Somalia: At Least 37 Killed in Terrorist Attack on Popular Mogadishu Beach
At least 37 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in a suicide bombing and gun attack at the popular Lido beach in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, police said. The attack happened on Friday night, when residents of the city typically gather at cafes near the seaside. Agence France-Presse reported that police and witnesses said the bomber detonated his device late on Friday on the beach before gunmen stormed the area. State media said government forces “neutralised” the attackers after a gunfight. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab group, a jihadist organisation which the Somali government has been fighting since 2007, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on an affiliated news site. … Somalia’s president vowed to eradicate al-Shabaab during his election campaign in 2022, but has faced setbacks in recent months as the group has rolled back government gains in south-central Somalia. Guardian
Sudan: ‘Largest Ground Attack’ on El Fasher Kills 30, More RSF Violence Reported From Blue Nile, El Gezira, and Khartoum
The resistance committees of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, reported on Saturday that 23 people were killed and 60 others were injured in RSF artillery shelling on the city. Seven others, from one family, were killed in an air raid on the El Salam Abuja camp for the displaced in the northeast part of El Fasher. People living in El Fasher told Radio Dabanga that the Sudanese Air Force bombed RSF sites on Saturday morning, and that the RSF fired shells towards the Sixth Infantry Division Command in the north of the city, the El Sawra neighbourhoods, and areas adjacent to the El Fasher Livestock Market. … The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) on Thursday declared a famine in Zamzam camp neighbouring El Fasher in the south. Famine is also likely in the Abu Shouk and El Salam (aka Abuja) camps in the North Darfur capital, “but limited available evidence reduces the ability to confirm or deny a classification.” Dabanga
Sudan’s Army Leader Rejects New Round of Talks After Drone Strike
Sudan’s army leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, says the military will not join talks next month in Switzerland aimed at ending more than a year of fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Al-Burhan made the statement on Wednesday, shortly after the military said he survived a drone strike on a military graduation at the Gibeit army base in eastern Sudan that killed at least five people. Video of the drone attack, verified by the Reuters news agency, showed soldiers marching in a graduation ceremony before a whirring sound can be heard. There is then an explosion. … There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the RSF has denied that the paramilitary force, which controls large swaths of the country, was responsible. … Al-Burhan’s rejection of the Switzerland talks comes days after RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo said the group would participate in the negotiations, which were set to be co-hosted by the United States and Saudi Arabia on August 14. The UN, African Union and Egypt were set to be observers. Al Jazeera
Moscow Sees a Year of Transition in Africa
Last week, South African police arrested 95 Libyan nationals in a raid on a suspected secret military training camp, believed to have been financed by the Africa Corps. Authorities in South Africa are now investigating intelligence that there are other camps in its territory. … One year after the death of Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his deputy Dmitry Utkin in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances, the mercenary group, renamed as the Africa Corps, is now more tightly controlled to advance Russia’s strategic objectives. Analysts such as Joe Siegle, research director at the Washington DC-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, say that Russia is still using Africa to posture as a great power, focusing on high visibility to offset the limited financial and trade means it can offer…Siegle describes the past year as a ‘transition’ during which the Russian state has taken a grip on Wagner’s operations, particularly the complex network of highly profitable front companies and other business interests set up by Prigozhin, as well as the press agency and disinformation outfit, the notorious Internet Research Agency, which coordinates a vast network of contributors and activity on social, broadcast and online media. Africa Confidential
Akufo-Addo Pledges Smooth Transition After Ghana’s Upcoming Polls
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his dedication to ensuring a smooth transition of power after the upcoming 2024 general elections. At the Ghana Report Summit in Accra, themed ‘Combating Misinformation and Disinformation in Election 2024,’ President Akufo-Addo called on the media and citizens to remain vigilant ahead of the 2024 elections. He emphasized that Ghana’s democratic progress relies on active citizen engagement, a vibrant civil society, and a free press. “Our democratic journey has been made possible by the active participation of the citizenry. A robust civil society and a free media. These elements reinforce collectively, Ghana’s reputation as a stable democratic nation,” Akufo-Addo said. He further stressed the need to counter misinformation and disinformation, warning that their impact on the electoral outcome is impossible to overstate. “It is within this context that, we must address the growing challenge of misinformation and disinformation which threatens, and undermines the democratic gains we have made,” he added. Accra Times
Nigeria: Don’t Allow Enemies Use You to Truncate Democracy, Tinubu Tells Protesters
