African Sentinel

18/05/2022

62YO Kenyan mountaineer James Kagambi joined the list of less than 10 Africans to summit Mt. Everest. He was the first African to conquer Denali - the highest peak in N. America, and to summit the highest points in four continents (including the highest peaks in Africa). Congratulations James!

19/04/2022

The UK banking group Standard Chartered is planning to exit Angola, Cameroon, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.

In a statement released yesterday via its website, the global banking group said the planned exits will enable it redirect resources to markets where it has the greatest potential to grow and scale.

As part of the restructuring, Standard Chartered will also do away with all aspects of its private and business banking operations in Tanzania and Ivory Coast, whilst focusing only on corporate, commercial and institutional banking in those two countries.

14/12/2021

Uganda's opposition politician and leader of National Unity Platform (NUP) Bobi Wine was barred from movement, effectively placing him under house arrest this morning at his Magere home in Wakiso district. There was reportedly a heavy presence of police and military personnel outside his house ahead of his planned campaigns for the by-election in Kayunga district.

Ugandan media reports that police and military have been deployed to Kayunga ahead of today's campaigns.

14/12/2021

"SOFTIE" (Kenyan Documentary)

Boniface Mwangi a.k.a “Softie” has long fought injustices in his country as a political activist. Now he’s taking the next step by running for office in a regional Kenyan election. From the moment Boniface decides to run, telling his wife, Njeri, in passing with a hesitant laugh, he responds to each challenge with optimism. But running a clean campaign against corrupt opponents becomes increasingly harder to combat with idealism alone. And Boniface soon finds that challenging strong political dynasties is putting his family at risk. Should country really come before family, as he’s always believed?

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SmShDwPSI

09/12/2021

Apple Music hits out again, grouping Africa with France and Japan. Surprisingly, their team was able to discern that Japan is a country in Asia and France in Europe, but didn't see a problem presenting Africa in a group of countries.

Either geography is a hard subject to master, or there is a taste of condescension when institutions of Apple's size and stature choose to misrepresent a whole people and their diverse identities.

08/12/2021

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was named 2021 African Personality of the year by Forbes Africa Magazine. Nana Addo became president of Ghana in 2017 basing his campaign on positioning Ghana in the global marketplace as a country reliant on its own resources and strengths.

Among some of the key reform policies of his administration, was to reduce Ghana's public debt by stimulating private-sector growth through the Ghana Economic Transformation Project, a government-led stimulus program designed to direct the growth of the micro, small, and medium enterprises, and provide clear policy direction and opportunities for actors involved. During his campaigns in 2015, he presented the vision for the project as "giving free rein to the Ghanian sense of enterprise and ingenuity".

His administration intended to reduce Ghana's budget deficits, a task they found daunting to achieve despite the optimism. Bloomberg reported in July 2021 that Addo's government failed to maintain its budget deficit below 5% of GDP in 2020 (11.7%) and 2021 (9.4%), which was a regression from the successes experienced in the first 2 years of his first term, where the government made budget deficit cuts from 8.7% of the GDP in 2016 to 3.4% in 2018.

The question remaining to be seen is whether the increased visibility that comes with such accolades will motivate his government to remain steady in the course of achieving development successes or shed light on failures at his attempts.

08/12/2021

According to the World Inequality Report 2022 produced by a network of social scientists under the World Inequality Lab, it is estimated that billionaires this year collectively own 3.5% of global household wealth, up from slightly above 2% at the start of the pandemic in early 2020.

The report drew on a variety of specialist research pieces and public domain data, with a foreword written by US-based economists Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, two of the trio who won a 2019 Nobel for work on poverty.

"Since wealth is a major source of future economic gains, and increasingly, of power and influence, this presages further increases in inequality," they wrote of what they called an "extreme concentration of economic power in the hands of a very small minority of the super-rich"

According to the report findings, the share of household wealth owned by billionaires has risen by a record amount during the pandemic, with millionaires also coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ REPORT:https://wir2022.wid.world/www-site/uploads/2021/12/Summary_WorldInequalityReport2022_English.pdf

05/12/2021

03/12/2021

How a man born in colonial-backed wealth can lecture Africans about conservation of wildlife, speaks to the mentality with which conversations around conservation and climate change, take place within the continent and outside. Kenyan ecologist, Dr Mordecai Ogada who co-authored "The Big Conservation Lie", a book focused on exposing the prejudice in the conservation programs in Kenya and highlights some of the underlying policy problems.

