The Malian defense ministry said late Friday in a statement that eight soldiers have been killed, 14 wounded, and five are missing, following clashes with militants Friday afternoon in northern Mali. 

The statement also says that during the clash, in which ground troops were supported by the air force, 57 terrorists were killed, and materials destroyed.

The clash occurred near Tessit, Mali, in the northeastern part of the country. 

Since 2012, violence and instability have increased in northern and central Mali, and both Malian and French military members have been frequently targeted by militants.

France announced Thursday that it would withdraw troops from Mali after a nine-year presence, following months of deteriorating relations between Mali and France. French troops first arrived as part of Operation Serval in 2013, which was aimed at taking back northern Mali from Islamist militants. Operation Serval was replaced by anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane.

The Malian government asked on Friday for French troops to leave Mali “without delay”, after French President Emmanuel Macron had said the withdrawal would take between four and six months.
…

At least 13 people were killed in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Saturday, state television said, after a suicide bomber blew themselves up in a restaurant that witnesses said was packed with local officials and politicians.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a report by SITE intelligence, which monitors militant groups online.

The hardline Islamist group, which frequently attacks government targets and civilians, has unleashed two attacks in the past two weeks.

A further 18 people were injured in the Beledweyne attack, the Somali National Television said on Twitter.

One witness in Beledweyne said he helped to evacuate the injured after the mid-morning attack.

“I counted seven dead, including soldiers and civilians, and over 10 injured,” Aden Farah, a local elder, told Reuters.

Police and government officials confirmed the restaurant attack was the result of a suicide bomb, but they did not give the number of casualties.

One of those killed in the attack in Beledweyne was a candidate in an ongoing parliamentary election, residents said.

The parliamentary elections began on November 1 and were initially supposed to end on December 24, but are currently due to be completed on February 25.

Under Somalia’s indirect electoral process, delegates, who include clan elders, pick members of the lower house, who then will choose a new president at a date yet to be determined.

The recent attacks by al-Shabab could present more problems for the election, which has been delayed by a year.

Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab aims to topple the central government and impose its own severe interpretation of Islamic law.
…

A member of Tunisia’s suspended parliament, Yassin Ayari, told Reuters that a military court on Friday sentenced him in absentia to 10 months in prison on charges of insulting the president and the army after he described the president’s move to freeze parliament as a military coup. 

President Kais Saied suspended the Parliament on July 25, dismissed the government and seized control of most authorities, drawing widespread criticism at home and abroad.  

The prison sentence will reinforce opposition fears that Saied is seeking revenge on his opponents, after he also dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council — the body that guarantees independence of the judiciary. Ayari in a Facebook post had described Saied’s actions as a military coup. 

“It’s ridiculous. … Yesterday Saied said in Brussels that he is not a dictator and today a military court issues a prison sentence against freedom of expression to a lawmaker,” Ayari told Reuters by phone from Paris. 

Saied’s critics accuse him of seeking dictatorial powers and undermining the rule of law. 

Saied has said he will uphold rights and freedoms won in the 2011 revolution that brought democracy to Tunisia and will put a new constitution to a referendum this summer, with new parliamentary elections to follow in December. 

 
…

The U.N. refugee agency said Friday that the whereabouts of thousands of Eritrean refugees remained unknown two weeks after their camp came under attack in Ethiopia’s northern Afar region.

Armed men entered the Barahle refugee camp on February 3, prompting 21,000 Eritrean inhabitants to flee for their lives. More than 4,000 trekked the long distance to Afar’s regional capital, Semera.

Upon arrival, the refugees told the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, that the armed intruders had stolen their belongings and occupied their homes. They reported at least five refugees had been killed and several women kidnapped.

UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov said family members lost one another in the chaos of fleeing the camp. He said thousands of Eritrean refugees were staying with host families but nothing was known about thousands of others who remained missing.

“Since mid-September when violence started to intensify in the area of the camp, we lost access and our staff had to pull back, which means we have not had precise information, including on these attacks … ,” Cheshirkov said. “We are extremely worried about those that are cut off from aid and have not been accounted for so far.”

Campsite being prepared

Cheshirkov said agencies were providing the refugees in Semera with shelter, relief items, food and clean water. He said protection desks had been set up to identify and assist the most vulnerable refugees, separated children and others with specific needs.

He said the government had identified a temporary campsite and preparations were being made to quickly relocate the refugees there.

“UNHCR remains extremely worried about the safety and well-being of thousands of Eritrean refugees caught up in the conflict,” Cheshirkov said. “We condemn the attack on the refugee camp and reiterate the call for cessation of hostilities to avoid further destruction and potential loss of life for refugees and Ethiopians alike.”

Ethiopian government forces invaded the northern province of Tigray to fight rebels in November 2020. The conflict has since spread to the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, wreaking havoc in those areas as well.

The UNHCR said there are also large numbers of internally displaced Ethiopians in the Afar region, including 300,000 uprooted by the recent fighting.
…

A Tanzanian court has ruled the leader of the opposition Chadema party and three other defendants must stand trial on terrorism charges. The party says the allegations are politically motivated.

The decision was handed down Friday by Judge Joachim Tiganga, from the High Court’s Division of Corruption and Economic Sabotage.

Tiganga said that from the evidence, it appears the defendants have a case to answer.

