RABAT — Thousands of protesters staged one of the largest pro-Palestinian marches Sunday in Rabat since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, demanding an end to Morocco’s ties with Israel. 

Protests of Israel’s war in Gaza have repeatedly drawn thousands of people in Morocco since the conflict began more than two months ago, mostly led by pan-Arab and Islamist groups. 

Sunday’s march was co-organized by leftist groups and the outlawed but tolerated Adl wal Ihsan Islamists. 

Most of the 10,000 protesters appeared to be Islamists with men marching separately from women, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards reading “resistance till victory,” “stop Moroccan government normalization with Israel” and “free Palestine.” 

Morocco agreed to strengthen ties with Israel in 2020, under a deal brokered by the U.S. administration under then President Donald Trump that also included Washington recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 

Protesters in Sunday’s march also called for a boycott of brands they accuse of supporting Israel. 

Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, after Hamas militants burst across the border fence on Oct. 7 and went on a rampage through Israeli towns, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages. 

Since then, Gaza’s health authorities say more than 20,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli strikes and a ground offensive, with thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble. 

Despite their policy of normalizing ties with Israel, Moroccan authorities have continued to back the creation of a Palestinian state and have urged a cease-fire in Gaza and the protection of all civilians there. 

Although Morocco and Israel have not yet completed the process of setting up full embassies in each other’s countries as they agreed, they have moved closer together, signing a defense cooperation pact. 
…

N’DJAMENA — Chadians have voted in favor of a new constitution that critics say could help cement the power of junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby.  

The referendum held earlier this month was approved by 86% of voters, the government commission that organized it said on Sunday. Voter turnout was about 64%, it said.  

Chad’s military authorities have called the vote a vital stepping-stone to elections next year — a long-promised return to democratic rule after they seized power in 2021 when former president Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents. 

The new constitution will maintain a unitary state, which Chad has had since independence, while some of its opponents had called for the creation of a federal state, saying it would help spur development. 

Several opposition groups called for a boycott of the vote, saying the junta had too much control over the referendum process.  

Deby initially promised an 18-month transition to elections after his father’s death, but last year his government adopted resolutions that delayed elections until 2024 and will allow him to run for president in the eventual vote. 
…

Harare — Atop many Christmas wish lists in economically troubled Zimbabwe is a travel document, and people are flooding the passport office this holiday season ahead of a price hike planned in the New Year.

The desperation at the office in the capital city of Harare is palpable as some people fear the hike could push the cost of obtaining a passport out of reach and economic gloom feeds a surge in migration. 

Nolan Mukona said he woke up at dawn to get in line at the passport office but when he arrived at 5 a.m. there were already more than 100 people waiting. Some people had slept outside the office overnight. 

“The only thing that can make my Christmas a cheerful one is if I manage to get a passport,” said the 49-year-old father of three. “I have been saving for it for the last three months and I have to make sure I get it before January.” 

At $120, passports were already pricey for many in a country where the majority struggle to put food on the table. The finance minister’s budget proposals for 2024 said passport fees would rise to $200 in January, sparking an outcry. The hike was then reduced to $150. 

Several million Zimbabweans are estimated to have left the southern African country over the past two decades when its economy began collapsing. The migration has taken renewed vigor in recent years as hopes of a better life following the 2017 ouster of longtime president Robert Mugabe fade. The late president was accused of running down the country. 

Many people, including professionals such as schoolteachers, are taking short nursing courses and seeking passports to leave for the United Kingdom to take up health care work. 

According to figures released by the U.K.’s immigration department in November, 21,130 Zimbabweans were issued visas to work in the health and care sector from September last year to September this year, up from 7,846 the previous year. 

Only India and Nigeria, countries with significantly larger populations than Zimbabwe, have more people issued such work visas. 

Many more Zimbabweans choose to settle in neighboring South Africa. 

According to South Africa’s statistics agency, just over 1 million Zimbabweans are living in that country, up from more than 600,000 during its last census in 2011, although some believe the figure could be much higher as many cross the porous border illegally. 

The economic desperation has coupled with the expected increase in the price of travel documents to create an end-of-year rush. 

The passport office has increased working hours to operate at night to cater to the growing numbers. Enterprising touts sell spots for $5 for those who want to skip the line. 

“It’s my gateway to a better life,” said Mukona of the passport he hopes to get. 

He plans to leave his work as an English teacher at a private college to migrate to the United Kingdom as a carer. Once there, he hopes to have his family follow, a move that may be endangered by recent proposals by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to change migration visa rules to limit the ability of migrant workers to bring their families to the U.K. 

Harare-based economist Prosper Chitambara said a lack of formal jobs and low prospects of economic recovery have turned the passport from a mere travel document into a life-changing document for many. 

“The challenging economic situation is not showing signs of remission so this is an incentive for Zimbabweans to migrate,” said Chitambara. “The passport is now more than just a travel document. Being in possession of a passport means changed economic fortunes because it’s a major step towards leaving.” 

The economist predicted a tougher New Year for Zimbabweans, citing a raft of new or higher taxes proposed by the finance minister. 

Zimbabwe’s government says the migration comes at a huge cost to the country because of a brain drain, particularly in the health sector. It has pleaded to the World Health Organization to intervene and stop richer countries from recruiting Zimbabwean nurses, doctors and other health professionals. 

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga earlier this year described the recruitment as “a crime against humanity” and proposed a law to stop health professionals from migrating. 

