Mozambique Opens New Parliament Amid Protest, Boycott
Mozambique swore in its new parliament on Monday with the streets of the capital deserted after the opposition leader called for a strike to protest the result of highly disputed elections…Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who is popular with Mozambique’s marginalised youth, claims the results were rigged in favour of Chapo’s Frelimo party that has been in power for 50 years. He urged his supporters at the weekend to “demonstrate our refusal” of the official election result with a national strike from Monday to Wednesday, when Chapo is due to be sworn in as president…Renamo’s 28 MPs and the eight from the MDM stayed away in protest. The opening of parliament “constitutes a social outrage and a lack of respect for the will of Mozambicans” who were deprived of “free, fair and transparent” elections, a Renamo spokesman told reporters Sunday. The MDM said it was boycotting to show it aligned itself with demands for “electoral truth”. AFP
Mali Starts Seizing Gold Stocks at Barrick Site, Company Memo Says
Mali’s government has begun enforcing a provisional order to seize gold stock at Barrick Gold’s Loulo-Gounkoto site, the Canadian miner said in a note to Malian staff, warning again that it may have to suspend operations at the complex. The move suggests that Mali’s military-led authorities are not ready to back down in a standoff over a contract based on new mining rules as they push for a greater share of revenues from Western miners…Two Barrick employees in Mali and a consultant working for mining companies confirmed the authenticity of the letter seen by Reuters…[O]ne of the employees said Loulo-Gounkoto’s stock was around 4 metric tons, citing internal estimates. This amounts to nearly $380 million, based on spot gold prices on Monday…Mali, Africa’s second-largest gold producer, has issued an arrest warrant for Barrick Chief Executive Mark Bristow and detained Barrick staff. Reuters
France Hands over Second Army Base in Chad Ahead of 31 January Deadline
France on Saturday handed over its second army base in Chad as part of an agreement with the country’s authorities to withdraw its military forces by the end of January. The central African country in late November abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial ruler, and French troops began leaving the country in late December…Around 100 troops left the Abéché base on Saturday, after equipment convoys departed Friday evening…Chad had been a key link in France’s military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups. The military authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have pivoted towards Russia in recent years. Chad’s leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has also sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation have yet to bear concrete results. RFI with AFP
Nigeria: Another Military Airstrike Kills 20 Civilians, Vigilantes in Minister’s Hometown
At least 20 people, including members of a local vigilante group, have been killed in a mistargeted airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force. The incident happened in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the hometown of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the local vigilantes killed in the airstrike were members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard. The incident occurred on Saturday night, 11 January, at Tungar Kara, a community in Maradun LGA…A resident, Salisu Maradun, told PREMIUM TIMES that the vigilantes had mobilised to defend the community alongside other residents when they were struck by the airstrike while trying to retrieve rustled animals from the fleeing bandits. Mr Maradun said the victims were residents of various communities who came in solidarity to support an attacked community. Residents said the attack left at least 20 people killed, with several yet to be accounted for as of Sunday afternoon. Premium Times
How Poor Regulation of Instant Payment System Fuels Criminality in Nigeria
[Hundreds of Nigerians have been victims of kidnapping for ransom, where the abductors used mobile money transfers with the authorities unable to trace them.] All these happen despite the mandatory linking of all bank accounts in Nigeria to the Bank Verification Number (BVN), a unique 11-digit identifier that links a person’s financial accounts to their biometric data. According to a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), N2.2 trillion was reportedly paid as ransom to kidnappers within 12 months…This worrisome report paints a grim picture that threatens Nigeria’s fast-developing instant payment system…Stanley Jacob, an expert in the fintech sector, told PREMIUM TIMES that criminals can be tracked easily if banks or operators are made liable for providing information about their customers…Another expert, Babatunde Obrimah, said some criminals use gaming and cryptocurrency platforms to make it difficult to track their transactions…Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has tried to curb the activities of these criminals by issuing strict circulars to regulate the activities of POS operators in the country. Premium Times
Congo Says Several Towns Recaptured from Rebels but Fighting Intensifies in Its East
