Sudan: Company with Links to United Arab Emirates Has Deployed Colombian Mercenaries to Support Rebel Rapid Support Forces
The Colombian fighters seized last month in Darfur were hired earlier this year by an Abu Dhabi-based company called Global Security Services Group…The company describes itself as the only armed private security provider to the Emirati government and lists as its clients the Gulf state’s ministries of presidential affairs, interior and foreign affairs…With its large stock of drug-war veterans trained on American weapons, Colombia has long been a target for recruiters from overseas security and mercenary groups…The Colombian contractors are part of a push from the U.A.E. to bolster its RSF ally after it lost ground to the Sudanese military and its Egyptian backers around the capital, Khartoum, and in central Sudan, said Middle Eastern and African officials. Wall Street Journal
UN Report: Arbitrary Arrests, Detentions Persist in South Sudan
[According to a new UN report], some 1,140 civilians were arbitrarily arrested and then detained for varying periods between January 2023 to May this year…The report, which draws on verified and documented cases of human rights violations attributed to both state security elements and non-state armed groups, says that women and girls were subjected to arbitrary and unlawful arrests largely for refusing arranged marriages, seeking divorce, or for alleged adultery, in patterns of abuse reinforcing the use of gender as an instrument of control…Members of the political opposition or those perceived to be connected to them, and individuals indicating their intentions to actively participate in political processes, have also been arbitrarily detained…According to the report, most of the arrests were carried out by government security agencies, namely the National Security Service, the National Prison Service, and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces. Radio Tamazuj
Influential Ex-defence Minister Jailed for Corruption in Guinea
A court in Guinea has sentenced a former highly influential defence minister to five years in prison for corruption, illicit enrichment, embezzlement and money laundering. Mohamed Diane served as defence minister between 2015 and 2021 under President Alpha Condé, before the army seized power…Diane has been in detention since May 2022 when the military junta launched a campaign against corruption in the country…There are growing concerns that the junta has heightened its crackdown on the opposition, especially former allies of the deposed leader…[T]here has been no progress towards organising an election or on a promised referendum on a draft constitution, which would precede an election. In July, the junta presented a draft constitution that would potentially allow Gen Doumbouya to contest the presidency in the yet-to-be-announced elections. BBC
Chadian Election Officials Ask Military for Protection Ahead of Vote
Chad’s electoral commission has asked the central African state’s military to help protect election officials and candidates amid a spike in attacks ahead of Dec. 29 elections…[A] coalition of over 75 opposition parties and civil society groups describe the planned polls as a “masquerade,” saying that Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno and his Patriotic Salvation Movement, or MPS, are planning to use the polls to consolidate their grip on power. Opposition and civil society groups said their supporters this week used clubs and iron bars to attack MPS campaign caravans in several towns, including Ndjamena, Bongor, Abeche, Lai and Moundou… [The National Election Management Agency in Chad] organizes elections and declares provisional results. The country’s constitutional court declares final results. Deby appoints officials to both institutions. VOA
Four French Detained In Burkina Faso Freed: Spy Agency
Four French nationals held in Burkina Faso for over a year on espionage accusations have been released, France’s foreign intelligence service said Thursday, with Paris thanking Morocco for its mediation in the case…The four men were arrested in the Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou on December 1, 2023 and presented by the authorities as DGSE agents. A French diplomatic source had then indicated that they were four civil servants, holders of diplomatic passports and visas…Relations between France and Burkina have deteriorated considerably since Ibrahim Traore came to power in September 2022 through a coup d’etat…The mediation by the king of Morocco comes at a time when Paris and Rabat are warming relations that have been cool in the past, helped by Macron’s state visit at the end of October. Macron notably delighted his Moroccan hosts by renewing French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. AFP
UN Peacekeepers Guard Congolese Farmers Working Their Fields
[In DRC] many of the farmers tending to their fields in the troubled eastern region are guarded by United Nations peacekeepers. The U.N. mission has fallen under increasing scrutiny over the years as the eastern conflict between rebel groups, self defence forces and other militias has raged. But in this corner of Djugu territory in the village of Dhendro, farmers are unequivocal in their support for the U.N. force known by the acronym MONUSCO. The farmers, many displaced from their homes by the conflict, shelter in camps near the U.N. bases…The operation to guard farmers who grow corn, beans, potatoes and manioc is known as “Secure Harvest” and it aims to allow them to work freely during the harvesting season and provide protection from militia groups who steal produce and kill people. Reuters
Cyclone Chido Deaths Rise in South-east Africa as Mayotte Toll Remains Unclear
The death toll from Cyclone Chido has continued to rise, with authorities confirming that 45 people were killed in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi. French officials said the number of deaths on the Mayotte archipelago remained unclear, having previously expressed fears that hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed in slums flattened by the storm…The cyclone, which meteorologists said was intensified by climate breakdown, struck Mayotte with winds of up to 140mph on Saturday. It then barrelled across northern Mozambique…and Malawi. Nearly 500 people were injured in Mozambique, according to the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management, and 24,000 homes were destroyed. Southern Africa was already reeling from a drought this year that had left millions of people battling hunger. The Guardian
