Burkina Faso’s first militant Islamist group, Ansaroul Islam has faced setbacks, pointing to the weaknesses of violent extremist organizations lacking deep local support and facing sustained pressure. … Ansaroul Islam has played an outsized role in the destabilization of northern Burkina Faso. From 2016 to 2018, just over half of militant Islamist violent events in Burkina Faso were attributed to Ansaroul Islam. … The violence perpetrated by Ansaroul Islam has forced more than 100,000 to flee their homes and 352 schools to close in Soum alone. Yet by mid-2019, Ansaroul Islam was associated with only 16 violent events and 7 fatalities. This dramatic decline in the group’s activities warrants closer attention. It is particularly important to understand how this militant Islamist group first emerged and what factors have contributed to its diminished role in the first half of 2019. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Sudanese authorities declared a curfew in North Kordofan as chaos erupted in the state following the killing of five protesters, among them students, during Monday’s march. In a statement, North Kordofan acting governor Alsadig Altybe Abdullah Altybe on Monday evening declared a 9pm-6am curfew that would be imposed indefinitely. “This decision will include the entire cities of the state including Al-Obeid, Um Rawaba, Al-Rahad, bara and Abu Dakana, aimed at saving the lives of citizens in the state,” the statement says. Protests erupted in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other states following the killings, with demonstrators closing the main highway that links Khartoum to other cities. Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Sudanese professional Association (SPA), part of the opposition alliance, have condemned the killings. The East African
Talks are to resume Tuesday between Sudanese protesters and ruling generals on remaining issues related to installing a transitional civilian administration, a mediator and a protest leader said. African Union mediator Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt said in a statement Sunday that the two sides had been invited for “final talks on the Constitutional Declaration”. Prominent protest leader Babiker Faisal also confirmed Tuesday’s talks in Khartoum between the two sides, who on July 17 signed an initial power-sharing deal following the April ouster of long-time president Omar al-Bashir. The second agreement will deal with issues including the powers given to a joint civilian-military ruling body, the deployment of security forces and whether to grant “absolute immunity” to generals over protest-related violence, Faisal said. AFP
The side with the guns – the army command – dares not spill blood, five months into a popular uprising that chased out Algeria’s autocratic president. The side without – the protesters – remains mobilized, still coursing through the capital’s sun-blasted streets twice a week. The street has stared down the army, and the army has blinked. So the epic standoff in Algeria – Africa’s largest country, the oil-rich neighbor of Libya, strategically situated on the rim of the Mediterranean Sea, gateway to the deep Sahara – continues. That it does, even if Algeria is still far from the democracy the street wants, already signals an unusual victory, one making this unfolding and so far bloodless revolution perhaps unique in the Arab world, say the protesters and Algeria analysts. New York Times
Fighting in Libya “shows no signs of abating”, the head of the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL), told the Security Council on Monday, painting a grim picture of worsening humanitarian conditions, and warning that the instability and influx of foreign weapons is fueling a proxy war in the north African country. Briefing the Council via video teleconference from the Libyan capital, Ghassan Salamé, who is also the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said: “The war around Tripoli has already left nearly 1,100 dead, including 106 civilians.” “Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in the capital and neighbouring districts as a result of the fighting; tens of thousands crossing the border to Tunisia seeking safety for their families.” UN News
It has been two months since Malawi’s Peter Mutharika was sworn in after winning an election that earned him the nickname “Tipp-Ex president”. The jibe is a reference to the correction fluid that the opposition claims was used to alter of results with a vote that gave the 79-year-old former law professor a second term. Malawi’s high court is now being asked by two disappointed challengers to scrub out the outcome and order a rerun. Five judges will, from Monday, begin deliberations in an effort to resolve a crisis that has spilled on to the streets of the normally peaceful southern African country. If, as the opposition said it expects, the court orders a fresh election, it will be only the second time in Africa that judges have nullified a national poll. FT
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and national troops have dealt a deadly blow on the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), killing 10 of its terrorists in Baga, Borno, an official said. A statement by Col. Timothy Antigha, the Chief of Military Public Information of MNJTF in N’Djamena, Chad Republic, on Monday said that what was meant to be a dawn surprise attack became a nightmare for the terrorists. Mr Antigha explained that at about 5:30 a.m., ISWAP terrorists numbering about 30 attacked troops defensive locality. According to him, vigilant troops spotted their approach and promptly thwarted what could have been an audacious assault. “In the process, 10 terrorists, including four suicide bombers were neutralised while others escaped with gunshot wounds as blood-stained tracks were observed. Premium Times
A South African and a Zimbabwean working for Canadian gold mining firm Banro have been kidnapped in DR Congo’s restive east, an army spokesperson said. The incident occurred on Friday morning in the province of South Kivu which borders the neighbouring countries of Rwanda and Burundi. “The Banro officials were ambushed by armed bandits on Friday at 10:30 (08:30 GMT) between Salamabila and Kitindi in the Maniema region,” Captain Dieudonne Kasereka, regional army spokesperson, told AFP, adding that it was in an area where rebel militias operated. “Some sources speak of four officials kidnapped but the report we have is that a South African and a Zimbabwean were kidnapped by rebels active in the region,” he said. AFP
Tanzanian police have arrested a prominent investigative journalist, a senior official said, sparking calls for answers from authorities about the safety of journalists. Erick Kabendera, a respected freelance journalist who writes for several international publications, was detained on Monday at his house on the outskirts of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, by a group of men who claimed to be plainclothes policemen, according to witness accounts. Tanzania’s inspector general of police, Simon Sirro, confirmed Kabendera had been taken to a police station for questioning. The Guardian