Mozambique Opposition Stages Biggest Protest yet as Police Crack Down
Mozambican police fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition supporters converging on the capital Maputo on Thursday for the biggest demonstration yet against last month’s disputed election. Human rights groups say at least 18 people have been killed in the police crackdown on protests since the Oct. 9 vote, which extended ruling party Frelimo’s five decades in power. Opposition parties, civil society groups and Western observers said the election was unfair and that results were altered…Security forces were out in force along the main highway into Maputo on Thursday morning, as crowds of people tried to make their way into the city on foot, said a Reuters witness. Elsewhere in the city, groups of protesters burned tires and blocked roads…Mozambique’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday ordered the electoral commission to clarify within 72 hours why there had been discrepancies in the number of votes counted in the presidential, legislative and provincial elections, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Reuters
Sadc Calls Emergency Meeting over Mozambique Post-election Chaos
The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has called for an extraordinary summit to address the deepening post-election crisis in Mozambique, as deadly protests continue to spread across the country. Rights groups say at least 18 people have been killed by security forces since protests erupted after the disputed October 9 election, which was won by the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo). The opposition, which backed independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, who came second to Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo, rejected the outcome, claiming widespread rigging…The instability in Mozambique is a huge threat to the economies of neighbouring landlocked countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which rely on the country’s ports for imports and exports. The EastAfrican
RSF Siege of Sudan’s Al-Hilaliya Leaves Dozens Dead.
A siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the town of Al-Hilaliya in Al Jazirah state has resulted in at least 67 deaths, including 54 from suspected poisoning and a dire humanitarian situation for trapped civilians, according to a local civilian group. The RSF, a paramilitary group, has besieged Al-Hilaliya, 70 km (43 miles) northeast of the state capital, Wad Madani, for weeks following the defection of its local commander to the army. The Al Jazirah Conference, a civil society organization, said on Wednesday that 13 people had been killed by RSF gunfire, while 54 had died from poisoning. It accused the RSF of giving detainees food contaminated with urea fertilizer…The witness added that the RSF charged one million Sudanese pounds (around $500) to allow people to leave for Umm Dawaban, east of the Nile. Sudan Tribune
New UK Sanctions on Russia Also Target Africa Corps
New sanctions against Russia announced by the British government on Thursday will also target three private mercenary groups with links to the Kremlin, including Africa Corps, and 11 individuals associated with Russian proxies. In addition, the sanctions target entities based in China, Turkey and central Asia involved in supply and production of goods including machine tools, microelectronics and components for drones, the foreign office said in a statement. “Today’s action disrupts the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine and bears down on Russian malign activity globally,” the foreign office said. Reuters
Reporters without Borders Urges Sahel States to Sign Declaration Protecting Journalists’ Right to Information
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging Sahel authorities to endorse a new declaration on press freedom and the right to information as violence against journalists in the region escalates. At the summit organized by UNESCO and the African Union in Addis Ababa between 6 and 9 November, RSF highlighted the alarming realities facing journalists across Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, and Niger. Journalists in Burkina Faso, for instance, face forced military recruitment, bringing them into dangerous frontlines under coercion…RSF’s ten-point declaration calls on Sahelian states to protect journalists’ access to information, ensure safety in conflict zones, and prevent internet shutdowns during social and political upheavals, which often block news coverage and public access to reliable information. RSF’s Sadibou Marong noted that such measures are critical as the region becomes a “zone of non-information.” Africanews
Kenya, China Hold Bilateral Talks in Nairobi, as Kenya Requests China’s Support to Join BRICS
Top Chinese official, Li Xi, arrived in the Kenyan capital for bilateral talks on Monday. He was welcomed by officials, including William Ruto, at Nairobi State House. During talks, William Ruto pledged to strengthen ties between the two nations. “Kenya, I want to assure you, is committed to promoting this partnership across Africa and also upholding the ‘One China’ policy,” Ruto said. With their strategic partnership, the two nations are collaborating on development projects in the country. Ruto has also asked for China’s backing for Kenya’s aim to join the BRICS group of emerging national economies. Currently, BRICS members make up about around 28% of the global economy. The group was founded in 2006; at that time, its members were Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa became a member in 2010, before several other countries, including Egypt and Ethiopia, joined at the start of this year. Africanews
Presidents of South Sudan and Kenya Push for a Resolution in Stalled Peace Talks
South Sudan peace talks, previously held in neighboring Kenya, will resume under a directive from President Salva Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, who met Wednesday and directed the mediation team to reconvene and resolve all outstanding issues within two weeks. The talks had stalled after Kiir’s former rival, Riek Machar’s party, withdrew in July, citing plans by the mediators to replace the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war in which more than 400,000 people died…The Tumaini initiative peace talks, ongoing in Kenya since May, aimed to provide a foundation for the inclusion of non-signatory groups to sustain peace in the east African country plagued by civil war and ethnic violence. However, participants expressed concerns over a new security law that would allow the government to detain people without warrants. AP
Rounded up, Massacred and Posted on Social Media: Can Ethiopia Bring Justice for Atrocities in Tigray?