Around 90,000 Children Impacted by Cyclone Chido in Mozambique
Current assessments show the storm destroyed or damaged over 35,000 homes, displaced thousands of families, and impacted more than 90,000 children, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. According to the latest situation report, at least 174,000 people have been impacted overall but numbers may increase as assessments continue…Cabo Delgado has endured at least seven years of brutal conflict, leading to more than 1.3 million people becoming internally displaced…For many, Cyclone Chido has caused renewed hardship, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild, according to UN agencies in the region. The cyclone also tore through Nampula and Niassa provinces, leaving over 25,000 families without electricity and damaging two water facilities. In a region already fighting a cholera outbreak, the latest devastation creates an ominous likelihood that the outbreak will further deteriorate, UNICEF added. UN News
At Least 20 Die, Five Rescued as Migrant Boat Sinks off Tunisia
Tunisia’s coast guard has recovered the bodies of 20 migrants from Africa after the boat they were in sank off the coast, the national guard said on Wednesday, the second migrant drowning tragedy within one week off Tunisian coast. Last Thursday, Tunisia coast guard has recovered also the bodies of nine migrants, while six others are still missing after their boat sank while they were sailing towards Europe. The national guard said that coast guard on Wednesday rescued five others who were on the same boat and search operations were underway for anyone still missing. The boat sank off the coast of Sfax city, a major departure point especially for African migrants. Tunisia is grappling with an unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as the major departure point for both Tunisians and people from elsewhere in Africa seeking a better life in Europe. Reuters
More than 140 Kenya Facebook Moderators Diagnosed with Severe PTSD
More than 140 Facebook content moderators have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder caused by exposure to graphic social media content including murders, suicides, child sexual abuse and terrorism. The moderators worked eight- to 10-hour days at a facility in Kenya for a company contracted by the social media firm and were found to have PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), by Dr Ian Kanyanya, the head of mental health services at Kenyatta National hospital in Nairobi. The mass diagnoses have been made as part of lawsuit being brought against Facebook’s parent company, Meta, and Samasource Kenya, an outsourcing company that carried out content moderation for Meta using workers from across Africa. The Guardian
In Nigeria’s Crude Capital, a Plan to Win the War against Oil Theft
Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading oil exporters. But the industrial-scale oil theft has posed a major threat to communities and the wider economy. Oil theft costs Nigeria millions of dollars each month; about $23bn in oil revenue was lost in 2022 – one of the highest in recent years. This forced Nigeria to slip as the continent’s largest exporter, according to figures from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)…Rivers is one of the six states hosting oil installations in the country. As part of a plan to boost the region’s oil production, authorities in the state last week unveiled a batch of military-grade gunboats to help crack down on criminality and oil theft. Al Jazeera
Historic Operation Returns Almost 1,000 Trafficked Animals to Madagascar
In May, Thai authorities seized a cargo of 1,109 endangered lemurs and tortoises originating from Madagascar in one of the country’s largest wildlife trafficking busts to date. The raid was the result of an ongoing international investigation aimed at dismantling transnational criminal networks, involving the Royal Thai Police, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Justice Commission, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Interpol…Once all of the repatriated animals complete quarantine, they are scheduled to be transferred to five specialised centres in nature reserves across Madagascar…The success of this operation, both at the investigation and repatriation stages, highlights the need for multilateral, international cooperation in tackling wildlife crime, [a representative from UNODC said]. Al Jazeera
Ghana’s Supreme Court Dismisses Challenges to Anti-LGBT Bill
Ghana’s Supreme Court has unanimously decided to dismiss two legal challenges to new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups. Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a bill imposing three years in prison for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups…President Akufo-Addo delayed signing it following the challenges to the bill. He said he would wait for the Supreme Court’s decision. But after several months of consideration, the judges said the case couldn’t be reviewed until the president had signed it into law…With his two-term presidency ending on 7 January, President Akufo-Addo has not yet revealed what he will do. Opposition leader John Mahama, who won this month’s presidential election, has expressed support for the bill…When it was passed, the controversial bill sparked criticism from the finance ministry, which warned that Ghana could lose about $3.8bn in World Bank funding over the next five to six years if it was passed. BBC
Africa’s Geothermal Energy Potential
Africa can ramp up electricity generation from geothermal energy with investments in new technologies, according to the International Energy Agency. The energy body estimates that geothermal energy only meets 1% of global electricity demand but that could grow to 15% by 2050. Current installed capacity to harness the potential of this renewable energy source is found in countries close to volcanic activities or tectonic fault lines, the IEA said. Kenya is one of a handful of countries in the world with the early advantage in geothermal use as a result. However, the African continent as a whole has one-fifth of the world’s total enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) potential for electricity generation up to 115 terawatts… “Tapping less than 1%” of Africa’s potential for EGS-enabled electricity generation would meet Africa’s electricity needs in 2050, the IEA said. Semafor