Africa Media Review for September 4, 2024

Ugandan Opposition Leader Bobi Wine Shot in Leg in Clash With Police
Uganda’s top opposition figure, Bobi Wine, was shot in the leg by the police on Tuesday, his political party said, calling it an escalation of a government campaign of intimidation against a prominent critic who challenged the country’s autocratic leader in a run for the presidency in 2021. It was not immediately clear whether a bullet or a tear-gas canister was the projectile that had hit Mr. Wine’s leg, Mr. Wine’s international lawyer, Bruce Afran, said in a phone interview. Mr. Afran said that Mr. Wine’s wound does not appear to be life-threatening and that he was receiving treatment at a hospital in the capital, Kampala. Mr. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, rose to prominence in recent years to become the leading challenger to the government of President Yoweri Museveni…During the campaign, Mr. Wine was repeatedly beaten and detained, and security forces surrounded his house as the results trickled in…The shooting of Mr. Wine caps a long campaign of government harassment and intimidation of both Mr. Wine and other political opposition and civil society groups in Uganda. The New York Times

Burkina Faso Junta Faces Outcry after Militants Kill Scores in Barsalogho
Islamist militants gunned down scores on Aug. 24 as residents of the north-central town of Barsalogho dug defensive trenches on the orders of the army, according to a group of affected families and an eyewitness account…A group of victims’ relatives says at least 400 people died. They have issued a string of statements, calling out the junta under the anonymous banner of Justice Collective for Barsalogho (CJB) for fear of retribution, civil society sources say. The group has accused authorities of “gagging those who dare to speak out about the tragedy.” It said soldiers tried to kidnap a volunteer fighter in Barsalogho on Thursday over audio recordings that denounced the attack. Civilians who intervened managed to prevent his abduction, but an activist in the nearby city of Kaya, also linked to the recordings, went missing on the same day, it said in a statement on Saturday…Junta leader Ibrahim Traore has become increasingly intolerant of critics since he ousted his predecessor Paul-Henri Damiba, who had himself toppled Burkina Faso’s last elected president months earlier. Reuters

At Least 81 Killed in Nigeria in Suspected Boko Haram Attack, Officials Say
At least 81 people died and several were missing after an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe State, local officials told AFP on Tuesday…[Abdulkarim Dungus, a Yobe state police spokesperson] said it appeared to be a revenge attack “for the killing of two Boko Haram terrorists by vigilantes from the village.”…Boko Haram and other extremist groups have waged a 15-year insurgency in northeastern Nigeria that has killed more than 40,000 people. AFP

10 Anti-government Protesters Go on Trial for Treason in Nigeria
Trial began Monday in Nigeria for 10 people charged with treason in connection with anti-government protests that erupted last month over the high cost of living. The defendants could face the death penalty if convicted. The defendants are also charged with conspiring to incite the military to mutiny. They pleaded not guilty, and a bail hearing was set for September 11. In early August, thousands of protesters took to Nigeria’s streets to denounce President Bola Tinubu’s policies and government…The case has drawn the ire of human rights group Amnesty International. Isa Sanusi, the country director for Amnesty in Nigeria, said, “What they’re doing is just a deliberate effort to psychologically and physically break down these people, who are resilient people and came out to express their anger over the way the nation is being run as a result of corruption and mismanagement. So the trial is a sham; it does not meet all the international standards of fair trial.” VOA

Hundreds Stranded at Sudan-Ethiopia Border as Conflict Flares
More than 700 Sudanese people are stranded on both sides of the Gallabat border crossing between Sudan and Ethiopia as fighting intensifies in nearby Ethiopian regions, authorities in eastern Sudan said on Monday. Around 400 people are stuck in the Metema Yohannes area inside Ethiopia, while 321 are on the Sudanese side in Gallabat, government sources told Sudan Tribune. The fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region between the military and the Fano militia has also put Sudanese refugees in the area at risk, with the U.N. refugee agency saying on Friday that two Sudanese refugees had been killed by cross-border shelling. There are 2,652 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia, spread across three camps…Ethiopia has sent military reinforcements to the border area, and the army has been carrying out arrests of Fano leaders and their families in Metema, military sources said. Sudan Tribune

Libya Factions Agree to Appoint Central Bank Governor in Bid to Ease Crisis
Libya’s two legislative bodies agreed on Tuesday to appoint jointly a central bank governor, potentially defusing a battle for control of the country’s oil revenue that has slashed production. The House of Representatives based in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, and the High State Council in Tripoli in the west signed a joint statement after two days of talks hosted by the U.N. Support Mission in Libya. They agreed to appoint a central bank governor and board of directors within 30 days. Libya’s central bank is the sole legal repository for Libyan oil revenue, and it pays state salaries across the country. The two chambers also agreed to extend consultations for five days, concluding on Sept. 9. Libya has had little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising and it split in 2014 between eastern and western factions…The standoff began when the head of the Presidency Council in Tripoli moved last month to oust veteran central bank Governor Sadiq al-Kabir and replace him with a rival board. This prompted eastern factions to declare a shutdown to all oil production, demanding Kabir’s dismissal be halted. Reuters

