Africa

7, January 2019

Gabon officers ‘oust President Ali Bongo’ ⁰

Junior officers say they have seized power in oil-rich Gabon, where the ailing leader’s family has ruled for 50 years.

Soldiers in the west African country say they launched a coup “to restore democracy”.

They took control of the national radio station at 04:30 local time (03:30 GMT) to read a short statement announcing a “National Restoration Council”.

Tanks and armed vehicles can be seen on the streets of the capital Libreville.

Ali Bongo succeeded his father Omar Bongo as president in 2009. He narrowly won re-election in 2016 in a poll marred by violence and accusations of fraud.

Mr Bongo, who has been out of the country for two months, reportedly suffered a stroke in October and received treatment in Morocco

Soldiers announcing a coup on state television — Image captionSoldiers also announced the coup on state television

‘Pitiful sight’

He sought to put an end to the rumours about his health with a televised New Year message in which he said he was feeling fine.

Soldiers said they had been disappointed by the message, calling it “a pitiful sight” and a “relentless attempt to cling onto power.”

“It reinforced doubts about his ability to assume the responsibilities of his role as President of the Republic”, said Lt Kelly Ondo Obiang, the leader of the so-called Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon.

He specifically appealed to young people to “take charge of their destiny”.

The insurgents called on soldiers to take control of the transport system, ammunition reserves and airports “in the interests of the nation”.

There is no word so far from the government.

President Trump has deployed soldiers to Gabon to protect US citizens amid fears of violent protests in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo following its presidential election.

BBC

1, January 2019

Hidden history of presidential sickness: Ali Bongo tells Gabonese ‘I am now fine’ in New Year message ⁰

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo chose the auspicious occasion of a new year to address his citizens for the first time since suffering a stroke on October 24. The New Year’s message recorded in Morocco, was distributed via social and traditional media on Monday.

“It is true that I have been through a difficult period, as sometimes happens in life,” he said in a video recorded in Rabat, where the president has been recuperating since end-November. Today, as you can see, I am better and I am preparing to meet you again soon.

The 59-year-old leader has not been home to Gabon since he fell ill in Saudi Arabia more than two months ago. A lack of official news sparked fevered speculation that he was incapacitated or even dead.

A single photograph of Bongo and two videos without sound were published in the two months after his stroke, further fuelling rumours about his health.

Speaking straight to the camera in the new video, Bongo elocutes his message seemingly effortlessly, even as his head and hands display slight movement.

Fully recovered?

Seated at a table, the president’s lower body is not shown. “Today, as you can see, I am better and I am preparing to meet you again soon,” Bongo said in the video.

Presidency spokesman Ike Ngouoni told AFP: “This speech is proof that President Ali Bongo is fully recovered. His health problems are now behind him.”

The Bongo family has governed the oil-rich equatorial African nation for five decades. The incumbent replaced his father, who died in 2009.

Three opposition party leaders have called for an independent medical team to see Bongo in Rabat to assess whether he is able to perform his presidential duties.

Bongo was narrowly re-elected in 2016 following a presidential poll marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud.

Africa News

28, December 2018

10 Burkina Faso police officers killed in ambush ⁰

Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the west African country’s security ministry said.

“The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that a police convoy from the Toeni region and reinforcements from the Dedougou area had been ambushed.

Security minister Clement Sawadogo confirmed the toll on national television, announcing an increase in police and army forces patrolling the area.

The officers were attacked while heading to the village of Loroni, near the border with Mali, after a school had been attacked and textbooks torched by armed assailants, a security source told AFP.

The wounded, including two in serious condition, were taken to a hospital in Dedougou, the source added.

“A convoy of defence and security forces who were scrambled from Tougan to come to the scene of the tragedy… also hit an explosive device that ripped through the lead vehicle but fortunately did not kill anybody,” Sawadogo said, adding that three of the four officers in the vehicle were wounded.

“This is an area that has recently been the target of a number of attacks. Arrangements have been made for regular patrols but we are working to strengthen the security system on all the sensitive axes of the zone,” he said.

Burkina Faso has been increasingly hit by deadly attacks over the last three years. They began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

On Wednesday, a police officer died during an attack on his station in the northern town of Solan.

