Interpol Clamps down on Cybercrime and Arrests over 1,000 Suspects in Africa
Interpol arrested 1,006 suspects in Africa during a two-month operation clamping down on cybercrime that left tens of thousands of victims, including some who were trafficked, and produced millions in financial damages, the global police organization said Tuesday. Operation Serengeti, a joint operation with Afripol, the African Union’s police agency, ran from Sept. 2 to Oct. 31 in 19 African countries and targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise, digital extortion and online scams, the agency said in a statement…Interpol pinpointed 35,000 victims, with cases linked to nearly $193 million in financial losses worldwide, stating that local police authorities and private sector partners, including internet service providers, played a key role in the operation. AP
Is Namibia Going to Elect Its First Female Leader?
If things work out as Namibia’s long-time governing party hopes, the country will be electing its first female head of state this week…Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, is the flag-bearer for Swapo, which has led the country since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990…Her party, totally dominant for three decades, saw a large drop in its support in the last general election. It goes into Wednesday’s vote amid an unemployment rate of 19% – almost the same as it was 30 years ago – troubled government finances, questions about corruption and high levels of inequality. BBC
Wife of ‘abducted’ Ugandan Opposition Figure Says He Won’t Get Justice
The wife of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye has said she does not expect him to get a fair trial after he was detained in neighbouring Kenya, brought home and accused of possessing weapons and other offences in a military court…Winnie Byanyima said last week her husband was seized as he prepared to attend a book launch in Nairobi on Nov. 16…Byanyima said the charges were politically motivated and urged President Yoweri Museveni “to stop and reflect, because this solution of criminalising and eliminating opposition through criminalisation is wrong”…Ugandan opposition and rights activists have long accused Museveni’s government of using the military court to punish political opponents, a charge the government denies. Reuters
Thousands March against Angola Govt
Several thousand Angolan opposition supporters in the capital Luanda protested against the government on Saturday in the first large demonstration since 2022’s disputed vote. Closely supervised by police, some 4,000 people marched peacefully with banners criticising the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and President Joao Lourenco, according to an AFP reporter. The protest was organised by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola party (UNITA), whose popularity has been growing in recent years…UNITA rejected its loss in the 2022 election and challenged the outcome in court, but the country’s top court dismissed the petition…UNITA, a former rebel group now the second largest party in the country, invited civil society and other opposition groups to join the protest including from the United Patriotic Front. AFP
Major Food Aid ‘scale-up’ Underway to Famine-hit Sudan, WFP Says
More than 700 trucks are on their way to famine-stricken areas of Sudan as part of a major scale-up after clearance came through from the Sudanese government, a World Food Programme spokesperson said on Tuesday…Both [the RSF and the army] are accused of impeding aid deliveries, the RSF by looting and the army by bureaucratic delays. “In total, the trucks will carry…enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month,” WFP Sudan spokesperson Leni Kinzli told a press briefing in Geneva…Some of the food is intended for 14 areas of the country that face famine or are at risk of famine, including Zamzam camp in the Darfur region. The first food arrived there on Friday prompting cheers from crowds of people who had resorted to eating crushed peanut shells normally fed to animals, Kinzli said. Reuters
Militia Detains 300 Migrants in the Desert in Libya’s Effort to Contain Sea Crossings
Libyan military officials said Monday they apprehended hundreds of migrants traversing the country’s vast desert hoping to ultimately cross the Mediterranean Sea in pursuit of a better life in Europe. The 444 Brigade, a powerful militia group that operates under the auspices of the Libyan army, said in a statement that its patrolling commanders detained more than 300 migrants and referred them to authorities. The group in a post on Facebook condemned smuggling and human trafficking and said its patrols would continue efforts to block smuggling routes…The apprehensions come as Libya remains a primary point of departure for men, women and children from the Middle East and Africa aiming to reach Europe. AP
Madagascar Officials Say the Death Toll Is now 25 after Boats Carrying Somali Migrants Capsized
The death toll rose Monday to 25 after two motorboats carrying migrants from Somalia capsized in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, authorities said Monday. The migrants had been at sea for nearly a month hoping to reach the French island territory of Mayotte. Another 48 people were rescued Sunday from the waters near the island of Nosy Be off northern Madagascar, said Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, the head of Madagascar’s Maritime Ports Agency. Somali authorities said Sunday that 24 people had died. It was not clear what caused the boats to capsize. The boats left a beach near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Nov. 2 with 73 people on board and were believed to be headed to Mayotte, Randrianantenaina said. AP
