Congo’s President Says He’ll Create a Unity Government as Violence Spreads
Congo’s president says he is going to launch a unity government as violence spreads across the country’s east and pressure mounts over his handling of the crisis. In some of his first statements since Rwandan-backed rebels captured major cities in eastern Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi told a meeting of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition on Saturday not to be distracted by internal quarrels. “I lost the battle and not the war. I must reach out to everyone including the opposition. There will be a government of national unity,” said Tshisekedi. He didn’t give more details on what that would entail or when it would happen. M23 rebels — the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control and influence in eastern Congo — have swept through the region seizing key cities, killing some 3,000 people. In a lightning three-week offensive, the M23 took control of eastern Congo’s main city Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu. AP
As Rwanda-Backed Rebels Seized Goma, the Families of Congolese Soldiers Became a Target
The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured eastern Congo’s major city of Goma have targeted relatives of fleeing Congolese soldiers, the families say, with the troops’ wives chased from military barracks and left stranded in the city while some of their children are allegedly being forced to join the rebellion. As the M23 rebels swept into Goma in late January, they moved into military camps in and around the city, which had hosted hundreds of military families, and quickly emptied them of their relatives, the women said…After being forced to leave military camps in Goma, many families of fleeing Congolese soldiers are sheltering in temporary settlements, including schools where their belongings lie around and where several families are cramped in some classrooms. At the shelters, they spoke to The Associated Press about their new life of hardship and uncertainty…Several women were also seen selling what they could from their belongings to get money for their family’s next meal. Peace and safety also continue to elude them, with M23 rebels often appearing in search of the soldiers. AP
Sudanese Army Retakes Key City of Al-Qutayna in White Nile State
The Sudanese army retook control of the city of Al-Qutayna in White Nile state on Sunday after heavy fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a military official said. The RSF seized the city, located north of White Nile state and south of Khartoum, in November 2023. A major road runs through Al-Qutayna, leading to the RSF-controlled Jebel al-Awliya area and dam. The dam’s bridge has become the only supply route connecting Omdurman to Khartoum…In recent weeks, the RSF had intensified attacks on civilians in Al-Qutayna and surrounding villages, carrying out widespread abuses, including killings, looting, and forced displacement, according to local reports. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said that RSF attacks on villages in northern White Nile state had left more than 400 people dead, including women and children, with dozens more missing. Sudan Tribune
Sudan’s RSF, Allies Sign Charter for Parallel Government
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and 23 other entities signed a charter late on Saturday to establish a parallel government in areas under their control, raising fears of further division in the war-torn country. The signing ceremony took place late Saturday night in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, amid tight security and limited media coverage…The RSF has been accused of committing atrocities in all areas under its control, including retaliatory attacks against the Massalit ethnic group in West Darfur and villages in eastern Al-Jazeera state…The Sudanese government objected to Kenya hosting the signing ceremony, viewing it as an act of hostility towards the Sudanese people. Nairobi, however, justified its role as providing a platform to end the conflict that erupted on April 15, 2023. The move to form a parallel government raises concerns about Sudan’s potential division, as most of the signatories to the founding charter hail from Darfur and Kordofan. Sudan Tribune
Ethiopia, Somalia Agree on ENDF Deployment within AUSSOM
Ethiopia and Somalia have “agreed on the force disposition of ENDF” within the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), according to a joint communiqué issued following a visit by an Ethiopian delegation led by Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of Ethiopia’s National Defense Force, on February 22. The visit followed a bilateral meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa earlier in February…The agreement follows diplomatic tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland in early 2024…However, tensions have since eased following the Ankara Declaration, mediated in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and involving Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud…The statement also emphasized that Ethiopia and Somalia agreed that “the Federal Government of Somalia will be the only point of entry” for Ethiopia’s engagements with Somalia, reaffirming “respect for Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.” Addis Standard
Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Admin Accuses Some Leaders of Tigray Military Forces of “Dismantling” Local Gov’t Structures, Warns of “Severe Crisis”
The Tigray Interim Administration has accused certain leaders within the Tigray military forces of “inappropriately” working to dismantle local government structures, warning that such actions could lead to a “severe crisis.” The accusation follows an incident in Seharti district, where “security forces” allegedly used force to seize a kebele administration stamp, injuring 17 people, according to the district administrator…The Interim Administration emphasized that the Tigray military forces were “established as a defensive force to ensure the survival of its people, not to fulfill any group’s pursuit of power.” However, it stated that “it is entirely unacceptable for them to be involved in dismantling the interim administration’s structures outside the legal framework.”…The statement from the Tigray Interim Administration comes amid escalating divisions within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) between factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael and Interim Administration President Getachew Reda. Recent developments have seen elements of the Tigray military forces aligning with one side, heightening concerns over further instability. Addis Standard