Egypt’s Sisi Heads for Turkey in First Presidential Visit in 12 Years
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will hold talks with President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Wednesday in the first presidential level visit in 12 years amid a warming of long-frozen relations between the regional powers.
The visit comes after Erdogan travelled to Cairo in February, his first trip to Egypt since 2012, taking a major step toward rebuilding ties that were severely strained for a decade…Ties between the two countries began improving in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic charm offensive to ease tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Turkey and Egypt mutually reappointed ambassadors last year, and Ankara has said it would provide Cairo with armed drones. Erdogan said in Cairo that the countries wanted to boost trade to $15 billion in the short term from $10 billion. Reuters

Algeria Votes for President This Weekend but with Inflation and Boycott, Few Appear to Care
[A]side from public television broadcasts showing candidates traveling the country, there are few signs of enthusiasm heading into Algeria’s presidential election this weekend. Prospective voters in the gas-rich North African nation say they are more concerned about prolonged inflation’s effects on the spiking prices of school supplies, potatoes and coffee. Military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, appears poised to breeze to a second term…The malaise is a far cry from the hopes of April 2019, when pro-democracy activists with the Hirak movement called for broad, structural changes to Algeria’s military-dominated political system after then-octogenarian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned under pressure. Political apathy has reasserted itself among many prospective voters, while the country’s fledgling opposition alleges that political elites who run the country have again entrenched themselves in power…Activists and others have reported repression of perceived dissent. Dozens of people were arrested last month on election fraud charges, and three potential candidates were placed under court supervision. AP

Botswana to Hold Elections October 30 as President Masisi Seeks 2nd Term
Botswana, Africa’s longest democracy, will hold its general election on October 30, President Mokgweetsi Masisi announced Tuesday. Masisi will seek a second and final term after his ruling party endorsed his candidacy over the weekend. In a public address, Masisi said Botswana will continue with its long-standing principle of holding regular elections. Masisi’s ruling Botswana Democratic Party has been in power since independence from Britain in 1966…Masisi is seeking a second term, which would be his final one, if he is reelected. The president is allowed two terms in office, according to the constitution. The BDP’s main threat is from a coalition of parties, the Umbrella for Democratic Change, or UDC, and the Botswana Congress Party, which has broken away from the opposition alliance. VOA

South Sudan: You’re Not Ready, Lobbies Tell Juba on Polls
South Sudanese and Kenyan civil society groups want Juba’s planned December 2024 elections delayed until all measures are in place to allow credible polling. Representatives of 22 organisations met in Nairobi on September 2 to discuss the South Sudan situation and concluded that the December elections were not feasible due to inadequate preparations. The groups said they are banking on the Tumaini Initiative — talks launched in May between the Juba government and the hold-out groups – to form a strong foundation for the enactment of a permanent constitution and pave the way for elections…The elections in South Sudan have been a matter of probability, due to the financial and legal requirements, and reform of institutions to lay the groundwork for proper polls. The EastAfrican

Zimbabwe: ZANU‑PF in Fresh Plan to Extend Mnangagwa’s Presidency despite His Promise to Retire
President Emerson Mnangagwa saying that he respects Zimbabwe’s constitution and would serve only two terms has derailed efforts by his party to alter the law to get him to serve beyond his current mandate…The party is mobilising grassroots structures to support a motion for an extension of Mnangagwa’s presidential term during its December national conference. But to achieve such constitutional amendments would be difficult, and even if the amendments pass through both houses of parliament where ZANU-PF has a two-thirds majority, they will still need to be subjected to a national referendum, constitutional expert Greg Linington tells The Africa Report…However, opposition MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora, one of the constitutional lawyers that crafted Zimbabwe’s 2013 charter, says any amendments to presidential term limits are an affront to principles of democracy and good governance, especially at a time when Zimbabweans are reeling from the effects of almost four decades of dictatorship under former president Robert Mugabe. The Africa Report

Ethiopian Airlines Says It Halts Eritrea Flights after Account Frozen
Ethiopian Airlines said on Tuesday it had suspended flights to neighbouring Eritrea because its bank account there was frozen. The carrier’s CEO Mesfin Tasew told a news conference that the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority had blocked money transfers from Ethiopian Airlines’ bank account in the Eritrean capital city Asmara. Eritrea had previously said it would suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights at the end of this month. Flights from Ethiopia to Eritrea had resumed in 2018 after two decades, following a peace deal and resumption of diplomatic relations between the two neighbours that earned Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed a Nobel peace prize a year later…Five diplomats told Reuters the suspension of flights signalled that relations between Asmara and Addis had soured significantly, but the risk of conflict was unlikely for now. Reuters

African Leaders Snub Indonesian Summit in Favor of China Visits
Representatives from 29 African nations headed to the Indonesian resort island, well-short of the 47 countries that were represented during the inaugural Indonesia-Africa forum in 2018. Despite this, the Southeast Asian country is hoping to have sealed $3.5 billion worth of business deals from the three-day forum, according to President Joko Widodo…Relations between Indonesia and the African continent date back to at least 1955, when former Indonesian President Sukarno hosted the Asian-Africa conference in the city of Bandung. Most of the African states represented were newly independent…Announcements from the summit include an agreement between Indonesia’s Energi Mega Persada and Guma Africa Group for a gas project in South Africa that could be worth up to $900 million…Though deal-making at this summit presents Indonesia opportunities to expand its export markets, the country is also looking to secure import deals with African nations to boost lithium supplies. The Southeast Asian nation has a booming nickel industry but needs lithium as another key component for assembling and producing batteries for electric vehicles. VOA