Tunisia Votes Sunday in Its Third Presidential Election since the Arab Spring
With his major opponents imprisoned or left off the ballot, Tunisian President Kais Saied faces few obstacles to winning reelection on Sunday, five years after riding anti-establishment backlash to a first term. The North African country’s Oct. 6 presidential election is its third since protests led to the 2011 ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — the first autocrat toppled in the Arab Spring uprisings that also overthrew leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. International observers praised the previous two contests as meeting democratic norms. However, a raft of arrests and actions taken by a Saied-appointed election authority have raised questions about whether this year’s race is free and fair. And opposition parties have called for a boycott. AP
Tunisian Court Upholds 18-month Sentence for Presidential Candidate Zammel, Lawyer Says
A Tunisian appeal court on Thursday upheld an 18-month prison sentence handed down to presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel, his lawyer said, two days before the vote is held. Zammel, who has been in prison for a month, is one of three candidates running for the presidency, along with current President Kais Saied and politician Zouhair Maghzaoui. Reuters
Gabon: In a Cat-and-Mouse Game, Russian Oil Tankers Are Flying New Flags
Since July 2023, more than 85 Russian-affiliated ships changed their registrations to Gabon from Liberia, according to the maritime analytics company Windward. Among them are ships in the fleet of Sovcomflot, a state-owned Russian shipping company that has been the subject of Western sanctions. With that, Gabon’s registry, which opened in 2018, has ballooned into one of the quickest growing in the world…All ships must register with a national authority, and countries with maritime registries have competed to offer lower taxes, less stringent regulations and speedy certifications. In registering ships, the authorities must certify that a vessel is seaworthy and well insured. That Gabon has registered so many Russian tankers has contributed to its reputation for not being as strict as other jurisdictions. The New York Times
How Journalism Groups in Africa Are Building AI Tools to Aid Investigations and Fact-Checking
[An Africa Center for Strategic Studies report documented] 189 disinformation campaigns across the continent in 2023…It is in that context that a number of African investigative journalism organizations are developing AI tools and resources to enhance the effectiveness of fact-checking and watchdog reporting…Research shows false news spreads six times faster than accurate news on social media. To counter this, a team developed MyAIFactChecker, an AI-powered tool that enables users to swiftly and accurately verify news, social media posts, and other digital content…In May 2024, Dubawa, a project of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in Nigeria, introduced both an AI-powered chatbot and audio platform to enhance fact-checking efforts…In 2022, Dataphyte Nigeria, a media research and data analytics organization, collaborated with Fedrelandsvennen, a Norwegian newspaper, to launch an AI tool called Nubia. Initially designed as an AI-powered news distribution platform, the tool aims to transform webcam, geospatial, and socioeconomic data into data-driven alerts and reports. Global Investigative Journalism Network
Financing a Debt to Nature
A group of African nations is working on what could become the world’s first joint ‘debt-for-nature’ swap and the latest innovative solution on debt reduction and climate financing. The countries supporting the ‘Great Blue Wall’ conservation plan to protect coral reefs on the Indian Ocean include Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania and the Comoros, though only a handful are understood to be involved in the debt swap proposal. The project is working to raise over US$2 billion to protect a coral-rich region of the Indian Ocean, according to Thomas Sberna of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Backed by the United States and British governments, it aims to protect and restore two million hectares of ocean ecosystems by 2030, replenishing coral reefs, mangroves and fish stocks…Debt-for-nature swaps and the Global Green Bond Initiative are among the latest attempts by leaders to link climate finance and debt alleviation for the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Africa Confidential
Kenya Asks IMF to Review Corruption Issues after Western Push
Kenya’s government has asked the International Monetary Fund to conduct an official assessment of corruption and governance issues, the IMF told Reuters, after a push by Western nations. Kenya has struggled with debt that has reached precarious levels in recent years, and its withdrawal of proposed tax hikes earlier this year – following deadly protests – complicated its efforts to unlock a $600 million disbursement from the IMF. Countries themselves must request the so-called “governance diagnostic”, which investigates whether corruption and governance vulnerabilities are draining revenue or creating other problems in state finances. Reuters
Kenya’s Deputy President Asks Court to Halt His Impeachment
Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday filed a petition to the high court in Nairobi seeking to halt an impeachment process launched against him by lawmakers earlier this week, documents showed. Allies of Kenyan President William Ruto tabled a motion in parliament on Tuesday to impeach Gachagua, accusing him of stirring ethnic hatred, undermining the government and amassing a large and unexplained property portfolio…Hailing from the populous Mount Kenya region, Gachagua helped mobilise a large voting bloc that helped Ruto win power, but the two have reportedly since fallen out. The deputy president has become less influential since Ruto nominated members of the main opposition coalition to his government after protests in June and July against planned tax hikes in which more than 50 people were killed. Reuters
South Africa’s Top Court Will Decide if Impeachment Proceedings against the President Can Be Revived
South Africa’s Constitutional Court said Thursday that it would hear a case next month brought by two opposition parties to revive impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving more than $500,000 in cash that was hidden in a couch at his ranch and then stolen. Ramaphosa avoided an impeachment vote in 2022 when his African National Congress party used its majority in Parliament to block a motion, even after an independent report raised questions over his conduct and recommended there be a full investigation. The ANC has since been joined by nine other parties in a broad coalition to govern South Africa, quietening some of the criticism of Ramaphosa over the scandal. But two parties who aren’t part of the unity government, the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters and the African Transformation Movement, filed papers with the country’s highest court, arguing that Parliament didn’t properly fulfil its constitutional role in holding the president to account. AP
