INTL Africa: Politics, Economics, Military - May 2021

[Plain Jane]

Mali’s transitional president resigns while in detention

A representative of Mali's military says Mali’s transitional president and prime minister will be released from detention gradually after resigning in the presence of international arbitrators.

apnews.com

Mali’s transitional president resigns while in detention
By BABA AHMED and CARLEY PETESCHyesterday



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FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 file photo, Col. Assimi Goita meets with a high-level delegation from the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, at the Ministry of Defense in Bamako, Mali. Goita, has regained control of the West African country on Tuesday May 25, 2021, by deposing the president and prime minister of the transitional government in an unprecedented move. But Goita, who has served as vice president, is promising to still hold new elections next year. (AP Photo/File)

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s transitional president and prime minister will be released from detention gradually after resigning in the presence of international arbitrators who are in the West African nation to mediate the political crisis, the adviser to the military authority who detained the two leaders said late Wednesday.

The resignation by the leader of an 18-month civilian transitional government risks plunging the troubled nation into further instability.

The U.N. Security Council indicated Wednesday after a closed meeting that the resignations were forced and demanded an immediate resumption of the civilian-led transition and return of the military to their barracks.

The world body, along with the African Union and other international bodies, as well as the U.S., have urged Mali’s military to release the transitional leaders.


The leader of Mali’s 2020 coup, Col. Assimi Goita, who has been serving as the transitional vice president since September, regained control of the West African country by deposing the president and prime minister in an unprecedented move. President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested Monday, along with other government leaders, hours after naming a new Cabinet that did not include two major former junta leaders.

While in detention, N’Daw dismissed the prime minister before handing in his own resignation letter, according to a military official and a West African diplomat involved in mediations. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press on the subject.

Maj. Baba Cisse, the special adviser to Goita, who led the arrests Monday that have sparked international condemnation, said the resignations by both the prime minister and president were done in the presence of arbitrators and offered assurances the leaders would eventually be released.

“After the resignation of the transitional president and his prime minister, the detainees will recover their freedoms. This will be done gradually for the obvious security reasons,” he said at a news conference.

Cisse recited a list of reasons for the arrests of Mali’s heads of government, including accusations that the prime minister blocked the vice president on certain defense and security issues and violated the transitional charter by not consulting Goita about the formation of a new government.

The U.N. Security Council met Wednesday over Mali and in a statement condemned the arrests and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all the officials detained.
The statement, which was approved by all 15 council members after closed consultations, said that “imposing a change of transitional leadership by force, including through forced resignations, is unacceptable.”

The Security Council said it “noted with concern the risk of negative impact of these developments on ongoing efforts to counter terrorism, implement the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, and stabilize the center of Mali.”

The Security Council reiterated its strong support for mediation efforts by the African Union and West African regional group, known as ECOWAS, led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the week’s events as a coup and warned of repercussions, including targeted sanctions.

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday, “We were very clear with the junta: The transition must include civilians. It must be peaceful, it must be inclusive and it must be limited in time. What has happened ... constitutes for us a rupture of confidence.”

The European Union has also warned that it is “ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.”

The United States strongly condemned the detention of the civilian leaders, with the State Department saying it would be suspending security assistance to the Malian forces.

“The United States will also consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who impede Mali’s civilian-led transition to democratic governance,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

He said the U.S. was working closely with the local transition monitoring committee and other international actors to achieve the immediate and unconditional release of the government leaders held.

“A democratic, civilian-led government presents the best opportunity to achieve security and prosperity in Mali and the wider Sahel region,” the statement said.

Jonathan, who arrived Tuesday night with the West African delegation, said they came to Mali to listen to different parties, including the military, civil society groups and others.

Jonathan earlier acted as mediator in the political crisis last year after the junta detained former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Aug. 18, forcing him to resign. ECOWAS previously threatened the junta with sanctions if it did not install a civilian president and prime minister, and shorten the transitional period to 18 months.

When Goita released a statement Tuesday, he pledged to move forward with new elections in 2022 as previously promised. But his display of force raises fears that there could be further significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president.

The new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control Mali’s long-running Islamic insurgency. The U.N. now spends some $1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali and France’s military has spent eight years trying to stabilize its former colony amid the ongoing threat.
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Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed reported this story in Bamako and AP writer Carley Petesch reported from Dakar, Senegal. AP writer Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.

