How Wagner’s Ruthless Image Crumbled in Mali
For years, Russia has promoted the Wagner mercenary group to authoritarian leaders in Africa as a force of fearsome warriors who could protect leaders’ grip on power and help their armies reclaim territories from armed groups. In return, Moscow has gained access to resource-rich countries, dislodged Western and U.N. troops and seeded influence across West and Central Africa to a degree not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union. But a major defeat for Wagner this summer in northern Mali showed that its actual capabilities might be overstated and unable to meet the ambitions of one of the group’s closest African partners…Throughout the battle, Wagner had suffered from poor coordination with government forces and underestimated their adversary, according to two Malian security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss military tactics publicly…The Malian officers added that frustration with Wagner’s behavior was growing within the country’s military, and that they wanted partners who were more professional and disciplined. The New York Times
Mystery Surrounds Detention of Wagner Group Operative in Chad
A shadowy Russian political operator with close ties to the notorious Wagner Group and its late founder Yevgeny Prigozhin is detained in Chad on unexplained charges…Russian officials and state-controlled media maintain that Maxim Shugaley, who was detained on September 19 along with two other Russians, is an innocent sociologist who was in Chad to deliver humanitarian aid…But years of reporting on his exploits in countries as far-flung as Afghanistan and Libya present a picture of a master propagandist who has worked behind the scenes to advance the Kremlin’s interests with some of the world’s least reputable regimes…In 2019, the FNZC organization that Shugaley heads was sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for serving in a covert operation to manipulate African politics in favor of the Kremlin by “sponsoring phony election monitoring missions,” and promoting “disinformation operations.” VOA
Chad Threatens to Withdraw from Multinational Security Force
Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby has threatened to withdraw the Central African country from a multinational security force, which he said had failed in its task of tackling insurgent groups in the Lake Chad region…Around 40 Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack there by suspected Boko Haram militants in late October…The joint force’s work has been complicated by divisions and a lack of cooperation, but the withdrawal of Chad would represent a major blow as its armed forces are among the most respected in the region…The Lake Chad region has been repeatedly attacked by insurgencies, including by Islamic State militants in West Africa and Boko Haram, which erupted in northeast Nigeria in 2009 and spread to the west of Chad. Reuters
‘We Will Make You Have Arab Babies’: Fears of Genocide amid Rape and Torture in Sudan’s Darfur
Militia fighters who raped and attacked minority groups in Darfur threatened to force them to have “Arab babies” and used ethnic slurs during their attacks, according to a new UN report. The details of the latest UN fact-finding mission report are accompanied by claims from activists that the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary is attempting a genocide of non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur. The fact-finding mission quotes Masalit rape survivors who overheard the fighters stating their intent that “this year, all girls must be pregnant by the Janjaweed”…Marwa Gibril, a doctor and Darfuri activist, also said the RSF was using sexual violence across Sudan to break communities but with a particular ethnic focus in Darfur. She said the tribes that RSF recruit from believed in their superiority over other communities because of their Arab heritage. “To keep their superiority, they invade these areas and make sure that they kill the men and change the gene pool by raping women and having babies that are Arabs, not Masalit or Fur or any other black ethnicity,” said Gibril. The Guardian
In Egypt, Sudanese Musicians Sing Their Hymns to Peace
Cairo has become home to several groups of Sudanese diaspora musicians, refugees from war who are forging community and musical links in Egypt…A year and a half into the war in Sudan, these musicians have become a vital part of Cairo’s cultural landscape. However, as members of the Sudanese diaspora, they continue to face numerous obstacles. “The musicians lost a great deal. In terms of their work, much of their research, music notes, computers, and instruments were left behind, lost, or destroyed in Sudan,” says Adel Harbi, president of the Sudanese Artists Union and vice president of the Arab Artists Union in Cairo. “These are extremely harsh circumstances for anyone, including artists. Still, they persist with music and invite others to join, finding in it the emotional healing.” The Africa Report
Botswana: How to Concede an Election Graciously
The speed and humility with which President Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat on November 1st was striking—and all the more so considering that his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had ruled this diamond-rich southern African country for six decades, ever since independence from Britain in 1966…At independence…the elites who took power governed reasonably well, fusing traditional institutions with Western-style democracy to forge a state that worked…Yet under Mr Masisi Botswanans have been questioning whether their country sparkles as brightly as it did…Most Botswanans perceived his government to be somewhat corrupt…Most importantly Mr Masisi was seen to be doing little about the country’s underlying economic weaknesses…One message from Botswana is…that democracy offers a chance for a reset—if the people in power let it work. The Economist
29 Nigerian Children May Be Sentenced to Death for Protesting against Cost-of-living Crisis