In his nationwide broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu said democracy has been enjoyed in Nigeria for 25 years, highlighting its dividends. On Saturday, photos and videos of protesters in Kano waving the Russian flag went viral as the demonstrators chanted in Hausa, “We don’t want bad government.” Hundreds of mostly underaged youths urged President Vladimir Putin of Russia to intervene in Nigeria. … [Tinubu said:] “Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation. The economy is recovering; Please, don’t shut out its oxygen. Now that we have been enjoying democratic governance for 25 years, do not let the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda that will set us back on our democratic journey.” Daily Trust
Nigeria: Jos Youth Coalition Suspends Protest, Denounces Use of Foreign Flags
A coalition of youths in Plateau State has announced the suspension of the 10-day protest against economic hardship in the country. The youths said they are suspending the protest from Monday to Tuesday to allow for dialogue with the Federal Government. The spokesman of the coalition, John Enoch Vilret, who spoke at a late-evening press briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Jos on Sunday, said that the coalition denounced the use of the Russian flag during the protest. He said it did not represent the views and vision of the protesters. The youths vowed to resume their protest if no concrete steps were taken to accede to the demands of the protesters. … “We wish to categorically disassociate ourselves from any group of protesters carrying the Russian flag or any other flag that is not the Nigerian flag. Such actions are not representative of our movement. We urge security forces to arrest any individuals seen engaging in this behaviour, as it undermines the integrity of our cause.” Sun
Algeria Courts Disenchanted Youth as 78-Year-Old President Vies for Second Term
A few years after taking to the streets with hundreds of thousands of other Algerians, Kaci Taher says he now feels so disengaged that he won’t even vote in the country’s presidential elections next month. The 28-year-old from Kabylia is precisely the kind of voter that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has targeted as he vies for a second term in office, describing himself as a “candidate of youth” in his campaign announcement last month. Most of the young people who make up more than half of the population in Algeria are so disenchanted that, like Taher, they may not vote in next month’s presidential election. Though he is almost certain to win, a low turnout could put the legitimacy of Tebboune’s victory in doubt. “Voting has no meaning in Algeria like in the big democracies,” he said. “Where I come from, the results and quotas are fixed in advance in the back room of the government, so what’s the point of taking part in the electoral farce?” AP
Tunisian Opposition Denounces ‘Restrictions’ Ahead of Vote
Tunisian opposition presidential candidates, human rights groups and political parties on Friday denounced ‘arbitrary restrictions’ put on them by the authorities ahead of the October 6 vote. In a statement, they said that the limitations are meant to guarantee the re-election of President Kais Saied. 11 opposition figures hope to run against Saied. The new law requires candidates to submit a document certifying that they have no criminal record before allowing them to register. So far, none of the opposition hopefuls have obtained the document. President Saied is widely expected to seek re-election. In 2021, Saied grabbed power when he dismissed parliament, attracting widespread condemnation. AfricaNews
DRC-Rwanda Ceasefire Comes Into Effect
Brokered by Angola, the 4 August ceasefire came as a two-week humanitarian truce between M23 and Congolese forces in North Kivu expired the night before. It was not specified which parties had agreed to the deal, nor how long it would last. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said he hoped the move would help to bring about a “de-escalation of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda,” and to enable the safe return of internally displaced people. France, Belgium, the European Union and the United States also welcomed the news. But given previous truces have never lasted more than a few weeks, observers say clashes are likely to continue. Locals fear that negotiated pauses in fighting are offering armed factions the chance to regroup. “Agreements are often violated by the parties to the conflict because … the M23 and Rwandan army are continuing to strengthen their positions,” Georges Katsongo, president of a civil society group in North Kivu’s Lubero region, told French news agency AFP. RFI
M23 Rebels Take DR Congo-Uganda Border Town
Rebels from the M23 movement captured a border town in eastern DR Congo without a fight Sunday, local sources said, the same day a cease-fire between DR Congo and neighboring Rwanda was meant to come into force. Ishasha, on the border with Uganda, was the latest town to fall to the majority-ethnic Tutsi movement backed by Rwanda. M23 has seized large swathes of territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province since it launched an offensive at the end of 2021. “Ishasha has passed without resistance under M23 control,” civil society leader Romy Sawasawa told AFP. Congolese police officers had crossed into Uganda to flee the “numerous and well-equipped” rebels. Gad Rugaju, Uganda’s deputy of security in the district, confirmed that about 90 Congolese police officers had crossed into their country. AFP
Uganda’s Cheptegei Wins Men’s 10,000m Gold at Paris Olympics 2024
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei withstood surging Ethiopian team tactics to claim gold in the men’s Olympic 10,000-metre at the Stade de France. The three-time world champion timed an Olympic record of 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds for victory on Friday. Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi edged American Grant Fisher by two-hundredths of a second to take silver in 26:43.44. The world record holder added the Olympic 10,000 metres title to his remarkable haul to take the Games’ first track gold. The Ugandan, who took silver in Tokyo and gold over 5,000 metres, produced a devastating last 600 metres and his finishing time took 18 seconds off Kenenisa Bekele’s 2008 Olympic record. Al Jazeera