Africa Media Review for August 12, 2024

Talks on Sudan to Proceed despite Uncertainty over Sudanese Army’s Attendance
The United States will proceed with peace talks on Sudan in Geneva this week, even without confirmation of the Sudanese army’s attendance. U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said he has arrived in Geneva from Saudi Arabia to launch the “urgent international effort in Switzerland to end the crisis in Sudan.” On Sunday, consultations between the Sudanese government and the U.S. in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ended without an agreement on whether a delegation from the army or the government would participate in the Geneva peace talks, casting doubt on the cease-fire negotiations set to begin on Aug. 14. The United States has invited leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, to discuss a potential cease-fire. The RSF has confirmed its participation in the talks. A State Department spokesperson told VOA on Sunday that the U.S. will continue discussions with SAF on preparations for the cease-fire negotiations. VOA

Unruly RSF Fighters Sow Chaos in Sudan’s Farming Heartland
Reuters interviewed 43 people from 20 communities [in El Gezira state, a key farming region and strategic crossroads just south of the capital, Khartoum] – including residents, activists and RSF recruits – who described a spiral of looting, kidnapping and killing after the group seized most of the state in December…The violence has driven over 850,000 people from their homes, the United Nations says, disrupted farming critical to Sudan’s food production and raised questions about the RSF’s ability to enforce any truce after nearly 16 months of war…Civilians described fleeing from village to village on foot and in cars, boats, buses and donkey carts to escape RSF fighters. First they steal cars, gold and money, more than two dozen witnesses said, returning later for items such as clothes, electronics and food, which are sold in so-called “Dagalo markets” – a reference to Hemedti. When they find nothing, they start kidnapping people for ransom, threatening to kill them if families don’t pay, according to a group of activists, the Wad Madani Resistance Committee, who document RSF raids across the state.  Reuters

Mali Ousts Swedish Ambassador amid Strained Relations with the West
Sweden’s ambassador to Mali was ordered to leave the country within 72 hours following what it said was a hostile statement by a Swedish minister, the government said Friday. The ousting of Ambassador Kristina Kuhnel comes days after Mali severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine, prompting comments by Sweden’s minister for international cooperation and trade. ”You can’t support Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and at the same time receive several hundred million kronor each year in development aid,” said Johan Forssell on social media platform X. “The government has therefore decided to phase out Sweden’s bilateral aid strategy with Mali in 2024″…In January, the government in Stockholm announced it would end its development aid to Mali this year. In the past decade, Sweden has provided more than $330 million in assistance to the West African nation. AP

At Least 30 Killed in Nigeria’s Benue State
At least 30 people have been killed in Nigeria’s Benue state, after suspected bandits attacked a village, the state information commissioner said on Friday. Benue State Commissioner for Information, Matthew Aboh, told reporters that bandits attacked Ayati village on Thursday night and that 30 had been confirmed dead, with a search for more bodies ongoing. It was not immediately clear what triggered the attack but Benue police spokesperson Sewuese Anene, said gunmen arrived and started shooting, killing several people…Benue is one of Nigeria’s Middle Belt states, where the majority Muslim North meets the predominantly Christian South. Competition over land use is particularly intractable in the Middle Belt, where faultlines between farmers and herders often overlap with ethnic and religious divisions. Reuters

Death Toll in East DR Congo Attacks Climbs, Others Missing
The death toll of two attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed to at least 18, with 14 people missing, local sources told AFP on Sunday. The attacks, which took place Saturday in the Beni territory in the troubled North Kivu province, were blamed on ADF rebels…The death toll of those killed “has been revised from 10 to 18 people,” Kinos Katuo, a civil society leader of the area where the attacks took place, told AFP. He added that 14 people are missing, with four houses and two motorcycles also burned…The ADF, originally mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels, have established a presence over the past three decades in eastern DRC, killing thousands of civilians…Local authorities in Beni told AFP in mid-June that since the beginning of the same month 150 people had been killed in attacks attributed to the ADF in eastern DRC. Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and the neighboring province of Ituri, but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians. AFP

DRC Says It Is in Talks with Zambia to Quickly Reopen Closed Border
Democratic Republic of Congo said on Sunday it had begun talks with Zambia a day after its southern African neighbour sealed their common border, blocking a key export route for Congo, the world’s second largest copper producer. Zambian Trade Minister Chipoka Mulenga announced a temporary border closure on Saturday after a Congolese ban on imported soft drinks and beer led to demonstrations by Congolese transporters in the town of Kasumbalesa on the Zambian border…Congo’s Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya said in a statement earlier on Sunday that his ministry had received no formal notice of a trade dispute from Zambia before it announced the closure. In the statement, he detailed the two countries’ trade agreement and its dispute settlement mechanisms…Zambia is a key export route for the Central African country. Most of Congo’s copper exports pass through the town of Kasumbalesa and into Zambia. Reuters