Twenty-nine children could be facing the death penalty in Nigeria after they were arraigned Friday for participating in a protest against the country’s record cost-of-living crisis. Four of them collapsed in court due to exhaustion before they could enter a plea. A total of 76 protesters were charged with 10 felony counts, including treason, destruction of property, public disturbance and mutiny, according to the charge sheet seen by The Associated Press. According to the charge sheet, the minors ranged in age from 14 to 17 years old… The court eventually granted 10 million naira ($5,900) bail to each the defendants and imposed stringent conditions they are yet to meet, Marshal Abubakar, counsel to some of the boys, said. AP
African Union Soldiers Killed in Al-Shabab Mortar Attack
Two African Union soldiers were killed and a third one injured by an al-Shabab mortar attack Sunday on their base inside the perimeters of Mogadishu’s international airport…Despite being driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, the group, from time to time, manages to carry out mortar attacks that hit Mogadishu’s airport, which is a base for the AU as well as some foreign embassies. Al-Shabab mortars have also targeted residential areas in Mogadishu and have claimed the lives of civilians. VOA
Turkey Seeks Deeper Africa Ties at Summit
Fourteen African countries attended [Turkey’s Africa summit] in the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti this weekend. They included Angola, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe…Turkey has become the fourth largest arms supplier to sub-Saharan Africa and helped train armed forces in many countries. In recent months, it has attempted to mediate a feud between Ethiopia and Somalia, and struck a mining deal with Niger. [Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who presided over the summit,] reiterated support for the African Union to become a permanent member of the G20, and for reform of the United Nations Security Council. AFP
Ghana Cocoa Farmers Hoard Beans in Anticipation of Price Hike
Cocoa farmers in the world’s No.2 producer Ghana are hoarding beans in anticipation of higher prices, industry sources told Reuters, potentially squeezing supplies to a global cocoa market looking to recover from last season’s disastrous harvests…The sources all said that farmers were reacting to comments by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who told supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party four weeks ago that the government would raise prices for farmers. Bawumia, who is running for the presidency in Dec. 7 elections, was speaking in Sefwi Wiaso in southwestern Ghana, one of the country’s biggest cocoa growing towns. He has since said his comments had been misunderstood. Reuters
Crash Course in Politics Aims to Get More Women Running for Office in Madagascar
[A recent training course in the capital, Antananarivo, was organised by the National Women’s Council of Madagascar (CNFM).] Held over two days last week, it aimed to give participants – all candidates in the approaching elections – a grounding in electoral regulations, the roles of different public officials, campaign management, political communication and leadership. Like many countries, Madagascar has a long-standing gender gap when it comes to politics. Just 26 of the country’s 163 members of parliament are women – the equivalent of 16 percent – down from an all-time high of 64 in 2011…In Madagascar’s local elections, women make up 6 percent of candidates topping municipal lists, around 320 out of a total of nearly 5,400. RFI
Morocco Rights Activist Freed but Still Faces Prosecution
Morocco’s public prosecutor on Friday, November 1 decided to release rights activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, 66, two days after his detention, but to initiate proceedings against him “for spreading false claims.”…He was detained following a Facebook post referencing Morocco’s alleged spying on France in 2021, in which he alleged Rabat had used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware for espionage against Paris, according to local media…In 2021, Morocco was accused of deploying Pegasus to monitor prominent figures, including Macron. These allegations were based on a report by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International, which Morocco called “baseless and false.” Le Monde with AFP
Ethiopia: Healing the Scars of Tigray’s War
[Two years on from the peace deal that ended the war in Tigray, there are still people being killed and wounded by the remnants of warfare.] Since 2023, the Red Cross says it has helped close to 400 victims of inadvertent explosions – 80% of them children…Efforts have been made to collect unexploded weapons – like in Gorero, a small village off the side of the main road to Adwa, where officials have combed farms and fields…[Local police] officers have removed the fuses from some of the weapons they have found, but even so [the police chief] says extreme heat or accidental fire could detonate them. Weapons-clearing charities – with experience dealing with the aftermath of other African conflicts – might eventually step in, but it is an issue which requires massive co-ordination. In Adwa, officials who lack options to safely dispose of explosives carry them back at great personal risk to store them haphazardly in the compound of the town’s peace and security office. Al Jazeera
Ethiopia Bans Imports of Gas-powered Private Vehicles, but the Switch to Electric Is a Bumpy Ride
In January, [Ethiopia] became the first [country] in the world to ban the importation of non-electric private vehicles…The decision eased pressure on authorities who spend scarce foreign currency to subsidize the cost of fuel, but it also reflected growing enthusiasm for electric vehicles as the world demands more green technologies to reduce climate-changing emissions…Samson Berhane, an economist based in Addis Ababa, said the sudden flood of electric vehicles into the local market despite poor infrastructure is making it difficult for customers to adapt comfortably…Some Ethiopians are already giving up on electric vehicles, and the secondhand trade in gasoline-powered vehicles continues. AP