Sudan Army Unveil New Deal To Return Civilian Rule
Military leaders in Sudan have agreed to hand back power to civilian groups in a significant move to end the ongoing political crisis. A transitional two-year period led by civilian leaders was agreed in a deal unveiled in the capital, Khartoum. But pro-democracy protesters, who have been staging regular street protests against the army, have rejected it…On Monday, there were cheers in the presidential palace in Khartoum after the military generals and civilian leaders signed the latest deal. Military leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Buran appeared to share the audience sentiments when he repeated a popular revolutionary slogan: “The military belongs in the barracks.” However, outside the fortified compound, pro-democracy protesters – mostly young women and men – held marches opposing the deal. “Trust is broken. The military could do this again,” internationally acclaimed Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka told the BBC as he prepared to head out to protest. “The biggest problem is that the leaders of the coup – al-Burhan, his deputy Hemeti – stay in power. People have been killed, injured, detained [for protesting] and they are going ahead without accountability.” BBC
South African Parliament Postpones Vote on Ramaphosa’s Impeachment
South Africa’s parliament has postponed a vote on impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa by one week. The vote had been scheduled for Tuesday. A few hours earlier, the 70-year-old leader filed an application with the country’s Constitutional Court to have serious corruption allegations against him investigated. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party backed Mr Ramaphosa on Monday and announced it would vote against impeachment proceedings. The ANC has ruled South Africa for over a quarter of a century. It has an absolute majority in parliament. News Agency of Nigeria
Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Chief Bailed After Arrest
Malawi’s anti-corruption chief Martha Chizuma has been released on police bail following her arrest in relation to a leaked audio of her complaining about lack of government support in the fight against corruption. Ms Chizuma was charged with “making use of speech capable of prejudicing a person against a party to judicial proceedings”, after she claimed in the leaked audio that a top state official was “corrupt and compromised”. Her lawyer said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) boss was arrested on Tuesday just before 04:00 local time by heavily armed police who raided her home… In parliament, Justice Minister Titus Mvalo told lawmakers that the arrest was “the work of those trying to frustrate the fight against corruption”. Ms Chizuma is highly regarded for her strong stance in the fight against corruption – which has led to the indictment of the vice-president, one cabinet minister and the head of police service. BBC
Chad’s 262 Protesters Jailed After Bloody Crackdown
A court in a high-security desert prison in Chad has sentenced 262 people arrested during a bloody anti-regime protest in October to two to three years in prison after a mass trial behind closed doors with no lawyers and no independent media. Some 80 others, out of 401 people on trial – mostly young demonstrators – were given one to two years’ suspended prison sentences, and 59 were acquitted, N’Djamena’s public prosecutor, Moussa Wade Djibrine, told reporters on Monday. The trial lasted four days and ended on Friday, but as only state television was allowed to attend, in the absence of any other media, the prosecutor did not make the judgment public until three days later, on his return to the capital on Monday. AfricaNews with AFP
Congo Govt Raises Toll From Attack in East to More Than 270
Congo’s government dramatically increased the death toll from a massacre last week they blamed on M23 rebels, saying Monday that 270 people had been killed in an attack that broke a fragile cease-fire agreement. M23′s chairman challenged the figure and accused Congo’s government of creating a diversion from other atrocities in the region that he says have been committed by government soldiers and their allies. Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said Monday that the government was opening an official inquiry into what happened in Kishishe, a village located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the regional capital of Goma. AP
South Sudan To Send 750 Troops To Join Regional Force in DRC
South Sudan’s military says more than 700 personnel will travel to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to join a new regional force in trying to calm the latest deadly clashes there. The spokesman for South Sudan’s military, Major General Lul Ruai Koang, told The Associated Press on Monday that the government is working to provide the 750 troops with needed equipment for the combat mission…The South Sudanese military spokesman did not say how soon the troops will be sent to eastern Congo. “The forces are still under training, and they are still at the preparatory level,” he said. Earlier this year, leaders of the seven-nation East African Community resolved to create and deploy a regional force to eastern DRC, where dozens of armed groups are active. Al Jazeera
Ghana Begins Domestic Debt Swap Amid IMF Bailout Talks
The Ghanaian government has asked domestic bondholders to exchange their instruments for new ones. In a statement issued on Sunday, Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s finance minister, said existing domestic bonds would be exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing between 2027 and 2037. He said the new domestic debt exchange will begin on Monday, December 5, 2022. The programme is part of the country’s efforts to restructure its debts to qualify for IMF assistance. The Cable
Eight-Member W.African Bloc Sees 5.7% Growth
The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) said Monday its growth this year would be 5.7 percent, slightly below that of 2021, as its eight members grappled with global crises and local security demands. WAEMU comprises Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, gathered under a 1994 treaty to build an integrated economic space in West Africa. In 2021, growth across the region was 6.1 percent…Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, speaking after a summit in the country’s economic capital Abidjan, said WAEMU members had not been spared from “the deep crises which are affecting the entire world.”…Three WAEMU countries — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — are wrestling with a bloody jihadist insurgency that threatens also to spread southwards, towards Benin, Ivory Coast and Togo. Part of spending that should have gone on health and education is now having to be diverted to “defence and security”, Ouattara said. AFP
Equatorial Guinea To Assume OPEC Presidency in 2023
The Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, Gabriel Lima, will take over as the President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2023, re-establishing Africa as a leading powerhouse in the global oil industry. Among the largest producers of oil in Africa, Equatorial Guinea has seen exponential Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth as a result of its oil industry, with exports having been central towards driving the economy and socioeconomic development in the country. As such, in the wake of a new era of cooperation and partnership-building in the continent, Lima’s appointment as OPEC President is expected to facilitate a platform that will advance the interest of African oil and gas explorers and producers and all OPEC members. This Day
Guinea Trial Adjourned After Ex-Dictator Camara Pleads Ill Health
Proceedings in a trial over a 2009 massacre in Guinea were adjourned for a week on Monday after former dictator Moussa Dadis Camara said he was too ill to give testimony. Survivors of the bloodbath and relatives of the dead had been eagerly awaiting the moment when Camara would take the stand….Camara and 10 other former military and government officials are accused over the killing of 156 people and the rape of at least 109 women by pro-junta forces at a political rally in a Conakry stadium in September 2009. They face charges ranging from murder to sexual violence, kidnappings, arson and looting. Camara himself is charged with “personal criminal responsibility and command responsibility.” Channels
Morocco, the Last Hope for Africa at the 2022 World Cup
On Tuesday Morocco will take on Spain in the second round of 16 at the FIFA men’s world cup. The joy of their first-round success is one that is inspiring hope. The North African kingdom is the last African team still in the running in this World Cup in Qatar…In Doha, the Lions are united around their coach Walid Regragui, who was carried away in triumph after finishing first in the group against teams of the calibre of Belgium and Croatia. On Tuesday the team will be complete with Hakimi in defense to Ziyech in attack. On the Spanish side, the confidence is high. So far the second best attack of the tournament, thanks to its goals against Costa Rica. La Roja believes in its star players like Alejandro Baldé of Guinea Bissaun origin. He however is wary of the offensive potential of Morocco. AfricaNews