bolster joint patrols along the tri-border area with the Central African Republic.

#Sudan #Chad

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🇹🇳 Tunisia opposition calls for unity against the President after low election turnout

The country’s main opposition coalition which includes the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha urged a united front against president Kais Saied.

"I call on all those who are part of the political movement and those who are in the civil movement to rise to this new challenge ahead of us. Let's join hands to work for change, in the form of Kais Saied's departure," said Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front.

"Almost 90 percent, or rather 89 percent, of Tunisian voters ignored this farce and refused to be involved in this coup d'état scenario that does not represent them at all," he added.

National Salvation Front already includes several political entities opposing President Kais Saied.

#Tunisia

@africaintel