Government prosecutors have charged Chadema party leader Freeman Mbowe and three former Tanzania military soldiers – Mohamed Ling’wenja, Khalfan Bwire, and Adam Kasekwa – with organizing terrorist activities.

Mbowe and his co-defendants have denied the charges, saying they are politically motivated.

Mbowe was arrested eight months ago in the port city of Mwanza where he was to address a meeting to discuss constitutional reforms.

Security was tight around the court on Friday as many Chadema supporters gathered outside and sang party songs.

Aidan Tarimo, a Dar es Salaam resident who was following the case, disagrees with the case.

“In my opinion, I think the opposition leader Mbowe and the co-accused have not been treated fairly. For many who have followed the case closely the evidence was not enough, and it brings a lot of questions,” Tarimo said.

Many Chadema supporters had hoped the case would be dismissed after President Samia Hassan and Chadema’s vice-chairman, Tissu Lindu, met Wednesday in Belgium, where Lindu lives in exile. 

Lindu had asked that the charges against Mbowe be dropped.
…

The U.N. World Food Program in Malawi has for the first time stopped giving food rations to nearly 700 refugee families in the country’s only refugee camp citing funding limits and refugees found to be “self-sustaining.”  But many of the de-listed refugees say they rely on the monthly rations and argue the assessment process is flawed.  Lameck Masina reports from Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa district, Malawi.
…

An improvised explosive device has killed five Nigerien soldiers in the southwest of the Sahel country, the defense ministry said Thursday.

An army patrol unit on Wednesday hit the device, killing the five soldiers and wounding two others, the ministry said in a statement read on public radio.

The blast occurred in the Gotheye district of the Tillaberi region, which lies in a flashpoint zone where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.

Western Niger has for years faced jihadi attacks, despite the efforts of international forces deployed to the wider Sahel region to fight the Islamist insurgents.

Niger, the world’s poorest country, according to the U.N.’s Human Development Index, has to contend with two insurgencies.

It has faced groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in the west, as well as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the southeast, near the border with Nigeria.
…

The U.N World Food Program says Africa’s Sahel region is facing unprecedented food insecurity, caused by soaring prices, terrorist activity, high regional demand and COVID-19.

The WFP’s representative in Burkina Faso warns the situation is critical, with millions more people facing hunger in the coming months.

In large areas of Burkina Faso, terrorist groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida move freely about the countryside, attacking civilians and security forces alike.

While the conflict has affected millions in various ways, for Saidou Sawadogo, it meant losing his livestock and forcing him to flee to Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou.

“Yes, my animals were stolen,” he explained. He said terrorists came in the early hours of the morning in large numbers and took around 1,000 sheep. A few days later, they came back to the market and took cellphones from everyone, and that’s when he decided to leave, he said.

Rising prices

Sawadogo is not alone. Meat prices are spiraling in Burkina Faso’s markets because of rampant cattle rustling by terror groups.

Mahamoudou Barry, who runs a livestock market in Ouagadougou, said animal prices have increased over the past three years due to insecurity. He said many people were killed and animals had been stolen.

“Three years ago, the price of animals started at $300 to $430. Today, the price starts at $700. Before, we earned more, but it’s a lot less these days,” he complained.

A toxic mix of factors is causing food prices to soar across the region, according to the World Food Program.

Cattle rustling by terror groups is just one small factor, said Antoine Renard, the WFP’s country director for Burkina Faso.

“There’s a high demand in the region, so that’s one aspect in terms of market dimension. The second one, which is the conflict and, of course, it has an impact on how you can still continue to harvest. How can you continue to make sure that your markets are up and running in terms of Burkina Faso? And the last one is also the economic impact of the COVID-19,” said Renard.

Record food insecurity

The WFP says a record 28 million people are food insecure in West and Central Africa.

It also says that in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, hunger could increase by 50% in the coming months, affecting more than 8 million people.

The Sahel’s more than 2.5 million displaced by conflict, like Soumaila Sawadogo, are especially vulnerable.

He said the people in the area around the site for displaced people where he lived have been very helpful. But, he said, the problem the community has is one of lack of water and food.

“We only have help from the U.N. They helped us with houses and food, rice, oil, beans and condiments,” he said.

Meanwhile, the WFP says it will have to cut rations to those displaced by conflict if it does not receive more funding soon.
…

A South African entrepreneur has turned a sweet dream into a reality. He used the government’s COVID-19 relief grant to launch an ice cream business that’s now creating jobs for others at a time when the country faces record high unemployment. 

Making gourmet ice cream was never a business that photographer and fashion designer Thando Makhubu planned to pursue, but when coronavirus lockdowns hit South Africa and his regular work disappeared, he started thinking out of the box.  

“I was actually on an app called Pinterest, and I was just looking at food,” he said. “People who know me know that I really love food. And then I found myself looking at this ice cream, which was interestingly made. And I thought to myself, I’ve never seen anything like this in Soweto, so I’m like, can we just try it out?”  

Like many others, he was receiving a government COVID-19 unemployment grant of 350 rand — or roughly $23 — a month.  

He used it to buy ingredients, and he experimented with the help of his siblings and mother. They shared photos of their creations and received orders from friends, family and even a local celebrity.  