South Sudan: UN Rights Body Urges Government to Expedite Hybrid Court
Amid reports of escalating rights violations, the independent experts of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan on Thursday urged the government to fast-track the establishment of the Hybrid Court to ensure accountability. Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Juba, commissioners voiced deep concern over the persistent human rights abuses in the country. They emphasized that addressing these violations requires a strong judicial system and the swift establishment of the Hybrid Court. They said these violations include what they described as entrenched impunity given that there is no accountability for human rights violations and, absolutely no response, and complete absence of governance and basic services, particularly in the justice, health care, and education sectors, among others. Radio Tamazuj
Nigeria Ex-military Leader for First Time Admits Regret over Cancelled Poll
Nigeria’s ex-military ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida has expressed deep regret for the first time for annulling the results of the 1993 presidential election. The poll was supposed to bring about an end to military rule after 10 years and the cancellation of the outcome threw the country into turmoil. The date of the vote – 12 June – is now remembered in Nigeria as Democracy Day. Gen Babangida was forced to resign. Moshood Abiola, widely believed to have won the election, was later imprisoned and his wife assassinated…The former military leader, 83, expressed his regret at the launch of his autobiography A Journey in Service in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday. “Undoubtedly credible, free and fair elections were held on 12 June 1993,” he told the audience…Gen Babangida, popularly known as IBB, also acknowledged that Abiola, who died in 1998, won the election. However, in 1993 as results were being collated, the military government abruptly stopped the process – an action that triggered widespread protests and a political crisis. For three decades, the circumstances surrounding the 1993 election have been shrouded in controversy, with conflicting accounts emerging overtime. BBC
Tunisian President Calls for Amendments to Central Bank Law
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Saturday called for the law governing the central bank to be amended, raising concerns the lender will lose its independence and of direct government intervention in monetary policy. Saied said in a meeting with central bank Governor Zouhair Nouri that “it is time to change the 2016 law” that granted the bank power over monetary policy, reserves and gold. “We want a national central bank, not as others wanted it based on dictates from abroad,” he added, in a video published by the presidency. In October, dozens of Tunisian lawmakers proposed a bill that would strip the central bank of its exclusivity over interest rates and foreign exchange policy, ending its independence. The bank would only be able to take action in consultation with the government, but would be allowed to finance the treasury…Following Saied’s call, the parliament in December approved a law allowing the central bank to provide $2.2 billion to finance the 2025 budget and pay off urgent debts – the second time in less than a year that the government has resorted to the bank for funds. The government is increasingly turning to domestic funding amid difficulties in securing Western finance since Saied seized nearly all power in 2021, ruling by decree, in a move the opposition has called a coup. Reuters
Wide Power Cuts In South Africa In New Electricity Failure
Power was abruptly cut to large parts of South Africa Sunday and the national energy provider announced days of power blackouts in Africa’s most industrialised nation. The announcement came as a surprise after positive statements from Eskom suggesting years of crippling power cuts of sometimes up to 12 hours a day may soon be over. The heavily indebted public power utility said in a statement it had to ration electricity supply “until further notice” because of multiple breakdowns at three coal-fired power plants. It implemented stage six of its electricity rationing plan on which stage eight provides for the highest level of cuts. Under stage six, power is halted a dozen times over four days and for up to four hours a time. The cuts are rotated through the country…Eskom acknowledged that South Africa’s unreliable power supply is a “structural constraint” to its economic development and to foreign investment, [Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa] said. It was also embarrassing that the power disruption coincided with meetings in South Africa this week of top diplomats from the G20 group of the world’s most powerful economies, he told the ENCA broadcaster. AFP
Kenyan Police Officer Sent to Haiti to Help Rein in Violent Gangs Is Killed in Fighting
A Kenyan police officer sent to Haiti to help rein in violent gangs was fatally shot in a fight with one of the gangs, Kenyan authorities said Sunday. The shooting happened in the western Artibonite region, where Kenyan police sent to neutralize Haitian gangs were conducting an operation this past week. The Kenyan mission said in a statement that officers responded to a plea for help from residents in an area known as Pont-Sonde. The police officer was airlifted out of the area and died from his injuries, Godfrey Otunge, the commander of the Kenyan forces in Haiti, said in a statement…The death was a blow to efforts to try and rein in Haiti’ s gangs, which have violently rampaged through the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. AP