Africa Media Review for September 23, 2024

The United Arab Emirates Is Expanding a Covert Campaign to Back a Winner in Sudan’s Civil War
Eager to cement its role as a regional kingmaker, the wealthy Persian Gulf petrostate is expanding its covert campaign to back a winner in Sudan, funneling money, weapons and, now, powerful drones to [RSF] fighters rampaging across the country, according to officials, internal diplomatic memos and satellite images analyzed by The New York Times. All the while, the Emirates is presenting itself as a champion of peace, diplomacy and international aid. It is even using one of the world’s most famous relief symbols — the Red Crescent, the counterpart of the Red Cross — as a cover for its secret operation to fly drones into Sudan and smuggle weapons to fighters, satellite images show and American officials say. The war in Sudan, a sprawling gold-rich nation with nearly 500 miles of Red Sea coastline, has been fueled by a plethora of foreign nations, like Iran and Russia. They are supplying arms to the warring sides, hoping to tilt the scales for profit or their own strategic gain — while the people of Sudan are caught in the crossfire. But the Emirates is playing the largest and most consequential role of all, officials say, publicly pledging to ease Sudan’s suffering even as it secretly inflames it. The New York Times

‘Barely Anyone Left’: Sudan’s El-Fasher Devastated by Fighting
UN chief Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson said Saturday the Secretary-General was “gravely alarmed by reports of a full-scale assault” by the RSF and called on its commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, “to act responsibly and immediately order a halt to the RSF attack”. Since May, the RSF has laid siege to the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher – the only major city in Sudan’s vast western region of Darfur not under their control. Even before their long-threatened multi-directional attack on the city, the violence had killed hundreds, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders. It had also displaced hundreds of thousands and forced the nearby Zamzam displacement camp into all-out famine, the UN said. El-Fasher has long been surrounded by multiple displacement camps – including Zamzam and Abu Shouk – which have swelled by hundreds of thousands since the war began. The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which tracks the violence in Sudan using satellite imagery, reported on Friday civilians had been fleeing “en masse by foot on the road from El-Fasher to Zamzam,” where famine was declared last month. RFI

Chad Floods Kill 503, Affect 1.7 Million People, UN Says
Severe flooding in Chad since July has claimed 503 lives and affected around 1.7 million people since July, the United Nations said Saturday in its latest assessment of the disaster. The floods have destroyed 212,111 houses, flooded 357,832 hectares of fields, and drowned 69,659 heads of cattle, said the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Chad. All of the country’s provinces have been hit, Chad’s water and energy minister Marcelin Kanabe Passale told journalists Saturday morning, warning of more trouble to come. “The waters of the Logone and Chari rivers have reached a critical height likely to cause obvious serious flooding in the coming days,” Passale said. N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, is located where the Logone and Chari rivers flow into each other…The U.N. warned in early September of the impact of “torrential rains and severe flooding” in the wider region, particularly in Chad, calling for immediate action and funding to tackle climate change. AFP

Tunisians Resume Protests against President Ahead of Oct. 6 Election
Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Sunday against President Kais Saied, accusing him of deepening authoritarian rule and stifling political competition two weeks before a presidential election. The protest came after lawmakers proposed a bill to strip the administrative court of its authority to adjudicate electoral disputes, a move that the opposition says would discredit the Oct. 6 election, and pave the way for Saied to secure a second term…Political tensions in the North African country have risen since an electoral commission named by Saied disqualified three prominent presidential candidates, Mondher Znaidi, Abdellatif Mekki and Imed Daimi. The commission defied the administrative court, the highest judicial body in election-related disputes, and allowed only two candidates to run against Saied…Critics say Saied is using the electoral commission and judiciary to secure victory by stifling competition and intimidating candidates. Reuters

Mali Officials Close Livestock Markets over Suspected Links to Militants
Authorities in Mali’s capital announced Thursday after a deadly attack by [JNIM] militants that they were closing several livestock markets that typically are run by an ethnic group that officials associate with the militants…Most livestock markets in Mali’s capital are run by Fulani people — also known as the Peuhl — who are believed to be the largest semi-nomadic ethnic group in the world, with communities stretching from Senegal to the Central African Republic. Fulanis also are disproportionately represented in Islamic militant groups in central Mali, which has led to them being stigmatized by other ethnic groups…Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a think tank in Morocco, told The Associated Press that Mali’s government perceives Fulanis as generally working with jihadis and believes that the JNIM has infiltrated the capital with their help…Lyammouri said that “continues to feed into the narrative that all Fulanis support jihadist groups, which is not true,” Lyammouri said. AP

