Britain to Return Chagos Islands to Mauritius Ending Years of Dispute
The UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony. The UK expelled the Chagossians in the 1960s and 1970s, in what has been described as a crime against humanity, when it retained possession of what it called the British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT, after Mauritius gained independence in 1968. The agreement follows rounds of negotiations that began in 2022 after Mauritian arguments for sovereignty were recognised by the international court of justice (ICJ), the UN general assembly and the international tribunal of the law of the sea (Itlos) in 2019 and 2021. Britain was found to have unlawfully separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius before granting independence in 1968. The UK initially defied UN votes and court judgments demanding it return the islands, emphasising that the ICJ ruling was only an “advisory opinion”. An attempt to halt the negotiations, on the basis that the Chagossians were not consulted or involved, failed. The Guardian
Tanzania Suspends Media Company’s Online Platforms for 30 Days
Tanzania’s communications regulator has suspended the digital platforms of a local media company for allegedly publishing restricted content, adding to what human rights groups have described as a growing crackdown on press freedom. Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said late on Wednesday it had suspended online content licences for Mwananchi Communications Ltd for 30 days, saying it had published content on Oct. 1 that damaged the country’s image…”The content has led to negative interpretations to the nation, which is affecting and disrupting unity, peace and national harmony,” [the regulator said]…The suspension of the company, a subsidiary of the Kenyan-based Nation Media Group, comes as Tanzania’s government faces flak over its treatment of the press. President Samia Suluhu Hassan had garnered praise in the last three years for lifting a ban on political parties’ rallies and for easing media restrictions. However, critics say recent events including a ban on some protests and the arrest of opposition leaders and journalists reflected a rollback of freedoms. Reuters
AU Peace and Security Delegation to Visit Sudan Thursday
A delegation from the African Union’s Peace and Security Council will visit Port Sudan on Thursday, a Sudanese foreign ministry official said. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hussein al-Amin al-Fadil told reporters that the visit aims to assess the situation in Sudan firsthand. The delegation’s arrival follows a Sept. 25 Peace and Security Council meeting, which focused on the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Sudan’s Foreign Minister Hussein Awad has urged the AU to lift its suspension of Sudan’s membership, imposed after the 2022 coup that ousted the civilian transitional government. The AU delegation, led by Egypt, is expected to engage with stakeholders in Port Sudan and explore paths to a lasting peace. Sudan Tribune
In Music and Dance, Sudanese Performers Transport Refugee Audiences Back Home
A band with 12 Sudanese members now lives with thousands of refugees in Egypt. The troupe, called “Camirata,” includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of traditional Sudanese folk music and dance to keep it from being lost in the ruinous war. Founded in 1997, the band rose to popularity in Khartoum before it began traveling to different states, enlisting diverse musicians, dancers and styles. They sing in 25 different Sudanese languages. Founder Dafallah el-Hag said the band’s members started relocating to Egypt in recently, as Sudan struggled through a difficult economic and political transition after a 2019 popular uprising unseated longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. Others followed after the violence began. El-Hag arrived late last year…Kawthar Osman, a native of Madani city who has been singing with the band since 1997, feels nostalgic when she sings about the Nile River, which forms in Sudan from two upper branches, the Blue and White Nile. “It reminds me of what makes Sudan the way it is,” she said, adding that the war only “pushed the band to sing more for peace.” AP
Search for Dozens of Shipwrecked Migrants near Spain’s Canaries Called Off
Spanish authorities have called off the search for dozens of passengers on a migrant boat that sank near the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands over the weekend, killing at least nine people, the maritime rescue service said on Wednesday. The boat sank in the early hours of Saturday. While 27 people were rescued, at least 48 passengers are missing and hopes of retrieving their remains from sea have waned. If the missing are confirmed dead, it would make this the deadliest such incident in 30 years of crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands. The deadliest recorded to date occurred in 2009 off the island of Lanzarote, when 25 people died. Reuters
Dozens Die After Smugglers Force Them Off Ships Into Open Waters
Dozens of people died and dozens of others were missing after smugglers forced them off two boats near the coast of Djibouti, making 2024 the deadliest year for migrants crossing between Africa and Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday. The boats were traveling from Yemen to Djibouti on Tuesday, one carrying 100 migrants and the other 220 migrants, when the vessels’ Yemeni operators ordered those onboard to leave the boats in the open sea and swim, the organization said in a statement. There were at least 197 survivors, the organization added, but at least 48 others died and 75 were still missing…Although the two migrant ships were traveling from Yemen to Djibouti, many more African migrants travel in the opposite direction — largely heading for Saudi Arabia — in search of better lives…Even if they survive the boat voyage, migrants can face hostilities on land. Last year, Human Rights Watch said that Saudi Arabian border guards had regularly opened fire on Africans trying to cross into the kingdom from Yemen. The New York Times
Mozambique’s Presidential Frontrunner Likely to Keep Rwandans Protecting Gas Sites
