Eye on Africa

South Africa: Court Rejects Ruling Party’s Claim Against Zuma's MK Party

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Today, Tuesday, March 26, a court in South Africa rejected the African National Congress (ANC), ‘the ruling party, which demands to cancel of registration of the opposing MK party and to prevent it from participating in the upcoming elections.

The court said the ruling ANC's objection to the way the Independent Electoral Commission handled the registration of the MK party was unfounded.

With the upcoming presidential elections in May 2024, the competition between the ruling party and the MK Party is intensifying due to the increasing popularity of the new party and the results it achieved in the elections held in the previous period, the last of which was last February and came in second place despite its recent establishment, which poses a threat to the African National Congress (ANC) Party, which has ruled the country for decades (1994) and now faces sharp criticism due to the economic conditions and the spread of poverty and unemployment.

 MK Party is a South African political party founded in December 2023. The Party was named after the uMkhonto we Sizwe paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC) during the apartheid regime. The Party's promotion campaign is currently led and supported by former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, who has been indicted on financial corruption charges.

Senegal: Opposition Candidate Bassirou Faye Won Presidential Election

Monday 25 March 2024

The unofficial preliminary results of the Senegalese presidential election indicate that the opposition candidate Bassirou Faye won the presential elections after defeating the ruling party candidate and former Prime Minister Amadou Ba.

Ba, the candidate of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition, admitted on Monday, March 25, that he was defeated by his rival Bassirou Faye. The government Spokesman, ‎Abdou Karim Fofana‎ announced that Ba gave a phone call to Faye to congratulate him, wishing him all the success in his position, according to the Jeune Afrique website.

“In light of the results of the presidential elections and while waiting for the official announcement, I congratulate President Bassirou Faye on his victory in the First round,” Ba said. He added that he wishes him all the best in assuming the presidency of the country.

In the event that the Constitutional Council ratifies the results of the elections and announces Faye as the official president of the country, he will be one of the youngest presidents to rule the country, as he is forty-four years old. His being elected also represents a victory for the opposition camp led by Ousmane Sonko, the Head of the Pastef Party, which the government ordered to be dissolved in July 2023 so that Sonko could not run for the presidency, so the Party presented Faye as an alternative.

To read the full article about the results of the Senegalese elections, click here.

250 Students are Released in Nigeria

Sunday, March 24, 2024

 More than 250 students abducted by gunmen from a school in a village in northwestern Nigeria in early March have been released, the governor of Kaduna said on Sunday.

"The students abducted from the Kuriga School have been released unharmed," Governor Uba Sani said in a statement, without specifying how they were released. Victims of kidnapping in Nigeria are often released after negotiations with the authorities and the payment of ransom, although a 2022 law prohibits the payment of money to kidnappers, and the authorities deny paying any ransom to them.

The abduction of these students on March 7 is one of the largest attacks in years, sparking debate within the community over insecurity in Nigeria, the country with Africa's highest population. It is worth mentioning that a few days before the release of these students, the country witnessed a new kidnapping.

Abduction of More than 100 People in Northwestern Nigeria

More than 100 people were abducted in northwestern Nigeria on Saturday and Sunday, local authorities in Kagoro district of Kaduna state said on Monday, following two separate attacks in Kaduna.

The Head of the local government said the attackers kidnapped 87 people in Kagoro on Sunday night. Some other sources also said that between 14 and 16 people were kidnapped in the town of Dogon on Saturday as well.

Mass kidnappings thus continue in Nigeria with local citizens accusing a marked absence of security forces in tracking down kidnappers from armed gangs who take this approach in villages and remote areas.

Nigeria: 23 Soldiers Killed in Ambush near Mali, Burkina Faso

Friday, March 22, 2024

The Ministry of Defense in Niger announced the martyrdom of 23 soldiers in an ambush set up by terrorists affiliated with extremist organizations for members of the Nigerian army while conducting a sweep in the west of the country in Tillaberi, located in the border triangle area with Burkina Faso and Mali, that area where jihadist groups have been deployed for years and have recently doubled their terrorist attacks.

This attack took place during the withdrawal of the army forces after conducting a sweep in the areas in Burkina Faso, on Tuesday and Wednesday, to secure citizens, but a unit was caught during its withdrawal in an ambush in which 23 soldiers were killed, 17 others were wounded, and about 30 terrorists were neutralized.

"More than a hundred terrorists came in vehicles and on motorcycles to attack an army unit using grenades and suicide cars,” the ministry statement said.

The transitional authorities issued a three-day national mourning decree starting on Friday, according to a statement read on national television.

Nigerian authorities in collaboration with Mali and Niger are conducting a major campaign to counter extremist and terrorist groups in the Sahel region of Africa that are sanctuaries for jihadists, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and al-Qaeda.

Uganda Witnesses Cabinet Reshuffle and President Museveni Appoints his Son as Army Chief

Friday, March 22, 2024

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has promoted his 49-year-old son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as Army Chief, Uganda's Defense Ministry announced.

Uganda's president also made a cabinet reshuffle in which Defense Minister Vincent Ssempijja was replaced by Jacob Oboth, and former Army Chief Wilson Mbadi was appointed minister of trade.  In addition to the appointment of a new Chief of Staff.

He also sacked two ministers in charge of the northeastern Karamoja region currently accused of corruption, and two of his son’s closest advisers were appointed ministers in the new government, who were mobilizing his son's lobby group, the Patriotic League of Uganda.

These new appointments have sparked controversy again in the country about the desire of the president's son to take over from his father, and this is what the Ugandan opposition rejects and sees as an inheritance of power, as David Lewis Rubongoya Secretary-General of the National Unity Platform (NUP), expressed his regret, describing the day when this declaration was issued as a "sad day for our country."

