Africa Media Review for August 28, 2024

Burkina Victims’ Families Criticize Army over Massacre
Families of Burkina Faso civilians killed in a massacre have accused the army of exposing them to their militant killers by making them leave their village to dig a trench. Armed men carried out the attack in the village of Barsalogho in north central Burkina Faso on Saturday, killing dozens of civilians and security personnel, local sources said. [JNIM] claimed responsibility and said it had seized control of a local militia headquarters. A group representing victims’ families, the Justice Collective for Barsalogho, said in a statement seen by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that Burkina Faso military officials had “obliged people, through threats, to take part in construction work, against their will.” It said they forced the locals to dig a trench 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from the village for forces to use in fighting off the militants…In two videos apparently documenting the massacre —circulated on social media and attributed by various sources to JNIM — assailants in military dress are seen firing automatic weapons at a trench containing at least 91 bodies.  AFP

Nearly 200 People Dead: What’s behind Armed Attacks in Burkina Faso?
By Friday, Burkina Faso’s military government was aware of the probability of an impending attack, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque. Authorities then called on the general population to assist the military in digging trenches meant to serve as a protective barrier and stop the invading fighters from entering the town. According to local news reports, some people had initially opposed the action, fearful of reprisal attacks by armed groups…Burkina Faso is the number one most terrorism-affected country in the world in 2024, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI)…About 50 to 60 percent of the country’s territory is now outside government control…“Small arms, light weapons – all of those things have come in, but it hasn’t been effective in counterinsurgency because it doesn’t address the main drivers of insurgency itself,” said researcher Dan Eizenga of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. “Those are ultimately going to fall into the realm of governance. The trend in the Sahel has been more negative than it was before the onset of military coups there,” he said. Al Jazeera

Denmark to Close Its Embassies in Mali, Burkina Faso
Denmark will close its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso after a series of military coups over the past few years, the Danish foreign ministry said on Monday, as it formally launched a new strategy for its cooperation with the African continent…At the same time, the Danish ministry said it would open embassies in Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia, and increase its diplomatic workforce in its embassies to Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. “One of the most important foreign policy questions of this century will be whether African countries will orient themselves more towards the East or the West,” the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement. “We have a clear interest in African countries looking to us in Europe to set the course for their future,” it added. Reuters

Former Finance Minister Who Called Eritrea Leader ‘dictator’ Dies in Prison
A former Eritrean finance minister who was arrested in 2018 after calling Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki a dictator has died in prison, his family told VOA Horn of Africa Service. The Eritrean government remained silent on the death of Berhane Abrehe, who was the country’s finance minister from 2001 to 2012. The reason for his death has not been announced, but the government allowed his burial in Asmara on Aug. 22…Berhane was neither charged nor allowed family visitations, despite being in frail health, according to his Maryland-based nephew Solomon Habtom, who initially facilitated the publication of Berhane’s controversial book critical of the Eritrean government…Berhane fell out with the Isaias administration in 2012 following a disagreement on its handling of the country’s finances. In 2018, he was arrested shortly after publishing two-volume book outside the country while living in Eritrea. VOA

Missing Cameroonian Activist Found in Jail with Signs of Torture, Rights Group Says
A Cameroonian social media activist and government critic who disappeared last month has been located in a security cell of the military court in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, with signs of torture, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. His lawyers believe the activist, known as Steve Akam, was extrajudicially returned to Cameroon from Gabon, where he had been living for the past decade. They gained access to him in custody in Yaoundé and found him partially paralysed with severe visual impairments, the international rights group said. Akam, an outspoken critic of President Paul Biya’s administration, was last seen in a video circulated online that showed him handcuffed and surrounded by Cameroonian police near the border with Gabon. He is better known by his social media profile Ramon Cotta on TikTok, which has over 30,000 followers. In a recent video, he accuses Biya of pursuing a war in Cameroon’s anglophone regions in order to remain in power. Reuters

UN Security Council Considers Sanctioning Two RSF Generals in Sudan
A United Nations Security Council committee is considering sanctioning two generals with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for threatening the country’s peace, security, or stability, including through violence and human rights abuses. If the men are designated it would be the first U.N. sanctions imposed over the current war in Sudan…The United States has formally proposed that an international travel ban and asset freeze be imposed on RSF head of operations Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed and RSF West Darfur Commander Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, diplomats said. The Security Council’s 15-member Sudan sanctions committee operates by consensus. If no one raises any objections to the proposal by Friday afternoon then the men will be designated. Members can also ask for more time to consider the proposal, place it in limbo by putting a hold on it, or simply block it. Reuters

US Urges Certain ‘Negative Actors’ Not to Fuel Sudan’s Civil War
The United States is urging certain foreign nations not to fuel Sudan’s civil war by arming fighting factions, as the country faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Meanwhile, Washington has also called on Sudan’s warring sides to enforce a code of conduct to reduce abuses, noting that the army is considering the proposal after its rival paramilitary forces have agreed to it…“In addition to UAE [the United Arab Emirates] supporting the RSF,” Perriello told reporters on Tuesday, “we see foreign fighters coming in from across the Sahel. We’ve seen Iran, Russia, other negative actors on the SAF side.” U.S.-brokered peace talks on Sudan that concluded last week in Geneva failed to end the country’s 16-month conflict. But one of the warring sides, the RSF, agreed to a code of conduct pledging to avoid violence against women, exploitation at checkpoints and the destruction of crops. Perriello said that the U.S. has presented the proposal to the SAF leaders who were absent in the Switzerland negotiations…Later this week, the U.S. will have a first formal follow-up with the heads of delegations. VOA