“the absolute numbers of people in Africa are far from being a problem for our environment more so because of the very light footprint of the people here”. which translates to many Indigenous communities having fewer incentives to harm the environment which they directly rely on to survive.

And when it comes to the environment, many Western do-gooders “look at human numbers instead of human behaviour”. It is the same flawed argument that claims African communities that have lived with wildlife for millennia are the real threat, while Westerners who have driven much of their own wildlife to extinction, have the answers.

The talk of overpopulation also feeds into a narrative that seeks to completely exonerate the West from the problems facing Africa. Africa – the tale they would like to tell goes – is poor and starving because it has too many Africans who are very bad at running their own affairs without murdering each other, and incapable of managing the natural resources and wildlife the continent is blessed with. Sound familiar? It was the justification for the “civilising mission” that was the cover for the brutal European plunder of the continent.

Credit: Patrick Gathara - Aljazeera

03/12/2021

What happens when an entire continent is profiled in Covid-19 discriminatory travel bans?.

The result is as you see below, Thailand authorities are tracking and rounding up 783 Africans from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe who arrived in Bangkok from Nov 15 and subjecting them to a "free" RT-PCR to confirm they are safe from spreading the Omicron variant to its population.

Thailand has also imposed a 14 - day quarantine on travellers from these Southern African countries.

Have your say: Is this the right approach to overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic?

02/12/2021

Vijay Prashad speech at COP26 on colonialism and the climate crisis:

He points out that:

The US with just 4-5% of the world's population, they still consume approx. 25% of global resources. When it comes to taking action, the US points fingers at "bigger producer" who essentially are clients to the US outsorcing machinery, producing most of what is consumed in America.

He also highlights how the IMF sets its debt traps in the global south, mainly countries in the process of overcoming colonialism and its observable effects.

All of these are obstacles for coordinated global action on climate. Why would the rest of the world reduce their emissions and consumption while the US (and the rest of the former colonial powers) dominate resources and is "do as I say, not as I do"

29/11/2021

PLO Lumumba speaking on the Past, Present and Future of Pan-Africanism in Ethiopia

24/09/2021

𝐍𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐚: 𝐀 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧

(5 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 )

A quick online search will yield several results on the Egyptian government providing compensation to Nubian populations for their land and Kenyan government acknowledging land rights of Nubians living within Kenya. Are these processes connected, and what does it signify? On the surface it appears as a completed judicial process yielding its fruit but its meaning is great for the land, people and the legacy of an entire civilization. The Nubian civilization was one of the earliest in Northeast Africa, with significant reach and influence.

The land compensation processes in Egypt are the culmination of a long and significant journey for Nubians, which was as a result of the decisions of both the British colonial powers in 1902 and the Egyptian government again in the 1960s to build the Aswan Low Dam and Aswan High Dam, respectively. The building of these dams resulted in large-scale uprooting of Nubian villages and displacement of Nubian populations to other areas. Today, the Nubian people have been divided by modern day borders and predominantly live in Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and in the diaspora. As Sudan and Egypt remain the original homeland for Nubian populations, the move in Egypt to compensate Nubians for their land lost is a step in the right direction. However, it remains very challenging to ascertain the rights of this ethnic minority group given the lack of systemic processes to capture data and information on overall ethnic minorities in Egypt. It has long been the approach of the government to promote one unique Egyptian identity above all else, which some might view as a positive patriotic step aimed to unify the country under one identity.

