Sofonie Dala - Young Talents from Africa : 10/26/21

Tuesday, 26 October 2021

Across Africa in Five minutes

MALI

Prime Minister Choguel Kokallia Maiga has given Professor Hamidou Boly, ECOWAS Permanent Representative in Mali 72 hours to leave the country. Boly has been declared persona non-grata by the Malian Prime Minister for actions “incompatible with his status” as representative of ECOWAS in Mali

BURKINA FASO

Trial for the assassination of former Burkinabe Leader Thomas Sankara has resumed today in Ouagadougou before a military court 34 years later. The trial, which began on October 11, was suspended at the request of defense lawyers who needed time to review over 20,000 documents before they can prepare for trial. Meanwhile former president Blaise Compaore who is the accused, will be joining the trial via video from his residence in Abijan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Also in Burkina Faso, the army successfully quelled a Jihadist attack in the Namissi Guima province of Sanmatenga. The army killed five jihadists and recovered 15 motorcycles as well as a large cache of weapons.

BENIN

Benin has legalized abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in a vote last Thursday by the country’s Assembly. This new law puts an end to a boost in clandestine abortions that have take the lives of many young girls across the country.

MALI

The transition leadership in Mali has promised to announce the date of the general elections this December. The elections would elect civilian leaders to head a government that would return the country to civilian rule after military leader Goita toppled the Keita government last year.

NIGERIA

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on media professionals to be ‘conflict-sensitive’ in reporting cases of insecurity across the country. This, it said, is because insecurity takes a huge toll on societal life and posts negative development indices in several areas. The NGE made this call at the end of its conference in Abuja.

RWANDA

Rwanda’s ambition to launch two satellite constellations in the next three years has further highlighted the country’s plan to become a hub for the African space industry. The Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) announced the development on Tuesday, citing that it filed a request to acquire two satellite constellations from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The two fleets of craft totals 327,320 satellites.

ZIMBABWE

Foreign currency deposits, on a broad money basis, registered growth of 55,53 percent in the year to August 2021, latest statistics from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) show. The foreign currency deposits increased from $86,01 billion (ZW$) in August 2020 to $133,77 billion in Augustthis year. The growth in FCA deposits was largely driven by revaluation changes, owing to the movement of the exchange rate from $83,40 per US$1 in August 2020 to $86,06 per US$1 in August 2021.

SUDAN

Joint military forces detained Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Monday after he refused to support their “coup”, the information ministry said. Other members of the transitional government have also been detained and taken to an unidentified location. “After he refused to be a part of the coup, a force from the army detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and took him to an unidentified location,” the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.

NAMIBIA

The Alliance of Christian Churches in Namibia (ACCN) has suggested government hold a referendum over the contentious issue of abortion. Reverend Dolly Nengushe, who is the executive chairperson of the ACCN board of trustees, believes the process of a referendum will help gauge the views of all parties involved. The ACCN during a media briefing last week firmly rejected a proposal to allow abortion and repeal the Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975, which was adopted under apartheid South African rule. The current law only allows abortion to save the life of the mother, in cases of severe foetal deformity, in cases of rape or incest, or if the woman is mentally incompetent.

SOUTH AFRICA

It is estimated that “one in ten adults living in South Africa will have experienced major clinical depression at some point in their life but only 25% have sought treatment and care for their mental conditions, such as depression”. Although these estimates are based on the South African Stress and Health (SASH) study, last done in 2009, subsequent studies have also stressed the challenge of reducing this treatment gap.

MALAWI

Malawi president and SADC chairperson Lazarus Chakwera has called for the immediate and unconditional removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the Western bloc of states saying this would facilitate economic recovery. Zimbabwe is set to commemorate the Anti Sanctions Day on October 25. In a solidarity statement, Chakwera said: “As SADC we are concerned by the continuation of sanctions on some individuals or entities and hereby call for the unconditional and immediate lifting of these sanctions.”

DNT News, Accra

Elephant death soldier Mathew Talbot ‘deprived of protection’

A British soldier killed by an elephant charge was “deprived of one of the main protective measures” after a ban on the use of warning shots, a coroner said.

Coldstream Guardsman Mathew Talbot, 22, suffered fatal injuries on an anti-poaching patrol in Liwonde National Park, Malawi, in May 2019.

His inquest heard evidence that warning shots against dangerous game had been banned under the Army’s rules.

The coroner said the reasons for this prohibition were “not entirely clear”.

Senior coroner Darren Salter was told at the week-long inquest the use of force rules had since been changed, allowing warning shots on anti-poaching operations.

Gdsm Talbot, from Great Barr, West Midlands, suffered fatal chest and soft tissue injuries while on day three of an eight-day patrol.

