Protests Greet New Mozambican President
Hundreds of supporters of Mozambique’s opposition protested Wednesday as the country inaugurated a new president following disputed elections and deadly unrest. Daniel Chapo took his oath as the country’s fifth president before about 2,500 people…Opposition supporters peacefully protested a few meters away after security forces wielding guns and batons blocked them from getting to the venue. Security forces sealed several roads and kept a heavy presence in other parts of Maputo…A series of protests and a violent crackdown by security forces following the elections have left at least 300 people, including scores of children, dead, according to local and international human rights organizations. Mondlane, a 50-year-old pastor, has been leading the push for protests through messages on platforms such as Facebook to demand “restoration of the electoral truth.” Some western countries, including the United States, have also questioned the credibility of the elections. Africanews
Fears for the Future in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso over Ecowas Withdrawal
On Saturday, 11 January on Paris’s Place de la République, dozens of people were protesting against the decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), announced last year by Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou. The group is made up of members of the diaspora from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, and exiled political opponents. Boubacar Mintou Koné – a member of the Malian political opposition in exile, from the “Malian Patriotic Front for Salvation” – told RFI: “This withdrawal from Ecowas, currently under way, has been carried out without the necessary consultation of all the nation’s active forces and without a referendum to ask the entire Malian people whether or not we should remain in Ecowas.” He supports the call for a return to constitutional order and the transfer of power from the military junta – which seized power in 2021, in what was the country’s third coup d’état in 10 years – to democratically elected institutions. Protesters from Niger and the north of Mali also denounced the juntas’ incompetence in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, as well as their ties with Russia…Idrissa, a Nigerien living in Normandy, north-west France, travelled to the capital for the occasion. “Freedom of expression is being trampled on in the Sahel,” he told RFI…The protesters plan to assemble in Paris again soon, saying this first demonstration was a trial run. RFI
AU Commission to Chart Human Rights Violations in Sudan
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Hybrid Joint Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) with the AU Department of Peace, Security and Political Affairs (DPAPS) in Sudan is seeking urgent reports and contributions regarding human rights violations and abuses arising from the conflict in Sudan…The mission pledges that all contributions– which should be submitted no later than February 2, 2025 – will be treated as confidential…In their appeal, the mission requests detailed information across all human rights areas, including civil and political rights violations, including incidents of arbitrary arrests and detentions, denial of fair trial rights, suppression of freedom of expression and assembly, and restrictions on political and civic engagement. The appeal also includes socio-economic and cultural rights violations: Any restrictions or denials of access to essential services, including healthcare, education, housing, and livelihood resources, as well as violations affecting the right to cultural practices and traditional livelihoods. Dabanga
MSF Suspends Work In 2 South Sudan Counties After Attack
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Thursday it was suspending operations in two South Sudan counties after staff came under attack from an armed group. MSF said six staff were travelling on a river in Upper Nile State in the northeast of the country on Wednesday after delivering hospital supplies when they came under attack. “Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the boats, forcing the MSF staff to jump into the river and swim to safety in a nearby village,” the NGO said in a statement. One staff member was injured in the escape…South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, faces chronic instability, violence and extreme poverty, lately exacerbated by some of the worst flooding in decades and a massive influx of refugees fleeing the war in neighbouring Sudan. AFP
South Sudan: Eastern Equatoria Deploys Forces along Border with Uganda
The Government of Eastern Equatoria State has deployed SSPDF forces at Tsertenya, between South Sudan and Uganda, to deter disputes. The development follows tensions, including the alleged livestock theft and encroachment by Ugandan forces into South Sudan through Ikotos County. Last Year, a local chief was killed, his head cut off and body burnt to ashes by suspected Uganda forces as well as raiding unspecified number of cattle from South Sudan. Eastern Equatoria State Minister for Local Government Peter Lokeng and law enforcement agencies told Radio Tamazuj that the deployment is to protect the border communities and their properties…The Lokwaru Eastern Equatoria State Chairperson of the Civil Society Network Charles Onen, commended the initiative and appealed for additional deployments, including at Bira, Ngomoromo and Nimule. He urged the governments of Uganda and South Sudan to use diplomacy and respect the international borders to help ease the tensions. Radio Tamazuj
African Union Commends Somalia, Ethiopia for Restoring Ties
Ethiopia and Somalia buried their year-long hatchet caused by Addis Ababa’s quest for sea access from Somaliland. The African Union has called the restoration of full ties between the two countries an ‘important milestone’. The 54-nation bloc which is headquartered in Ethiopia’s capital walked a tight rope throughout the dispute, careful not to criticize its hosts while also facing Somali pressure to intervene. The revival of ties followed Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud’s trip to Addis Ababa on the weekend. Last December following Turkey’s mediation, the two leaders pledged to resolve the dispute, and to negotiate a potential deal granting landlocked Ethiopia access to the sea. The development means Ethiopian troops will stay in Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission. Somalia had initially threatened to replace them with Egyptian soldiers. Africanews
ADF Rebels Kill at Least 10 People in Eastern Congo