“Luckily, we had a relationship with Mohale, Mohale Motaung, he’s a local celebrity,” Makhubu said. “He liked it, he came through, he took images of the product, then he posted it. And then, obviously he has a lot of people following him. And then those people also loved it.”  

The Soweto Creamery was born, is regularly packed on weekends and has since gained thousands of followers on social media.  

Last week, the business received nationwide recognition when President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged Makhubu’s innovative use of the grant during his state of the nation address.  

Ramaphosa also announced the grant would be extended another year while unemployment remains at nearly 35%.  

But economists say the government needs to do more to stimulate business.  

“I am afraid that economic growth this year is probably going to be significantly below 2%,” said Dawie Roodt, chief economist for the Efficient Group. “We have to remove the administrative burden on all businesses, and not only in small businesses — on medium and higher and bigger businesses, as well, because that is where eventually economic growth is going to take place. And that is eventually where jobs will be created.”  

While the Soweto Creamery remains a small enterprise, it is creating jobs. Makhubu was able to employ four other staffers, including his younger brother, who didn’t qualify for the unemployment grant since he is a student.  

With more publicity, and more success, the Makhubu family hopes to move the creamery out of their home and into a storefront.  

They also want to thank the president in person for putting the spotlight on them.  

“Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, we’d like to have you at Soweto Creamery,” Makhubu said. “We’d be happy if you came.”  

Although the grant may not be the solution to the country’s economic woes, the entrepreneurs behind Soweto Creamery have proven that with a bit of creativity, you can create something sweet.  

 
…

France and its allies Thursday announced a coordinated military withdrawal from Mali. France sent troops to push occupying militants out of northern Mali in 2013 and has been fighting insurgents alongside Malian troops ever since. Analysts say the withdrawal could have serious implications for security in Mali and across the region.

A statement by France, in conjunction with the French-led European Takuba task force and Canada, cited “multiple obstructions by the Malian transitional authorities.”

It also said, “political, operational, and legal conditions are no longer met” to continue fighting terrorism. Malian officials have not commented on the statement.

The announcement follows increasing tensions between France and Mali. Mali’s interim prime minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, has accused France of using its military mission against Islamist militants to divide the African country. He has not provided evidence to back up his claims and France has not responded to the accusations.

French forces arrived in 2013 to take back control of northern Mali from Islamists in Operation Serval, which was later replaced by the anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane.

Malians warmly welcomed the French army’s arrival, but as violence and instability increased in the years since, approval of the French military presence dropped sharply.

On the streets of Bamako, Malians say they are happy to see France leave. Soumanou Koné spoke while on a short break from work as a bank agent. He says that since Barkhane started – since Serval started and transitioned into Barkhane – insecurity has grown in Mali.

Boubacar Salif Traore is a Bamako-based security consultant. Speaking via a messaging app from the capital, he says that although the Malian army is ramping up its efforts and training, managing insecurity on its own will be a challenge.

Traore says the Malian army is in the process of reconstruction and that the troops are ready to advance on the ground. But he notes, the Malian territory is immense — two-and-a-half times the size of France. So, it will be very difficult for the Malian army to face this situation alone, he says. He also says instability in Mali is not just a pressing issue to countries in the Sahel, but to all of West Africa.

Andrew Lebovich is a Sahel analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Speaking from Berlin, he addressed the difficulties ahead in terms of the Malian army’s ability to take on Islamists, including JNIM, an al-Qaida-aligned militant group, and ISGS, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

“There’s been, recently, a Malian military offensive in some places reportedly in conjunction with Russian cooperation. That has had a limited impact for now. There’s been in some areas a return to some calm but at the same time, militants, particularly associated with JNIM but also ISGS, are still present, they are still active, and nothing has really changed on a deeper level.”

France has said that it will continue fighting terrorism in the Sahel. President Emmanuel Macron said during an address from Paris Thursday morning that European forces will be moved to neighboring Niger.

Kars de Bruijne heads the Sahel program at the Netherlands’ Clingendael Institute. He says that fighting insecurity in the Sahel from neighboring countries without cooperating with the Malian authorities will be complicated.

“Wherever you go, if you go to Burkina, Niger, Benin, or Abidjan, you will need to have some sort of a collaboration with the Malians. Because this is not … these are all cross-border conflicts. That’s the big issue, so even if they’re going to go to someplace, how are they going to continue working with the Malian authorities? Because you need to.”

Macron said the military withdrawal could take between four and six months.

France and several other Western governments have expressed concerns about Mali possibly cooperating with Russian mercenaries, something that the Malian government has denied.
…

Who says you have to be born in Italy to make excellent pizza? Ibrahim Songne, a West African now living in northern Italy, has successfully challenged that assumption. VOA’s Betty Ayoub has the story.
…

Zimbabwe’s High Court has voided the government’s three-month suspension of striking teachers, ruling the ministry of education overstepped its authority. The teachers went on strike last week over poor salaries just as schools were set to reopen after a long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts say children’s education has been caught in the crossfire.

Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled the suspension of striking teachers by Evelyn Ndlovu, Zimbabwe’s minister of primary and secondary education, was illegal.

Noble Chinhanu of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum represented the teachers in court.

“We managed to present our arguments before the court and the judge has given us an order to the effect that the press statement that was issued by the minister of primary and secondary education is illegal and unconstitutional,” said Chinhanu. “We managed to prove that our client has a right not to be suspended in such a manner which was in violation of public service regulations of the nation.”