In South Korea, Nations Meet in Final Round to Address Global Plastic Crisis
Negotiators gathered in Busan, South Korea, on Monday in a final push to create a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. It’s the fifth time the world’s nations convene to craft a legally binding plastic pollution accord. In addition to the national delegations, representatives from the plastics industry, scientists and environmentalists have come to shape how the world tackles the surging problem…Led by Norway and Rwanda, 66 countries plus the European Union say they want to address the total amount of plastic on Earth by controlling design, production, consumption and where plastic ends up. AP
Global Rates of HIV Infections and Deaths Fall Sharply
New HIV infection rates in sub-Saharan African countries have plunged more than half since their 1995 peak, but risen steeply in central Europe, eastern Europe and central Asia, [a study published in The Lancet HIV late on Monday] said…This marks significant progress but the trend will come up short of the UN ambition, which includes an interim goal next year of cutting new infections to below 370,000 and deaths to fewer than 250,000…The big reduction has been driven by a 60 per cent fall between 1995 and 2021 in sub-Saharan African countries in the likelihood of HIV infection over a lifetime, the study says…The five nations estimated last year by the UNAids agency to have achieved its targets for HIV diagnosis, drug treatment and suppression are all in sub-Saharan Africa — Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Financial Times
South Africa Opposition Seeks to Revive Impeachment Proceedings against Ramaphosa
South African opposition party the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) brought a case to the country’s top court on Tuesday to try to revive impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the scandal dubbed “Farmgate” by local media. The scandal centered on the alleged theft of millions of dollars hidden in furniture on Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm, which a former intelligence official revealed to police. An independent panel report found evidence Ramaphosa may have committed misconduct over the incident. But in late 2022 lawmakers from Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC), which had a majority in the National Assembly at the time, voted to reject the report and prevented an impeachment committee from being set up to probe the allegations. Reuters
Abdirahman Irro: ‘Consensus‑Driven’ Leader Who Offers New Hope for Somaliland
The opposition leader of the breakaway region of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi – more popularly known as Irro – beat incumbent Muse Abdi Bihi with 64% of the vote in the 13 November polls…Known for his measured and inclusive leadership style, Irro’s tenure as Speaker showcased his ability to build consensus and navigate complex political landscapes, says Khaalid Foodhadhi, a journalist and founder of Hargeisa-based digital KF Media TV. For many Somalilanders, it is Irro’s long career as a diplomat that resonates with Somaliland’s search for recognition from the international community and strengthened ties with the West. In a stint that started in 1981 before Somaliland broke away from Somalia, he served in the foreign service of the Somali Democratic Republic – first as a consular in Moscow and then as acting ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1991. The Africa Report
Horn of Africa Forum Opens in Djibouti amid Ethiopia-Somalia Tensions
Somali scholars, politicians and traditional leaders from across the Horn of Africa gathered in Djibouti on Monday for a three-day forum on strengthening regional stability. The annual forum, the eighth of its kind, was organized by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies in Somalia, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research group in Mogadishu…This year’s forum comes at a time of growing tension between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal Addis Ababa signed in January with Somaliland, a breakaway region. Mogadishu sees Somaliland as a part of Somalia…Somalis representing Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia are attending the event, as well as those from across the region and the diaspora communities in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. VOA
Gossip Pages, Influencers Displace Kenyan Media
Alternative media outlets and influencers led the discourse on nationwide protests in Kenya on Instagram and Facebook, often outpacing legacy media outlets in reach and engagement. Their performance comes against the backdrop of mass layoffs and major losses by the country’s largest legacy media companies — pointing to the evolution of news consumption in Kenya. Analysis of around 28,000 news posts from between May and July on the Meta-owned platforms, by Nairobi research firm OdipoDev, found that popular celebrity news and lifestyle page Nairobi Gossip Club (NGC) was Kenya’s leading source of news on Meta-owned platforms. NGC attracted the greatest number of video views, post engagements, and interactions on Instagram and Facebook, far surpassing legacy media brands. Semafor