Africa

19, January 2017

Gambia: Adama Barrow sworn in as new President ⁰

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously approved a resolution endorsing efforts by some West African countries to ensure the respect of “the will of the people” in The Gambia. The 15-member body on Thursday approved a Senegal-drafted resolution expressing “full support” to Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow and calling on ex-leader Yahya Jammeh to step down. The resolution calls on the council to give “its full support” to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure that Barrow’s election victory on December 1 is respected by “political means first.” Senegal presented the draft resolution to the council on Wednesday, requesting UN approval for ECOWAS to take “all necessary measures” to force Jammeh to cede power to Barrow.

The harsh language of the resolution was dropped during negotiations late Wednesday because some UNSC members objected to backing military action, according to diplomats. The vote came shortly after Barrow was sworn in as Gambia’s new president. Barrow, 51, was sworn in inside Gambia’s embassy in neighboring Senegal, where he had been remaining after Jammeh refused to endorse the results of the presidential election. “This is a victory of the Gambian nation. Our flag will now fly high among those of the most democratic nations of the world,” Barrow said, waving to crowds in Senegal’s capital Dakar.

Jammeh, who lost the votes by a slim margin to Barrow, first accepted the defeat but then changed his mind and said there were irregularities in a recount. Following the UN vote, Senegalese troops moved across the border into The Gambia. “They entered this afternoon,” army spokesman Colonel Abdoul Ndiaye told AFP. Troops from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria began building up along Gambia’s border with Senegal hours before Jammeh’s mandate was to expire by January 19.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Barrow called on members of Gambia’s small-size military to pledge loyalty to him as the commander in chief. “I command the chief of defense staff and officers of high command to demonstrate their loyalty to me as commander in chief without any delay,” Barrow said. “I command all members of the armed forces to remain in their barracks, those found wanting or in possession of firearms without my order will be considered rebels,” he added. Gambia’s army chief Ousman Badjie had said earlier on Thursday that his troops would not get involved in the country’s deepening “political dispute.” He also said that troops would not prevent foreign forces from entering The Gambia.

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16, January 2017

Gambia: A tale of two Heads of State ⁰

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) announced last week that they will no longer recognize President Yahya Jammeh as the Head of State of the Gambia from the 20th of January 2017 if he refuses to cede power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

The idea of resorting to the deployment of military force in the country was also discussed last Friday during the visit of the ECOWAS leaders in the Gambia which was attended by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for West and Sahel Africa.

To ensure that the electoral verdict is respected, Chambas said that ECOWAS should ask the Security Council to approve the deployment of military troops in the Gambia if President Jammeh refuses to give up power. Jammeh warned the international community last week that the crisis will be resolved in accordance with the laws in force in the Gambia and that an “external interference” will not be accepted.

The steps to resolve the crisis through dialogue are continuing while ECOWAS has asked President-elect Adama Barrow to stay put in Senegal, while negotiations continue for his likely inauguration on the 19th of January. De facto, Barrow finds himself by force of circumstances outside the country while Jammeh who received the support of the Army barricades in Banjul.

A private meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of ECOWAS was held last Saturday in Abuja to reflect on the deployment of a force called Group Military Intervention (ECOMIG) in the Gambia if power does not handed to the President-elect. The ECOWAS Chiefs of Staff have started to set up troops for a possible deployment in The Gambia. In this controversial circumstances, many political commentators fear of another Libya as Nigerian leader, Buhari and the other ECOWAS heads of state have been blowing the heat and cold for Adama Barrow inauguration.

By Chi Prudence Asong

13, January 2017

Nigeria to offer asylum to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh ⁰

Nigerian lawmakers have voted to offer Gambian President Yahya Jammeh asylum if he hands over power to opposition leader Adama Barrow, who was declared the winner of the country’s December presidential election. The House of Representatives, Nigeria’s lower house, on Thursday approved a motion to authorize President Muhammadu Buhari to offer Jammeh asylum if he steps down when his five-year mandate ends on January 19.

Jammeh has a constitutional right to remain in office until his term ends. The Nigerian president is due to travel with other West African leaders to Gambia on Friday to persuade Jammeh to accept the election results. Jammeh had initially accepted the results of the December 1 election, in which Barrow was declared the winner, but reversed his position more than a week later and called for a revote. Barrow says Jammeh lacks the constitutional authority to call for a new vote or to invalidate the election.

Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have already traveled to the Gambia in an attempt to strike a deal with the president to make him to leave power. ECOWAS has said that Jammeh must step down and vowed “to take all necessary action to enforce the results” of the election. Jammeh has, however, questioned the role of the regional body as a genuine mediator. In New Year’s speech broadcast on state TV, the Gambian president accused the regional bloc of declaring a war against his country. He also pledged to defend his country against what he called any foreign aggression.

Jammeh has also described the mediation by ECOWAS as an insult to Gambia’s constitution. His refusal to accept the results prompted political upheaval in the country, bringing pressure from the international community on him to accept the result and step down. Several countries and the United Nations Security Council have called for a peaceful transition of power in Gambia. Jammeh seized power in a military coup in 1994 and has been in power ever since. He has long been under fire by human rights groups, who accuse him of torturing, imprisoning, or even sometimes killing his opponents.

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10, January 2017

Gambia: Communication Minister resigns, escapes to neighboring Senegal ⁰

Gambian Communication Minister Sheriif Bojang has left his post in protest at President Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to concede defeat in last month’s election. Bojang’s resignation is the first high-profile cabinet defection since Jammeh refused to accept the outcome of the presidential election held in December 2016. In a statement, Bojang said Jammeh’s defiance was an attempt to subvert the will of the Gambian people, adding that the voters’ decision had to be respected.

Bojang has fled The Gambia to neighboring Senegal. Jammeh, who has been in power for 22 years, lost last month’s vote to the opposition coalition’s candidate Adama Barrow by a thin margin. The veteran leader initially conceded, but later changed his mind and called for a new vote, saying he would challenge the result in the Supreme Court. Barrow has nevertheless asserted that his inauguration will go ahead regardless of the court case.

Back in October, Bojang announced that The Gambia had decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, calling the body the “International Caucasian Court” and accusing it of racism and bias against Africa. The news made headlines as The Gambia was following in the footsteps of South Africa and Burundi. Several officials have already either fled the country or resigned fearing a crackdown by Jammah who is notorious for stifling his opponents. Early in January, the electoral commission’s chairman fled the country after he received threats for declaring Jammeh as the loser of the election. Foreign minister Neneh Macdouall Gaye also resigned in December.

On Wednesday, three leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, will visit The Gambia to mediate a solution to the country’s political impasse. This is going to be the second visit by ECOWAS leaders to The Gambia in less than a month. West African leaders have repeatedly pursued mediation to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in The Gambia. Last month, after a visit to the country, they declared that ECOWAS did not yet intend to deploy its standby military force and sought a peaceful transfer of power.

Nevertheless, if Jammeh refuses to step down by January 18, when his term expires, ECOWAS may use military intervention. Jammah has already dismissed ECOWAS mediation efforts and accused the body of declaring a war against his country. The Gambia’s army announced loyalty to Jammah last week, going back on its initial pledge of allegiance to President-elect Adama Barrow.

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9, January 2017

Ivory Coast: Prime Minister resigns along with his cabinet ⁰

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan has resigned along with his cabinet amid political tensions in the West African country. “I have tendered my resignation and that of the government,” Duncan said Monday, two days later than he was expected to step down based on the standard procedure for changing the government in the country.

Duncan made the resignation announcement after a meeting with President Alassane Ouattara, who kept hold of his majority in the December 18 parliamentary elections. However, the government was expected to resign by Saturday to give leeway to a new government which could allow the implementation of measures contained in a new constitution, signed by Ouattara in November.

Ivory Coast’s presidency announced that Ouattara had accepted Duncan’s resignation. The two-day delay in the announcement of the government’s resignation came after a group of dissident army soldiers took over army bases in cities across Ivory Coast, demanding bonus payments. The government then reached an agreement with the army for the revolt to end. Reports said former premier and current Parliament Speaker Guillaume Soro was behind the mutiny as he is believed to be seeking the post of premiership or vice presidency. Some also said that the revolt could have been masterminded by Ouattara.