Government officials have not commented on the court ruling.

Schools in Zimbabwe closed last year during the COVID-19 pandemic and had been due to reopen last week.

Gibson Nyikadzino, an independent political analyst, says the government and teachers must settle the strike quickly because students continue to be the losers.

“We are seeing a lot of agitation and politicization of this from the employees,” said Nyikadzino. “They are not keen to listen to what the employer is saying. Their parties that are being affected as a result of this, so what has to be done is go to the tripartite negotiating forum and in the spirit find a consensus.”

The tripartite he refers to is the government, the workers and private companies.

Sifiso Ndlovu from the Zimbabwe Teachers Association – the country’s largest teachers union – says educators want to return to work, but need more pay to sustain themselves. 

“There are some members who are unable to travel: those who are far distant schools. They are finding it difficult because of the resources,” said Ndlovu. “And there are some who are saying while we are within the school environs, we still find it difficult to find food for subsistence. That is what is mitigating against 100 percent attendance. We hope that after pay day (next week Tuesday) things will get back to normal. But that does not mean that the teachers are happy with the remuneration that they are getting. They still want some more.”

Taungana Ndoro, is the spokesman for Zimbabwe’s ministry of primary and secondary education and says the situation in schools now is “encouraging.”

“We have gone round in government and non-government schools, and we are quite impressed by the teaching and learning that is going on,” Ndoro said. “Of course there are a few schools here and there which still face a bit of challenges.”

The pay dispute goes back to October 2018, when the government stopped paying civil servants in U.S. dollars, switching to the reintroduced Zimbabwean dollar. The new currency has steadily lost value, effectively reducing teacher wages to about $100 a month. The teachers want the $540 a month they were getting in 2018.

Last week the teachers rejected the government’s offer of a 20 percent pay raise along with some incentives, such as housing loans.
…

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France will withdraw its troops from Mali nine years after it first intervened to drive Islamic extremists from power but intends to maintain a military presence in neighboring West African nations.

Announcing the move during a Thursday news conference in Paris, Macron accused Mali’s ruling military junta of neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists and said it was logical for France to withdraw since its role is not to replace a sovereign state on the battlefield.

“Victory against terror is not possible if it’s not supported by the state itself,” the French leader said.

France has about 4,300 troops in the Sahel region, including 2,400 in Mali. The so-called Barkhane force is also involved in Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Macron said the French pullout would be done “in an orderly manner” in coordination with the Malian military. France will start by closing military bases in the north of Mali, and the withdrawal will take between four or six months, he said.

“We cannot remain militarily involved” alongside Malian transitional authorities with whom “we don’t share the strategy and goals,” Macron said.

European leaders simultaneously announced Thursday that troops from the European-led military task force known as Takuba also would withdraw from Mali. The Takuba task force is composed of several hundred special forces troops from about a dozen European countries, including France.

Tensions have grown between Mali, its African neighbors and the European Union, especially after the West African country’s transitional government allowed Russian mercenaries to deploy in its territory.

Macron said a coalition of allies will remain present in the Sahel and the Guinea Gulf to counter actions from Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Macron organized a summit in Paris on Wednesday evening to address the issue with regional and European leaders of countries involved in the Sahel.

Representatives from Mali and Burkina Faso coup leaders were not invited since both nations were suspended from the African Union following coups.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, who also chairs the African Union, said security and the fight against terror was “vital” for both Europe and Africa.

Speaking alongside Macron, Sall said he understood the decisions by France and the EU to end theirs operation in Mali but was pleased that an agreement on a new arrangement was reached to provide a continued presence in the Sahel.

Sall said there was a consensus during among EU and African leaders during their discussions that the fight against terror “should not be the sole business of African countries.”

Macron said the “heart” of the French operation “won’t be in Mali anymore” but in neighboring Niger, especially in the region bordering Burkina Faso, Macron detailed.

He did not give an estimate of how many forces would take part in the new operation.

French forces have been active since 2013 in Mali, where they intervened to drive Islamic extremists from power. But the insurgents regrouped in the desert and began attacking the Malian army and its allies.

Macron said support for civilians in Mali would continue, but he blamed the junta now ruling the country for its decision to hire a private Russian military contractor known as the Wagner Group, which the EU accuses of fomenting violence and committing human rights abuses in Africa. 

 
…

Green investments, migration, security and unequal access to vaccines will top the agenda as dozens of African heads of state head to Brussels on Thursday for a two-day summit of European Union and African Union leaders.

Around 70% of Europeans have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine; In Africa, just 16%. That inequity is among the issues high on the summit agenda.

“Donating vaccines is one thing, but ensuring that people are vaccinated is another, and equity demands more than donations. It requires systemic change and access to doctors, to nurses, to hospitals, to medical equipment, to scientists, to technologies and to research. And last, but not least, it requires new manufacturing capabilities,” said Stella Kyriakides, the European commissioner for health and food safety earlier this month, following an EU health summit in Lyon, France.

Investment

The EU aims to boost investment in Africa.

“The A.U.-E.U. summit is a key moment and opportunity to strengthen political and economic ties between the two continents. Leaders are expected to discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity. The aim is to launch an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis,” the EU Commission said in a statement.