Life has not always turned out rosy for those leaving. 

The British press has reported the abuse of people settling in the United Kingdom as care workers, with some ending up living on the streets or barely earning enough to survive. 

A report by Unseen, a U.K charity, in October said “the care sector is susceptible to worker exploitation and modern slavery. Many people providing their labor in the sector receive low pay and the work is considered low-skilled.” 

The group, which campaigns against modern slavery and exploitation, said Zimbabweans were among the top nationalities to be victimized in the care sector. 

Despite such reports, many in Zimbabwe are not deterred. 

“I will deal with those issues when I get there. Right now my priority is getting hold of a passport and leaving. Anything is better than being in Zimbabwe right now,” said Mukona. 
…

Tunis — Tunisians trickled into polling stations on Sunday in the first elections for a new second chamber of parliament under a constitution pushed through last year by President Kais Saied.

Opponents of Saied argue the election is the latest step in the president’s “authoritarian” agenda.

Saied, a former law professor who was elected president in 2019, seized executive powers two years later, sacking the government, dissolving parliament and declaring he would rule by decree.

On Sunday, the nine million strong electorate has been asked to choose more than 2,000 councilors from around 7,000 candidates, according to the Independent High Authority for Elections.

Opponents of Saied had called for a boycott of the election, which they said was “illegal” and had been “imposed.”

A feeble turnout had been widely expected. Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), and an AFP journalist in the capital Tunis said they remained almost empty by midday.

“I have never seen such a low turnout during elections held in Tunisia since 2011,” said an official in charge of one polling station in downtown Tunis, who asked not to be named.

The official was referring to the year in which a revolution overthrew president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 24 years in power.

The protests that deposed Ben Ali helped to spark demonstrations and uprisings across the Middle East, a phenomenon later dubbed the Arab Spring.

“I understand the people who are ignoring these elections,” Salah Habib, a 60-year-old who said he cast his ballot simply “to mark [his] presence,” told AFP.

Nadia Majer, a 23-year-old student who opted not to vote, said upon leaving a nearby gym: “I didn’t understand anything about this election, and I don’t want to understand anything.”

More than 260 prominent Tunisian figures had signed a petition against what they called a “useless” election, saying Saied’s government “continues to implement its political project imposed on” people in the country.

They alleged the aim of the election was to “weaken local power, disperse it, and make it another docile instrument in the hands of the executive power.”

Since February, authorities have jailed more than 20 members of the opposition, including the Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek, the co-founder of the National Salvation Front, among others.

The vote will result in the establishment of local, regional and district councils, allowing for the creation of the second chamber of parliament.

President Saied’s new constitution, which was approved at a referendum in July 2022, established two chambers of parliament — the Assembly of People’s Representatives and a National Council of Regions and Districts.

The assembly, with very limited powers, began its work earlier this year after an election boycotted by the opposition and spurned by voters, with only 11 percent casting ballots.

The inauguration of the council — the second chamber that voters were asked to elect on Sunday — is scheduled for June 2024.

The council will decide on the state budget and regional development projects, and its members are selected in a complex process of local ballots and drawing of lots.

The electoral authority is scheduled to give preliminary results on December 27. A second round is scheduled for February, with no set date as of now.

 
…

Adré, Chad — Sitting outside her makeshift shelter in eastern Chad, Sudanese refugee Mariam Adam Yaya warmed up tea on some firewood in a bid to quell the pangs of hunger.

The 34-year-old from the Masalit ethnic group crossed the border on foot after a four-day trek with no provisions and her 8-year-old son clinging to her back.

She said “heavily armed” men attacked her village, forcing her to flee and leave seven of her children behind amid brutal violence that has sparked fears of ethnic cleansing.

Sudan has since April 15 been plunged into a civil war pitting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, his former deputy and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Thousands have fled for neighboring Chad and found refuge in overcrowded camps such as Adre where Yaya has settled.

In the western Darfur region, paramilitary operations have left civilian victims belonging to the non-Arab Masalit group in what the United Nations and NGOs say is a suspected genocide.

In the West Darfur town of Ardamata alone, armed groups killed more than 1,000 people in November, according to the European Union.

“What we went through in Ardamata is horrifying. The Rapid Support Forces killed elderly people and children indiscriminately,” Yaya told AFP.

Trauma

Chad, a country in central Africa that is the world’s second least developed according to the United Nations, has hosted the highest number of Sudanese refugees.

The U.N. says 484,626 people have sheltered there since the fighting broke out, with armed groups forcing more than 8,000 people to flee to Chad in one week.

Formal camps managed by NGOs and informal settlements erected spontaneously have sprouted throughout the border region of Ouaddai.

A traumatized Amira Khamis, 46, said she was targeted due to her Masalit ethnicity and has lost five of her children.

Recovering in an emergency medical structure run by the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near the Adre camp after shrapnel fractured her feet, she told AFP women and young girls were raped.

“They systematically kill all the people of dark black color,” she said.

Mahamat Nouredine, a 19-year-old who is nursing a fractured arm and has lost four relatives in the violence, said the RSF mercilessly hounded the Masalit community before he escaped to Chad.

“A group of RSF followed us to a hospital and tried to kill everyone… they laid us on the ground in groups of 20 and fired at us,” he said.

“Their unspoken goal is to kill people due to their skin color.”

Critical conditions

The United States and other Western nations have accused the RSF and its allies of committing crimes against humanity and acts of ethnic cleansing.