State employees also began a five-day strike on Monday, demanding that the government scrap pension cuts and another plan to increase the retirement age from 55 to 60. Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is West Africa’s largest and most prosperous economy.The French-speaking country emerged from nearly a decade of short wars and a protracted crisis in 2011. However, the factionalized, ill-disciplined military and increasing political divisions have sparked fresh concerns about the state of security in the country and how the government could continue to realize its economic objectives in the future.

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8, January 2017

ECOWAS ‘won’t deploy forces to Gambia for now’ ⁰

West African leaders will continue mediation to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in The Gambia and have no plans to deploy armed forces to the country “for now,” says Liberia’s president. “We are committed to a peaceful mediation and a peaceful transfer of power in The Gambia… we will continue to pursue that for now,” Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said after a meeting of regional leaders in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on Saturday.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided not to deploy its standby military force to The Gambia, said Sirleaf, who chairs the 15-member bloc. The Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh, a former coup leader who has ruled the country for 22 years, has refused to step down despite losing the presidential election to Adama Barrow, an opposition leader, in December last year. That has triggered a political crisis and fears of violence in the country.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh attends the closing rally of his electoral campaign in the capital Banjul, November 29, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Jammeh initially accepted losing to Barrow, triggering nationwide celebrations on the streets. A week later, however, he changed his mind, saying the electoral commission had been biased in favor of his rival. He then filed a complaint with the Supreme Court against the electoral commission and vowed to remain in office despite regional and international pressure to concede defeat.

Sirleaf stressed that ECOWAS is closely monitoring proceedings in The Gambia’s Supreme Court, where Jammeh is challenging election results. Last month, ECOWAS leaders said they would do anything necessary to uphold the result of The Gambia election. ECOWAS then placed its military forces on standby to intervene in case Jammeh attempted to stay in power after his mandate ends on January 19.

According to Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, ECOWAS is scheduled to discuss the future steps at a meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja, on Monday. Observers have expressed concern that the political deadlock in The Gambia could escalate into violence.

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8, January 2017

Ghana: President Nana Akufo-Addo takes the oath of office ⁰

Ghana’s new president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has been sworn in after defeating incumbent John Dramani Mahama in last month’s peaceful elections. On January 7, thousands of officials and guests from across Africa watched Akufo-Addo taking the oath of office at the Independence Square in central Accra, Ghana’s capital. He won the December 7 election on his third run for office.

International dignitaries, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chadian President Idris Deby, and former UN chief Kofi Annan attended the swearing-in ceremony. During the ceremony, Akufo-Addo, 72, a former human rights lawyer vowed to revive Ghana’s economy by reducing taxes and opening new businesses and factories.

He has also promised to “protect and defend” the Constitution of Ghana and to never disappoint his people. “I will not let you, the people of Ghana, down,” Akufo-Addo, 72, wrote on his Twitter feed just after taking office. The latest transition of power took place in the wake of Ghanaians’ deep frustration with the country’s economic management.

In the run-up to the election, Akufo-Addo had blamed Mahama for the economic slump which led to an International Monetary Fund bailout. Mahama, however, denied the charges and declared that the government was facing “strong headwinds” at the time which entailed slow growth, rise of public sector debt and the sinking currency.

In a farewell address, however, Mahama encouraged Ghanaians to support Akufo-Addo as his successor. Akufo-Addo is forced to stick to the International Monetary Fund’s two-year austerity plan introduced in 2015 for a bailout as the country faced inflation and high debt. Akufo-Addo is a major exporter of cocoa and gold. Ghana is the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa and Africa’s second biggest gold producer after South Africa. Ghana’s economic growth is expected to return to above eight percent in 2017.

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31, December 2016

Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila agrees to quit power ⁰

The government of the Congolese President Joseph Kabila has reportedly reached an agreement with opposition parties to end the current political crisis in the Congo over his refusal to step down following a defeat in recent polls.

Under the last-minute accord struck Friday by political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Kabila will leave office following elections due to be held by the end of 2017, press reports said citing the nation’s Catholic Church leaders who were mediating the negotiations.

“The government is asked to take all steps so that the elections are organized by the end of 2017 at the latest,” said Marcel Utembi, the president of the Congo’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Kabila’s presidential term expired on December 19, but ruling officials have effectively prolonged his mandate until 2018, claiming that the government would not be able to arrange elections before then.