Tunisia’s Electoral Commission Accepts just Three Candidates for Presidential Election
Tunisia’s electoral commission said on Saturday it had preliminarily accepted only three presidential candidates, including incumbent Kais Saied, amid widespread criticism of what the opposition says are moves to exclude serious contenders. The commission said it had accepted the candidacies of Saied and Zouhair Magzhaoui, who is seen as close to Saied, and Ayachi Zammel for the Oct. 6 election, while rejecting 14 others…Prominent politicians, including Mondher Znaidi, Imed Daimi, Abdel Latif Mekki, Karim Gharbi, Safi Said, Kamel Akrout and Nizar Chaari, said the interior ministry refused to provide them with the criminal record details required by the commission as a new condition to run…Tunisian opposition parties and human rights groups have accused the authorities of using “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation in order to ensure the re-election of Saied. Reuters

Rwanda’s Kagame Sworn in for Fourth Term
Several dozen heads of state and other dignitaries from African nations joined the inauguration ceremony at a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali, where crowds had started gathering from the early morning. Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to “preserve peace and national sovereignty, consolidate national unity.” Kagame is credited with rebuilding a ruined nation after the genocide, when Hutu extremists unleashed 100 days of vicious bloodletting targeting the Tutsi minority, killing around 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also Hutu moderates. But rights activists and opponents say he rules in a climate of fear, crushing any dissent with intimidation, arbitrary detentions, killings and enforced disappearances. Kigali is also accused of stoking instability in the east of its much larger neighbor the Democratic Republic of Congo. AFP

Malawi President Chakwera Secures His Party’s Support for Second Term Bid
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has secured his party’s support to run for a second term in next year’s election, but his chances of retaining power may depend on his Malawi Congress Party finding a strong alliance partner. The MCP, which had been in an electoral alliance with the United Transformation Movement since 2020, now lacks a formidable ally after the UTM said it would pull out of the partnership after the death of former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima in a plane crash in June. Chilima was the leader of the UTM and his party helped Chakwera secure an absolute majority in the 2020 election. Malawi’s political system requires a presidential candidate to secure more than 50% of the votes to be declared winner…Chakwera’s leading challenger is former President Peter Mutharika, who is expected to be endorsed by the main opposition Democratic Progress Party’s convention later this month. Reuters

Tanzania Arrests Top Opposition Figure Lissu in Mass Round-up
Tanzanian police have detained leading opposition Chadema party figures including former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu, and rounded up several hundred youth supporters, a Chadema official said on Monday. The Chadema leaders were arrested in the southwestern city of Mbeya, where the party was due to hold a rally on Monday to mark International Youth Day, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs, John Mrema, told AFP on Sunday. He said that around 500 youth supporters had also been arrested by police as they were making their way to the Mbeya gathering and were being escorted back home. Tanzanian police had announced Sunday a ban on the Chadema youth gathering, accusing the party of planning violent demonstrations. The youth wing had said about 10,000 youngsters were expected to meet in Mbeya to mark International Youth Day under the slogan “Take charge of your future.” AFP

Freed Morocco Journalists Urge Release of Political Prisoners
Three journalists released from jail, thanks to royal pardons, called Saturday for Morocco to free “all prisoners of conscience” and start “a new phase” for rights and liberties in the North African kingdom. Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine, historian and rights advocate Maati Monjib and hundreds more prisoners were pardoned in late July on the occasion of King Mohammed VI’s 25th anniversary on the throne. The three journalists had been held for four to six years on charges of sexual assault that they deny. Radi was also accused of espionage. They say they were punished for their opinions…The trio mentioned the cases of activists from Morocco’s northern Rif region who have been held since 2016, and of the lawyer and government critic Mohamed Ziane, 82, in jail since 2022. AFP

As South Sudan’s Oil Revenues Dwindle, even the Security Forces Haven’t Been Paid in Months
The recent rupture of a crucial oil pipeline has sent fresh pain through the economy of South Sudan, where even the security forces haven’t been paid in nine months. Some soldiers and civil servants are turning to side hustles or abandoning their jobs. South Sudan’s economy largely depends on the oil it exports via neighboring Sudan. But war in Sudan has created widespread chaos, and the pipeline in an area of fighting ruptured in February. The drop in oil revenues has compounded South Sudan’s long problem of official mismanagement. Now the already fragile country is seeing protests in the capital over lack of pay, with more expected. AP

Nigera: Tinubu Lauds Basketball Coach Wakama on Olympics Recognition
President Bola Tinubu has lauded Rena Wakama, D’Tigress’ coach, on her recognition as the best coach of women’s basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He stated that the recognition of Wakama, 32, by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), further accented her well-established leadership qualities and dedication to excellence…The Nigeria women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, became the first African basketball team to play in the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games. The president thanked the Nigerian contingent and wished them success in their respective endeavours. News Agency of Nigeria

Egypt Will Bid for 2036 and 2040 Olympics, African Olympic Committees Chief Says
Egypt will bid to host the 2036 and 2040 Summer Olympics, with the country’s improving infrastructure and sports facilities key for a successful African bid, said the head of the African national Olympic committees association (ANOCA) on Sunday. The continent has never staged an Olympic Games. Cairo last made an unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Olympics. The most populous country in the Arab world, Egypt has spent billions of dollars building facilities, stadiums and sports complexes in recent years as part of its plans to modernise the country. The Egypt International Olympic City complex in the new administrative capital the country has been building east of Cairo since 2015 is expected to have a 93,900-capacity national stadium and 21 other sports facilities. Reuters