Several towns that fell to armed groups in eastern Congo’s North Kivu and South Kivu provinces have been recaptured by government forces, a Congolese army spokesman said, even as the rebels have made advances in other areas amid intensified fighting in the conflict-battered region. Eastern Congo has been in conflict for decades with more than 100 armed groups, most of which are vying for territory in the vast and mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who have fled their homes this year…The most dominant rebel group in the region has been the M23 rebel group, which the Congolese government and United Nations experts say is being backed by neighboring Rwanda. AP
Local Farmers Killed by Deadly ADF Rebels in DR Congo
Three farmers were on Sunday, Jan. 12, killed by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the Beni region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The assailants took the farmers by surprise, killing them in cold blood; they also kidnapped some of the locals, razing down a number of houses before withdrawing from the locality. Mwami Atsu-Taibo, the village head of Bapakombe-Bakondo, where the civilian farmers were killed, expressed deep worries over the recurring attacks by the rebels…The Sunday attack was the second in less than two weeks in the Bapakombe-Bakondo area of the country. On December 31, 2024, the same assailants attacked a military position in Mikua but were promptly pushed back by the FARDC. HumAngle
Kidnapped Tanzanian Activist Found Hours Later
Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who was abducted by armed men in Kenya, says she has been released, after several hours. Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebole told the BBC she was “forced” into a vehicle in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Sunday afternoon…Ms Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing “tyranny back” to the country. The Law Society of Kenya president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X they had managed to arrange her release. Change Tanzania, a movement founded by Ms Tsehai, said in a statement on X it believed she had been taken by Tanzanian security agents “operating beyond Tanzania borders to silence government legitimate criticism.” BBC
Somalia and Ethiopia Agree to Restore Diplomatic Ties after Year-long Rift
Somalia and Ethiopia have agreed to restore diplomatic representation in their respective capitals, more than a year after Somalia severed ties over a sea access agreement landlocked Ethiopia signed with the separatist northern Somali region of Somaliland. In a joint statement after an unexpected visit by Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, both countries committed to “restore and enhance bilateral relations through full diplomatic representation in their respective capitals”…The diplomatic standoff risked undermining security cooperation between Somalia and Ethiopia in their fight against al-Shabaab. The Guardian
UK, Mauritius Say Good Progress Made in Chagos Islands Talks
Britain and Mauritius said on Monday there had been good progress in talks to finalise a deal over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including a U.S.-British military base…Britain struck a deal in October to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease – an agreement that needs to be ratified…Ramgoolam said last month his government wanted to renegotiate the deal…British media have reported that London has offered to frontload a tranche of payments to Mauritius for the lease of the strategically important military base. Reuters
Comoros Holds a Parliamentary Election Boycotted by Some Opposition Parties
Comoros held a parliamentary election Sunday that some opposition leaders pledged to boycott, accusing President Azali Assoumani and his ruling party of adopting an increasingly authoritarian stance and raising concerns over the integrity of the vote. The one-day election will decide the 33 seats in the legislature. Results are expected next week, according to the national electoral commission. Around 330,000 people out of a population of 850,000 on the Indian Ocean archipelago are registered to vote, the electoral commission said. However, opposition parties said they expected a low turnout, citing disaffection with the democratic process…[The Africa Center for Strategic Studies] has said that Assoumani’s presidency “has been marked by growing political repression and non-competitive elections.” AP
Cyclone Dikeledi Kills Three in Madagascar, and Mayotte Is Hit Again
Over the weekend, eastern parts of Africa were threatened by Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi…Dikeledi made landfall on Saturday across the north of Madagascar, between the cities of Vohemar and Antsiranana. Heavy rain and spells of strong wind swept across the north of the island, killing at least three people, before Dikeledi downgraded into a tropical storm and departed into the Mozambique Channel…This week Dikeledi is forecast to track southwards down the Mozambique Channel. Model projections indicate it is likely to reintensify into tropical cyclone status at the start of this week, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds to parts of Mozambique. The Guardian