As it transitions to a green economy, Europe is seeking to diversity supply chains, including those for the rare earth metals needed for battery technologies — Africa is rich in such raw materials. In December, the bloc unveiled a $300 billion “Global Gateway” fund to invest in jobs, green technologies and digital infrastructure.

Migration

Managing migration is also high on Europe’s agenda, says Hassan Khannenje, the director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, Kenya.

“It is important that European leaders, and the EU especially, finds a framework of working with the African leaders and African countries, number one, in being able to arrest and manage the refugee problem between the source countries, the transit countries as well as the destination countries,” Khannenje told The Associated Press.

Figures released Wednesday showed an increase in the number of irregular migrants from Africa crossing the Mediterranean and entering Europe in recent months, following a decline during the height of the pandemic.

Security

Security in Africa will also be featured. The ongoing war in northern Ethiopia has killed thousands of people. There are insurgencies in Mali, Mozambique, Central African Republic, Nigeria and Somalia.

Meanwhile, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso have been suspended from the African Union following military coups.

At an African Union summit last week, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo called for stronger action against such military takeovers.

“The resurgence of coups d’état in our region is a matter of grave concern. This evolution challenges the democratic way of life we have chosen,” he said.

Coups

The coups stem from deep-rooted weaknesses, Khannenje said.

“What we are seeing in West Africa in summary is a result of one, the institutional weaknesses that makes a nation state. Second, the legacy, colonial legacy, that has left behind not only weak institutions but has also ensured dependence when it comes to security with the former colonial master.”

“Thirdly, there is a declining in faith in the democratic project that of course came about on the continent during the wind of change following the collapse of the Soviet Union and, last but not least, the increased rate of terrorism and the desperation of populations, societal dislocation that insecurity has caused has provided fodder for would-be political profiteers and military profiteers to be able to exploit that vacuum,” Khannenje said.

Several of the visiting heads of state are not democratically elected. Critics say Europe should not be rolling out the red carpet for autocratic leaders such as Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

“The rights and lives of the Egyptian people must come before deepening ties with this oppressive regime. This is an important moment to hold President el-Sissi to account for his human rights commitments,” said Eve Geddie, the head of Amnesty International’s European institutions office and director of advocacy. 

  
…

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup.

The inauguration ceremony at the Constitutional Court was broadcast nationally. Addressing the nation on state television after taking the oath, Damiba paid tribute to the security forces and the country’s population who he said have been facing threats from extremism for more than six years.

“I swear in front of the people of Burkina Faso and on my honor, to preserve and respect, to uphold and defend the constitution, fundamental acts and the law, to do everything to guarantee justice for all the inhabitants of Burkina Faso,” he said. “Our country has always been strong during storms. That’s why these tough times must be for us an opportunity to get to better horizons.”

Damiba seized power promising to secure the war-torn country from growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that’s killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people. Since taking control, Damiba has met with security forces, civil society, diplomats and politicians, but hasn’t set a timeline for the transition to elections, something the international community has said must be done as soon as possible.

When military regimes take power the return to democratic, civilian rule can be lengthy and uncertain, say conflict experts.

“Military regimes will often delay the transition back to civilian rule and will work to retain some form of political influence in the background in order to ascertain that their interests are maintained,” said Alexandre Raymakers, senior Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a risk consultancy.

“Considering the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso, the new military led government will likely argue that the security situation will not allow for a comprehensive electoral process to be held, thus delaying a return to civilian rule,” he said.

Even though Damiba’s had wide popular support since taking control, some locals say they don’t support the Constitutional Council’s decision to let him assume the presidency because he wasn’t democratically elected. “We don’t understand this at all, how things can go like this? The Constitutional Council inaugurates presidents who come to power through elections … It’s like they’re saying it’s legal to have a coup in Burkina Faso,” said Oumar Cisse a resident in the Sahel’s hard-hit Dori town, speaking to the AP by phone.

One European diplomat who was not authorized to speak to the media, told the AP that if they had been invited to the ceremony, European countries would have sent lower ranking officials rather than ambassadors to make a point that the constitution wasn’t respected. The international community has condemned the coup.

The United States paused $450 million in assistance for its Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. agency that provides grants and assistance to countries that meet standards for good governance. Within the continent, the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS and the African Union have suspended Burkina Faso, but stopped short of imposing sanctions. They’re calling for the immediate release of former President Roch Marc Christian Kabore who’s been under house arrest in the capital, Ouagadougou, since his ouster.

Still most people, worried by the conflict with extremists, are hoping Damiba will be able to stem the violence. But the 41-year-old leader has yet to articulate a plan for how he will secure Burkina Faso better than the previous regime. Some mutinous soldiers not authorized to speak to the media said the junta is willing to work with anyone who can help in their fight against the jihadis, which could also include negotiating with the groups but only after military gains are made.

Recently there have been some successes. Earlier this month more than 40 jihadis were killed during joint operations with France and Burkina Faso’s army, the French military said in a statement. France has several thousand troops in West Africa’s Sahel region, but until now has had minimal involvement in Burkina Faso compared with Niger or Mali. 

 
…

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is experiencing an acute fuel shortage, causing long lines of motorists at gasoline stations. Commuters are frustrated as some wait hours to fill up their tanks.

Lost amid hundreds of vehicles waiting to gain access to a petrol station in Abuja is Yvonne Francis’s silver-colored Toyota Camry.