South Sudan President Kiir Dismisses Intelligence Chief Akol Koor Kuc
South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Thursday, through a presidential decree, dismissed his long-time intelligence chief and appointed him as the governor of his home state. Lt Gen Akol Khoor, who led the National Security Service’s (NSS) Internal Security Bureau, was replaced by former Warrap State governor Lt Gen Akec Tong Aleu. In a separate decree, Gen Akol was reappointed as the governor of Warrap State, replacing Kuol Muor. The move has sparked mixed reactions online, with many expressing surprises at the president’s decision, while others commended his frequent use of decrees to shuffle officials. Kiir, the country’s president since independence, has often exercised his constitutional powers to appoint and dismiss officials, sometimes only a few months after their appointment. Governors, national ministers, and other constitutional post holders have been frequent targets of such reshuffles. The EastAfrican
Ethiopian Military Boosts Operations in Amhara Region
Ethiopia’s army said it has launched a major operation against Fano rebel groups in the Amhara region, as the conflict continues, despite calls by rights groups and international partners for a peaceful resolution. Army spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane said Tuesday that the Ethiopian National Defense Force, or the ENDF, in coordination with the region’s security forces, have started a military operation. He claimed continued calls for peace have “fallen on deaf ears.”…He indicated the operation started this past weekend. Federal and regional officials said measures are also being taken against suspected supporters of the rebel group, including members of the business community. The announcement of the operation came on the day human rights group Amnesty International accused Ethiopia’s army of conducting “mass arbitrary detentions” in the Amhara region…Fighting in the Amhara region began more than a year ago with a dispute over the disarming of regional paramilitary forces. Fresh fighting was reported as recently as last week. VOA
Ghana to Exit Default after Two Years with Debt Restructuring
Ghana will exit a debt default after the west African nation completed a restructuring of $13bn in US dollar bonds, paving the way for a return to global capital markets almost two years after an economic crisis forced it to suspend debt repayments. Almost all bondholders voted to exchange their bonds for new debt worth $4.7bn less, lowering Ghana’s debt bill by more than $4bn in the next two years, the government said in a statement on Thursday…Rampant inflation and the Ghanaian cedi’s collapse against the US dollar after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine led Ghana into a $3bn IMF bailout that required talks with its major creditors to reduce the debt…The legacy of the financial turmoil will be a factor in the December elections, which will pit Akufo-Addo’s vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia against John Mahama, a former president. Financial Times
Ghana Reports First Mpox Case but Variant Not yet Clear
Ghana’s health service has reported the country’s first case of mpox this year, without disclosing which variant had been recorded, according to a statement. A health official told Reuters that testing was underway to determine whether it was the clade Ib form of the mpox virus that has triggered global concern, as it appears to be spreading quickly and little is known about the strain. Ghana previously recorded cases of mpox in 2022 and 2023…Ghana’s health service has reported the country’s first case of mpox this year, without disclosing which variant had been recorded, according to a statement. A health official told Reuters that testing was underway to determine whether it was the clade Ib form of the mpox virus that has triggered global concern, as it appears to be spreading quickly and little is known about the strain. Ghana previously recorded cases of mpox in 2022 and 2023. Reuters
US, Allies Discuss ‘urgent Need’ to Finalize Plans for New African Union Mission in Somalia
The United States and four other countries discussed the need to finalize plans for the new African Union stabilization and support mission in Somalia, the U.S. Department of State said in a statement on Thursday. The department said the U.S., Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom also discussed the urgency of finalizing funding options for the new mission. The meeting among the U.S. and the other countries took place on Oct. 1, the department said. Reuters
Zimbabwe Compensates Foreign and Local Farmers over Land Invasions
The Zimbabwean government will this month pay an initial $20 million to foreign white and local Black farmers who lost land in farm invasions under former leader Robert Mugabe at the turn of the century, the finance minister said on Friday. The spending was allocated in the 2024 budget as part of a series of measures to restore the country’s once-thriving farming sector and help launch a long promised economic revival. Agriculture collapsed when Mugabe oversaw the seizure of highly productive farms in 2000. Most were owned by Zimbabwean white commercial farmers after colonialists forcibly took them from Blacks early in the 20th century. But foreign white farmers and some Black Zimbabweans also lost property in the seizures a quarter of a century ago, many of them spontaneous, unorganised and largely benefiting those with links to the ruling Zanu-PF party…A separate and much larger $3.5 billion scheme for 4,000 white Zimbabwean farmers was announced in 2020, but the money has not been forthcoming owing to Zimbabwe’s financial woes. Reuters
ECJ Rules EU-Morocco Trade Deals Invalid in Western Sahara
The European Court of Justice ruled on Friday that the European Commission had breached the right of people in Western Sahara to self-determination by concluding trade deals with Morocco. Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed the territory. Friday’s decision is the final ruling after several appeals by the Commission, the European Union’s executive arm. The EU signed fishing and agriculture agreements with Morocco in 2019 that also covered products from the Western Sahara. Reuters