Kenya’s Ruto Chooses Close Ally as Deputy President after Gachagua Impeached
Interior minister Kithure Kindiki was appointed as President William Ruto’s deputy on Friday, hours after the Senate voted to impeach the last man in the job. Ruto nominated Kindiki, a close ally, and parliament gave its approval on Friday afternoon. It comes after a period of political turmoil, mass protests and the first removal of a Kenyan deputy president by impeachment…The former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, was impeached on five out of 11 charges including gross violation of the constitution and stirring ethnic hatred – accusations that he denied and dismissed as politically motivated. Kindiki was a top contender to be Ruto’s running mate during the 2022 election and was appointed interior minister shortly after the president took office in September that year…Gachagua, who was hospitalised and absent during the Senate vote to dismiss him, filed a petition on Friday seeking to stop Ruto from naming his replacement pending a judicial hearing, a court filing showed. The 59-year-old politician has filed or is a party to multiple cases challenging the impeachment process. Reuters
7 Killed in Suicide Bomber Attack at a Cafe in Somalia’s Capital
Seven people died and six others were injured after a suicide bomber detonated an unidentified device at a café outside a police training school in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, police said Thursday. Police say the victims included officers and civilians who were having tea outside the General Kaahiye Police Academy on Thursday. The al-Qaeda linked militant group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement published on its affiliate website. The group has in the past carried out attacks in Somalia. AP
Rising Discontent with Military Juntas in the Sahel Region
[A] recent investigative report suggests that support for the juntas is dwindling due to their failure to deliver on promises as well as the harsh tactics employed by Russian mercenaries against the civilian population…[Dutch media platform] ZAM published an investigation titled “Hotel Kremlin,” in which three African investigative journalists, Malick Sadibou Coulibaly, Ramdane Gidigoro, and Rachid Zaid Combary, went undercover in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, respectively. The report painted a grim picture of life under military dictatorships in the Sahel…In their investigation, Coulibaly, Gidigoro, and Cambary found that civilian and military casualties were increasing. Coulibaly reported that one of the morgues in Bamako was full, with a guard stating that 200 bodies of civilians and soldiers were brought in between March and May. Among the public, patience is wearing thin in the capitals of the three countries – Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou…The investigation found that citizens, opposition politicians and journalists in all three countries have become cautious about speaking out against the juntas. Reports of crackdowns on opposition, media and peaceful dissent have increased. DW
French Police Release Anti-Western Firebrand Kemi Seba Without Charge
French prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that Seba was released the day before, although preliminary investigations into his activities are continuing. The France-born activist, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, was detained on Monday on suspicion of “foreign interference” in French affairs. He has previously been sentenced in France several times for incitement to racial hatred, is often accused of antisemitism and was stripped of his French nationality in July…Born in France to parents from Benin, Seba was last year accused by French lawmaker Thomas Gassilloud – then chairman of parliament’s defence committee – of being a mouthpiece “for Russian propaganda” and serving “a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment”. Seba has publicly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and aligned himself with pro-Russian networks, while two groups that he founded were dissolved by France’s Justice Ministry for disseminating “racist and antisemitic” ideology. RFI
Tech Firms Remove Social Media Accounts of a Russian Drone Factory after an AP Investigation
Google, Meta and TikTok have removed social media accounts belonging to an industrial plant in Russia’s Tatarstan region aimed at recruiting young foreign women to make drones for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Videos and other posts on the social media platforms promised the young women, who are largely from Africa, a free plane ticket to Russia and a salary of more than $500 a month following their recruitment via the program called “Alabuga Start.” But instead of a work-study program in areas like hospitality and catering, some of them said they learned only arriving in the Tatarstan region that they would be toiling in a factory to make weapons of war, assembling thousands of Iranian-designed attack drones to be launched into Ukraine…Experts told AP that about 90% of the women recruited via the Alabuga Start program work in drone manufacturing. AP
Ban on Reporting about President’s Health Puts Cameroonian Journalists on Edge
Cameroonian journalists say they are grappling with a new government directive prohibiting public discourse or media coverage of President Paul Biya’s health. The ban, issued by Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji on October 9, follows media speculation about the 91-year-old president’s absence from public view. The directive has sparked debate within Cameroon’s media, which faces a critical choice of whether to adhere to the ban and avoid retaliation or continue reporting on matters of public concern…”By linking this ban to national security simply means that violators, anyone who dares talks about the health of the president of the Republic will be charged,” [exiled Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo Newuh] said. VOA