She was in line overnight to fill up her car, she says, but has yet to get fuel.

“I have not experienced anything of this sort in terms of the fuel scarcity going on in Abuja. It keeps getting worse by the day and the past few days have been horrifying.”

Black market dealers line the road nearby hawking the precious commodity. But Francis says the petrol is overpriced and a ripoff.

Francis is among millions of commuters having a tough time getting around since fuel became scarce in Nigeria in late January.

Nigeria’s oil regulator, the National Petroleum Regulatory Commission, or NNPC, last week announced it had recalled some 170.2 million barrels of tainted petrol that was imported from Europe by four Nigerian oil companies. The NNPC has acknowledged the recall is the cause of the fuel shortage.

Authorities said the petrol contained higher than normal levels of ethanol and had damaged many vehicles before it was recalled. The move has disrupted transportation in Abuja and other cities like Lagos and Port-Harcourt.

Abuja resident Oreva Okoro has been waiting in line for nearly 12 hours.

“It’s just unbearable,” he says, “I’ve not gone to work for two days, today is the third day. It doesn’t make sense.”

Nigeria’s government has promised to fix the problem by importing clean fuel to replace the tainted petrol.

On Tuesday, the NNPC said in a statement that it has over one billion barrels of petrol stored and ready for distribution. It said it has ordered its outlets across the country to commence 24-hour operations to ease the chaos.

But energy expert Odion Omanfoman says it may take time before the fuel situation returns to normal.

“Give or take, this might last a couple of days or at worst a couple of weeks.”

Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and ranks sixth globally. But the country depends heavily on imported refined petroleum to meet its huge demand for gasoline.

Nigeria’s refineries have been shut down for more than a year despite pledges by authorities to restore functionality. Critics say systemic corruption may keep the refineries shut longer.
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In the Central African Republic’s countryside, Russian mercenaries from the controversial Wagner Group are backing government forces in the fight against rebels. In the capital Bangui, they’re fronting a Russian film campaign produced in the CAR backing Wagner’s role in combating insurgents in Mozambique. VOA has more in this report from Bangui. Camera: Clément Di Roma
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Rival anglophone separatist groups in Cameroon have clashed this month, causing an undetermined number of casualties. The fighting was triggered by power struggles within the separatist movement.

Separatist leaders say rivalries among various armed groups are greatly affecting the movement’s fight to carve out an independent English-speaking state from largely French-speaking Cameroon.

Capo Daniel is deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, ADF, one of the two biggest separatist groups. The other separatist group is known as the Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

Ambazonia is the name of the state that separatists are attempting to create.

Daniel says the groups clashed after separatist political leaders voted to impeach Samuel Sako Ikome, the president of what the separatists call their interim government, or IG.

“We have seen forces distancing themselves from command and control as a result of the impeachment of Sako Ikome and the further splintering of the IG group and we have seen field marshal who is supposed to be the overall commander of the Ambazonia Restoration Forces desperately trying to command loyalty from forces who have denied aligning themselves with him,” he said.

Lekeaka Oliver, known as the field marshal, leads the Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

On Monday, separatists on social media platforms said Oliver’s group was clashing with the ADF in six towns across western Cameroon. The message noted casualties but gave no details.

Cameroon’s military says the fighting has been bloody in Kumbo, an English-speaking northwestern town. The military says at least 15 fighters have either been killed or wounded.

In Kumbo, a self-proclaimed separatist who goes by the name Mad Dog says he is leading attacks against separatists who support Lekeaka Oliver. He accuses Oliver of corrupt practices.

Mad Dog says he has not received guns, ammunition or congratulatory messages from Lekeaka since becoming the leader of separatist fighters in Kumbo nearly five years ago. He says henceforth, Lekeaka’s orders will not be respected in Kumbo. Mad Dog says he strongly believes that the self-proclaimed field marshal is a Cameroonian government agent pretending to be fighting to liberate English speakers in the majority French-speaking country.

On February 2nd, the legislative arm of the self-declared Ambazonia interim government, known as the Restoration Council, passed a vote to impeach Sako Ikome. The Restoration Council accuses Ikome of corruption, embezzlement of funds and illegal deals with the government of Cameroon.

Ikome has denied the charges.

Former separatist spokesperson Eric Tataw says the infighting may discourage separatist fighters.

“My brothers of Ambazonia must come together. This is the time because if we continue, the division is going to dampen the spirits of our people [fighters]. I urge my brothers and sisters to come together. Let’s put our hands on deck and fight one enemy, which is the Cameroonian government,” he said.

Cameroon’s separatist conflict erupted in 2017 after teachers and lawyers in the North- and Southwest regions, where English is the predominant language, protested alleged discrimination by the country’s French-speaking majority.

The U.N. says the war has killed several thousand people and forced more than 500,000 to flee their homes.
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Zimbabwe’s government has ordered civil servants who are vaccinated against COVID-19 to immediately report for duty after more than a year of working from home, citing a declining in new cases of the virus in the country. Authorities also announced any government workers without proof of vaccination will be barred from workplaces and face punishments, including a freeze on their salaries.

In a statement this week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government said it wants its employees to resume meeting in person.

Late Tuesday, Monica Mutsvangwa, the country’s information minister, said the number of people being hospitalized for COVID-19 is on a steady decline.