Attacks by Islamic Extremists Are Rampant in Africa’s Sahel. Here’s what We Know about Them
Three Sahelian nations, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, are now ruled by military leaders who have taken power by force, on the pledge of providing more security to citizens. But the security situation in the Sahel has worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and a record number of civilians killed both by Islamic fighters and government forces…The main two groups operating in the region are the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), and the Islamic State in the Sahel…These groups attack, terrorize and kill local populations and their actions likely amount to war crimes, according to rights organizations…Analysts predict that the situation in the Sahel is going to worsen in the coming months, with the military governments becoming increasingly desperate as they focus on preserving their political existence, and no way of holding them accountable…And the violence has been spilling outside the Sahel borders: Extremists believed to be linked to al-Qaida have crossed into Benin and the north of Nigeria, the latest trend in the militants’ movements to wealthier West African coastal nations…A major challenge has been, and will continue to be, access to information, experts said. All juntas significantly restricted journalism, so now they are in complete control of the narrative, including of who is defined as a jihadi. AP

Tanzanian Police Block Access to Opposition Party Leaders’ Homes
Police blocked access to the homes of two opposition leaders in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Monday, their party said, ahead of planned protests which authorities have banned. Police blockaded the residences of the CHADEMA party chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, having said Monday’s demonstration against alleged killings and abductions of opposition officials would be illegal. The East African country’s rights record has improved under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 following the death of her hardline predecessor John Magufuli. Police abuses targeting critics of the government have continued, however, and intensified in the run-up to local government elections in December, and the national election in 2025, rights defenders say. Earlier this month a senior CHADEMA member was abducted from a bus by armed men his body later found on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam with signs he had been beaten and acid poured on his face. Reuters

Peacekeepers Won’t Leave DRC in Dec, Says UN Official
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Monusco, will not exit the country by December 2024. UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who visited the Congo this weekend, said that December 31, 2024, which was supposed to be the date for the total withdrawal of Monusco troops, has never formally been agreed on by all the parties. “I dispel this rumour, especially as it has never been confirmed by the authorities, ourselves or the Security Council. We are currently in a consultation phase, and the humanitarian situation remains very worrying. We have met with members of civil society, who have all asked us to stay in Ituri in particular,” Mr Lacroix said in Kinshasa…[T]he “security vacuum” feared by the Congolese authorities is now manifesting in Ituri, where Codeco and other armed groups are wreaking havoc and killing civilians…Monusco has pledged to reinforce its positions in Ituri and continue supporting the Southern African Development Community mission in the DRC. The EastAfrican

Facebook Loses Jurisdiction Appeal in Kenyan Court Paving the Way for Moderators’ Case to Proceed
Facebook’s parent company Meta on Friday lost its appeal in a Kenyan labor court that ruled the company could be sued in Kenya over the mass sacking of content moderators. The court had earlier ruled that Kenyan courts had jurisdiction over the matter, but Meta challenged the ruling on appeal. The case filed by some 185 content moderators from different African countries who were working for a Meta contractor, Sama, in Nairobi will now proceed in the labor court, their lawyer, Mercy Mutemi, said Friday. They are seeking $1.6 billion in compensation. Facebook is facing two lawsuits in Kenya, the first one filed by content moderator Daniel Motaung who alleges the company exploited him and his colleagues and damaged their mental health. The second case filed by 185 moderators challenges the termination of their employment contracts…Some of the petitioners have told The Associated Press that their jobs required them to watch horrific content for eight hours a day that overwhelmed many of them while being paid 60,000 Kenyan shillings, or $414 a month…An out-of-court settlement agreed on in court collapsed in October 2023 after what the moderators’ lawyer termed as insincerity by Facebook. AP

Kenya’s President Visits Haiti as UN Considers Future of Peacekeeping Efforts
Kenya’s President William Ruto arrived in Haiti on Saturday and said that because of a Kenyan police force battling gangs “the country’s security has significantly improved.” Ruto’s claim was contradicted by a United Nations security expert, who just days earlier warned that violence in the country was worsening as gangs expand their control across the Caribbean nation…About 400 Kenyan police are in Haiti. Earlier this month, about two dozen police officers and soldiers from Jamaica arrived in the country. But the United States and other countries have said that the forces aren’t enough and lack resources to take on gangs, which control about 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, U.N. human rights expert William O’Neill, who visited Haiti this week, warned Friday that gang violence is spreading across Haiti and that Haiti’s National Police still lack the “logistical and technical capacity” to fight gangs, which are capturing new territory…The security mission is expected to reach a total of 2,500 personnel, with the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad also pledging to send police and soldiers, although it wasn’t clear when that would happen. While the U.S. has floated the idea of a U.N. peacekeeping force, the idea would be controversial given the cholera and sexual abuse cases that occurred the last time U.N. troops were in Haiti. VOA with AFP