An estimate by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project puts the war’s death toll at 12,000. Almost 7 million people have fled their homes, according to the U.N.

After surviving atrocities in their homeland and the perilous journey abroad, the refugees are now confronting the looming threat of famine.

Yaya said she and her child have “barely” eaten since their arrival in Chad.

The scarcity of water in the camps has generated tensions that humanitarian organizations have struggled to calm.

Gerard Uparpiu, MSF’s project coordinator in Adre, said the influx of Sudanese refugees was creating a “worrying” situation.

“We receive them in critical conditions. They are shaken physically and psychologically,” he added.

MSF’s hospital is surrounded by fencing and constantly monitored by a guard, measures necessitated by the brutality of a conflict that has not spared the wounded.

“They also attacked us when I was being taken to Chad to receive treatment,” said Amir Adam Haroun, a Masalit refugee whose leg was broken by an explosive. 
…

ABUJA, Nigeria — France on Friday completed the withdrawal of its troops after they were asked to leave Niger by the country’s new junta, ending years of on-the-ground military support and raising concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence across the Sahel region of Africa.

The last French military aircraft and troops departed Niger by the December 22 deadline set by the junta which severed ties with Paris after the coup in July, the French Army General Staff told The Associated Press by email. France already announced this week that it would close its diplomatic mission in Niger for “an indefinite period.”

However, the country would continue to be involved in the Sahel — the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert which has been a hot spot for violent extremism — although differently, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday during a visit to a base in Jordan.

“I decided on some important reconfigurations,” Macron said. “We will continue to protect our interests over there, but our armies won’t be as present permanently, will be less stationary and also less exposed,” he said.

Niger’s junta described the end of the military cooperation with France as the start of “a new era” for Nigeriens.

“Niger stands tall, and the security of our homeland will no longer depend on a foreign presence,” it said via X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are determined to meet the challenges before us, by consolidating our national military and strategic capabilities.”

But analysts say a vacuum will be created by the troops’ departure. It will “leave Niger and the entire Sahel worse off” in terms of overall counterterrorism efforts as Niger was seen as the last remaining Western partner in the decade-long fight against jihadi groups in the region, said Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused security consulting company Signal Risk.

Some 1,500 French troops were training and supporting the local military in Niger, which had been envisioned as the base for counterterrorism operations in the region after anti-French sentiment grew in Mali and Burkina Faso, both run by juntas that have also forced French troops out.

But after deposing Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, the nation’s junta led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani severed military relations with France and other European countries. Instead, he sought defense cooperation with Russia, whose private mercenary Wagner Group is already active in parts of Africa but faces an uncertain future there following the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The withdrawal of foreign military missions is already affecting security in Niger, where the number of attacks has surged, according to Oluwole Ojewale with the Dakar-based Institute for Security Studies.

“The country has not demonstrated sufficient military capabilities to fill the vacuum created by the withdrawal. Strategic attacks are being launched by the various armed groups who now roam freely in the ungoverned spaces in the country and incidents have remained on the rise,” said Ojewale.

The junta in Niger has formed a security alliance with the military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso to coordinate counterterrorism operations across the Sahel.

However, much of the immediate impact of the departure of French troops would be felt in western Niger’s Tillabéri region which has been the hot spot for extremism in the country, said Cummings.

“Violent extremist organizations may utilize the vacuum created to exploit and expand their operations” in the Sahel, he said. 
…

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo — Western embassies in the Democratic Republic of Congo urged restraint on Saturday after leading opposition members called this week’s election a sham, with some calling for it to be annulled. 

Five opposition leaders called in a joint statement for a protest march on Wednesday. 

One election officer meanwhile said late voting in a few places in the country’s far east had been authorized for Sunday. 

In a joint statement Saturday, 12 European embassies in the capital, Kinshasa, along with the Canadian embassy, called for calm. 

“So long as the vote count is continuing, we call on all the parties involved … to show restraint,” they wrote. 

The U.S. embassy issued a similar call on Friday.  

About 44 million people in the nation of 100 million were registered to vote, with more than 100,000 candidates running for various positions. 

President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, is running for reelection against 18 opposition candidates. 

The sheer scale of the DRC, which is roughly the size of continental Western Europe, and its dire infrastructure make elections a stark logistical challenge. 

Massive delays and bureaucratic chaos marred the vote on Wednesday, with election authorities struggling to transport voting materials to polling stations on time. Some stations were unable to open at all. 

Protests, fraud allegations 

Officially, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission, CENI, extended the vote until Thursday for stations that had been unable to open on polling day. 

But ballots were still being cast on Saturday in remote areas, according to some officials, in a sign of continuing difficulties. 

Macaire Kambau Sivikunula, an election official in the North Kivu region in the east of the country, told AFP that CENI had granted special permission for five voting stations to open on Sunday for voting. 

Failure to get the voting up and running on schedule had led to death threats against him, his family and other election officials, he said. 

Five opposition leaders said in a statement Saturday that they were organizing a protest march for next Wednesday. 

They included gynecologist Denis Mukwege, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and former oil executive Martin Fayulu. 

“We will protest against the irregularities noted during the voting operations,” they wrote in a letter to the governor of Kinshasa, where they plan to hold the march. 

Five other opposition candidates, including business magnate and former provincial governor Moise Katumbi, released a separate statement calling for the vote to be annulled, saying it had been marred by “massive fraud.” 