Most attacks are attributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Those groups are believed to be responsible for more than 255 deaths since 2015. The capital Ouagadougou has been hit three times and almost 60 people have died there.

(AFP)

22, December 2018

Congo-Kabila: Landslide leaves 5 dead ⁰

Four women and a child have died when a landslide flattened their houses after heavy rain in Bukavu in eastern DR Congo, local sources say.

“Five dead bodies have been found in Kadutu commune after a landslip following torrential rain” overnight, local civil representative Hypocrate Marume told AFP.

He said the victims were four women and a small boy — a tally confirmed by mayor Munyole Kashama — adding that searches for further bodies were underway.

Kashama said at least four people had been injured.

A landslide last year killed 40 people in a fishing village in the northeastern region of Ituri.

(Source: AFP)

22, December 2018

Biya regime Reopens Ekok Border with Nigeria ⁰

Cameroon has reopened its southwestern border with Nigeria after closing it about a year ago because of conflicts between Cameroon’s military and armed separatists fighting to create an English-speaking state.

A senior official from Cameroon’s military asks the people of Ekok village on the southwestern border with Nigeria to consider the soldiers as friends who are there to protect them.

Cameroon businessman Christopher Efiom, 46, buys food from Cameroon and takes it to Nigeria where it is sold. When he is returning from Nigeria, he buys spare motor parts and sells them in Cameroon. He says the presence of the military in the border market has chased fighters to the bushes and across the border to Nigeria. He says that for a month now, merchants have been able to do business despite ongoing fighting between the military and the separatists.

A car filled with supplies to sell across the border is seen in Ekok, a Cameroonian village on the southwestern border with Nigeria.

“There are days that the military goes down to attack the boys [fighters] and when they go down, there is serious gun shooting,” Efiom said. “So many casualties are on the field. The Amba fighters usually block us on the way and you can never predict when they are there. There are days that even the military are unable to carry the convoy right to Nigeria.”

“Amba” is the self-declared English-speaking region of Ambazonia, where armed separatists are fighting for independence.

Cameroon businessman Cletus Ndungang, 32, says although the military has reopened the border, business has yet to resume fully because most buyers and sellers still fear for their safety.

“Eighty percent of our rice is imported. It is very risky for a businessman to carry rice knowing that there is going to be a problem. Even maize. We also have oil, we have sugar. In fact, all the food, there is a problem because of this barbaric act. Most of the businessmen would not want to come in,” he said.

People buy and sell their goods in Ekok, a Cameroonian village on the southwestern border with Nigeria.

When Cameroon declared war on the armed separatists in November 2017, it said gunmen were attacking border localities in Cameroon’s southwest and escaping to Nigeria.

Nigeria denied the assailants were crossing over from its territory into Cameroon.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of Cameroon’s southwest region, says collaboration between the Nigerian and Cameroon militaries is bringing peace to the border areas and business is resuming; but, he says, civilians who sought to escape the fighting should look to the military as their partners in working toward peace.

The separatist insurgency gained momentum in 2017 following a government crackdown on peaceful protests by Anglophones, who complain of being marginalized by the French-speaking majority. Some political leaders have called on President Paul Biya to initiate dialogue with the separatists. But Biya — who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years — has refused any talks on Cameroon becoming a divided state.

Culled from the VOA

17, December 2018

Former Ghanaian Head of State Scolds West Over Crisis In Togo, Cameroon, Others ⁰

Some policies and democratic practices adopted from the west are to blame for the political instability in Togo, Cameroon and other countries.

This, according to former President JJ Rawlings, has been a contributing factor to Africa’s under-development.

He says the kind the democratic election that Africans have adopted from the foreign world is not providing the kind of freedom the continent should enjoy.

He, is therefore, advocating for a shift in order to reverse the trend.

In a post on Facebook, Mr. Rawlings expressed worry over the inhumane treatment and lack of development the people of Africa continue to endure from white leaders, saying that it is time for all to rally behind Africans who toil for the gains of the continent.