It is worth noting that some of General Muhoozi’s statements on social media have caused several problems in recent years, both at the external and internal levels. He has openly declared his support for Russia in its war with Ukraine. He also wrote a tweet about his desire to run for the next presidential elections in 2026 and take power, but he deleted it after the strong criticism that swirled because of that statement.

The 79-year-old Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been leading the country since 1986; furthermore, he issued a decision to appoint his son Muhoozi as his advisor in 2017.

Conflict in Eastern DRC Worsens Humanitarian Situation

Friday, March 22, 2024

The escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the rise in violence in the east of the country since last February led to the deepening of the food crisis; forcing families to flee to camps overcrowded with displaced people and lacking food, sanitation, and shelter.

The number of displaced people has doubled over the past months and has reached nearly a million due to violence between the 120 armed groups, the most important of which is the 23 March Movement, which controls a large proportion of North-Kivu province, and the area between it and the Congolese government.

The DRC is experiencing one of the worst food crises in the world, with more than 23 million Congolese facing a critical level of food insecurity. Some 5.5 million people in the three eastern provinces of Ituri, North-Kivu, and South-Kivu are on the brink of famine.

WFP is also underfunded, which has led it to trade-off between recipients and non-recipients of food, particularly in areas of the east of the country, where humanitarian needs and conflicts are increasing.

Chad: At least 42 killed in New Fighting Between Citizens

Thursday, March 21, 2024

At least 42 people have been killed as a consequence of conflict and bickering between pastoralists and farmers in eastern Chad. It was announced on Thursday by the Minister of Public Security, in an area where farmers and pastoralists, or other groups, are constantly clashing for control of land.

These clashes resulted in the “immediate arrest of 175 people at the crime scene,” where “gunmen set fire to a large part of Ouaddaï Province.”

For his part, the Minister of Public Security, who was heading a delegation from the government and the army, confirmed in a telephone message to Agence France-Presse )AFP( that "the situation is under control, and an attempt is being made to reconcile the conflicting parties."

It is noteworthy that such deadly clashes are frequent in eastern and southern Chad, especially between herders and farmers.

South Africa: Zuma’s Bank Accounts Partial Freezing

Wednesday, March 20

The Supreme Court issued a partial freeze on the bank accounts of former South African President Jacob Zuma over a corruption case related to the huge sums spent on renovating his residence in Nkandla (east) following his election in 2009. This is according to what was announced by the First National Bank (FNB).

This case was one of the strong reasons that prompted President Zuma to resign in 2018 after the pressure exerted by the opposition on him at the time. She filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, considering that these renovations had nothing to do with security aspects, as the former president claimed. After investigations, the court ordered Zuma to pay the equivalent of 480,000 euros.

Zuma has been accused of 16 charges of fraud, extortion, and corruption during his two presidential terms between 2009 and 2018. Not only that, but the ruling party, the African National Congress, which has been in power since 1994, decided last January to suspend the membership of former President Zuma (81 years) because of his call for voters to vote for a new radical party called the Spear of the Nation (MK)  in the upcoming parliamentary elections in South Africa, which are scheduled for May 29, according to the results of which the country's new president will be chosen.

Russia's New West African Allies Congratulate Putin on Re-election as President

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The President of Mali's ruling Transitional Council, Colonel Assimi Goita, congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election on March 18 and assured him of his country's “friendship.”

In a message posted on social media, Colonel Goita extended his warmest congratulations to President Putin on his people's renewed confidence in him and wished him success in his duties.

In Burkina Faso, the President of the Transitional Council, Ibrahim Traoré congratulated Russian President Putin on his re-election as president and wrote: "I congratulate President Vladimir Putin, on his re-election on Sunday, March 17. On behalf of myself and the people of Burkina Faso, I wish the Russian President every success.”

In Niger, the President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), Commander General Abdourahamane Tchiani, sent his sincere congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin and wished him success in his noble mission.

Notably, the three countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) have severed ties with France, becoming closer to Russia. Partnerships have begun between the three countries and the Russian Federation in various fields, including energy and the economy, in addition to cooperation to rebuild the military capabilities of the three national armies with training and equipment to confront the deployed terrorist groups that deplete their capabilities.

Niger Unilaterally Cancels its Military Cooperation with the US

Sunday, March 17, 2024

The military junta in Niger suddenly decided to cancel the military cooperation agreement with the United States of America concluded in 2012 "immediately” and consider the American presence on the territory of the country illegal.

In a statement on national television, government spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane said the U.S. military presence was “illegal” and violated all constitutional and democratic rules.

He also said that the Nigerian government believes that “this agreement is unfair” and “unilaterally imposed by the United States,” via a “simple verbal note,” on July 6, 2012.

It is worth mentioning that the United States of America has an airbase in the Agadez region in northern Niger at $100 million used for drones, in addition to the presence of about 1,100 US soldiers and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense.

The decision comes after a three-day visit by a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, in which Molly was unable to meet with the transitional president, Abdul Rahman Tiani, who accused the delegation of not respecting “diplomatic norms,” according to a Nigerian government source.

 South Sudan Closes Schools due to Heatwave

Monday, March 18, 2024

It seems that the consequences of climate change will continue to affect the countries of the African continent one after the other.  The South Sudanese authorities have decided to close all schools from Monday, March 18, in anticipation of a severe heatwave that is expected to last for two weeks.

The   Ministries of Health and Education have advised parents to keep all children at home, as the temperature is expected to rise to 45 degrees.

But that statement released late   Saturday did not specify how long schools would remain closed.

The government said it would “continue to monitor the situation and inform citizens of weather updates.”

 Notably, South Sudan, one of the newest countries in the world, is particularly vulnerable to climate change crises due to its exposure to frequent heat waves.