“This indicates that the national response measures instituted by government continue to pay off. …In view of the continued decline in new cases and deaths, coupled with a declining testing positivity rate that is indicating that the community transmission has gone down, all ports of entry [are to] be reopened, but ensuring that all the recommended COVID-19 prevention measures are adhered to,” she said.

However, the compulsory vaccination rule is not being welcomed by all civil servants. Obert Masaraure, the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, says the workers will take the matter to court if the government insists.

“A contract that was signed by civil servants has no provision for mandatory vaccination. So if the Public Service Commission wants to bar civil servants who are not vaccinated, they are in breach of contract and its unacceptable. Secondly, civil servants have a right to dignity, they have right to make choices. No one can be forced foreign substances to be inserted into their bodies,” he noted.

Dr. Norman Matara, the head of Zimbabwe Association for Doctors for Human Rights, says his organization has noted that several other countries are moving towards compulsory vaccination.

“It is something that we are strongly against. We think mandating vaccines is something that fuels vaccine hesitance. There is a lot of conspiracy theory that goes around when people are saying we are being forced to be vaccinated. We really have to get the buy in of people: spread the gospel of vaccines, how they work and then encourage people to get vaccinated and not force them to get vaccinated,” he pointed out.

But Sifiso Ndlovu from the Zimbabwe Teachers Association supports the government’s position.

“Definitely, all workers should take up the vaccination. Not because they want to protect themselves, but they want to protect their colleagues at work. Scientific evidence has it that if you are fully vaccinated it comes with a mild attack. Why not take up that? There is nothing wrong or sinister about it,” he said.

About 3.3 million people in Zimbabwe have received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccines, while about 86,000 have received a third jab.

A number of Zimbabweans have refused to get vaccinated, saying they do not trust the mainly donated Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.
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Nigerian police have arrested a high-ranking police officer and four other officers for alleged involvement in an international cocaine smuggling cartel. Deputy police commissioner Abba Kyari had already been suspended since August over an indictment linking him to money laundering and fraud in the United States. 

A police statement Monday said the officers were arrested for tampering with narcotic evidence, corruption and unethical practices. 

Hours earlier, Nigeria’s National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency, or NDLEA, alleged that Kyari had plotted to loot up to 15 kilograms of cocaine from a batch of 25 kilograms seized in January. 

The drug agency also released footage showing Kyari bargaining with an undercover drug agency official and handing over $61,400 cash to him. 

Police authorities have turned over the arrested officers to the national drug agency for investigation, stating that their conduct was not in line with tenets of the Nigerian police force. 

This is not the first time Kyari will be indicted in a criminal case. He was already accused of helping an international fraudster popularly known as Hushpuppi Menthim launder money in the U.S., following an investigation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

“We have a trove of intelligence, hard facts from chats to photos and videos and a detailed transcript of the communication between him and the NDLEA officer,” said Femi Babafemi, a director at Nigeria’s National Drug Agency. “The 15 kilograms already taken out was shared between the informants that provided the information for the seizure and himself, as well as his men of the IRT (Intelligence Response Team) of the Nigerian police.” 

Babafemi said the arrested officers are members of a drug ring operating in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Brazil.  

Police authorities said the cartel was working with anti-drug officers at the international airport in southeastern state of Enugu — the transit route for their operations. 

They say Kyari’s involvement with the cartel occurred while he was suspended from the police force. 

The arrest of the police officers dismays Nigerians like Abuja resident Daniel Yerimah. 

“It’s quite disheartening and disappointing, the situation is really appalling and this further reinforces distrust Nigerian citizens have for law enforcement agencies,” Yerimah said. “If someone who’s that highly placed could be involved in this level of crime, then that shows you the rot that is in the system.” 

Nigeria is ranked among countries with the highest trafficking and drug use in West Africa. 

For years, Nigerian authorities have been battling both drug trafficking and corruption. Last December, authorities launched a drug control master plan in Nigeria — a project sponsored by the European Union under the supervision of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

But drug agency director Babafemi said efforts to identify criminals can be very risky for those involved.  

“We’re not unaware of threats to the lives of NDLEA officers involved in this investigation even as we continue to do our best to protect our officers, our men in the line of duty,” Babafemi said. 

In 2016, Kyari received a presidential recognition after he was part of a rescue team that freed three kidnapped schoolgirls in Lagos. 

He was called for questioning by the NDLEA last Thursday but failed to show up. 

 
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Africa has seen a rise in military coups in the past year with takeovers in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan.  In an interview with VOA, former Ghanian President John Kufuor, addresses the causes. Kufuor spoke to Kent Mensah in Accra, Ghana.   Camera: Senanu Tord 
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A Nigerian rights group has filed a lawsuit to force authorities to publish an agreement reached with Twitter in January to lift a block on the social media company. The rights group says the failure by Nigerian authorities to publish all the details of the agreement raises concerns about citizens’ rights and censorship.

A Nigerian rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), said this week that authorities ignored its request last month to publish the agreement.

The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling authorities to publish details of the agreement reached with Twitter before the company restored access to the site in Nigeria.

Nigeria suspended Twitter last June for deleting a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened regional separatists and referred to the 1960s war in the Biafra region.

Nigerian authorities lifted the ban in January, boasting that its new engagement with the company will create jobs and generate revenue for the country.