Congo Frees 600 Inmates at Main Prison in a Bid to Ease Overcrowding
Authorities in Congo said they released 600 prisoners in the country’s main prison on Saturday as part of a process aimed at decongesting overcrowded prisons. There are plans for construction of a new prison in Kinshasa, [Justice Minister Constant Mutamba] said, without giving more details. Makala prison, Congo’s largest penitentiary with a capacity for 1,500 people, holds more than 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, Amnesty International said in its latest country report. Earlier this month, an attempted jailbreak in the prison left 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility, according to authorities…Inmates had increasingly grown frustrated with the poor conditions in the facility, including inadequate beds, poor feeding and poor sanitation. AP

Museveni’s Son Says He Will Not Run in Ugandan Presidential Race
The son of Uganda’s long-serving leader Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday he had abandoned plans to run for presidency at the next election in 2026, urging his supporters to endorse his father instead. President Museveni, who has led the country for 38 years, is widely expected to run for re-election even though he has not yet confirmed his candidacy. “I would like to announce that I will not be on the ballot paper in 2026,” said Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “I fully endorse President Yoweri Museveni in the next elections,” he said, urging his supporters to back his father for a seventh term. Kainerugaba, currently the head of the country’s military, is widely expected to eventually become his father’s chosen successor but is also known for making controversial comments. Museveni apologized to Kenya in 2022 after his son threatened on Twitter to invade the neighboring country. Uganda’s opposition has long accused Museveni of seeking to impose a monarchy on Uganda — a claim the president denies. Museveni, 80, has ruled Uganda since 1986 and has changed the constitution twice to extend his rule. AFP

US, UK, Norway Say South Sudan Poll Delay Shows Leadership ‘Failure’
The United States, the United Kingdom and Norway expressed “deep concern” on Saturday at the announcement of a two-year delay in elections in South Sudan, terming the extension of a transitional government a “failure.” “This announcement demonstrates the persistent and collective failure of South Sudan’s leaders to create the conditions necessary to hold credible and peaceful elections,” said a joint statement from the three governments. South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but was plunged into a civil war two years later that killed an estimated 400,000 people. A 2018 peace deal brought together President Salva Kiir and bitter rival Vice President Riek Machar, but efforts to write a constitution and hold the country’s first elections have been repeatedly delayed. Last week, Kiir’s office announced that voting planned for December would be pushed back by another two years, ahead of a Sunday deadline for the transitional government to be dissolved…The three countries “acknowledged” that polls could not be held as scheduled in December and blamed “a lack of political will.” AFP

Lack of Birth Certificates Puts Cameroon’s Indigenous People on the Brink of Statelessness
The Baka and fellow Indigenous Bagyieli have lived in harmony with the forests of central Africa for generations. But mining and logging activities are encroaching, along with conservation areas, and government policy aims to integrate the ethnic groups into mainstream society…But for many Baka children,..[t]heir lack of birth certificates poses a significant barrier — part of a wider global problem. They never saw the need for birth certificates when they barely interacted with the world beyond the forest. Even now, they live far from administrative centers and can rarely afford the transport to reach them…The document remains elusive for the more than 120,000 members of Cameroon’s Baka and Bagyieli communities. Without birth certificates, they cannot obtain national identity documents and are excluded from the full benefits of citizenship…There is hope for change. Earlier this summer, [members of Cameroon’s parliament] passed a bill allowing the country to accede to two United Nations conventions relating to the recognition of stateless people…Cameroon’s actions are part of a commitment by African nations earlier this year to address the right to nationality and eradicate statelessness on the continent of more than 1.3 billion people. AP

African Scientists Are Worried about a Different Demographic Explosion
Africa, which is often recognized for its young population with a median age of 19, is also home to the fastest-growing elderly population in the world, according to the UN…The healthy life expectancy in Africa jumped by 10 years per person between 2000 and 2019, a greater rise than in any other region in the world during the same period…In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 2.13 million people were living with dementia in 2015, with numbers projected to nearly double every 20 years, increasing to 3.5 million by 2030 and 7.6 million by 2050, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. Many African countries lack widespread epidemiological studies or national registries for key non-communicable diseases. For example, early detection technologies, such as advanced brain imaging and blood biomarkers that are used in developed countries are not widely available in Africa. Most neurologists on the continent have to work with outdated tools, which further delays diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural areas where access to specialized clinics is especially limited. Semafor