 

[Plain Jane]

Germany recognizes colonial killings in Namibia as genocide

Germany is officially recognizing the colonial-era massacre of tens of thousands of people in Namibia as genocide and has agreed to provide funding to help the communities affected.

apnews.com

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Germany recognizes colonial killings in Namibia as genocide
By GEIR MOULSONan hour ago

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Lisbon, Thursday, May 27, 2021. European Union foreign ministers meet Thursday to discuss EU-Africa relations and Belarus. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has reached an agreement with Namibia that will see it officially recognize as genocide the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people and commit to spending a total of 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), largely on development projects.

The accord announced Friday is the result of more than five years of talks with Namibia on the events of 1904-1908, when Germany was the southern African country’s colonial ruler.

Historians say German Gen. Lothar von Trotha, who was sent to what was then German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people in 1904, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that about 65,000 Herero were killed and at least 10,000 Nama.

“In the light of Germany’s historical and moral responsibility, we will ask Namibia and the descendants of the victims for forgiveness,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

“Our aim was and is to find a joint path to genuine reconciliation in remembrance of the victims,” he said. “That includes our naming the events of the German colonial era in today’s Namibia, and particularly the atrocities between 1904 and 1908, unsparingly and without euphemisms.”

“We will now officially call these events what they were from today’s perspective: a genocide.”
Talks between Germany and Namibia opened in 2015, more than a decade after a 2004 visit to Namibia in which then-Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul offered Germany’s first apology for the killings, which she said were “what today would be labeled as genocide.”

Maas said that, “as a gesture of recognition of the incalculable suffering,” Germany plans to support Namibia and the descendants of the victims with a 1.1 billion-euro “rebuilding and development” program in whose design and implementation “the communities affected by the genocide will take a decisive role.”

At the same time, he said that “legal claims to compensation cannot be derived from this.”
That reflects Germany’s position that the Genocide Convention of 1948 can’t be applied retroactively, and that its liability is political and moral rather than legal.

The projects Germany will now fund are expected to stretch over a 30-year period and will cover areas such as land reform, including land purchases, agriculture, rural infrastructure, water supply and vocational training. They will be separate from continuing development aid to Namibia.

Germany says that representatives of the Herero and Nama were involved in the negotiations, though Berlin’s direct dealings have been with the Namibian government.
Germany gained control of the desert country in the 1880s and surrendered the territory to South Africa in 1915. Namibia gained independence in 1990.

 

[Plain Jane]

Mali VP named interim leader in coup-within-a-coup – DW – 05/29/2021

A constitutional court in Mali has decided to make Assimi Goita the country's new interim president. Goita led a military coup earlier this week while serving as the interim vice president.

www.dw.com

Mali vice president named interim leader in coup-within-a-coup
A constitutional court in Mali has decided to make Assimi Goita the country's new interim president. Goita led a military coup earlier this week while serving as the interim vice president.




Colonel Assimi Goita being sworn in as Mali's transitional vice president in Bamako in September last year.

Mali's constitutional court in Bamako has named Assimi Goita — the vice president and colonel who was at the helm of a military coup earlier this week — as the new interim president.

Goita had assumed the chair of interim vice president after leading a coup in August last year that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

In a coup-within-a-coup on Monday, Goita ordered the arrests of caretaker President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Both leaders signed their resignations on Wednesday while in detention and were later released.

The top court ruled on Friday that Goita should fill the vacancy left by Ndaw's resignation "to lead the transition process to its conclusion" and carry the title of "president of the transition, head of state".

Goita perhaps not palatable to ECOWAS
The ouster of Ndaw and Ouane has risked Mali's already-frail transition back to democracy. The transition was slated to end with elections in February.

The decision to make Goita president put Mali at loggerheads with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which had insisted on a civilian-led transition after the original coup.

Following an agreement last October to lift sanctions imposed after the coup against Keita, the 15-member ECOWAS had said in a declaration that the vice president of the transition "cannot under any circumstances replace the president."

Friday's ruling comes ahead of a meeting of ECOWAS heads of state in Ghana on Sunday as a response to the takeover.

The military intervention in government in Bamako in recent months has further complicated the country's long-running fight with French assistance against Islamist rebels.


Watch video02:28
Fears mount of a second coup in Mali
Goita to name new prime minister
On Friday, Goita said that he would name a new prime minister within days.

The military strongman added that he wanted a member of the opposition M5 movement — which led protests against Keita last year and fell out with the caretaker government during the transition — for the role.

"In the coming days, the prime minister who will be appointed will carry out a broad consultation between the different factions," he said during a meeting with politicians and civil-society leaders in Bamako.

Russia hails release of interim leaders
Meanwhile, Russia welcomed the release of Ndaw and Ouane from prison, calling that a "step in the right direction".

Russia also urged a dialogue between all political actors.