However, for Nubian Egyptians, along with other ethnic minorities, it inadvertently starts to erode their identity, language and historical footprint over time. Something as simple as population numbers for Nubians is almost impossible to estimate as the Egyptian census does not include breakdown by ethnicity. The last census that has data on the Nubian population was conducted in the early 1960s, almost six decades ago now. The purpose of a census is to collect information that is representative of the demography within any given borders, and that demographic information should include breakdown by minority groups. Without that representation a group is unable to advocate based on their numbers and will remain systematically marginalized.

In Kenya, there resides a substantial Nubian population despite it not being their historic homeland, due to the conscription of tens of thousands of Nubians to the British colonial army in the 19th century. Over one hundred years later, they are being recognized as a minority group and have slowly been battling for their rights to citizenship as well as land. Nubian children born in Kenya do not have immediate claim to Kenya citizenship and can only apply for it upon turning 18 years of age. Once they have applied they will go through a series of processes to assess whether that specific individual is eligible to receive citizenship, a right that most take for granted when they are born.

The hurdles that Nubian populations are facing in different countries might not originate from the same historical issues, however one thing is certain, it is a population that continues to face marginalization in one shape or form in the countries they reside in today. With Nubian children in Egypt learning Arabic, Nubian children in Kenya learning Swahili and English, and Nubian children in the diaspora learning the respective languages of those host countries there is a real risk that the Nubian language and culture will be lost. Hence governments and policies need to create space for fostering these unique ethnic and linguistic identities rather than pushing for homogeneity. Especially in recognition and preservation of one of the earliest and most underrepresented civilizations in the region.

21/09/2021

𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐰𝐢: 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐧𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝟖𝟓

(1 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 )

Egypt’s Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, who headed the military junta that ruled after president Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in the Arab Spring protests, has died at age 85, state media and a military official said Tuesday.

After his stint as Egypt’s de facto leader, he was soon sacked by the country’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi, and spent his remaining years largely out of public view.

A veteran of Egypt’s wars and politics, Field Marshal Tantawi had long served as Mubarak’s defense minister and as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

He became the acting head of state of the Arab world’s most populous country after an 18-day popular uprising during the region’s “Arab Spring” protests ended Mubarak’s rule in early 2011.

Tantawi “died today, Tuesday, after giving a lot” to his country, the government newspaper Akhbar al-Youm said in an online report confirmed to AFP by a military official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Like all Egyptian leaders from the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952 to the 2012 election of Morsi, Tantawi came from military ranks.

Born in 1935, and of Nubian origin, Tantawi began his career as an infantryman in 1956. He served during the 1956 Suez Crisis, and in the 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars against Israel.

After taking charge of the country, his junta quickly said Egypt would stay “committed” to its regional and international treaties, implicitly confirming that its landmark 1979 peace treaty with Israel would remain intact.

In 1991, Tantawi was on the side of the US-led coalition in the first Gulf War after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait.

He served as Egypt’s minister of defense and military production for 21 years and became the army chief in 1995.

Despite being a close associate of Mubarak, Tantawi relented to public pressure and put the ex-president on trial on charges of inciting the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising.

📸 🖊 Alarabiya

21/09/2021

There are reported movements of military tanks in the streets of Khartoum, closed roads & intense presence of army in certain locations.

21/09/2021

𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐱 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚

(𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 )

Netflix set to launch a free android plan in Kenya. In the package, Netflix will allow users to watch limited selection of its catalogue and a few full seasons of selected shows.

The new ad-free Netflix mobile plan for Android gives users the option to sign up without having to enter any payment information (though they’ll need to verify that they’re 18 or older and will still need to submit an email address to create a login).

They will include roughly a quarter of its library in the free plan, and users on this tier will be able to watch entire seasons of shows. Netflix said it hopes that users who enjoy using the service will eventually upgrade to one of its paid subscriptions, which support streaming from TVs and laptops as well.

🖊 The Verge

📸 Netflix

21/09/2021

𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩

(𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 )

Sudanese state TV reported today that at least 40 military officers have been arrested in a failed attempted coup in the capital Khartourm. In the same report, they alleged that the organizers of the coup were planning on taking over the public media building in Omdurman.