“The time has come for the West to stop avoiding African patriots. Let’s not be intimidated by or feel threatened by the conviction of African patriots. We are sick and tired of the perceived intellectuals who are doing the bidding of others and themselves but their own kind.”

He believes foreign nations are doing Africa more harm than good, and wondered if these leaders of the developed world care about the minorities in society other than their parochial interest.

“More insulting to the sensibilities of the African is the knowledge that some of them are protégés of failed heads who’ve become kingmakers and shamelessly parading Presidential abodes and offices pulling deals on behalf of corporate interests inimical to the continent, he noted.

Mr. Rawlings even talks about how the renowned Saudi Arabian Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was cruelly murdered with other advanced countries and influential bodies looking unconcerned instead of ensuring that justice is served.

Find below, the full post of the Former President

“Is the world going to continue looking away while the Togo and Cameroon situation deteriorates in pain, blood and terror?
If the world can become so insensitive and immune to the fate of Palestinians; black lives in Africa cannot expect anything less inhuman.
If a close friend and ally of personalities in the US government like President Trump and his team can brazenly and thoughtlessly butcher such a known personality in their Saudi consulate in a country that stands up to the Israeli government’s intransigence and impunity, such atrocity creates an opening and provides the license for other dictators to do just a little less savagery to a lot more lesser people from other ethnic groups in our parts of the world.
It only takes one government to get away with it and others seeking the opportunity to disempower an already subjugated people will take advantage of it and terrorize theirs too.
Won’t countries like Germany, the Vatican, France and the USA with a lot of influence on these countries intervene even if they won’t publicly condemn? How else will civilized nations demonstrate to the world that they’re serious about the Khashoggi killing?
It’s also about time the UN Secretary General’s office stopped accepting insensitive cold-blooded hypocrites whose favorite occupation is rapping and stooping their way into their political ambitions while keeping away from the blood and pain of their own kith and kin.
The monetized Western democratic elections in our world don’t always give us the best. The best however in intellect and wisdom grounded in humility, integrity and compassion can always be found in abundance on our continent and simply have to be selected.
The time has come for the West to stop avoiding African patriots. Let’s not be intimidated by or feel threatened by the conviction of African patriots. We are sick and tired of the perceived intellectuals who are doing the bidding of others and themselves but their own kind.
More insulting to the sensibilities of the African is the knowledge that some of them are protégés of failed heads who’ve become kingmakers and shamelessly parading Presidential abodes and offices pulling deals on behalf of corporate interests inimical to the continent.”
Source: Modern Ghana

11, December 2018

Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria get relief materials ⁰

Cameroonian refugees living in the Adagom Resettlement site in Ogoja, in Cross Rivers State have been given relief materials donated by Africa Now Foundation, a charity organization.

The organisation is owned by Africa’s leading Oil and Gas lawyer, NJ Ayuk, CEO of Centurion Law Group.

“This is most impressive and undoubtedly the largest single donation we have received in years,” said Mr. Remi Oyasanya, the zonal coordinator South-South region, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internal Displaced Persons.

Oyasanya took the delivery of the materials alongside the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Cross Rivers State Emergency Management Agency in the presence of thousands of the refugees.

The materials donated included children school chairs, mattresses, pillows, blankets, buckets, Indomie Noodles, bathroom slippers, water bottles; sachets of packaged tomato paste, salt, spices, cooking oil; children school tables and a desktop computer.

In the spirit of the Christmas, the foundation also donated soft drinks of different brands, biscuits, wafers and sweets that could reach over 2,000 people.

“We are committed to doing more as a foundation, because they deserve all the love and support, we can show to them to mitigate their daily ordeals.

“They don’t deserve to be in refugee camps during Christmas. It is wrong and immoral.” said NJ Ayuk, while urging governments in West/Central Africa to do everything to end hostilities in the sub-region.

“The reasons for so much suffering coming out of this Anglophone crisis are complex and varied. It is important that everyone really sees a need for an all-inclusive dialogue that cultivates a true respect for everyone in Cameroon and the diaspora.,” said the lawyer.

The Africa Now Foundation is a humanitarian organisation committed to “six corporal works of mercy, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, bury the dead and give alms to the poor.”

The foundation has further expressed the commitment to visit as many African communities where succor is needed and “we can avail to them little we have.”

