DR Congo and Rwanda Initial a Preliminary Peace Agreement, Will Formally Sign Document in Washington
Representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have initialed a peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC – a document to be formally signed on June 27, a joint statement said Wednesday, June 18. The text, which builds on a declaration of principles signed in April, “includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities” in eastern DRC, according to the statement released by the two nations, as well as the United States and Qatar, which acted as mediators. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will witness the signing in Washington later this month, the statement said. The deal was reached during three days of “constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests” between DRC and Rwandan officials in the US capital, it said. The text also includes provisions on “disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups.” Le Monde with AFP
DR Congo’s M23 Forcibly Deporting Civilians: Rights Group
The M23 armed group in the Democratic Republic of Congo has forcibly deported hundreds of people since taking over large swathes of the country’s east, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, calling it a war crime. The global rights group said the M23 had forcibly rounded up more than 1,500 people and sent them to neighbouring Rwanda, which according to UN experts backs the anti-government armed group. The deportations, which targeted Congolese nationals and Rwandan refugees, violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which ban forcible transfers of people in conflict zones, said Human Rights Watch (HRW)…HRW said the deportations appeared to target suspected members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), formed by former Hutu leaders linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. It said the M23 had rounded up as many as 2,000 people from the eastern town of Sake on May 12 and forcibly transferred them to Goma, the capital of Nord Kivu province, around 25 kilometres (15 miles) away. Many were then deported to Rwanda, it said. AFP
Rwanda Arrests Opposition Leader, Says Investigative Body
Rwanda has arrested prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, who is being held at a detention facility in the capital Kigali on charges of inciting the public and creating a criminal organisation, a state investigative agency said. Ingabire was freed in 2018 after serving six years of a 15-year jail sentence handed to her in 2012 following her conviction on charges related to conspiring to form an armed group and seeking to minimise the 1994 genocide. She is now accused of “playing a role in creating a criminal organisation and engaging in acts that incite public disorder,” the Rwanda Investigations Bureau said in a statement late on Thursday. It did not say when she would be charged in court. Ingabire, who heads unregistered opposition party DALFA–Umurinzi, returned from exile in the Netherlands to contest a presidential election in 2010, but was barred from standing after being accused of genocide denial…Kagame is lauded for transforming Rwanda from the ruins of the 1994 genocide to a thriving economy but his reputation has also been tainted by longstanding accusations of rights abuses and supporting rebels in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters
Over 16,000 Displaced From Parts Of War-torn Sudan In Week: UN
More than 16,000 people have been displaced by violence in several areas of war-torn Sudan over the course of a week, according to figures released by the United Nations’ migration agency on Wednesday…Since losing control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has sought to claim territory in Sudan’s far-flung regions, cutting off army supply lines while consolidating its own. Nearly 11,000 people were displaced from 10 villages in Al Quoz locality in South Kordofan between Thursday and Saturday due to “increased insecurity”, the UN’s International Organization for Migration said. Al Quoz lies just south of the major army-controlled town of El-Obeid, the only crossroads between Khartoum and the western Darfur region, nearly all of which is under RSF control. In the northern gateway to Darfur, in the border area between Sudan, Libya and Egypt, a further 4,278 people were displaced between 15 and 17 June due to reported clashes between the army and paramilitaries, the IOM said Wednesday…Between 10 and 11 June, an estimated 1,000 people were displaced from El-Fasher and the Abu Shouk displacement camp, according to IOM figures. Sudan is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 10 million people internally displaced in a massive humanitarian crisis. A further 4 million people have fled across borders since the war began. AFP
Over 86,000 Flee to Sudan from South Sudan since April, UN Says
More than 86,000 people have crossed into Sudan from South Sudan since April, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a report on Wednesday, as instability and violence in South Sudan drive a new wave of displacement. The influx includes an estimated 45,084 newly arrived South Sudanese refugees and 41,068 Sudanese citizens returning to the country. The displacement is being driven by political instability and rising hostilities between armed groups in South Sudan, particularly in the Upper Nile state. The continuous daily arrivals are placing “immense pressure” on services in Sudan, especially in the White Nile State, which has received the majority of the new South Sudanese refugees. This state was already hosting 412,000 South Sudanese refugees and 847,000 internally displaced Sudanese people before the recent influx…Having previously fled the conflict in Sudan, they are now returning from South Sudan, citing insecurity and a prolonged lack of food assistance and essential services in South Sudanese camps as the reason for their move. Sudan Tribune
