Namibia Elects Its First Female President in Disputed Elections
Namibia has elected its first female leader, with Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared the winner of last week’s presidential election in a result that will extend the ruling Swapo party’s 34-year hold on power. Nandi-Ndaitwah, the current vice-president, won with 57% of the vote, according to official results, defying predictions that she might be forced into a runoff…Opposition parties have rejected the results after the election was marred by technical problems, including shortages of ballot papers and other issues, causing election officials to extend voting until Saturday. The opposition parties claim the extension was illegal and intend to challenge the results in court. The Guardian
Discontent Runs High as Ghana Readies to Vote on Saturday
Public frustration over Ghana’s economic travails, including high prices and a dearth of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday’s general election, which will likely test the nation’s longstanding democratic credentials. Support for outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) party has sunk in his second term amid the West African nation’s worst economic crisis in a generation, along with cost-of-living protests and turmoil in its vital cocoa and gold industries. Indeed, the clamour for change has tipped the presidential and legislative race firmly in favour of opposition leader John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress party, polls show, though voter patience with the political process is running low. Reuters
In Angola, Biden Warns That Slavery’s History Should Not Be Erased
At the National Museum of Slavery in the capital, Luanda, Mr. Biden recalled in a speech on Tuesday the slave trade that once defined relations between America and Angola. More Africans sold into slavery in the United States came from this part of the continent than from anywhere else, scholars say, a legacy of inhumanity that remains relevant four centuries later…But in his speech on Tuesday, Mr. Biden also pivoted forward to stress how far the United States and Africa had come since those days of misery. He pointed to U.S. investments and other commitments to the continent, where Angola is an important source of oil and minerals. The New York Times
135 Killed in Football Stadium Crush, Guinea Rights Groups Say
Human rights groups in Guinea say they believe more than 135 football fans were killed in a crush at a stadium on Sunday, most of them children. The figure, which is unverified, far exceeds the official number of deaths at 56. The groups said the estimate was based on information from hospital, cemeteries, witnesses at the stadium, families of victims, mosques, churches and the local media…The deadly incident followed a controversial refereeing decision during the match, which led to violence. Police responded with tear gas, as people tried to flee. But the rights groups blamed the deaths on the game’s organisers and Guinea’s ruling military junta, who held the tournament in honour of President Mamady Doumbouya. The collective of rights groups in Nzérékoré said there was excessive use of tear gas in an enclosed area, adding that vehicles carrying officials leaving the stadium also hit citizens who were trying to escape. BBC
Sudan’s Famine-hit Zamzam Camp Comes under Fire, Say Residents and MSF
Sudan’s famine-stricken Zamzam displacement camp has been struck by shelling from the Rapid Support Forces, volunteers and medical aid agency MSF said, as the paramilitary group seeks to tighten control of the Darfur region in the country’s war…At least six people were killed and 13 injured by more than 20 shells fired at Zamzam camp on Sunday and Monday according to the al-Fashir resistance committee, a pro-democracy group that has monitored the violence in the area…At least 84 families fled the fighting in Zamzam and al-Fashir on Sunday and Monday, the International Organisation for Migration said on Tuesday. Reuters
World Food Program’s Troubles in Sudan Hurt Hunger Relief, Alienated Donors – Internal Report
Serious problems in the United Nations World Food Program’s response to the Sudan crisis are hampering the organization’s ability to alleviate hunger in the war-torn country and damaging its reputation with donors, according to a recent internal report seen by Reuters…The report identifies a range of problems in the WFP’s Sudan response, including an inability to scale up its operations, missed funding opportunities and what it describes as “anti-fraud challenges.”…The WFP’s internal report also criticizes overly optimistic targets for distributing aid. The Sudan office’s initial target of reaching 8.4 million people in need was “deemed unrealistic and posed a reputational risk to the organization,” the report says. Reuters
Extremist Rebels Kill at Least 9 and Kidnap 3 in Eastern Congo
Extremist rebels killed at least 9 people, including an 8-month-old baby and a 14-year-old girl in eastern Congo and kidnapped several others, authorities said on Wednesday. Rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces attacked civilians in Tenambo village in the North Kivu province on Tuesday evening, Colonel Mak Hazukay, spokesperson for the Congolese army said in a statement, calling on residents to remain vigilant and temporarily avoid isolated places…Rights groups and the United Nations have accused the ADF of killing hundreds of people and abducting even more, including a significant number of children. AP
Tanzania: Opposition Cries Foul after CCM Election Victory
Official results show that Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party won more than 98% of seats in last week’s local elections. CCM has dominated the East African nation’s politics for decades, and the poll was widely seen as a test for Tanzania’s democratic institutions ahead of the presidential elections in October 2025. It was also the first time that President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s popularity was tested on the ballot…In the run-up to the vote, the opposition party, Chadema, protested against what it said were unfair disqualifications of some of its candidates. It also said three of its members were killed in incidents linked to local elections and accused the authorities of rigging the vote. DW
S.Africa’s G20 Presidency Will Promote Africa: President
South Africa will use its presidency of the G20, the first by an African nation, to put the priorities of the African continent onto the agenda of the powerful global economic forum, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday. South Africa took over the rotating presidency of the grouping of the world’s biggest economies on December 1 and will host its summit in November before handing over to the United States…South Africa’s priorities for its presidency are to strengthen disaster resilience in the face of climate change, mobilise finance for the move towards greener energy and tackle unsustainable levels of debt hobbling low-income countries, many of them African. AFP
Ramaphosa Axes Simelane as Justice Minister — But Keeps Her in the Cabinet
The President has moved Thembi Simelane in a late-night Cabinet reshuffle, appointing her to the Human Settlements portfolio. This comes more than three months after he had requested a report from Simelane regarding her dubious dealings with VBS Mutual Bank…Simelane has increasingly come under fire after a Daily Maverick and News24 investigation in August revealed that in 2016, Simelane received a “loan” from a company that had brokered investments with VBS Mutual Bank. Simelane used a “commercial loan” of R575,600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, owned by Ralliom Razwinane, to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton. On Tuesday, Daily Maverick and News24 revealed that Simelane lived an extravagant lifestyle in 2018, while she was still mayor of Polokwane, when she spent 569% more than her known annual income. Daily Maverick
Nigeria Seeks South Africa’s Help to Join G20, BRICS
The Nigerian government on Monday signaled a desire for South Africa’s endorsement to join the G20 and BRICS groups of leading and emerging economies. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, officially made the request on a trip to Cape Town for bi-annual talks between the two countries, sometimes seen as political and economic rivals. However, South Africa, which assumed the rotating G20 presidency on Sunday, welcomed the request…At the same summit, known as the Bi-National Commission Meeting (BNC), the two countries pledged closer cooperation in key areas of development such as mining and infrastructure. DW
Nigeria’s Radical Idea for Car Owners Facing Soaring Petrol Prices
With Nigerians facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, Tinubu’s government is encouraging citizens to embrace a radical new idea: converting their petrol-powered vehicles into fully or hybrid compressed natural gas-powered vehicles…Converting a vehicle would eventually lower transport costs by 40 per cent for car owners, according to government estimates. Two hundred million dollars has already been invested in the initiative, with a further $450mn proposed in infrastructure investment such as conversion centres and filling stations…The government is offering subsidies to companies involved in the conversion initiative, with generous tax waivers on offer for CNG equipment. Financial Times