Mauritius Opposition Wins Country’s Election by a Landslide
According to results released at various constituencies across the country throughout Monday, the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth failed to get any of the 62 seats available for voters to directly decide on. Jagnauth conceded defeat before all results were announced, saying his Militant Socialist Movement coalition was headed for a huge defeat as it became clear that the opposition was winning in all of the country’s 21 constituencies. The Alliance for Change coalition’s win will see the return of Navin Ramgoolam as the country’s prime minister. He served as prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014. AP
At Least 30 Die in Mozambique Election Protests Says Rights Group
Mozambique has been rocked by violence for the last three weeks since the ruling Frelimo party was announced winner of the 9 October elections with more than 70 percent of votes. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who won 20 percent of the vote, claims the election was rigged, allowing Frelimo to extend its almost half-century in power. On Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said at least 30 people have been killed in Mozambique during the crackdowns by security forces, including two opposition figures shot dead on 19 October. Mozambique’s Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) tallied at least 34. RFI
Putin Offers African Countries Russia’s ‘Total Support’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered what he called “total support” for Africa, including in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. The speech was read out at a summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to his African counterparts…Russia’s help, often in exchange for access to raw materials, also comes with a promise that there will be no meddling in a country’s internal affairs or lessons on how to run an election. However, Russia’s military expeditions to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have helped protect the junta leaders there, but have failed to make much progress in the fight against Islamist militants. Nonetheless, the Kremlin is trumpeting about these new-found friends, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying the conference had dashed Western hopes for Russia’s isolation. BBC
UN Sanctions 2 Generals from Sudan’s Paramilitary Force for Key Roles in War against the Military
[The United Nations Security Council’s] sanctions committee added Maj. Gen. Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, head of the Rapid Support Forces’ operations department, and Maj. Gen. Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, the RSF commander in West Darfur, to the sanctions blacklist…The U.N. sanctions order all countries to freeze the asses and impose a travel ban on the generals. The United States Treasury imposed sanctions on both generals earlier in the year, freezing any assets in the U.S. and banning all financial transactions with them. AP
Dozens Raped in Sudan’s Al Jazirah, Child Killed
At least 71 cases of rape, including attacks on minors, have been reported in villages in Sudan’s eastern Al Jazirah state, a source with the Al Jazirah Conference group told Sudan Tribune on Monday. A 5-year-old girl died after being raped following recent attacks on the area by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the source said, adding that the figure likely represents only a fraction of the actual number of assaults. The source accused the RSF of detaining dozens of women in one village after expelling its residents and said RSF fighters had kidnapped a number of women and taken them to unknown locations. Sudan Tribune
Nigeria: New Jihadist Group ‘Lakurawa’ Reportedly Takes over Sokoto Communities, Imposes Islamic Laws, Levies
A new jihadist group known as the “Lakurawas” have reportedly taken over some communities in five local government areas in Sokoto State where they have imposed Islamic laws, taxes and levies…[Sokoto State Deputy Governor Idris Gobir] said the group which describes itself as a faith-based idealist sect, but possessed sophisticated weapons and carrying out criminal activities in about five local government areas of the state…“The Lakurawas have set up bases in the affected local government areas, moving from community to community and preaching against western civilization and democratic system of government, similar to the ideology of Boko Haram terrorists,” one resident said. “We have noticed that the majority of the members of the new Islamic sect are from the Sahel countries of Mali and Niger Republic.” Ripples Nigeria
Chadian Soldiers Killed in Clash with Boko Haram
At least 15 Chadian soldiers were killed in a clash with Boko Haram on Saturday, according to the military. Army spokesperson General Issakh Acheikh made the announcement on Sunday saying, “15 soldiers [were] killed in action and 32 wounded.” Acheikh also reported that the operation resulted in 96 Boko Haram casualties, with 11 militants wounded, and the seizure of weapons and equipment…Military sources told the AFP news agency that the fighting took place on the Karia Island, in the northwest of the Lake Chad region. Among the military casualties were “numerous high-ranking officers.” DW, Reuters, AP
Mali Detains Top Executive and 2 Others from an Australian Gold Mining Company over Dispute
The military junta in Mali has arrested the top executive and two other employees of Australia’s gold mining company Resolute Mining while they were visiting the country for talks over an unspecified dispute, the company said Monday. The three – including the chief executive Terence Holohan – were detained last Friday in Mali’s capital of Bamako…Four employees of Canadian company Barrick Gold were also detained for days in September…The companies have faced growing pressure under the military which seized power in 2020 as it seeks to shore up revenues in the mining sector. AP
Burkina Wants to Reinstate Death Penalty, Government Source Says
