Guinea’s Junta Faces Protests After Missing a Deadline for a Return to Democracy
Parts of Guinea’s capital were on lockdown as civil society and opposition groups protested the ruling junta’s missed deadline to launch a return to democracy, with the U.S. calling for clear timelines to hold long-delayed elections. Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the junta leader in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. However, the expiration of that deadline came with more promises. In his New Year’s message, Doumbouya said without committing to a date that a decree for a constitutional referendum will be signed to launch the democratic process. Activists and opposition groups condemned the announcement as a ploy to prolong the military rule. In a statement late Monday, the Forces Vives de Guinée coalition group asked Guineans to stay indoors as a form of protest and accused the junta of holding Guinea “hostage.” … The junta has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say… AP
‘Famine Conditions Are Spreading’ as Sudan’s Crisis Worsens: Security Council
Addressing the Security Council on Monday, Edem Wosornu, Director of the Advocacy and Operations Division at the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) described the unfolding disaster as “a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions.” This “man-made” catastrophe, driven by relentless conflict, has dismantled food systems and critical infrastructure, leaving millions in imminent danger, she explained. “Famine conditions are now present in five areas,” Ms. Wosornu stated, highlighting Zamzam, Al Salam, and Abu Shouk camps for the internally-displaced, as well as the western Nuba Mountains. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that conflict and displacement are the main drivers of food insecurity, “exacerbated by restricted humanitarian access,” according to Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol. UN News
U.S. Accuses Russia of Funding Both Sides of Sudan’s War
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. In November Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that called on the warring parties to immediately cease hostilities and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the text. “Russia chose obstruction: standing alone as it voted to imperil civilians, while funding both sides of the conflict – yes, that’s what I said: both sides,” the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the council on Monday… When asked to elaborate, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. said Washington was aware of Russia’s “ongoing interest in Sudan’s gold trade” and condemns any material support for the warring parties – “whether it be through illicit gold trading or the provision of military equipment.” Reuters
At Least 46 Kidnapped in Nigeria’s Zamfara State, Residents Say
Gunmen kidnapped at least 46 people, including women and children, in a raid on Gana town in Nigeria’s northwest Zamfara state, residents and a local traditional leader said on Tuesday. The attack, which follows a similar mass kidnapping in the state last month, occurred at about 2200 GMT on Sunday, with dozens of gunmen on motorbikes unleashing a barrage of gunfire on the community and setting fire to several homes and businesses, residents said. … Northwest Nigeria has been plagued by armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who routinely terrorize communities, leaving a trail of death and kidnapping victims, including residents, farmers, students and motorists, who are often held for ransom. … Alhaji Garba Haure, a traditional leader in Gana, said the intervention of government security forces prevented the assailants from setting the entire town ablaze. Reuters
Nigeria: Atiku Slams APC Over Threat to Peter Obi, Alleges Authoritarianism
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) over remarks made by its publicity secretary, Felix Morka, about Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi. The controversy started when Obi, at his press conference on Thursday, the first day of the new year, expressed worries about the situation in Nigeria under Tinubu’s leadership. Obi criticised the worsening political, economic, security, and healthcare conditions… Then Morka, in a recent interview, reportedly said, “Peter Obi has crossed the line so many times and has it coming to him whatever he gets.” … “This threat against Obi, coupled with the prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a prominent voice of dissent and others, signals a worrisome shift towards an authoritarian governance model, where the rights of opposition voices are being suffocated,” Atiku wrote. Guardian
Can Ghana’s New President Meet the Voters’ High Expectations?
Ghana’s former President John Mahama won last month’s elections by a landslide but he will be under enormous pressure to meet the expectations of voters when he assumes office on Tuesday. After more than three years of economic misery, Ghanaians want a quick fix. Mahama swept back to power after eight years in opposition, running what political analyst Nansata Yakubu described as a “masterclass” in campaigning. … Mahama’s party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), also managed to land an overwhelming majority in parliament, securing 183 seats out of 276. They are one seat short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass laws and approve budgets and contracts without the vote of MPs from the other side of the political divide. … [Dr Asah-Asante] added that Mahama, who will be inaugurated on Tuesday when President Akufo-Addo steps down after his two terms in office, had no choice but to meet the expectations of Ghanaians – or else they would “punish his government the way they have punished the NPP”. BBC
Ghana Commissions New Naval Base, Receives Vessel From Japan
Ghana has commissioned a forward operating base (FOB) and a new naval ship to boost its navy’s capabilities. The West African country stated that the newly-built FOB is its largest naval base and is expected to provide logistical support and personnel accommodation. The nation’s navy highlighted that the facility’s location, in Ezinlibo in the western region bordering Ivory Coast, promotes “peace and stability in the region.” “This strategically located base will enhance the navy’s capacity to combat piracy, illegal fishing, and other security threats in the Gulf of Guinea,” President Nana Akufo-Addo stated. Moreover, the president announced that Ghana received a new military vessel, the GNS Achimota, from Japan. Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu emphasized the vessel’s importance in enhancing Ghana’s ability to safeguard its maritime interests. … The ship is set to support fisheries protection and serve as a training platform for military personnel. Defense Post
Five Missing Kenyan Youths Freed Amid Uproar Over Abductions
Five young Kenyan men – including a popular cartoonist – who went missing just before the Christmas holidays have been found alive, family members and rights groups say. Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, with the state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people have been abducted in the last six months. The abductions generally target government critics and are widely believed to be the work of security agents, although the authorities have not admitted responsibility. They began in June last year during nationwide anti-tax protests, but increased in December, when AI-generated photos of the president in a coffin were widely shared. … Rights groups and other Kenyans have linked the abductions to a shadowy intelligence and counter-terrorism unit of the security forces. BBC
In Africa, Danger Slithers Through Homes and Fields
Venomous snakes bite millions of people worldwide each year, killing at least 120,000. Many of them are poor people in rural areas of Africa without easy access to treatment. … “We don’t actually know the burden of snakebite for most countries of the world,” said Nicholas Casewell, a snake researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Scientists are now trying to better quantify the problem. In nearly every country studied so far, the true toll of snakebites has been found to be much higher than the numbers registered in hospital records. The problem was mostly ignored until recently. … Sub-Saharan Africa is home to dozens of snake species, but the most deadly and feared are the puff adder, cobra and black mamba. … Nearly everyone in Africa could survive a snakebite if they had the right antidote and care. But stocking and delivering the right antivenom, at the right dosage and in time is tricky. The first hour after the bite is crucial. If the swelling crosses the joint closest to the bite, “that shows that the venom is rapidly acting,” said Cecilia Ngari, a scientist at the Kenya snakebite research center. New York Times
The Voice of South Africa’s First Post-Apartheid Generation
At a gala dinner held soon after South Africa’s most contested election since the end of apartheid, a singer reminded the gathered politicians how to do their jobs. “I want to implore you to think of the people of this country, and to think about why you have been chosen,” the singer, Thandiswa Mazwai, told the political elite at the June gala, put on by the Independent Electoral Commission in Johannesburg to mark the release of the vote’s final results. Many of those listening were members of the African National Congress, the long-governing party that had just suffered stinging losses at the polls, a rebuke from voters frustrated by corruption and mismanagement after three decades of the A.N.C. being in charge. Then, Ms. Mazwai, after her brief spoken remarks, burst into a set of songs whose lyrics, rather than offering light entertainment, instead doubled down on her determination to call out political malpractice. She sang of “fools for leaders” and “thieves” who “should leave Parliament.” New York Times