‘Serious irregularities’ 

The poor but mineral-rich central African nation held four concurrent polls on Wednesday to elect the president, lawmakers for national and provincial assemblies, and local councilors.  

CENI on Friday evening released presidential results from the Congolese diaspora, which represents a minuscule proportion of the electorate, indicating a provisional lead for Tshisekedi. 

The release of other results expected on Saturday was postponed until Sunday. 

Results from the DRC’s 26 provinces are expected to start being released next. 

Tshisekedi is considered the front-runner in the first-past-the-post presidential election, especially given that the opposition is divided. 

The African Union, which conducted an observation mission, said the poll had taken place in an atmosphere of calm but noted major logistical challenges. 

Election observers from the U.S.-based Carter Center noted “serious irregularities” at 21 out of 109 polling stations it visited. 

On Saturday, a team of Congolese civil society observers called Regard Citoyen reported that in 21% of the polling stations it observed, would-be voters were turned away illegally. 

But in 13% of polling stations, people either without voting cards or not listed on the voter rolls were allowed to cast ballots, it said. 

The Congolese government and CENI have both rejected accusations that the vote was chaotic. 

CENI also announced an inquiry into “acts of violence, vandalism and sabotage carried out by certain ill-intentioned candidates.” 
…

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo — In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Independent National Electoral Commission published partial results Friday for the December 20 presidential election. This first session focused solely on the diaspora vote by Congolese in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Belgium and France.

Only 5,300 of the expected 11,000 voters turned out at the polls, with incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi taking 4,294 votes (80.99%), followed by opponent Moise Katumbi with 584 votes (11%). 

In all five foreign countries where the Democratic Republic of Congo tallied presidential votes by diaspora, incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi came out ahead. According to the electoral commission, he won 80% of the vote.   

The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Denis Kadima, rejected criticism from the opposition and independent observers that the vote was chaotic and lacked credibility. He praised the work done by his institution, saying it had done its best to organize a timely election, which he described as credible, transparent and inclusive. 

“Nobody could have imagined that this would be possible,” said Kadima. “It’s true that it’s difficult to meet the expectations of all our compatriots, but we were delighted to see how patient and enthusiastic voters were in participating in this process.”  

Some opposition members called for new elections to be held. They argued for the current ballot to be annulled, claiming it was riddled with irregularities.  

Kadima admitted there were errors, such as the extension of voting day, and he said that everything had been done to give all Congolese the chance to express themselves through the ballot.  

“But I think the most important thing is our commitment to seeing everyone participate in the process,” said Kadima. “That’s why we extended to the second day to make sure that everyone was able to participate in the vote. It’s important to know that what we did was proof of our commitment to upholding democracy.”   

The commission said the election results from voting within the Congo by its 44 million registered voters from Saturday would be published. The proclamation will be made province by province, and on December 31, the electoral commission will publish the provisional results in general.  
…

BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI — Gunmen killed at least 20 people and wounded nine others near Burundi’s western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government told reporters Saturday, in an attack claimed by the Reb Tabara rebel group.

Those killed in the Friday night raid on a village called Vugizo included 12 children, two pregnant women and a police officer, government spokesperson Jerome Niyonzima said.

Red Tabara, which has been battling Burundi’s government from bases in eastern Congo since 2015, claimed on the social media platform X to have killed nine soldiers and one police officer.

Local residents said they heard sounds of gunfire and explosions during the attack.

Red Tabara previously said it had attacked and destroyed equipment at the country’s international airport in Bujumbura in September, although no casualties were reported.
…

KINSHASA/BENI, Democratic Republic of the Congo — Congo on Friday released a few early results from general elections after an unscheduled daylong ballot extension that prompted some opposition candidates to cry foul and call for a rerun. 

The provisional results from the few thousand voters in the Congolese diaspora showed President Felix Tshisekedi with a comfortable lead over challengers.  

The CENI election commission said results cast within Congo by its 44 million registered voters would be released beginning Saturday.  

At a news conference in Kinshasa, CENI President Denis Kadima again rejected criticism by the opposition and independent observers that the extended vote had been chaotic and lacked credibility. 

Disputed elections have often sparked unrest in Africa’s second-largest country. The presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday were derailed by delays in delivering election kits and malfunctioning equipment. People also struggled to find their names on registers, while violence disrupted the poll in other places. 

Highlighting the scale of the delays, small-scale protests broke out in eastern Lubero territory on Friday where a failure to deploy voting materials to remote areas had left 17,000 people still unable to vote. A CENI representative for Lubero told Reuters voting would take place Saturday.  

Commenting on the election for the first time on Friday, the Carter Center, a U.S. election monitoring group, noted “there was a lack of confidence in the process, stemming in part from previous elections, as well as from gaps in transparency, especially regarding the voter register.”  

Voting for some was extended into Thursday, prompting five opposition presidential candidates to call for a new election, saying the extension was unconstitutional. 

Both opposition and Congolese independent observer groups have said voting unfolded in a way that could affect the credibility of results. 

Results center

CENI set up a results center in Kinshasa called Basolo — “Truth” in the Lingala language — where it says results from each polling station will be shared publicly as they come in. This has been a key demand of the opposition and civil society, who say the lack of transparency at previous elections enabled fraud. 

CENI has set a December 31 deadline for the release of full provisional results, but it is not clear if this will change because of the unexpected voting extension. 

The Carter Center called on the commission to post results at a local level and upload polling station results to its website to ensure the credibility of the process. 