But rights groups are concerned the terms of agreement may include clauses that violate the rights of citizens, says Kolawole Oluwadare, a deputy director at SERAP.

“If this agreement has the tendency to impact on the rights of Nigerians to freedom of expression, it’s important that Nigerians have access to the agreement, scrutinize the terms and critique it if necessary, because of the effect it will have on our ability to use Twitter freely,” said Oluwadare. “How are we sure that those terms do not necessarily affect even the rights to privacy? I’m talking about the access of Nigerian government to the data of Nigerians.”

Nigerian authorities are often accused of trying to stifle free speech.

In 2019, lawmakers considered a bill that sought to punish statements on social media deemed to diminish public confidence in the president or government officials. The bill never passed.

This week, Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed criticized Twitter and the Canadian government as having double standards citing the truckers protest against COVID-19 mandates in Canada.

“Twitter actively supported the EndSARS protesters and even raised funds,” said Mohammed. “These are the same entities that are now rushing to distance themselves from the protest in Canada and even denying them the use of their platforms.”

But Amnesty International spokesperson Seun Bakare has this to say: “International human rights laws are clear on standards that even platforms like Twitter and Facebook must uphold,” said Bakare. “They must uphold the fundamental tenets of freedom of expression, and access to information and they must not bend their rules just to please any government at all.”

Under its agreement with Twitter, Nigeria said the company agreed to be legally registered in the country, run a local office, appoint country representatives to interface with authorities, pay taxes and enroll officials in its partner support portals.

It remains unclear if Nigerian officials have the ability to monitor and block prohibited content.

An ECOWAS court of justice is scheduled to rule on SERAP’s lawsuit this week.
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The European Union and African Union are holding their once every-three-year summit this week, after a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders from the two continents will meet in Brussels to discuss, among other things, the reaction to the pandemic and helping Africa adapt to climate change.

African countries are not happy with the EU travel bans, vaccine distribution, and unwillingness to lift intellectual property rights on vaccines that can help the continent produce COVID vaccines. 

Tobias Wellner is a senior analyst with Dragonfly Intelligence, a group that studies global security and political risks. He said the summit will focus on mending relations strained by the pandemic.  

“African leaders were very upset about travel restrictions imposed by European states and we can expect that they will also speak out against the unequal distribution of COVID vaccines,” Wellner said. “Overall, the summit is probably going to be much more about reconnecting after troubled pandemic times, rather than a large diplomatic leap forward.” 

French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists his country and the EU will prioritize the relationship with Africa and establish a peace system that can build investments in African economies. 

The EU is facing competition in Africa from China, which has backed huge infrastructure projects across the continent, and also from Russia which is challenging France’s influence in central and western African countries.   

Wellner said the European Union cannot abandon its vision of seeing good governance and respect for people’s rights in Africa. 

“The EU will likely continue conditioning economic and security support for African countries on its principles, democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” Wellner said. “In this regard, the EU is probably going to continue acting more cautiously and differently from — for example — from China. There is unlikely to be a large change of politics at the summit. EU policy change takes a lot of time to change, because there are a lot of different positions within Europe that all need to be brought together. So the change, especially on the institutional levels, tends to be quite long.” 

 The two-day conference will also focus on concerns over how to mitigate the impact of climate change in Africa.  

Wanjira Mathai, the vice-president and regional director at the World Resources Institute, says rich countries need to pay for adaptation programs.  

“The biggest polluters, 80% of all global emissions, sit within the G20 and so those economies have to do the most to reduce their emissions,” Mathai said. “The climate finance agenda there has been for many years. Africa is one of the climate-vulnerable regions but we also have others but the majority of countries that require finance to take care of the adaptation capacity that finance have not been forthcoming. We know there were $100 billion goals that were not met, so there is a very clear agenda to meet the shortfall of that $100 billion.” 

Speaking at a webinar organized by the Europe Africa Foundation last month, Senegalese President Macky Sall said there was a need to develop a climate-friendly strategy and consider the level of development of African countries. 

 
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Ethiopian lawmakers have voted (Tuesday) for an early end to the state of emergency declared in November as Tigray forces moved toward the capital.

The Ethiopian parliament, also called the House of People’s Representatives, has voted to end the country’s state of emergency.

Initially, Ethiopia declared the state of emergency for six months. But the parliament voted Tuesday to end it after three months, with lawmakers saying the security situation in the country has improved, and that the state of emergency rule had diminished the image of the country internationally.

Some members of parliament opposed the decision. They argued that forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, are still fighting Ethiopian army forces in the Afar region, and are allegedly preparing to launch another attack against the Amhara region.

But a government representative in parliament said it is now possible to control any threat through a regular law enforcement process.

Ethiopia declared the six-month state of emergency at the beginning of November as TPLF forces moved within 200 kilometers of the capital. The TPLF says its forces eventually retreated to pave the way for peace negotiations. The Ethiopian government says they were pushed back by force.

In any case, rights groups accuse the government of using the state of emergency to round up large numbers of civilians in Addis Ababa, most of them ethnic Tigrayans.

In November, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said it was alarmed at the way Ethiopian police were targeting alleged suspects and set up a panel to investigate.

According to state run media outlets, the investigators have been ordered to finish their work within a month and submit their findings to the commission.

The ministry of justice has also been told to deal with the remaining state of emergency-related cases through the regular judicial process.
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