The attempted coup, follows an ouster that saw Omar Al-Bashir deposed two years ago. The Sudanese transitional government has been making efforts to reconcile the political divisions that hallmarked Al-Bashir’s regime.

The transitional government has been loosing support owing to economic downturn as a result of austerity measures instituted to qualify for IMF loans .

20/09/2021

𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 "𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚" 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬

(𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑)

Paul Rusesabagina, whose story featured in the movie Hotel Rwanda, detailing his part in the rescue of dozens of victims of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, was found guilty on terrorism charges by a Kigali court.

He was charged with the 2018 attacks on civilians, looting, arson and assault by the armed wing of the opposition party he had formed (National Liberation Front - FLN).

In an interview with France 24, President Kagame had defended his government’s tactics in the extradition of Rusesabagina to Rwanda in 2020, after a man tricked him into a flight that was allegedly meant to depart from Dubai and land in Burundi. However Human rights Watch (HRW) has termed this as forceful disappearance.

Rusesabagina and his lawyers have since been fighting the charges in court citing an unfair judicial process and a witch hunt due his critical opposition to President Kagame regime.

📸 ©Reuters

16/09/2021

𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚: 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

(5 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑)

When African countries were organizing for independence in the early 1940s–50s, Guinea was one of Africa’s most prolific contributors to the Pan-African agenda. Led by Ahmed Sèkou Tourè, Guinea was among the first countries to secure independence in the region. Despite multiple teething problems in attaining democratic freedoms, as a young nation it sought to discover itself in a dynamic context taking shape in the region and globally. Ahmed Sèkou Tourè’s reign lasted for four consecutive seven-year terms ending with his death in 1984. Albeit the limited freedoms and high levels of poverty, Ahmed Sèkou Tourè’s regime was good for protecting the natural resources in the country by completely blocking France's ambitions to extract bauxite, iron ore, gold and diamond that Guinea had in abundance.

After independence, Ahmed Sèkou Tourè joined the likes of Ghanaian founding leader and Pan-Africanist, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah in campaigning for African federation, ignoring neighboring Côte d'Ivoire and its friendly policy and courtship with France under the leadership of Félix Houphouët-Boigny. This proved detrimental to the economic advancement of Guinea compared to other African nations that upheld the imbalanced, extractive relationships with their former colonizers.

Following Ahmed Sèkou Tourè’s death in 1984, the country was taken over by the Prime minister Louis Lansana Beavogui for only 8 days followed by three successive military junta governments from 1984 to 2010, after which Guinea held its first elections, ushering in the regime of the first democratically elected president Alpha Condè through the Rally of Guinean People (RPG) party. President Condè was an opposition figure who advocated for democratic rule throughout the military junta days and was very vocal about the shrinking civil space in the country. He was seen as the voice of reason in a region that was witnessing civil wars, coup d'états, and dysfunctional states. He was viewed as a strong critique of dictators of the time. Given his background in academics and law, having served as a professor of public law at Sorbonne University in France, and his participation in African student organization whilst in university, most Guineans expected his regime to be more attuned to the tenets of democracy, economic freedoms, and human-rights based governance. However, this was not the case. Despite seeing general growth - relatively below par - given the country’s natural resource reserves and the general economic and social growth seen by most countries in the region, Alpha Condè did not achieve much more than his predecessors factoring in the kind of changes effected by the passage of time, given competitive regional socio-economic and political changes. Key among some of the changes that occured during his tenure were, the introduction of regulations in the mineral sector imposing a 33% government stakes in minerals. This was a significant increase from the previous 15% which was at the time already relatively higher compared to 10% government carried interest in both Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire. Nevertheless, he endeavored to improve access to electricity, collection of revenue, and improvement in the health sector. All this was however affected by the Ebola crisis which necessitated a 20% increase in the fuel taxes as a countermeasure and subsequent increase in commodity prices.

