The Growing Militarization of China’s Africa Policy
China’s 2-week military exercises with Tanzania and Mozambique in July and August 2024 marked a significant expansion of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) engagement in Africa…When FOCAC was launched in 2000, China had no peacekeepers in Africa and lagged far behind the United States and Europe on the training of African students, civilian, and military professionals. Chinese security assistance was nonexistent, and China was absent in African security debates. Today, the PLA’s largest overseas deployment is in Africa. It maintains continuous naval flotillas, has more troops in United Nations missions than any other permanent UN Security Council member and, besides France, trains more African students…While certain African countries defend enabling China’s growing militarization on capacity-building grounds, others are concerned that Africa should better manage its military partnerships so as not to bring the continent into the center of the very geostrategic rivalries African governments say they want to avoid. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Inside the Effort to Market Russia and Putin to Africans
[The African Initiative] is part of an opaque network of groups that Western officials and analysts say the Kremlin uses to boost Russia’s image — and tarnish that of Western countries — as it seeks to restore its influence in Africa. The U.S. State Department this year accused African Initiative’s partner organization, based in Moscow, of seeking to undermine U.S.-funded public health projects across Africa, which the group has denied…Especially after the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Africa has grown more important for the Kremlin, as it has become increasingly isolated and strapped for resources, said Joe Siegle, research director at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. The Washington Post
Joe Biden to Address ‘Horrific History’ of Enslavement in America on Angola Visit
Joe Biden will address America’s history of enslavement in a speech on Tuesday at Angola’s National Museum of Slavery, during a trip in which he is also expected to laud recent US investment in the region. Biden’s visit to the museum will take in the 17th-century Capela da Casa Grande, where enslaved people were forcibly baptised before being trafficked across the Atlantic. About 4 million Angolans were enslaved in the Americas from the 16th to the 19th century, most in Brazil…The US announced a grant of $229,000 to support the museum’s restoration and conservation on Monday, the day Biden landed in Angola. It also said it supported Angola’s bid to have the Kwanza corridor, a route of more than 100 miles that captured slaves were marched along from the interior to the coast, declared a Unesco world heritage site. The Guardian
Sudan-Eritrea Military Alliance Risks Igniting Tribal Conflict
Sudan’s Sovereignty Council leader and Commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, concluded a one-day visit on Tuesday to Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, amid escalating turmoil in Sudan…Observers believe the visit sought to secure Eritrea as a key ally of Sudan’s armed forces while addressing the sensitive issue of armed groups operating in Eritrea’s western region…These movements, many of which are tied to Eritrean training camps, raise fears of clashes among armed factions and the shift into potential tribal violence…Political analysts highlight that this militarisation, combined with eastern Sudan’s geostrategic importance which is home to vital Red Sea ports and resource-rich territories, potentially exacerbating tribal polarisation and posing a significant threat to stability. Dabanga
They Fled War in Sudan. But They Haven’t Been Able to Flee the Hunger
The war in Sudan has created vast hunger, including famine. It has pushed people off their farms. Food in the markets is sparse, prices have spiked and aid groups say they’re struggling to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access…In September, MSF was forced to stop caring for 5,000 malnourished children in North Darfur for several weeks, citing repeated, deliberate obstructions and blockades…Earlier this year, the World Food Program cut rations by roughly half in Chad, citing a lack of funding…While there’s now enough money to return to full rations until the start of next year, more arrivals will strain the system and more hunger will result if funding doesn’t keep pace, said Ramazani Karabaye, head of the World Food Program’s operations in Adre. AP
For Ghana’s Cocoa Farmers, Fertiliser Is the Vote Winner in Looming Election
In an expected close contest between the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Mahamudu Bawumia, the current vice-president, and former president John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, the votes of cocoa farmers could be decisive…The government-set price for farmers has increased under NPP, but Ghana’s cedi currency is depreciating as global markets for the chocolate ingredient are at historic highs…Much of the farmers’ ire is reserved for Cocobod, the state regulator that manages the cocoa sector…Mahama has promised to distribute free fertiliser, improve Cocobod’s management, cut administrative costs, and combat illegal mining and smuggling. Bawumia has been less specific but Cocobod, at the International Monetary Fund’s behest, has proposed a turnaround plan to reduce costs and increase farmers’ share of cocoa revenues. Reuters
Mozambique Protests Must Go on for Months, Opposition Leader Says
Protests that have led to weeks of clashes with Mozambique’s security forces need to continue for “maybe two to three months”, the country’s opposition leader has told the BBC. Venâncio Mondlane has been calling on his supporters to protest against the results of October’s presidential elections, in which he came second to the candidate from the governing Frelimo party. Mondlane, who is now in hiding, told the BBC he thinks pressure from the protests could force Frelimo into negotiations…[I]nternational election observers have said the elections were flawed. BBC
Nigeria: #EndBadGovernance: Police Finally Agree to Probe Killing of Protesters by Security Agents
Four months after a dozen protesters of the #EndBadGovernance were killed and brutalised by security operatives including police officers, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter. The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement Monday in Abuja…In what appears to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation, Mr Adejobi exonerated men of the Nigeria Police Force, noting that only seven people were killed and their deaths “were not caused by police actions.” Premium Times
Côte d’Ivoire: Former First Lady Simone Gbagbo to Run for President in 2025
Nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’, Simone Gbagbo, the ex-wife of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, has announced her plans to run for president in 2025…Gbagbo was arrested at the same time as her husband in April 2011 following a bloodbath triggered by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat in a 2010 election…In 2015, Simone Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years’ jail on charges of undermining state security, before benefitting from an amnesty law in the name of national reconciliation in 2018. The Africa Report
Fighting Resumes in Eastern Congo, Army and M23 Say
Fighting resumed in eastern Congo on Monday, again violating a ceasefire, the M23 rebel group and Congolese army said, casting doubt on whether the M23 group will cease its offensive after the withdrawal of Rwandan troops…U.N. experts said in July that Rwanda does have between 3,000 and 4,000 government forces deployed in eastern Congo, operating alongside the M23 rebel group. At a meeting on Nov. 25, the foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda agreed on the terms and conditions of the disengagement of those Rwandan forces. M23 confirmed the resumption of fighting on Tuesday, following a similar announcement by the Congolese army on Monday. Reuters
Unknown Disease Kills 143 in Southwest Congo, Local Authorities Say
An unknown disease killed 143 people in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s southwestern province in November, local authorities told Reuters. Infected people had flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches, Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, provincial minister of health, said on Monday. A medical team has been sent to the Panzi health zone to collect samples and carry out an analysis in order to identify the disease…A local epidemiologist said women and children were the most seriously affected by the disease. Reuters
Kenya: Concerns Grow over Bill Seeking to Scrap Live Streaming of Election Results
A government-sponsored bill presented before Kenya‘s senate proposes a change of electoral law to scrap live streaming of presidential election results, starting with the 2027 vote. Under the changes, supported by the minority side, election officials will be mandated to electronically transmit results to the national tallying centre within two hours of their declaration at polling stations and constituency tallying centres…[P]olitical analyst Paul Musingi says if the changes go through, Kenyans and other interested parties in the country’s presidential elections process will no longer have an opportunity to compare live-streamed results with final declared results to confirm accuracy. That, he says, will compromise the constitutional principles of transparency and accountability of the results. The Africa Report