Speaking on radio station Top Congo FM, the vice president of the commission, Didi Manara, said on Thursday the logistical setbacks on election day were out of  CENI’s control and had nothing to do with bad planning. 

He noted that Congo had extended voting to a second day in parts of the country during the 2011 election. 

The tumultuous election day capped a campaign that was also marred by violence that led to the deaths of at least 19 people, according to figures from the Carter Center. 

Opposition presidential candidate Moise Katumbi, whose team has been monitoring the vote count, said on Thursday that results so far showed him in the lead. 

The observer mission from the Congo’s powerful Catholic Church has deployed more than 25,000 observers to do its own compilation of election results. They did the same during the 2018 election, when they contested the results of CENI’s vote count. 

The vote will determine whether Tshisekedi serves a second term after a first five years in office marked by economic hardship and spiraling insecurity in Congo’s rebel-plagued east. 
…

Niamey, Niger — The last French troops are to withdraw from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa’s Sahel region.

The French exit from Niger leaves hundreds of U.S. military personnel, and a number of Italian and German troops, remaining in the country.

France said it would pull out its roughly 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the former French colony’s new ruling generals demanded they depart following the coup on July 26.

It was the third time in less than 18 months that French troops were sent packing from a country in the Sahel.

They were forced to leave fellow former colonies Mali last year and Burkina Faso earlier this year following military takeovers in those countries too.

All three nations are battling a jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012, later spreading to Niger and Burkina Faso.

But a string of coups in the region since 2020 have seen relations nosedive with former colonial power France and a pivot towards greater rapprochement with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron in September announced the withdrawal of all French troops from Niger by the end of the year, with a first contingent leaving in October.

The Nigerien army said last week their departure would be complete by Friday.

Perilous desert routes

Most French troops in Niger are at an air base in the capital, Niamey.

Smaller groups have been deployed alongside Nigerien soldiers to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaida are believed to operate.

The withdrawal is a complex operation, with road convoys having to drive up to 1,700 kilometers on sometimes perilous desert routes to the French center for Sahel operations in neighboring Chad.

The first French road convoy of troops withdrawing from Niger arrived in neighboring Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, in October, after 10 days on the road.

From Chad, French troops can leave by air with their most sensitive equipment, although most of the rest has to be moved by land and sea.

According to a source close to the matter, some of the French containers carrying equipment will be driven from Chad on to the port of Douala in Cameroon, before they can be ferried back to France by sea.

US, German troops

France’s former ally in Niger, overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, remains under house arrest.

A U.S. official said in October that Washington was keeping about 1,000 military personnel in Niger but was no longer actively training or assisting Niger forces.

The United States said earlier this month it was ready to resume cooperation with Niger on the condition its military regime committed to a rapid transition to civilian rule.

Niger’s rulers want up to three years for a transition back to a civilian government.

Military leaders in Niamey early this month said they were ending two European Union security and defense missions in the country.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Niger earlier this week to discuss the fate of around 120 German troops based in the country.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in September banded together in a joint defense pact to fight jihadists.

France’s withdrawal from Mali last year left a bitter aftertaste, after the bases it once occupied in Menaka, Gossi and Timbuktu were rapidly taken over by the Wagner Russian paramilitary group.
…

…

The U.N. says Malawi is home to tens of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region. However, human rights groups say some are being rounded up and moved against their will. Chimwemwe Padatha has more from Lilongwe, Malawi.
…

BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Malawi, which already is suffering from food shortages, this week banned the import of unmilled maize from Kenya and Tanzania over concerns that the spread of maize lethal necrosis disease could wipe out the staple food.

The ministry of agriculture announced the ban in a statement that said the disease has no treatment and can cause up to 100% yield loss. The statement said maize can be imported only after it is milled, either as flour or grit.

Henry Kamkwamba, an agriculture expert with the International Food Policy Research Institute, told VOA that if the disease were introduced into the country, it would be difficult to contain.

He used the banana bunchy top virus as an example of the potential danger.

“Think of how we lost all of our traditional bananas in the past and now Malawi is a net importer of bananas … due to our lax policies in terms of imports,” he said.

“There are these similar concerns with maize,” he said, with maize being the nation’s main food crop.

Kamkwamba predicted the ban would help Malawi prevent the disease from spreading.

Kenya and Tanzania have long been primary sources of maize for Malawi during periods of food shortage.

Malawi is facing shortages largely because Cyclone Freddy destroyed thousands of hectares of maize last March.

The World Food Program in Malawi and the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee estimate that 4.4 million people — around a quarter of the population — would face food shortages until March 2024.

Grace Mijiga Mhango, the president of the Grain Traders Association of Malawi, said that while she understands the severity of the impact of the maize disease, banning imports at a time of need would likely result in higher costs.

“If we really don’t have enough food, then we are creating another unnecessary maize [price] increase,” she said.

The next alternative for maize imports is South Africa, she said.

“South Africa is quite a distance,” she said, “and they don’t have enough. … It will be expensive.”

Malawi’s government said the ban will be temporary as it explores other preventive measures to combat the spread of maize lethal necrosis disease.
…

…

Kinshasa, Congo — Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo are due to go to the polls again Thursday, in a general election marked by severe logistical troubles that meant some polling stations never opened.

The impoverished but mineral-rich central African nation staged four concurrent elections on Wednesday — to pick a president, national and regional lawmakers as well as local councilors.

President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, is running for a second term in office against a backdrop of years of economic growth but little job creation and soaring inflation.