After two terms in government, Alpha Condè sought to effect constitutional change on the term limit in order to extend his tenure in government, which was met by opposition from across the board. This was in total contrast to his stance on democratic rule, and human rights-based governance during his days in the opposition. He managed to introduce and win a referendum that cleared him for a third term in March 2020, and further solidified his position through the parliamentary election that followed with his party securing 79 out of 114 seats in parliament.
Among some countries that supported Condè’s constitutional changes were, Russia, which during his tenure was strongly growing as one of the principal players in Guinea’s extractive industry. At the tail end of Alpha Condè’s second term Russia’s envoy to Guinea, Alexander Bregatze, suggested that a constitutional change to give him a shot at a third term would be a great idea for the country.

On September 5th, 2021, special forces soldiers led by Col. Mamady Doumbouya stormed the capital Conakry, and barricading all major roads, which led to the arrest and detention of President Alpha Condè. Col. Doumbouya appeared on state television sighting violation of human rights, disrespect for democratic freedoms, financial mismanagement, and endemic corruption as the impetus for the coup d’état. He also announced that the military intends to midwife a transitional government within weeks after the coup. Regional multilateral bodies including the UN, ECOWAS, and the AU condemned the coup and called for the immediate release of Alpha Condè, with AU suspending Guinea’s membership.

Given Col. Mamady Doumbuyas past as the commander of the Guinean Special Forces with a history in serving as a French legionnaire, it will be interesting to see if he will attempt to solidify his position through a junta government as his contemporaries in Chad (Mahamat Dèby) and Mali (Assimi Goita) or if he will honor the promise to see through a transition process to a civilian-led government. What is certain though, is the growing presence of China, Turkey and Russia’s soft power and the French interests in the African continent will be a force to be reckoned with. The extent to which Guinea will try to leverage its natural resources and minerals for socio-economic and political development is yet to be seen. Guineans are likely to be keen to see a country that benefits them, in terms of delivery of public services, respect of their human rights, economic and political freedoms, and pursuit of happiness.

25/08/2021

𝗚𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝐞𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘆

1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑

An unidentified lone gunner was shot and killed outside the French Embassy in Salenda area of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The attacker murdered two police officers and a private security company operative who had responded to his gunfire during the attack earlier today.

Police in Tanzania have not yet established the motive or target of the shooter. This comes a day after Kenya’s Anti-terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) reported a foiled terrorist attack that took place in Likoni area of Mombasa

23/07/2021

𝐙𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥

(𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑)

It is back to his Estcourt prison cell for former president Jacob Zuma, after making a brief stopover in Nkandla to bury his younger brother Michael Zuma.

Returning home for the first time since he was sentenced to a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of the court after he applied to the Department of Correctional Services for compassionate leave, Zuma was only seen by a few as the Zuma family, led by Edward Zuma and the Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans, who have been guarding the home since March, increased its surveillance and stop-and-search processes.

During the funeral, there was high police and army visibility across the area. Both security forces had set up a roadblock, a few kilometres from the piece of land occupied by the Zumas in Nkandla, searching all passing cars amid expectations that Zuma's supporters would swarm the area and turn the funeral into a political rally, to demand his release from prison.

🖊 - IOL

23/07/2021

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚.

(2 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑)

A French citizen is among six people arrested on suspicion of involvement in a plot to kill Madagascar’s president, the Indian Ocean island’s public security minister said, and a second official said the president’s security had been tightened.

“One of the arrested people is French, two of them are bi-national – Malagasy and French. The three others are Malagasy,” Rodellys Fanomezantsoa Randrianarison told a news conference late on Thursday.Madagascar’s attorney general said on Thursday police had arrested the six following what officials said was a months-long investigation.

Patrick Rajoelina, an adviser to President Andry Rajoelina, told Reuters on Friday that two of those arrested had previously worked in the French military.

The French Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had been informed of French nationals’ arrests and that they could get consular help if they asked for it.

A spokesperson for the French military did not immediately answer a request for comment.

Patrick Rajoelina added that unspecified measures had been taken to tighten the president’s security. “The evidence is tangible and we certainly do not take this lightly,” he said.

Madagascar has a history of political violence and instability. Andry Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

Rajoelina first took power in the deeply impoverished former French colony of 26 million people in a March 2009 coup, removing Marc Ravalomanana. He remained in control at the head of a transitional government until 2014.

