Demystifying External Actor Influence in Africa’s Technology Sector
Africa’s reliance on foreign suppliers for the continent’s technology infrastructure is widely seen as a major cybersecurity vulnerability…Because information and communications-based infrastructure increasingly underpins everyday life, opportunities for exploitation are likely to increase…Cyberattacks, linked either directly or indirectly to external state actors, have had major impacts on the finance, public services, and port infrastructure sectors of various African countries in recent years. At the same time, externally supplied information and communications technologies make indispensable contributions to Africa’s technological development and the well-being of millions of Africans. Foreign suppliers will remain influential actors in tech spaces for the foreseeable future. The challenge for African countries, then, is how best to reap the benefits from externally supplied technology while safeguarding Africa’s critical infrastructure. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
As Somaliland Votes, Its Leaders See International Recognition in Reach
Voters in Somaliland flocked to the polls on Wednesday to choose a president at a time when the breakaway Somali region sees international recognition within reach after three decades of de facto self-rule. Somaliland, which occupies a strategic location at the juncture of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, declared independence from the Mogadishu government in 1991. It has not been recognised by any country, restricting access to international finance and the ability of its six million people to travel. The Hargeisa government is hoping to soon finalise a preliminary deal signed in January with landlocked Ethiopia that would grant Addis Ababa a strip of land on the coast in exchange for diplomatic recognition…President Muse Bihi Abdi, in power since 2017, is standing for re-election against the main opposition party’s candidate, Abdirahman Cirro. The vote was originally scheduled for 2022, but lawmakers opted to extend Bihi’s term by two years. Reuters
Former Rivals Sonko and Macky Sall Face off Again in Senegal’s Parliamentary Elections
In the upcoming parliamentary elections in Senegal scheduled for this weekend, former presidential rivals Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and former President Macky Sall will face off once more – this time aiming to secure a majority in Parliament. This follows their competition in the March 2024 presidential election…President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved Senegal’s parliament in September and announced legislative elections for 17 November, saying the opposition-controlled parliament hindered his ability to execute his government’s plans at that time…On election day, citizens vote directly for their chosen list and, upon counting the votes, the list that secures the most votes will garner all the seats in a district. The ruling Pastef party is led by President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. RFI
Guinean Opposition and Civil Society Call for Junta’s Departure by Jan. 1
A committee of Guinean opposition groups, civil society organisations and activists known as the Forces Vives called on Tuesday for the West African country to establish civilian rule by Jan. 1. The junta that seized power in a 2021 coup proposed a two-year transition to elections from 2022 after negotiating with the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, but it has shown little sign of moving to organise a vote, stoking public frustration. The top bauxite producer has witnessed sporadic protests against the authorities and military leader Mamady Doumbouya since he took office. Some have led to deadly clashes with security forces. In July, Guinea’s transitional authorities presented the draft of a new constitution which would potentially allow Doumbouya to participate in the next presidential election. No date has yet been set for a promised referendum on the constitution, which they said would be a precursor to any election. Reuters
Russian Power Creeps across West Africa with Equatorial Guinea Mission
In Equatorial Guinea, where 82-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled since seizing power in a coup in 1979 and is grooming his favourite son to succeed him, Russian security could ward off any threat to the ruling dynasty. On a visit to Moscow in September, Obiang thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for sending “instructors” to strengthen Equatorial Guinea’s defences, state news agency TASS reported. Reuters interviewed three diplomatic sources, another source from the opposition, one from civil society and two people close to the government in the former Spanish colony. The sources, who did not want to be identified, confirmed a Russian presence in Equatorial Guinea. Three of them estimated that 100 to 200 Russians had arrived in the past two months. Two of the sources said the military personnel may include troops from Russia’s ally Belarus, while Reuters identified one as coming from an elite Russian paratrooper unit. Two of the sources said the men were likely to be part of Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force. Reuters
How West Africa Is Fighting Disinformation
West African countries have become prime targets for social media propaganda campaigns. In the Sahel region, disinformation on social networks has nearly quadrupled in the last two years, according to research and studies by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the Nigerian online medium L’Evénement…Moscow has reportedly flooded the Sahel region with 19 campaigns since 2018, mainly targeting Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger…”The region has become a geopolitical battleground, including on the internet,” said Hamadou Tidiane Sy, director of the Ejicom School of Journalism, Internet and Communication Professions in Senegal’s capital Dakar and founder of the independent news portal Ouestaf.com…One major issue is the speed at which disinformation spreads on social media: “It is very easy to manipulate the masses, who are unfortunately sometimes ignorant,” said Sy. It was therefore extremely important to train journalists in fact-checking, so the expert, to help them recognize mistakes and avoid spreading them. Sy and his partners organize public debates on disinformation issues and work with partner radio stations to educate listeners on the topic. DW
Uganda Correspondent Wins Investigative Journalist of the Year for Tree‑Smuggling Series
The African Investigative Journalism Conference at Wits University in South Africa has awarded Ugandan correspondent Musinguzi Blanshe the prestigious African Investigative Journalist of the Year award. His four-part investigative series, How Congo trees are smuggled through East Africa, was developed with the support of the Pulitzer Centre and the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) and published in The Africa Report online journal and quarterly magazine. Blanshe’s investigative work took him from his native Uganda to the conflict-ridden eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and further into Kenya, as he tracked the illegal exotic timber trade across these three countries…The year-long investigation involved surveillance, data journalism techniques including detailed mapping, and interviews with key players, experts, government officials from the three countries, and watchdog groups. The Africa Report