But the vote on Wednesday was marked by massive delays nationwide, with the electoral commission still attempting to deliver materials to voting stations long after polls were meant to have opened.

In some cases, polls never opened, leaving people unable to cast ballots.

Denis Kadima, the head of the electoral commission, declared on national television on Wednesday night that places unable to vote that day would vote on Thursday.

But details about the extension remain unclear. Nor is it clear how much of the country is affected.

Kadima also told reporters that “not less than 70%” of electors had been able to vote, but he stressed that this was an estimate.

Five opposition presidential candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including prominent figures Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege, rejected the extension on Wednesday night on the grounds that it was illegal.

In a joint statement, they called for fresh elections.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its vast reserves of copper, cobalt and gold.

Around 44 million Congolese, in a nation of 100 million, are registered to vote. And more than 100,000 candidates are running for various positions.

Results are not expected for several days.

Logistical problems

There had long been concerns that preparations for the vote were lacking, and the election authorities sought to play them down — although they proved valid Wednesday.

Staging elections in a country roughly the size of continental western Europe, with very few roads, poses a daunting logistical challenge.

By Wednesday afternoon, an influential election observer mission by a union of Congolese Catholic and Protestant churches indicated the scale of the voting problems.

Nearly a third of polling booths in the country had not opened, the observers said, and about 45% of voting machines suffered technical problems.

There was little sympathy from leading opposition politicians, who described the process as chaotic.

The main leading opposition candidates — gynecologist Mukwege, 68, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; 58-year-old business magnate and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi; and 67-year-old ex-oil executive Fayulu — all complained of irregularities.

‘Foreign candidates’

Tshisekedi, who took office in 2019 and faces 18 challengers, says he wants a second term to “consolidate his gains.”

He’s considered the frontrunner in the single-round presidential vote, although his record, as he himself has acknowledged, is mixed.

Throughout the campaign, Tshisekedi also poured scorn on what he termed “foreign candidates,” suggesting that his opponents had dual loyalties and lacked the will to stand up to Rwanda, which the DRC accuses of funding rebel groups on its soil.

Katumbi, a former governor of mineral-rich Katanga province and chairman of the country’s leading football club, Tout Puissant Mazembe, was the main target of such attacks.

Violence-wracked east

Armed conflict in eastern DRC also overshadowed much of the electoral campaign.

Militias have plagued the troubled region for decades, a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.

Tensions have ratcheted up further since the M23 group began capturing swathes of territory in late 2021.

Rwanda has been accused of supporting the rebels, which Kigali denies.

Clashes with M23 fighters have subsided in recent weeks but they continue to hold sway over large parts of North Kivu province, where voting was impossible.

In the eastern city of Goma, Desire Abedi Mubwana, 28, said: “There’s the war, there’s a lack of jobs, young people are really being neglected, forgotten.

“But we’re here to vote in the right leaders who will still think about young people and who will also think about the security of our region.”

 
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Bamako, Mali — Separatist Tuareg forces on Wednesday announced they had set up a blockade on the major roads in northern Mali, where the army has made inroads in recent weeks. 

The Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), an alliance of rebel forces, said it had decided to set up roadblocks across all roads leading to northern borders with Mauritania, Algeria and Niger. 

It would cover roads leading out of the cities of Menaka, Kidal, Gao, Timbuktu and Taoudeni, the CSP statement said, and it would cover all products and all means of transport. 

The mainly Tuareg rebel forces have in recent weeks lost ground to a Malian army offensive that in mid-November led to the recapture of the northeast city of Kidal. 

Fighting between the separatists and government troops broke out again in August after eight years of calm, as both sides scrambled to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers. 

The MINUSMA force left at the behest of Mali’s military rulers in Bamako, where the colonels seized power in 2020. 

It was the army’s air power, including planes and drones, that helped make its recent gains against the rebel forces.  

Mali’s army was also backed by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group, according to the rebels and local elected officials, but the regime denies the presence of the controversial private security force. 

There have been accusations of atrocities committed against civilians during the recent offensive by Mali’s army and the Russian force, which authorities have repeatedly denied. 

Getting reliable information from the vast, northern part of Mali is extremely difficult because of its inaccessibility, lack of security and the muzzling of dissident voices there. 
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Abuja, Nigeria  — Nigerian activist Promise Ohiri, known as Empress Cookie, woke up to cheering news on Tuesday.

Pope Francis had given Catholic priests permission to give blessings to same-sex couples in a landmark declaration.

Ohiri, a Catholic transgender woman, has faced serious discrimination and threats to her life related to her sexuality. She said she couldn’t have hoped for better news, but acknowledged there would be resistance.

“It’s not going to be an easy thing,” she said. “I’m very sure that African people will definitely protest against it. They mostly use religion against us, the queer people. I feel like the pope making the decision is … I feel like it’s for good for queer people. I’m having a good reaction [feeling] about it.”

Other African activists also praised Francis’ decision to let Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, with hopes that the pope’s gesture could ease anti-LGBTQ sentiment and oppression on the continent.

But African religious organizations are not expected to embrace the Vatican’s announcement. In Nigeria, at least one bishop has voiced dismay about it.

Not a wedding

The Vatican said the blessing would not be similar to a wedding ceremony, which it maintained can happen only between a man and a woman.

The Vatican stated that homosexuality is “intrinsically disordered” but argued that same-sex couples must be treated with dignity and respect.

But the announcement has sparked debates in Africa, where homosexuality is widely viewed as a sin, an abomination or a Western import.