Source: NAN

11, December 2018

The 5 highest paid presidents in Africa ⁰

People living in Africa have over the years lamented their continent’s over-dependence on other regions.

Even though the continent is blessed with natural resources such as minerals, vegetation, among others, the citizens of some countries live well below the poverty line.

According to reports, approximately 27.4% of the population in Africa was classified as severely food insecure in 2016, which is almost four times as high as any other region.

Meanwhile, politics has become a very lucrative career. Politicians are not only powerful, but their salaries are also very heavy.

In our present dispensation, African politicians earn a lot of money while citizens live poorly.

This is a reflection on the salaries some African leaders earn monthly.

1. Paul Biya

Paul Biya is the President of Cameroon. His monthly salary is $50,833.33. He is the highest paid African president.

2. Cyril Ramaphosa

Cyril Ramaphosa is the fifth president South Africa. He became president following the resignation of Jacob Zuma. Previously an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and businessman, Ramaphosa served as the Deputy President of South Africa from 2014 to 2018. He earns $21,174.67.00 every month.

3. Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the fifth president of Algeria and has been in office since 1999. He is the third-highest paid president in Africa. His monthly salary is $14,000.

4. Uruhu Kenyatta

Uhuru Kenyatta is the current president of Kenya. He came into office in April 2013. He is the fourth highest paid president in Africa even though he ordered that some percentage of his salary should be cut off in 2014. He earns $13,860 monthly.

5. Emmerson Mnangagwa

Emmerson Mnangagwa is the third and current president of Zimbabwe. He assumed office in November 2017 after Robert Mugabe was ousted. He is ranked the fifth highest paid African president. He earns $12, 272.08 monthly.

Source:Pulse.com

10, December 2018

Sudan: Governor, six others killed in helicopter mishap ⁰

At least seven local government officials were killed in a helicopter crash in Sudan’s eastern al-Qadarif state on Sunday, state news agency SUNA reported.

The state’s governor and three security officials were among the dead. A number of people were also injured in the incident, SUNA said. The officials had been carrying out a security tour of the province.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. State TV earlier reported that a plane, not a helicopter, had crashed. Al-Qadarif state is known for its farmland and agricultural projects.

The governor of Gadaref state in Sudan, Mirghani Saleh, and a number of his companions died today morning after a helicopter crash

REUTERS

7, December 2018

Amnesty censures South Sudan over rising number of executions ⁰

Amnesty International has denounced a rise in the use of the death sentence in South Sudan, urging the world’s youngest nation to “stop signing execution orders.” The London-based rights group said in a statement on Friday that seven people were executed this year, including one who was a child when convicted of murder. It said 342 other people were on death row.

“The world’s youngest nation has embraced this outdated, inhuman practice and is executing people, even children, at a time when the rest of the world is abandoning this abhorrent punishment,” Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty’s regional director, said in the statement.

“The president of South Sudan must stop signing execution orders and end this obvious violation of the right to life,” she added. Juba, however, denied the report, saying no one had been executed in the country since 2011 and a moratorium had been placed on the practice since 2013.

Presidency spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the capital punishment remained on the statute books, adding, “If you kill a person, you will be executed.”

South Sudan, the youngest country in Africa, is suffering from a bloody civil war, whose history goes back to President Salva Kiir accusing his former deputy Riek Machar and current rebel leader of plotting a coup. In September, Kiir signed a peace agreement with rebel factions in the Ethiopia to end the civil war.

However, UN rights investigators said on Friday that all sides in the conflict continue to recruit fighters despite the September accord which stipulates that the warring parties stop recruitment, whether voluntary or forced, as a permanent truce takes hold.

“There is a worrying trend, that there is some recruitment going on,” Barney Afako, a member of the UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said at the end of a four-day visit to the country.

Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the commission, said the new recruitment “is on all sides” of South Sudan’s conflict.

The exact motivation behind the recruitment is still unclear, but Afako said it might be “tactical” so that militant groups can argue for a greater share of government demobilization programs, or it might be “preparation to return to conflict.” According to the report, fighting has stopped since the deal was signed in September.

Source: Presstv