"We are calling for constructive dialogue between all political forces in Mali for the sake of unity and stability in the country," it said on Friday.

Russia's foreign ministry said it was keenly watching the events in Mali and urged the current authorities to resume cooperation with ECOWAS.

Earlier in the day hundreds of Malians rallied in the capital to support the army as well as Russia.

According to reports, some also waved Russian flags and carried placards attacking France, Mali's former colonial power, which has stationed troops in the country to help in its fight against jihadist insurgency.

Moscow, which was a key player on the continent in the Soviet era and backed several independence movements, also encouraged Mali to eventually hold "democratic elections" with the support of ECOWAS and the African Union.

 

[Plain Jane]

DR Congo: 400,000 flee Goma over volcano eruption fears – DW – 05/28/2021

The Mount Nyiragongo volcano near the eastern city of Goma is the most active in Africa. Authorities have issued an evacuation order over fears it may erupt again.

www.dw.com

DR Congo: 400,000 flee Goma over volcano eruption fears
The Mount Nyiragongo volcano near the eastern city of Goma is the most active in Africa. Authorities have issued an evacuation order over fears it may erupt again.




Goma residents have been order to evacuate ahead of another eruption by a nearby volcano

Almost 400,000 people as of Friday have been forced to leave the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma due to fears of a new eruption by the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano. The volcano previously erupted last week, killing 32 people.

The wider Goma metropolitan area has a population of nearly 2 million people. The city is the capital of the North Kivu province.

What did authorities say about the eruption?
General Constant Ndima, the military governor of the province, said the eruption could happen "very soon." The volcano is located on the shore of Lake Kivu.

"Right now we can't rule out an eruption on land or under the lake, which could happen very soon and without warning," Ndima said.


Watch video01:17
Volcano warning sparks mass exodus in DR Congo
An eruption under the lake would be the worst scenario, as it could release a massive invisible cloud of carbon dioxide, asphyxiating life in the region.

UN humanitarian agency OCHA said 80,000 households left Goma on Thursday due to evacuation warmings.

OCHA said over 4,500 homes were destroyed from last week's eruption, impacting some 20,000 residents.

What makes Nyiragongo unique?
Nyiragongo is the most active volcano on the African continent. It is located just 12 kilometers (8 miles) from Goma.

The volcano has erupted at least 34 times since 1882.

Nyiragongo has seen some deadly eruptions throughout history. An eruption in 2002 killed roughtly 245 people due to asphyxiation by carbon dioxide and the collapse of buildings in the city.

A massive eruption in 1977 killed at least 600 people and destroyed villages in the area.


Watch video01:34
DR Congo volcano eruption leaves death and destruction
Eruptions come amid instability in North Kivu
The displacement of thousands of people in North Kivu comes after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi placed the province under a 30-day "state of siege" on May 6.

Both the North Kivu and Ituri provinces have been placed under the control of the Congolese military and national police in order to provide security to the region.

Both provinces have been grappling with intercommunal violence and the presence of armed groups. The violence has killed at least 300 people so far in 2021.

Critics say the move restricts civil liberties, and that the "state of siege" will not bring peace to the region.

wd/rt (AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Macron threatens to pull troops from Mali if ‘radical Islamism’ takes hold

President Emmanuel Macron warned in comments published Sunday that France will pull its troops out of Mali if it lurches towards radical Islamism following the second coup in nine months.

www.france24.com

Macron says France will withdraw troops from Mali if country turns to ‘radical Islamism’
Issued on: 30/05/2021 - 07:25

French soldiers taking part in Operation Barkhane in Mali are seen on March 26, 2019. © Daphné Benoît, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
5 min
President Emmanuel Macron warned in comments published Sunday that France will pull its troops out of Mali if it lurches towards radical Islamism following the second coup in nine months.

France has around 5,100 troops in the region under its so-called Barkhane operation which spans five countries in the Sahel -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

The mission, headquartered in Chad, was launched after France intervened to fend off a jihadist advance in Mali in 2013.

On Tuesday France and the European Union denounced an "unacceptable coup d'etat" after Mali's interim president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane were detained and stripped of their powers in what is being seen as the country's second coup in less than a year.

Macron said he had told Ndaw that France will withdraw its troops if Mali turns towards radical Islamism.

"Radical Islamism in Mali with our soldiers there? Never," he told the weekly newspaper The Journal du Dimanche.

"There is this temptation today in Mali. But if it goes in that direction, I will withdraw," he warned in comments made during a trip to Rwanda and South Africa. Macron flew home to Paris on Saturday.

The French president added that he had given a message to West African leaders that they could not back a country "where there is no longer democratic legitimacy or transition."