Mozambique’s ruling party candidate in this month’s elections, who is almost certain to win, is likely to continue relying on Rwanda’s military and European money to secure its huge gas fields in a region beset by Islamist violence, analysts say. Campaigning under the slogan “let’s get to work”, ex-high school teacher Daniel Chapo, 47, is expected to oversee the building of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects currently on hold because of insecurity in northern Cabo Delgado province. To achieve this, he must lean heavily on Rwanda’s military, brought in by current President Felipe Nyusi in 2021 to bolster struggling local troops…Rwandan units, including special forces, are tasked with securing territory around the Afungi site where TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil plan LNG projects…Recent attacks by suspected Islamists include a February ambush that killed more than 20 Mozambican soldiers, helping displace tens of thousands of people in one of the worst skirmishes since 2021, when TotalEnergies halted its $20 billion project. Reuters
Mozambican Activist Given Human Rights Award
The Right Livelihood Award was awarded Thursday to three activists from the Palestinian territories, the Philippines and Mozambique and to a U.K. pioneering research agency who “have each made a profound impact on their communities and the global stage.”…Anabela Lemos, a Mozambican environmental activist and director of Justiça Ambiental!, was honored for “empowering communities to stand up for their right to say no to exploitative mega-projects and demand environmental justice.” It is the first time the award went to Mozambique…Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes. To date, 198 laureates from 77 countries have received the distinction…The 2024 laureates will be given their awards on Dec. 4 in Stockholm. AP
How a Mega Dam Has Caused a Mega Power Crisis for Zambia
Despite having the mighty Zambezi River and the massive hydro-powered Kariba Dam, Zambia is currently grappling with the worst electricity blackouts in living memory…Located on the Zambezi, the fourth-longest river in Africa, Kariba was built in the 1950s and is the reservoir for the country’s largest underground power station, Kariba North Bank Power Station. A power station on the other bank serves Zimbabwe. But because of the drought that has led to parts of the river drying up, only one of the six turbines at Zambia’s power station is operating, resulting in the generation of a paltry 7% of the 1,080 MW installed at Kariba. The dam retains the water of the Zambezi with a curving wall that is 128m (420ft) high, 579m (1,900ft) long and 21m (69ft) thick. Engineer Cephas Museba – who has been working for Zesco for 19 years – says he has never seen water levels so low at Kariba. BBC
Turkish Ship to Begin Oil Search off Somalia This Month
A Turkish seismic research vessel plans to arrive off the coast of Somalia at the end of October and begin searching for oil and natural gas, after the countries agreed on energy cooperation, Turkey’s energy ministry said on Thursday. The March agreement envisaged oil exploration and production and allowed Turkish Petroleum to obtain licenses for three areas in the Somali seas…Oruc Reis will be accompanied by two navy frigates and support ships and will reach offshore Somalia via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea. Bayraktar said Turkish Petroleum has exploration licences in a maritime jurisdiction area divided into three fields covering a total of 15,000 square km. The three-dimensional seismic study is expected to last about seven months. Reuters
Zimbabwe’s President Vows to Implement Measures to Stop Currency Slide
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday vowed to implement corrective measures to protect people’s incomes after the country’s new gold-backed currency slid on the black market five months after it was introduced.
The ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold, was devalued 43% last Friday after it lost nearly 47% on the black market…The ZiG is the southern African country’s sixth attempt at a stable currency in 15 years after a bout of hyperinflation under former longtime leader Robert Mugabe. Following a meeting with central bank officials, the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe on Wednesday said last week’s move would cause price hikes and weaken confidence. Reuters
Rwanda to Start Vaccine Trials for Marburg Disease in a Few Weeks
Rwanda is poised to start vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials in the next few weeks to treat Marburg disease, its health minister said on Thursday, as the African nation battles its first outbreak of the viral fever that has killed 11. The disease was detected in late September, with 36 cases reported so far, health ministry data shows…He said the government was speaking to companies based in the U.S. and Europe…A viral hemorrhagic fever, Marburg symptoms include high fever, severe headaches and malaise which typically develop within seven days of infection, according to the WHO. With a fatality rate as high as 88%, it belongs to the same virus family as that responsible for Ebola, and is transmitted to humans by fruit bats, before spreading through contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Reuters
US Sanctions Four Ugandan Police Chiefs on Rights Violation Claims
The US Department of State on Wednesday announced travel sanctions on four officers of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) on allegations of gross violation of human rights, including torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. Matthew Miller, Department of State spokesperson, identified the designated individuals as Bob Kagarura, former Wamala Regional Police Commander, and Alex Mwine, former District Police Commander for Mitanya District. Others are Elly Womanya, who at the time of the alleged human violation was Senior Commissioner and Deputy Director of UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and Hamdani Twesigye, previously Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to the SIU…This round of sanctions adds to the growing list of Uganda government officials, including senior officers of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and Uganda Prisons Service, who have been slapped with visa bans for alleged violation of human rights while others were placed under financial sanctions over economic crimes claims. The EastAfrican