US Sanctions Sudan RSF Commander over Human Rights Abuses
The United States sanctioned a senior Sudanese paramilitary official on Tuesday, accusing him of overseeing human rights abuses in his country’s West Darfur region. The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Abdel Rahman Joma’a Barakallah, a commander with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it accused of being “a primary party responsible for the ongoing violence against civilians in Sudan.”…In a statement, the Treasury said the RSF’s campaign in West Darfur “was marked by credible claims of serious human rights abuses, including targeting of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and ethnically motivated violence.” AFP
Sudan: UN Calls for Compliance Mechanism to Protect Civilians
In a stern address to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo…highlighted the alarming surge of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in eastern Al-Jazirah state, which have resulted in extensive civilian casualties and mass displacement. She denounced both the RSF’s attacks and the Sudanese Armed Forces’ indiscriminate airstrikes in populated areas…DiCarlo emphasized the urgent need for a compliance mechanism agreed upon by the warring parties, with international support, to enforce their commitments to protect civilians. She also called for immediate progress on implementing the Jeddah Declaration, a framework for peace and security in Sudan, and urged local ceasefires to provide relief for civilians and foster dialogue. Sudan Tribune
Ghana’s Supreme Court Restores Ruling Party’s Parliamentary Majority Ahead of Dec. 7 Election
Last month, two members of parliament from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and one from the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) announced that they would run as independent candidates in the election, while an independent candidate joined the NPP. The Speaker of the Parliament Alban Bagbin declared their seats vacant, arguing that the constitution does not allow MPs to defect…Bagbin’s decision had shifted the parliamentary majority to the NDC, giving it one seat more than the outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP’s 135. The Supreme Court’s ruling restores the ruling NPPs slim majority of 138 seats, including one independent who leans towards the NPP, against 137 for the opposition NDC. AP
Botswana Vice President Will Double as Finance Minister
Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe will double as finance minister, new President Duma Boko said on Monday, announcing the first ministerial positions in his cabinet. In a shock election result earlier this month, Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic Change coalition ousted the party that had ruled the southern African country for nearly six decades…High on Gaolathe’s to-do list will be lifting economic growth, which the International Monetary Fund projects will slow to 1% this year mainly due to lower diamond production…Boko also named an opposition lawmaker as deputy heath minister and an independent lawmaker as deputy agriculture minister. Reuters
The EU Says It Won’t Renew a Fishing Agreement with Senegal Criticized by Many in the Country
The European Union will not renew a fishing agreement with Senegal that has been criticized by many Senegalese, the EU delegation in the West African country announced Tuesday. The decision comes after the EU identified Senegal as a “non-cooperating country” in the fight against illegal fishing earlier this year, citing “failures in monitoring, control and surveillance systems” on Senegalese ships in extraterritorial waters as well as on foreign vessels in the port of Dakar, the capital…The current agreement signed in 2019 allows European vessels to fish in Senegalese waters but has been criticized in the country where fishing stocks have been depleting for more than a decade due to overfishing. AP
Millions of Nigerians Go Hungry as Floods Compound Hardship
Unrelenting price rises and a brutal insurgency had already made it hard for Nigerians in northeastern Borno State to feed their families. When a dam collapsed in September, flooding the state capital and surrounding farmland, many people ran out of options. Now they queue for handouts in camps for those displaced by fighting between extremist Boko Haram rebels and the military. When those run out, they seek work on local farms where they risk being killed or raped by local bandits…Torrential rains and floods in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states this year have destroyed more than 1.5 million hectares of cropland, affecting more than nine million people, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Climate change is a factor, as is Nigeria’s poorly maintained or non-existent infrastructure as well as vulnerabilities caused by the weakening Naira currency and the scrapping of a government fuel subsidy. Reuters
Refugees on Front Lines of Global Climate Crisis, Warns UN
Climate change is helping to drive a rising refugee crisis, adding to the huge numbers already displaced by conflict, according to a United Nations report. Three-quarters of the world’s forcibly displaced people live in countries heavily affected by climate hazards, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in the document released on Tuesday. The number of people fleeing conflict doubled to more than 120 million over the past decade, 90 million of them in countries with high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, it reported. Half of displaced people are in locations affected by both conflict and serious climate hazards, such as Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Syria…About 700,000 people were forced to flee war in Sudan crossing into neighbouring Chad. The country has hosted refugees for years, but is highly exposed to climate change. Those who remain in Sudan are at risk of further displacement due to severe flooding, the report says. Al Jazeera
Musk’s Starlink Gets Chad Go-ahead to Improve Internet Access
Chad said on Tuesday it had approved the licensing of Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink to improve access to internet services in the central African country. Starlink, the satellite unit of SpaceX, operates in several African countries but has faced regulatory challenges in others and resistance from state telecoms monopolies…The latest World Bank figures show that only 12% of Chad’s population had access to internet in 2022…The internet provider operates in several African countries including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Benin, South Sudan, Eswatini and Sierra Leone. Reuters