Armed Attack in Niger Kills 34 Soldiers near Mali Border
Several hundred armed men killed 34 Nigerien soldiers in an attack Thursday in western Niger, close to the border with Mali, the defence ministry said. “This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against (the town of) Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes,” the ministry said in a statement read out on state television, adding that 34 soldiers were killed and 14 wounded…Both Niger and Mali, who are run by military juntas, have struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has intensified in recent weeks. Banibangou lies close to the three-way border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, an area infested with jihadist groups. France 24 with AFP
Kenyan Court Jails Two Men 30 Years over 2019 Hotel Attack
A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding a 2019 attack by militant members of the al Shabaab group on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people. Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were convicted in May on charges of facilitation and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism for helping the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group. They had pleaded not guilty. Al Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in Kenya to try to pressure the government to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Somalia, where al Shabaab is waging an insurgency to try to seize power. Prosecutors said Abdile and Ali helped two of the attackers obtain forged identity cards that allowed them to escape from a refugee camp and provided financial support. Abdile and Ali have 14 days to appeal their sentences. Delivering her ruling on Thursday, Justice Diana Mochache said that without their involvement, the attack may not have happened. “Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities,” Mochache said. Reuters
Wife Of Jailed Ugandan Opposition Figure Condemns ‘Inhumane’ Conditions
The wife of imprisoned Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye said Thursday he was being held under inhumane conditions and condemned his continued detention. Besigye, 69, is a leading opponent of President Yoweri Museveni — in power for nearly 40 years — whom he has unsuccessfully challenged in four elections. He was abducted in Kenya in November and faces the death penalty for treason, charges that have been widely condemned by international rights groups. UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima said her husband’s treatment was “inhumane”, describing how he was forced to sleep on a bedbug-infested mattress, had been isolated from other prisoners, and was constantly accompanied by guards…Rights groups have said that Besigye’s abduction and trial for treason are linked to the election in January, when Museveni, 80, will seek to extend his term. His case was initially tried in a court martial but later moved to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts. But on Monday, Museveni signed a new law reinstating military trials for civilians under “exceptional circumstances”, including the “unlawful possession of arms, ammunition or equipment” — one of the charges Besigye is also facing. Besigye has been in jail for more than the six-month legal limit for detention without trial. AFP
Activists Sue East African Governments over Torture Claims
Two leading East African political activists who claim they were abducted and tortured by security agents in Tanzania are suing that country’s government and those of Kenya and Uganda for their alleged involvement. Boniface Mwangi, a veteran Kenyan activist, and Agather Atuhaire, a Ugandan human rights lawyer, have filed lawsuits at the East African Court of Justice, the East African Legislative Assembly, and the International Criminal Court for incidents that allegedly took place between May 19 and May 22. Both plaintiffs have previously stated publicly that they were subjected to various forms of sexual torture and physical intimidation at the hands of agents after being abducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital. The rights activists were in Tanzania to show support for detained opposition politician Tundu Lissu, who was arrested in April and charged with treason after calling for electoral reforms ahead of general elections in October…While the alleged incidents took place in Tanzania, the suits also target the Kenyan and Ugandan governments. “I’m suing the Kenyan government for failing to protect me as their citizen,” Mwangi told Semafor. He said he informed the Kenyan ambassador to Tanzania of his arrest at the time. “I was abducted, tortured and they did nothing. Instead of fighting for me, my government apologized to the Tanzanian government for “our bad behaviour.” Semafor
Ivory Coast Ex-minister Detained after Slamming Ban on Opposition