In Nigeria, same-sex relations are punishable by 14-year jail term.

Ohiri is hopeful the pope’s declaration will change things.

“The pope doing this is shocking the whole world and breaking foundations,” she said. “I mean, laws that are so much against the queer people. If the religion is in support of queer people — trust me, it’s going to shake the Nigerian law and other countries that have not signed it into law. It’s really normal for them to protest.”

Bishop John Promise Daniel, vice president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, said same-sex blessings and marriage are not acceptable.

“I am more or less, like, shocked when I heard what the pope said,” Daniel said. “There’s nobody who can change the position of the word of God, whether you are a pope, an archbishop or whatever. If [the Bible] does not support it, I don’t care who supports it. It’s invalid. Man’s liberality is inconsequential.”

The Catholic Church of Nigeria has yet to respond to the pope’s statement. But experts predict that the church’s officials may disagree and continue with a different doctrine on the matter.

Mike Umoh, spokesperson of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, told VOA by phone, “I can tell you that the Catholic bishops of Nigeria are presently working on their position that will very, very soon be made public.”

This week, a Ugandan court commenced hearing a suit challenging the East African country’s harsh anti-LGBTQ law, which punishes “aggravated homosexuality” with a life sentence.

Activists like Ohiri say they are skeptical that Nigeria’s laws against homosexuality will be overturned, but they the pope’s declaration is a step in the right direction.
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Wracked by conflict and unrest, Burkina Faso is a tough environment for journalists, with issues like rape and sexual violence often taboo. But Mariam Ouedraogo is pushing back to provide a platform through her reporting, for those affected by unrest. While in Washington to receive an award, she spoke with VOA’s Salem Solomon about her career. Camera: Betty Ayoub
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KINSHASA, Congo — Congo headed to the polls Wednesday to vote for president as authorities scrambled to finalize preparations in an election facing steep logistical and security challenges, with voting starting nearly 2 1/2 hours late in the capital.

Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million who were displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east, could struggle to cast their ballots. The fighting has prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.

Voter Raymond Yuma in the capital of Kinshasa said he’s voting for hope.

“When you wake up in the morning you’re hoping for good things, good work, and I want security,” said Yuma. He sat beside three other people on a bench waiting in line for the doors to open. None of their voting cards were legible.

In eastern Congo, people said they weren’t finding their names on voting lists.

“The voters displayed on lists at the polling station are fewer than those who are lining up. I can’t find my name on the list and this could cause scuffles here because I also want to vote,” said Jules Kambale at a polling station in Goma. 

Waiting for polls to open during the more than two-hour delay, people grew agitated and began arguing, particularly in the capital.

Both outside observers and locals have warned of challenges that could affect the credibility of the vote in one of Africa’s largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy.

On the eve of the vote, some polling stations in Kinshasa told Associated Press journalists they were still waiting for materials. Thousands of stations, particularly in remote areas, might still not have what they need on Wednesday. 

A major concern is that ink on voting cards has smudged, making many illegible. That means people could be turned away from polling stations. In addition, the voter registration list hasn’t been properly audited.

“The organization of the elections raises lots of doubt regarding the credibility, the transparency and the reliability of the results,” said Bienvenu Matumo, a member of LUCHA, a local rights group.

A candidate needs a majority of votes in the first round to win.

President Felix Tshisekedi seeks his second and final five-year term, running against about 20 other candidates. His main rival appeared to be Moise Katumbi, the former governor of Katanga province and a millionaire businessperson whose campaign in 2018 was thwarted by the previous regime of former President Joseph Kabila.

But the opposition remains fractured, making Tshisekedi the likely favorite.

The son of a late, popular opposition figure, he has spent much of his presidency trying to consolidate power over state institutions and working to overcome a crisis of legitimacy after a contested election five years ago.

Some voters didn’t want to disclose who they were backing, but Kinshasa is a Tshisekedi stronghold.

“He’s someone who’s done a lot of things for the country … he’s fought for democracy,” said business owner Joseph Tshibadi. Even though Tshisekedi hasn’t succeeded in quelling violence in the east, Tshibadi is willing to give him more time. 

“The beginning is always hard,” he said.

After waiting for nearly three and a half hours, Tshibadi was the first person to vote at a school in the capital. He said voting was easy, and he voted for Tshisekedi because he wants to give him another five years to try and improve the security situation.

“I feel very happy, because I voted for my candidate, and I think he’s going to win with 90%,” he said.

In the eastern city of Bunia, displaced people vandalized a voting center over a dispute between the electoral commission and voters, said Jean-Marcus Loika, a local journalist who saw the attack.

The voting machines and the ballots were vandalized and the police stepped in, he said. 

Gunshots were heard in the area, which has prevented people from voting, he said.

Locals and analysts said the vote is likely to be extended past Wednesday.

Nicolas Teindas, the director for the international observation mission for the Carter Center, said the sooner the voting is finished the better because it becomes challenging to manage people’s expectations. “In the end people want to know who is their president,” he said.

The election commission says it has made changes in the process to make it more credible, spending more than $1 billion on the vote since planning began two years ago. 

A key change from 2018 is that results from each of the 75,000 voting stations will be released one at a time, rather than being announced in bulk.

The results should be the manual ones rather than the electronic count, said Rev. Eric Nsenga, a coordinator for the joint electoral observation mission between the Church of Christ for Congo and the Congolese National Episcopal Conference. He also warned against publicly releasing partial results as they are compiled in case it inflames tensions.