[T]wo years after the war ended [in Tigray], Ethiopia is preparing to launch a transitional justice process. In April, its cabinet approved a policy setting up a special prosecutor and court to deal with the most serious abuses, as well as a truth commission with powers to grant reparations and amnesties to mend fractured community relationships. Their work will start in the coming months, covering not just the recent civil war, but all crimes committed in the country since 1995, when its constitution came into force. The transitional justice policy has drawn praise from donors such as the US and the European Union, which froze aid to Ethiopia during the conflict and demanded a transitional justice process before they normalised relations. But it has been criticised by international and national human rights groups, who question the government’s commitment to accountability…There is still fighting in Amhara and Oromia, Ethiopia’s biggest regions, where security forces face accusations of abuses…Much of these regions are too dangerous for officials, so it is not clear how the transitional process will work there. Civil society groups say the ongoing atrocities cast doubt on the government’s commitment to accountability. The Guardian
US Cancels $1.1bn of Somalia’s Debt in ‘Historic’ Financial Agreement
Somalia has announced that more than $1.1bn (£860m) of outstanding loans will be cancelled by the US, a sum representing about a quarter of the country’s remaining debt. The announcement is the latest in a series of agreements in which Somalia’s creditors have committed to forgiving its debt obligations. Most of Somalia’s debt had built up during the era of Siad Barre’s military dictatorship, which collapsed in the early 1990s and triggered a ruinous three-decade civil war…Harry Verhoeven, an expert on the political economy of the Horn of Africa, said Somalia’s debt forgiveness was “meaningful” as it “enables Somalia to more readily access public financing” from multilateral development banks. However, he said private creditors were likely to remain cautious due to lingering concerns about “financial governance and political instability”. The Guardian
Big Oil’s Dirty Legacy in Nigeria
[A]s the foreign companies that built Nigeria’s oil industry are exiting the polluted Niger Delta for easier, more lucrative operations offshore in the Gulf of Guinea or in other countries, communities and rights groups want to know what will become of the environmental mess left behind…In the past two years Shell, Exxon, Eni, Equinor and China’s Addax are among companies that have announced plans to divest their onshore assets. In most cases, they are selling to Nigerian groups who will continue to operate the wells and take on responsibility for cleaning up past oil spills. When so many groups can be blamed for the environmental damage — the oil companies that drilled the wells and then failed to maintain the infrastructure amid rising insecurity, the criminal groups that illegally tap the pipelines, the politicians that profit from turning a blind eye — who is responsible for finding a lasting solution?…Supporters of the divestment process, including government officials and local oil executives, frame the sale as a positive step in the indigenisation of the country’s oil sector…Critics say oil majors are passing the buck to local groups that are likely to make things worse. Financial Times
COP29 Lineup: Africa to Arrive in Full Force, Macron Unwelcome, Zelensky Expected
With around 20 heads of state, seven vice-presidents and four prime ministers, Africa will be strongly represented at the international climate conference COP29, according to a provisional list of African leaders scheduled to speak at the high-level segment on 12 and 13 November in Baku. According to the UN document released on 3 November African leaders will take the stage in the following order, each delivering a speech of no more than three minutes: Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, and Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Next up will be Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria, Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, William Ruto of Kenya, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, Azali Assoumani of Comoros, and Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar. The final speakers will include Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno of Chad, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, Mohamed al-Menfi of Libya, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia. The Africa Report
Google Adds Kikuyu, Somali to Search, Translate Features on Africa Focus
Kikuyu, Somali and Oromo are the Kenyan languages among the new indigenous African dialects now available on Google Search and Translate as the tech giant increases its focus on expanding the continent’s access to technology. Google has announced the addition of 15 more African languages to its translation platform, connecting over 300 million more Africans to the service, which can now translate from over 94 languages globally to a total of 25 local mother tongues on the continent…Matt Brittin, Google’s president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the move is part of the firm’s initiative to make technology more accessible to Africans as more people are expected to access the internet across the continent. The EastAfrican