In the 2019 elections, Ravalomanana challenged Rajoelina, lost, and said the vote was fraudulent.

🖊 Metro.us

23/07/2021

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐞?

He was elected to parliament in 2000 through the main opposition party Chadema (CDM) as a member representing Hai constituency in the North Eastern region of Kilimanjaro. He was chosen to represent CDM as the presidential candidate in 2005, where he emerged third in the elections held the same year. He is currently the leader of opposition in parliament after CDM won a significant majority position in the opposition in parliament.

On July 21st July 2021, Freeman Mbowe and 15 other party members were arrested in the dead of the night in Mwanza, ahead of a planned conference to demand democratic reforms in Tanzania. It is reported that the 15 member of CDM are locked in Mwanza police station. Whereas Mbowe is locked up in Dar es Salaam central police station on charges of terrorism.

This comes 4 months after Tanzania’s first female president Hassan Suluhu took office in March following the death of John Pombe Magufuli who was renown for his authoritarian rule.

14/07/2021

After months of occupation by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers, residents of Tigray region celebrate the return of TPLF (Tigray People Liberation Front) forces back to Mekele (the capital of Tigray), 6 months after they were forced to flee the region.

Their return was met with jubilation by residents as they paraded thousands of Ethiopian forces as prisoners of war. Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael said that they will not heed to the unilateral-Cease announced by the Ethiopian government during their retreat from Mekele, and that they will keep fighting until they have some guarantee that they (Ethiopian forces) will not come back again.

🎥. Associated Press

13/07/2021

"We have to decolonize our minds from the imperialist mentality that wants us as egotistic slaves, mere zombies who just line up to consume and mimic foreign lifestyles.

They want us afraid of our neighbours (they want us competitive), which means throwing another human being into the mud just to feed the ego.

A society like this breeds violence, ignorance and makes beasts of men".

~ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐚 ~

𝑉𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜: 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑐ℎ 𝑟𝑒-𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑂𝐴𝑆 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛

09/07/2021

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬: 𝗔 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗲
(7 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥)

South Sudan gained its independence in a referendum that took place between January 9th and 15th 2011 after an agreement brokered between Khartoum central government and Sudanese People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) under the 2005 Naivasha Agreement. The results of the referendum were published on 7th February 2011, with a landslide majority of 98% voting for separation and independence of South Sudan. This led to the official declaration of South Sudan as an independent state on 9th July 2011.

The struggle for the independence of South Sudan was a consequence of the First Sudanese Civil War (1956 – 1972) led by the separatist group “Anyanya” which was formed by a representation of tribes from the whole of South Sudan. The Anyanya movement although strong and widely supported, was weakened by internal wrangles and power struggles that saw leadership change from Aggrey Jaden to Gordon Muortat Mayen and finally Joseph Lagu who signed the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government in 1972 that ended the First Sudanese Civil War.

This Addis Ababa Agreement was not very popular among the rank and file of Anyanya, which gave rise to discontent and by 1975 some members of the group began dissenting. By 1978 a new faction was formed referring to itself as Anyanya II. By 1983, the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement had completely fallen apart, and a revolt against Sudan’s central government policy of Islamic law was taking shape. Led by a mutiny in Bor, Pacholla, Wangkai and Pibor, a new movement was formed (South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-SPLM/A) with Dr. John Garang De Mabior at its helm, and Majors Kerubino Kuanyin Bol and William Nyuol Bany following rank respectively. This marked the commonly accepted beginning of the Second Sudanese Civil War.