Already, some observers have alleged that the process has been far from transparent.

On Monday, the East African Community said its election observer mission was not granted access to Congo by authorities. Last month, the European Union canceled its observation mission after Congolese authorities did not authorize the use of satellite equipment for its deployment.

The vote is taking place as violence surges in eastern Congo, where more than 120 armed groups are fighting for power and resources or to protect their communities. They include the resurgence of M23 rebels, allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda, which denies it.
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CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A Maltese-flagged merchant ship that was hijacked last week in the Arabian Sea with 18 crew members on board is now off the coast of Somalia, the European Union’s maritime security force said Tuesday. One crew member has been evacuated for medical care.

The bulk carrier Ruen remains under the control of the hijackers, whose identity and demands are unknown, the EU Naval Force said in a statement. It did not give details on the condition of the crew member who was taken off the vessel on Monday and moved to an Indian navy ship that has been shadowing the Ruen.

An Indian maritime patrol plane spotted the Ruen a day after its hijacking last Thursday and made radio contact with the crew, who had locked themselves in a safe room. The hijackers broke into the safe room and “extracted the crew” hours later, the EU Naval Force said.

The Ruen, which is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, was off the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Horn of Africa when it was boarded, the private intelligence firm Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. Bulgarian authorities said the ship’s crew were Angolan, Bulgarian and Myanmar nationals.

The 185-meter Ruen was carrying a cargo of metals from the port of Gwangyang in South Korea, the EU Naval Force said. It had been headed to the Turkish port of Gemlik. The captain confirmed the hijacking by sending a mayday alert to the EU Naval Force’s command center.

The vessel has now moved southwest toward the coast of Somalia, according to the EU force.

Suspicion has fallen on Somali pirates, whose attacks have decreased markedly in recent years. They may be more active again. The Pentagon has said that five armed assailants who seized a commercial ship near Yemen late last month were likely Somali nationals and not Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who were first suspected to be responsible.

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have escalated their attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war, impacting global trade. The U.S. said Tuesday that it and a host of other nations are creating a force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

But Somalia’s maritime police have also intensified their patrols in recent weeks following the Pentagon’s assessment of last month’s attempted hijacking, as fears grow of a resurgence of piracy by Somali nationals.

A Spanish frigate from the EU Naval Force and a Japanese naval vessel that is under the multinational Combined Maritime Forces command have moved to the vicinity of the hijacked Ruen to join the Indian navy vessel. It is being “continuously monitored” by the ships and a 5-meter-long drone used by the EU force.
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Urban food security is a growing problem as populations swell in cities around the world. In Nairobi, urban farming technology is being used to help ease the food shortage problem. Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi. Camera: Amos Wangwa
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United Nations — The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to accede to a demand from Democratic Republic of Congo and launch a gradual withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers starting this month, a year earlier than originally planned.

The resolution, which renews the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in DRC for a further year, includes plans for the departure of peacekeepers from South Kivu province by the end of April.

The drawdown comes despite United Nations concern about violence in the eastern part of the country.

Ravaged by conflict, the vast and impoverished DR Congo will host high-risk presidential and parliamentary elections on Wednesday, a vote that coincides with the expiry of the annual mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO.

Despite a volatile domestic situation, the Congolese government has for months been calling for an accelerated withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers, from the end of 2023 rather than the end of 2024. It considers the U.N. force to be ineffective in protecting civilians from the armed groups and militias that have plagued the eastern DRC for three decades.

The accusation is similar to that made by other African countries, notably Mali, which has demanded the emergency departure of the U.N. Minusma mission.

In recent months, several Council members, notably the United States, have expressed doubts as to whether DRC forces are ready to replace MONUSCO to ensure the security of the population.

However, as U.N. missions cannot operate without the authorization of host countries, the DRC forced the Security Council’s hand — though its messaging has been less forceful than Mali’s.

“Members of this council will be watching very closely as the DRC government looks to assume full responsibility for the protection of its civilians as MONUSCO draws down,” said United States deputy ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood.

The Council decided to “initiate the gradual, responsible and sustainable withdrawal” of the mission, in line with a withdrawal plan agreed in November between Kinshasa and MONUSCO. 

The first phase includes the withdrawal of peacekeepers from South Kivu province by the end of April 2024, beginning “before the end of 2023,” according to the resolution seen by AFP ahead of the vote.

From May 2024, MONUSCO will be present only in North Kivu and Ituri. And from July 1, its strength will be reduced by some 2,350 personnel from a maximum authorized strength of around 13,800 military and police personnel.

Further withdrawal will be determined on the basis of an evaluation report on the first phase, which the Council expects by the end of June 2024.

A U.N. peacekeeping force has been present in the country since 1999. For several years, the Security Council has been cautiously disengaging, setting broad parameters for the transfer of responsibilities to Congolese forces, with an aim to begin withdrawing by 2024.

While the head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, recently expressed concern about an increased risk of “direct military confrontation” between the DRC and Rwanda, the resolution also called for “calm and dialogue” between the two neighbors.

Without naming anyone, it also condemned “support by any external party” for the armed groups of the M23 (March 23 Movement) and the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), and calls for the withdrawal of these external parties from Congolese territory.

In their last report, published in June, experts mandated by the Security Council claimed to have “new evidence of direct intervention by Rwandan defense forces” in the DRC, notably in support of the M23 and FDLR. 
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