Egypt Sends Arms to Somalia following Security Pact, Sources Say
Egypt delivered its first military aid to Somalia in more than four decades on Tuesday, three diplomatic and Somali government sources said…Egypt and Somalia have drawn closer together this year after Ethiopia signed a preliminary deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease coastal land in exchange for possible recognition of its independence from Somalia…Egypt, at odds with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa’s construction of a vast hydro dam on the headwaters of the Nile River, has condemned the Somaliland deal. It signed a security pact with Mogadishu earlier this month and has offered to send troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia…Two Egyptian military planes arrived at Mogadishu airport on Tuesday morning with weapons and ammunition, two diplomats and a senior Somali official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Reuters

Mpox Outbreak in Africa Poses Risks for Refugees, Displaced Communities
U.N. agencies warn that refugees and displaced communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries infected with mpox are at particular risk of illness and death because of conditions under which they are forced to live…[Dr. Allen Maina, UNHCR public health chief] told journalists at a briefing in Geneva that refugees and displaced people are particularly vulnerable to mpox because people fleeing violence “are unable to implement many of the mpox prevention measures” that could keep them healthy and save their lives. “Displaced families living in crowded schools, shelters and tents, and also in churches, and also in farmers’ fields have no space to isolate when they develop symptoms of the disease. UNHCR staff have found some affected individuals trying diligently to follow preventive measures and protect their communities by sleeping outside,” he said. VOA

Raila Odinga: ‘My Heart Is Ready, My Hands Are Steady’ for AUC Top Job
Kenya on Tuesday unveiled the candidature of its former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) at a colourful ceremony graced by several East African Community (EAC) heads of State…Mr Odinga will contest against Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and Richard James Randriamandrato, a former Madagascar Foreign Minister. Mr Odinga pledged to push for scrapping of visa for intra-Africa travel and removal of trade barriers as he spelled out his vision of a united continent characterised by peace and prosperity for all. The EastAfrican

Neglected Morocco Earthquake Survivors Struggle with Slow Rebuild
When the magnitude 6.9 quake – [Morocco’s] deadliest in more than 60 years – struck in September 2023, it originally displaced some 500,000 people (many of whom have still not been able to go home), damaging or destroying nearly 60,000 homes. The Moroccan government pledged to rebuild, announcing in early November that every family who had lost their home would receive 140,000 Moroccan dirhams (around $14,500) for reconstruction, and those whose homes had been damaged would be given 80,000 dirhams ($820). It also promised a monthly stipend of $2,500 dirhams ($258) to survivors, for a period of one year. But nearly 12 months later, many are still living in temporary shelters with inadequate basic services…While money to rebuild has started to arrive, getting permission to actually use that money is a second significant hurdle. Government data says 51,031 reconstruction permits – for houses destroyed or damaged – have been granted…In addition to waiting for money or permission, survivors say there is still not enough housing, aid, or various basic needs like access to clean drinking water. The New Humanitarian

Women in Chad Defy Discrimination and Violence to Assert Their Rights to Own and Control Land
In Chad, land access is often controlled by village chiefs who require annual payments. Women are often excluded from land ownership and inheritance, leaving them dependent on male relatives and reinforcing their secondary status in society. The struggle for land rights is compounded by the dual legal system in Chad where customary law often supersedes statutory law, especially in rural areas…Founded by Adèle Noudjilembaye in 2018, an agriculturist and activist…[N-Bio Solutions, a collective] is a rare initiative in Chad negotiating on behalf of women with traditional chiefs, who then seek out residents with available land willing to lease it. So far, Noudjilembaye runs five such collectives with an average 25 members…The efforts of such collectives have broader implications for both gender equality and sustainable agriculture in Chad…In general, women who gain access to land and resources are more likely to implement sustainable agricultural practices and improve local food systems, according to the United Nations. But in Chad, life for women who attempt to assert their rights is especially challenging. Chad is ranked 144th out of 146 countries, according to the 2024 Global Gender Gap Indicator Report compiled by World Economic Forum.  AP

Senegal Suspends Mining to Protect Faleme River
Senegal has suspended all mining activity for nearly three years on its side of the southeastern Faleme river in a decree aimed at protecting the environment and supporting local communities threatened by an artisanal gold mining boom. Mining-related dredging and chemical discharges have helped pollute the Faleme, which flows from the uplands in Guinea, down a large section of Senegal’s border with Mali, and into the Senegal river. Mining will be suspended on all Senegalese territory up to 500 metres (546.81 yards) from the river’s left bank and remain in place until June 30, 2027, according to the decree published on Tuesday…The Faleme, which was once home to a wide range of fish and mammals including hippos and served a vital role for local agriculture, is in urgent need of restoration, according to a 2024 paper published in the Journal of Water Resource and Protection. Reuters

How an App Is Combatting Illegal Deforestation in Ghana
[VIDEO] Making space for farmland is a key driver of deforestation, as are illegal sales of protected timber. Sustainable forestry advocates in Ghana monitor logging with the help of an app and are raising local people’s awareness about the natural resource. DW