By 1991 the fall of the Derg government, under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Miriam in Ethiopia, saw SPLM/A lose military support and bases. Simmering internal fragmentations peaked with the exit of Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgong, Gordon Kong and Lam Akol who were opposed to the ideology, rule and leadership of Dr John Garang. They left SPLA/M to form SPLA Nasir in 1992, which further morphed into South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/A) by 1994/9. This led to a split in control of parts of the country between the two groups, and by the mid 90s and early 2000s Sudanese government and SSIM/A were at war with SPLA over control of strategic regions in South Sudan causing massive atrocities in the process. However, in 2002 Dr John Garang came together with Dr Riek Machar, reuniting their forces back into SPLM/A. There was relative peace within SPLM/A until some members began voicing their opposition to the readmission and appointment to the vice-chairman of Dr Riek Machar. This group was led by Salva Kiir Mayardit who took over the leadership of SPLM/A as the First Vice-President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan through appointment, after the death of Dr. John Garang in a Ugandan presidential military M1-172 helicopter crash in 2005.

After the 2010 South Sudanese elections, amid criticism by international observers in regard to the openness and fairness in the presidential contest, Salva Kiir was elected into power by a 93% majority vote. Despite the questions around the electoral process, most commentators termed this as the “first step” to South Sudan’s secession and independence. With his government in place and Dr. Riek Machar as his deputy all was set to building a young nation, pending the South Sudan referendum scheduled for 9th January 2011.

However, in February 2012 Riek Machar declared his intentions of running for the top position, and challenging president Salva Kiir in the scheduled 2013 elections. Salva Kiir responded by firing Dr Reik Machar and the whole cabinet citing a revival of the rifts that existed in the 90’s. This was not taken well by Dr. Riek Machar and his supporters who termed it as a sign of dictatorial behavior by president Salva Kiir and led to Riek Machar’s exit from Juba. This marked the beginning a new civil war in South Sudan, that saw a high number civilian and military casualties, displacement of persons and the development of Protection of Civilian (POC) camps in South Sudan under the United Nations (UN). To date there are approximately 400,000 people killed and 2.27 million people displaced as refugees and asylum seekers as a result of the 2013 civil war.

By 2015 an agreement was signed between the government and Machar’s opposition group, that saw his return to Juba in his position as the vice-president in April 2016. However, this did not hold long as by July heavy fighting broke between the two factions in Juba. President Kiir issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the return of Machar to his position, which did not happen forcing the appointment of Taban G*i Deng in his place. Dr Riek Machar disqualified the appointment of Deng and termed it as illegal since he had fired Mr. Deng from his position. By 2018 a new peace deal was signed, which saw Dr. Reik Machar released from a globally contested house arrest in South Africa. He was appointed the First Vice-President of South Sudan on 22nd February 2020 following a power sharing deal as part of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.

Since the beginnings of the Anyanya movement, through to the SPLA and SPLA/IO, the most vital step in nation building i.e power sharing has not been meaningfully attempted, and as a result all alternative movements have been characterized by internal wrangles and power grab. Perhaps this could be a sign of the various movements historically not aligning to the needs of the people. Until this problem is solved it seems all political outfits in South Sudan will not find a lasting solution to building a nation devoid of armed struggles and politically uncivil engagements.

The fact that a prosperous country has not been realized for the South Sudanese people, is in total contraventions of what Salva Kiir had led his citizens to believe in 2009 in lead up to the Referendum; that they had a choice of being "a second-class citizen in your own country" or "a free person in your independent state". South Sudanese people have not seen the benefits of being a free person or in an independent state as most of them have been victims, paying with suffering and death as a result of the power struggles and political wrangles.

Despite some minor developments, there is still no consensus on what needs to happen to ensure the country benefits South Sudanese people and not a section of the political class that is in control of the natural resources. The dream of “taking towns to the people” has never taken effect. Instead, there are more efforts to centralize power and control around Juba. This should not be the case, in a country of 64 ethnic groups. There is a need for a unified, practical approach to power sharing and representation taking into account the diverse socio-cultural landscape of the country and ensuring the inclusion of marginalized groups. A power sharing agreement anchored in policy and oriented towards economically connecting parts of the country that are isolated, whilst focusing on establishment of functional public institutions, will have a higher chance of mitigating conflict in South Sudan as opposed to the current statutory distribution of positions. South Sudan at 10 should serve as a reminder of the complexities of transforming a young nation into a mature state. Over the years significant steps have been taken, but the journey ahead remains longer.

📸 © The Conversation