A protester holds a bird as a crowd gathers to rally against extension of Kabila’s presidential term in the neighborhood of Yolo in Kinshasa on December 20, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Under the reported accord, which is expected to be officially signed on Saturday, Kabila will not be able to revise the constitution to allow him to remain in office for a third term. The parties further agreed that Kabila will appoint a prime minister from the Central African nation’s main opposition bloc to oversee the transition, a key point of contention in the final stages of negotiations. However, neither Kabila nor the country’s leading opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi are expected to sign the accord, press reports note, raising concerns about whether it would be honored.

Spokesmen for the government and Kabila’s ruling coalition were not available for immediate comment on the reported agreement. The development came as negotiators spent weeks in tense talks seeking to ensure the first peaceful transfer of power in the impoverished nation since its independence in 1960. It remains unclear, however, if polls can be arranged by the end of the upcoming year, or if leading politicians, including Kabila, will live up to the terms.

Meanwhile, Kabila’s extension of his rule has sparked bloody clashes in the country. Security forces killed nearly 40 protesters last week as they rallied against the continuing tenure of a ruler who rose to power in 2001 following his father’s assassination. There are growing concerns that the current standoff could lead to a repeat of clashes seen between 1996 and 2003 in eastern Congo in which many died, mainly due to starvation and disease.

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25, December 2016

Oh lucky man: Kabila to stay in power for another one year ⁰

The opposition and the government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have agreed on a deal to allow President Joseph Kabila remain in office for an additional year in return for not seeking a third term, the opposition has announced. “Kabila stays for one year,” opposition leader Martin Fayulu said on Friday, adding, “He will not try to stand for a new term.”

The unexpected deal between the opposing sides came after dozens of people were killed in anti-government protests this week. The United Nations (UN) said on Friday that some 40 people were killed. A government spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the deal, which requires final approval by all the delegates at negotiations mediated by the country’s Catholic Church. Jean Marc Kabund, the secretary general of the DR Congo’s largest opposition party, the UDPS, warned that the deal was not yet closed. “Today is the last day (of talks),” he said, adding, “It’s make it or break it.”

President Kabila’s second term in office expired on Tuesday. According to the constitution, a new president must be elected now. However, Kabila has remained in office as a presidential election scheduled for last month was postponed because of what the government said were delays in registering voters.

This image, taken on December 20, 2016, shows a man screaming as people gather to protest in the neighborhood of Yolo in Kinshasa, the DR Congo. (By AFP)

His father, former president Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001 in the country, which has never witnessed a peaceful transition of power.He took office just ten days after the assassination of his father.

The protests and killings this week have raised fears that the African state is headed toward more instability and a major conflict.

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24, December 2016

Congo-Kinshasa: Opposition parties near deal on power transition ⁰

Political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo have stopped negotiations before finalizing a power transition agreement, under which President Joseph Kabila will leave office next year. Participants in the negotiations said the talks between the opposition and the government in the DR Congo, which lasted for 12 hours, came to an end at about 5:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Saturday.

The negotiations were set to resume at 11 a.m. local time. “At that time … it will be possible to propose a final document that can be signed this afternoon,” opposition delegate Francois Mwamba said. Mwamba noted that the negotiating parties had failed to agree on some points of the deal, which was recently brokered by the country’s Catholic Church. The deal would allow President Joseph Kabila to remain in office for an additional year but the constitution could not be changed to let him run for a third term.

Under the agreement, presidential elections would also be held in 2017. The unexpected accord came after dozens of people were killed in anti-government protests this week. The United Nations put the death toll at some 40. Opposition leaders Martin Fayulu and Jose Endundo said a prime minister would be chosen from the main opposition bloc and veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi would supervise the implementation of the agreement.

Kabila has not immediately commented on the news. President Kabila’s second term in office expired on Tuesday. According to the constitution, a new president must be elected now. However, Kabila has remained in office as a presidential election scheduled for last month was postponed because of what the government said were delays in registering voters.

Kabila has been accused of trying to cling on to power. His supporters, however, say that he is committed to the constitution but stepping down from power would possibly spark a power struggle that could put his life in danger. His father, former president Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001 in the country, which has never witnessed a peaceful transition of power. He took office just ten days after the assassination of his father.

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