ECOWAS summit on Mali
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has invited Mali's junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita to Ghana's capital Accra for "consultations" ahead of an extraordinary summit on Sunday devoted to Mali.

Goita flew to Accra on Saturday, military and airport sources said.

01:38
He had served as vice president since leading a coup last August that ousted the democratically elected president, with the roles of president and prime minister held by civilians after pressure from ECOWAS, which has served as a mediator.

However, the transitional leaders were detained Monday before being released on Thursday, with the military saying they had resigned.

The twin arrests triggered a diplomatic uproar and marked the second apparent coup within a year in the Sahel country.

Mali's constitutional court completed Goita's rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president.

With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges.

Macron, in his comments published Sunday, warned that if Africa's development fails then Europe "will pay dearly in terms of migration".

He stressed the need to "invest massively" adding that the international community must also erase some of the continent's debt burden "to help Africans build their future."
(AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Nigeria: Scores of schoolchildren abducted by gunmen – DW – 05/31/2021

About 200 children were at the school at the time of the attack and "an unconfirmed number" were taken, authorities said. The incident is the latest in a series of mass abductions in Nigerian schools by armed gangs.

www.dw.com

Nigeria: Scores of schoolchildren abducted by gunmen
About 200 children were at the school at the time of the attack and "an unconfirmed number" were taken, authorities said. The incident is the latest in a series of mass abductions in Nigerian schools by armed gangs.




The latest abduction in Nigeria comes a day after 14 university students were freed

One person was killed and a large number of students were abducted Sunday at an Islamic seminary in Nigeria's north-central Niger State, a police spokesman said.

Some 200 children were at the school when the incident took place. The Niger state government said "an unconfirmed number" were taken.

Wasiu Abiodun, the Niger state police spokesman, said the abduction was carried out by "armed bandits on board motorcycles.''

The gunmen fired "indiscriminately" he said, adding that the attackers shot one person dead in the process. All "tactical teams" have been mobilized to rescue the victims and the police will "ensure that the children are rescued unhurt," according to the police spokesman.


Watch video01:10
Nigeria suffers yet another school kidnapping
The school's owner, Abubakar Tegina, witnessed the attack. "I personally saw between 20 and 25 motorcycles with heavily armed people. They entered the school and went away with about 150 or more of the students," Tegina, who lives around 150 meters from the school, told Reuters news agency.

Fear of kidnappings forces schools to close
The incident is the latest in a series of mass abductions in Nigerian schools by armed gangs.

The groups have been raiding schools in northern Nigeria in recent months, with hundreds of students abducted for ransom in recent months.

Since December 2020, 730 children and students have been kidnapped, without taking the Sunday attack into account.


Watch video01:08
Nigerian media reports death of Boko Haram leader Shekau
The worst incident this year occurred at the Government Girls Secondary School Jangebe in February, when 279 girls were abducted and later released.

Many schools in the region have been forced to close due to frequent incidents.

On Saturday, 14 university students and staff who had been abducted from Greenfield University in Kaduna state on April 20 were freed after spending more than a month in captivity.

sri/dj (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Where Africa's Startup Activity Is Concentrated

BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021 - 03:45 AM
AfricArena has released a new report using Partech data which has forecast that virtual capital funding for African startups will amount to between $2.25 billion and $2.8 billion this year, a record high for the continent.

Africa's VC investments reached an all-time high in 2019 when 234 tech companies raised $2.02 billion in 250 equity rounds, a 74 percent increase on the $1,163 recorded in 2018.

While the pandemic resulted in major setbacks in 2020 with growth declining 29 percent, Statista's Niall McCarthy points out that the good news is that major improvements are expected. In 2022, VC investment is expected to climb sharply to between $3.8 billion and $4.7 billion while the upper range is expected to be $6.8 billion by 2023. By 2025, VC investment in Africa is forecast to exceed $10 billion.


This is thanks to a number of factors such as an increased allocation of capital from corporates to their corporate VC activities, acquisitions of African tech companies, intensified FDIs and major initiatives from Europe such as the Enrich in Africa program.

So given that African startups are on the upward trajectory, where is activity most heavily concentrated?

You will find more infographics at Statista
Currently, Nigeria and Kenya are the hotspots for African VC investment with $307 million and $305 million raised in 2020, respectively.

Egypt is also a major player with $269 million of funding recorded last year while South Africa had $259 million.

Rwanda has positioned itself as a hub for East Africa and it enjoyed great success with $126 million raised in 2019.

Unfortunately the pandemic halted its impressive progress and that figure tumbled 91 percent to just $11.6 million last year.