Burkina Faso’s military regime wants to reinstate the death penalty after the West African country abolished it in 2018, a government source told AFP on Saturday. The latest execution in Burkina Faso was in 1988, according to Amnesty International. Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala said Friday — after parliament passed a bill introducing community service — that “the issue of death penalty, which is being discussed, will be implemented in the draft criminal code.” AFP
Theater Festival Offers Solace in Burkina Faso, a Nation Torn by Violence
Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation of 23 million in Sahel, an arid strip of land south of the Sahara, used to be known for its bustling arts scene, including renowned film and theater festivals, and its sophisticated craftsmanship. But in recent years, the country has become the symbol of the security crisis in the region. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups and the government forces fighting them, much of it spilling over the border with Mali, and by two ensuing military coups…But against all odds, last month the Bougsemtenga district in the capital turned into a festival grounds to host Recreatrales for the 13th time…Aristide Tarnagda, the festival’s artistic director, said he was convinced that regardless of the insecurity engulfing the country, the festival had to take place as planned. Theater is an affirmation of “the primacy of life over death,” Tarnagda said. He added that getting together to perform and watch theatrical productions is a form of resistance against adversity and violence. This is why this year’s theme was “Turning the face to the sun.” AP
‘I Went to War. It Was a Nightmare’: How Children Have Become ‘Cannon Fodder’ in DRC’S Endless Conflict
Armed groups have plagued North Kivu for decades, a holdover from regional wars that played out in eastern DRC during the 1990s and early 2000s. Militias during the period were notorious for recruiting child soldiers, known as kadogos, or “little ones” in Swahili. The practice never went away, but experts say it has surged since the outbreak of the M23 conflict in late 2021…According to estimates by the UN children’s agency Unicef, 30% of the members of Congolese armed groups are children…The Guardian interviewed 14 children – three girls, and 11 boys – who had recently escaped armed groups, in one displacement camp in Goma. Most say that desertion is the only way to leave, with some describing being shot at as they fled. The Guardian
Moroccan Journalist Sentenced to 1.5 Years after Remarks about Politician
A Moroccan journalist who accused a prominent politician of fraud was sentenced to prison Monday in a case that has sparked international condemnation from press freedom advocates. Hamid Mahdaoui will serve a 1.5-year sentence and be fined an equivalent of $150,000 after being found guilty of defamation, his attorney Mohamed Hedach told The Associated Press. Mahdaoui, the editor in chief of Badil.info, was prosecuted after a complaint from Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi. Mahdaoui had posted a video on his website accusing Ouahbi of corruption and fraud…Morocco has in recent years been criticized for imprisoning journalists and activists known for criticizing the government. AP
Jailed Swedish Eritrean Journalist Wins Rights Prize
A Swedish Eritrean journalist held incommunicado without charge in Eritrea for more than 23 years won a Swedish rights prize on Monday for his fight for freedom of expression, the jury said. Dawit Isaak was among a group of around two dozen people, including senior cabinet ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists, who were seized in a purge in September 2001. He was awarded the Edelstam Prize “for his outstanding contribution and exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression, one’s beliefs, and in the defense of human rights,” the Edelstam Foundation said in a statement….Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says he and his colleagues detained at the same time are the longest-held journalists in the world…Eritrea has provided no news about him, and there are fears he may no longer even be alive. He would be 60 years old. AFP
Somalia Insists Ethiopia Not Be Part of New AU Mission
A senior Somali official insisted Saturday that Ethiopia will not participate in a new African Union peacekeeping mission starting in January. The two nations remain deadlocked over a Memorandum of Understanding that Ethiopia signed with the breakaway region, Somaliland, earlier this year…African Union troops from several countries have been operating in Somalia since 2007…Under the current AU mission, at least 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers officially operate as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission fighting al-Shabab. Another 5,000 to 7,000 Ethiopian soldiers are stationed in several regions under a bilateral agreement. VOA
‘Levels Are Dropping’: Drought Saps Zambia and Zimbabwe of Hydropower
[E]arlier this year, a severe effect of El Niño caused the worst mid-rainy season dry spell in southern Africa in a century. That has led to authorities rationing the water allowed to flow through the dam and, in recent months, power cuts of up to 21 hours a day in Zambia on the lake’s northern side and 17 hours in Zimbabwe to the south. The load shedding is devastating livelihoods and hitting the countries’ already weak economies…The drought has also wiped out crops, with hunger stalking much of southern Africa. Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared a national disaster and parts of Angola and Mozambique are also affected. The Guardian
Nearly 380,000 People Displaced by South Sudan Floods, UN Says
Flooding in South Sudan has displaced more than 379,000 people, according to a United Nations update that warned about a surge in malaria. Aid agencies have said the world’s youngest country, highly vulnerable to climate change, is in the grip of its worst flooding in decades, mainly in the north…The floods have affected about 1.4 million people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday, across 43 counties and the disputed Abyei region, which is claimed by both South Sudan and Sudan. It added in a statement that more than 379,000 people were displaced in 22 counties and in Abyei. Al Jazeera and News Agencies