Tunisian MPs Propose Bill Stripping Central Bank of Exclusivity on Interest Rates, Ending Its Independence
Tunisia’s central bank will no longer have the exclusive power to adjust interest rates or foreign exchange policy, and must only take such action in consultation with the government, but it will be allowed to finance the treasury, a bill proposed by lawmakers showed on Friday. The step is the latest move that will completely undermine the central bank’s independence after continuous criticism by President Kais Saied, who has said that the bank should not be a state within a state. The potential major change in the central bank law comes as public finances face a severe crisis. The country has been unable to secure Western funding since Saied seized nearly all power in 2021, ruling by decree, in a move the opposition has called a coup. Reuters
UN Envoy Proposes Partitioning Western Sahara
The U.N. envoy to Western Sahara suggested dividing the territory between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front as a way to settle the decades-long conflict. Staffan de Mistura proposed partition as one potential way to satisfy both sides and give residents a chance to decide under who they want to live, according to a briefing provided to a closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, which was obtained by The Associated Press…Partition along historic lines would place Laayoune — the disputed territority’s largest city — in the north, and Dakhla — its second largest — in the south. Though it could allow both Moroccan autonomy over some of the land and Sahrawi independence, it satisfies neither side’s long-standing conditions. Morocco’s position is to not negotiate on the disputed territory’s sovereignty and Polisario’s position is to demand self-determination via a referendum. AP
More than 1 Billion People Live in Acute Poverty. Half Are Children and Many in Conflict Zones
More than 1 billion people in the world live in acute poverty, over half are children and nearly 40% live in conflict-torn and fragile countries, according to a report released Thursday. The report by the U.N. Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford also said that more than 83% of poor people live in rural areas — and the same percentage live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia…UNDP and Oxford said this year’s report focused on poverty amid conflict because 2023 saw more conflicts than at any time since World War II and that an all-time high of 117 million people were forced to flee their homes due to conflict, disasters and other factors. AP
Mpox Vaccine Rollout in Congo Slower than Expected, Health Official Says
Congo needs to do more to raise awareness about mpox and the availability of vaccines, an official with the response team said on Thursday, warning the campaign to distribute the shots would take longer than anticipated… Cris Kacita, the head of Congo’s mpox response team, said more needed to be done to boost vaccine uptake, adding that the ongoing vaccination campaign would last longer than the planned 10 days. “The awareness campaign has been carried out, but only timidly. These are gaps that need to be filled,” he told Reuters. During a recent visit to a vaccination site in Kibati, a camp that hosts displaced people in North Kivu province, residents described receiving no information about the inoculation efforts. Reuters
Nigeria Rolls Out New Oxford R21 Malaria Vaccine
Nigeria launched a new malaria vaccine on Thursday that will be freely administered to recipients, its health minister said, marking a significant milestone in its fight against the deadly disease. The launch makes the country one of the first in the world to back the new R21 vaccine, developed by scientists at Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India and Novavax. The vaccine was provisionally approved by Nigeria’s medicines regulator in April last year…Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the world’s worst-affected country with 31% of global deaths from malaria, according to a 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) report. Reuters
Togo Suspends Russia’s Ride-hailing App Yango
Togo’s transport ministry suspended the ride-hailing app Yango owned by Russia’s tech giant Yandex, over security concerns just months after it began operating in the West African nation. In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said that Yango began operating in June without authorization and in violation of the country’s procedures. The ministry said the decision was taken over concerns for the safety of passengers, order and legal procedures. Reuters
Rwanda Shrugs off ‘Sportswashing’ Criticism in Pursuit of a Winning Development Formula
[Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame] is taking the biggest step yet in his ambition to transform the country into a global sporting power, with F1 executives confirming that they are in exploratory talks with Kagame’s government about a possible Rwandan Grand Prix. Experts say that could require billions of dollars in investment and outlay…That Rwanda is bidding at all reveals much about how Kagame views sport as an economic and geopolitical weapon. If Rwanda can navigate the obvious economic risks, its ambitious sporting strategy could yield big dividends, both financially and diplomatically… Rwanda is following the example of countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, which have used sport — including the hosting of Grand Prix races — to boost their reputations abroad. Like them, Rwanda has faced criticism that it is using sport to distract attention from a chequered human rights record. AP