At least 10 people were killed in eastern Congo by extremist rebels a local official said Wednesday. The rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces attacked the village of Makoko in the Lubero territory of the North Kivu province on Wednesday, a provincial member of parliament, David Sikuli, told The Associated Press…There were no Congolese soldiers in the village, only local fighters known as Wazalendo, who often fight alongside Congolese security forces, he added…In recent years, attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces have intensified near Congo’s border with Uganda and spread towards Goma, eastern Congo’s main city, as well as the neighboring Ituri province. 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
Ivory Coast Army Accuses Anti-trafficking Officials of Smuggling Cocoa
The chief of staff of Ivory Coast’s army has ordered the suspension of five officials tasked with combating cocoa smuggling in the west of the country, the army said in a statement seen by Reuters late on Tuesday. An estimated 50,000 to 75,000 metric tons of Ivorian cocoa has been trafficked over the western border to Guinea and Liberia since the start of the 2024/25 season in October, exporters and buyers told Reuters. In the statement, the army accused five officials from the border town of Sipilou of involvement in trafficking, following an investigation. The people – the town’s prefect, police commissioner, head of the armed forces detachment, commander of the gendarmerie brigade and head of the customs office – were immediately suspended, it said. Large quantities of cocoa beans were illegally transported to Guinea during the holiday period in late December with the help of corrupt authorities meant to be combating trafficking, more than a dozen industry sources told Reuters…Exporters said the impact of smuggling was already being felt, with less cocoa making it to ports. Reuters
Death Toll Rises to 87 as Standoff between Police and Miners Ends in South Africa
The death toll in a monthslong standoff between police and miners trapped while working illegally in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87, police said Thursday as they wound down a rescue operation that has pulled more than 240 survivors out from deep underground. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that 78 bodies were retrieved from the mine in an official rescue operation that began Monday, while another nine had been recovered previously…Community groups have said they launched their own rescue attempts when authorities said last year they would not help the hundreds of miners because they were “criminals.” The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration, although no causes of death have been released…The initial police operation last year to force the miners to come out and give themselves up for arrest was part of a larger nationwide clampdown on illegal mining called Vala Umgodi, or Close the Hole. AP
Rwanda Discovers Oil in Lake Kivu
Rwanda announced on Wednesday its first oil discovery, confirming 13 reservoirs in Lake Kivu, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “We have oil,” said Francis Kamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board, during a parliamentary hearing, as reported by local media group Igihe. The breakthrough comes after over a decade of exploration in the lake. Kamanzi expressed optimism about finding more oil, pointing to significant reserves identified in neighboring Uganda and the DRC within the Great Lakes region. Despite tensions in eastern DRC, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized parts of the region, Rwanda and the DRC have continued discussions on Lake Kivu’s exploration. Africanews
Chevron Says No Commercial Oil, Gas Found at Namibia Exploration Well
Chevron said on Wednesday it did not find commercial hydrocarbon reserves in an exploration well in Namibia’s Orange Basin. The U.S. oil producer said the well called Kapana 1X in the PEL90 block provided valuable information about the basin and the company anticipated it would explore further in Namibia. Oil companies have flocked to the African country, with recent offshore finds ranking among the largest this century, though exploration has been dealt some blows. Shell said last week that it will write down about $400 million over an oil discovery offshore Namibia that it deemed commercially unviable. Reuters
Dozens of Migrants May Have Drowned En Route to Spain by Boat, NGO Says
As many as 50 migrants attempting to reach Spain by boat from West Africa may have drowned, migrant rights group Walking Borders said on Thursday. Moroccan authorities on Wednesday rescued 36 people from a boat that had departed from Mauritania on Jan. 2, the group based in Madrid and Navarra said, and had carried 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024, most while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary islands, according to Walking Borders. The rights group said it had alerted authorities from all countries involved six days ago about the missing boat. Reuters
Libyan Agency Calls for Halt to Public Sector Appointments amid Rising Wage Bill
The Libyan state agency mandated to oversee government performance has called for suspension of public sector appointments and contracts due to an excessive wage bill. The Administrative Control Authority (ACA) said the number of public sector employees in Libya had reached 2,099,200, with salary costs totalling 372 billion Libyan dinars over the past 12 years…The authority posted its call on Facebook on Tuesday evening, addressing the Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who leads the government of national unity, and all bodies and institutions affiliated with his government…The public sector payroll in the oil producing country has increased by 104% in the last four years. Reuters
UAE President to Visit Nigeria, Strengthen Economic Ties
The President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has accepted an invitation from President Bola Tinubu to visit Nigeria in 2025. Tinubu, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President to participate in the Sustainability Week, urged his counterpart to collaborate with Nigeria to strengthen its economy. This was disclosed in a State House release on Thursday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Tinubu extended the invitation to Al Nahyan on Wednesday night during their bilateral talks at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi. The Sustainability Week is a forum for exchanging ideas to support sustainable development globally and encourage collective action to address challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and energy crises…The two leaders also explored strategies to attract investment into Nigeria. Punch