A former minister for Ivory Coast’s ruling party on Thursday told AFP that authorities had detained him for criticising the exclusion by the judiciary of opposition candidates from October’s presidential election. The courts have banned four opposition figures, including former president Laurent Gbagbo, from the October 25 poll. Joel N’Guessan, who served as human rights minister in 2006-2007 and is a former spokesperson for the current ruling party, said he was arrested on Wednesday for “discrediting the judicial institution and magistrates”. Newspaper Fraternite Matin reported that he is facing prosecution for charges including contempt of court. Public prosecutor Oumar Braman Kone confirmed in a statement that a judicial investigation had been opened into statements attributed to N’Guessan that “discredit decisions of justice and the judicial institution as a whole”. In an interview with lemondeactuel.com, N’Guessan stated that he was “convinced that the exclusion of certain political actors will lead to a national crisis”. “If tomorrow brings disturbances in the country, the main parties responsible will be the judges,” said N’Guessan in an interview quoted by several online media outlets, along with daily newspapers and on social networks. AFP
Africa Drafts Law to Tackle Labour Migration
Despite having some of the highest labour migration rates in the world, the continent lacks a formal treaty on labour, even though most countries have internationally accepted legal provisions in place. The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) says it has now developed proposals to address emerging issues such as xenophobia and the mistreatment of legal migrants. The draft Model Law on Labour Migration in Africa has already circulated among the African Union (AU) member states, where improvements to the text usually take place. Once passed, the 54 member states are expected to adopt it as a treaty. One of the consultations took place in Nairobi from June 16 to 18, during which select members of Parliament discussed the provisions of the draft law…While it is estimated that between 1.5 million and two million Africans migrate annually for work-related reasons, both within Africa and to other regions, African countries have disparate labour migration laws that often impede intra-African migration. The proposed model law is also expected to reduce human trafficking and address the challenges of exploitation and violation of the human rights of migrant workers. It will establish a connection between the different policies of countries and link to the AU’s own protocols on free movement and commerce. The East African
Meloni Trumpets Plan To Boost African Economies At EU Summit
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on Friday will host European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Rome for a summit aimed at boosting African economies in a bid to curb illegal migration to the bloc. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting irregular immigration, has launched a 5.5-billion-euro plan targeting 14 countries including Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Senegal to support industries from energy to health care…Meloni’s plan aims to strengthen trade relations between Italy and African nations in the energy sector particularly, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced Rome to seek new supplies of oil and gas. Rome also wants a stake in financing a railway line between Zambia and Angola, and is planning a 65-million-euro investment in biofuel production in Kenya…Experts say that Italy has “promised too much” by implying that these investments could reduce the number of migrants by creating jobs and growth. “The funding that Italy can provide is not at the right scale,” Giovanni Carbone, head of the University of Milan’s Africa programme, told AFP. AFP
Angolan Operated by Doctor 7,000 Miles Away in ‘Africa First’
A cancer patient in Angola was recovering Thursday after undergoing the first robotic surgery on the continent conducted remotely by a surgeon in the United States, according to the hospitals involved. The prostatectomy — partial or complete removal of the prostate — on June 14 was also the first in the world to be done over such a distance, they said. It was “successfully performed” by Vipul Patel, medical director at the Global Robotics Institute, part of AdventHealth hospital in Celebration, Florida…Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Global Cancer Observatory. Many countries on the continent, including Angola, have limited access to early detection and specialised surgical care. The procedure is a “stunning breakthrough — not just technologically, but in advancing global health equity,” said Patel. “It marks a critical step toward delivering high-quality surgical care to remote, rural and underserved communities that have long lacked access. This is more than innovation —- it’s a humanitarian leap forward.” AFP
Netherlands Returns 119 Looted Artifacts Known as Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Netherlands on Thursday returned 119 artifacts looted from Nigeria, including human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell. The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed in a museum in the city of Leiden, were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers. In recent years, museums across Europe and North America have moved to address ownership disputes over artifacts looted during the colonial era. They were returned at the request of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments…Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world in 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a London museum that year while 31 were returned from a museum in Rhode Island. The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British forces under the command of Sir Henry Rawson sacked the Benin kingdom and forced Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, the monarch at the time, into a six-month exile. AP