The 22-year-old, who “loved the Army”, was part of a five-man mixed Malawian and British group on his first operational tour when he was attacked.

His parents, Steve and Michelle Talbot, said their son was “badly let down by” Army planners.

Gdsm Talbot and his patrol were navigating through two-metre-high elephant grass when they spotted three elephants 30 metres ahead.

As they tried to backtrack, the soldier was injured when another elephant, unseen, charged the patrol from the side.

Image caption,Mathew Talbot, of The 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, died in May 2019

The inquest was previously told the patrol began running in different directions and Gdsm Talbot attempted to climb a “prominent branch” but was seen being “thrown” and “knocked” into the air.

A Ministry of Defence (MOD) service inquiry, published in October 2020 and shared with the inquest, concluded there had been several failings and made 30 recommendations.

At Oxford Coroner’s Court, Mr Salter said the availability of a person medically qualified to insert a chest drain to treat Gdsm Talbot and the presence of a medical helicopter “may have led to Mathew’s survival”.

Turning to three “contributory causes” to the death, Mr Salter said it was known from two previous deployment patrols that elephant grass should be avoided.

“This should have been made clearer, particularly when the helicopter was unavailable,” he said.

“Secondly, the wrong immediate actions for an elephant attack; namely climbing a tree, taken in the heat of the moment.”

He said refresher training should take place and a reinforcement of the correct actions to be taken when faced with an elephant attack.

Turning to the third factor, the use of warning shots, he said: “To be honest, I am still not entirely clear why they were not permitted.

“I’ve heard reasons they weren’t permitted – but those reasons don’t seem terribly convincing.

“But the result of that is Mathew and his fellow soldiers were deprived of one of the main protective measures.”

Mr Salter said: “I note actually in terms of contributory causes, those three things; patrolling in elephant grass, the wrong immediate actions, and the prohibition of warning shots are essentially the three contributory causes identified by the service inquiry.”

The coroner found there was initial “highly commendable” lifesaving treatment in the field, but progress was slow over the rough terrain and Gdsm Talbot suffered a cardiac arrest and died more than four hours after the incident – the hospital still two hours’ drive away.

“If Gdsm Talbot had reached hospital within four hours of sustaining injuries, it is likely he would have survived,” Mr Salter said.

In September 2019 the Duke of Sussex honoured Gdsm Talbot by laying a wreath at a memorial during a visit to the national park.

Mr Salter gave a narrative conclusion.

Sudan coup: A really simple guide

The coup taking place in Sudan, where the prime minister and his cabinet have been arrested and the government dissolved, is the latest crisis in a turbulent period for the country.

On top of the political tensions, Sudan’s economy has been in a deep economic crisis, with high inflation and shortages of food, fuel and medicine.

The coup has alarmed many international powers who have only recently been forging relations with Sudan after years of isolation.

Here is what you need to know.

What’s the background to the coup?

Military and civilian leaders have been sharing power since August 2019 after Sudan’s long-term authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown.

Mr al-Bashir was toppled by the military but mass street demonstrations demanding civilian rule forced the military to negotiate a plan aimed at moving to a democratic government.

The country is now supposed to be in that transition with civilians and military leaders running the country together on a joint committee known as the Sovereign Council.

But the two groups have been publicly at odds.

What’s behind the tension?

Military leaders in the transitional government have demanded reforms from their civilian counterparts and called for the cabinet to be replaced. This was dismissed as a power grab by civilian leaders.

There have been multiple failed coups since 2019, the most recent of these was just last month.

The top civilian figure, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, blamed Bashir loyalists – many of whom are said to be embedded in the military, security services and other state institutions.

And in recent weeks the country has seen demonstrations calling for the army to take power as well as large protests backing the prime minister.

The pro-military protesters have accused the government of failing to revive the country’s fortunes.

Mr Hamdok’s moves to reform the economy – including slashing fuel subsidies – have been unpopular with some.

What is happening now?

The head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council has given a speech announcing a state of emergency.

He also dissolved the Sovereign Council that was overseeing the transition to civilian rule, as well as the dissolution of cabinet.

Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan also said elections would be held in July 2023.

Prime Minister Hamdok was reportedly detained by soldiers earlier in the day, along with several other ministers. It also appears that the state TV and radio headquarters have been taken over by the military.

The internet has also been restricted.

What might happen next?

According to information ministry’s Facebook page, the prime minister had called on people to come out in support of the government.

Pictures and reports coming out of the capital, Khartoum, suggest that there are demonstrators out in the city.

The military have also been deployed to restrict movements.

In June 2019, before the democratic transition was agreed, soldiers opened fire on protesters in Khartoum killing at least 87 people.

Memories of that massacre will be playing on the minds of people as the two sides confront each other.

Toppled Sudanese leaders call for civil disobedience against coup

After weeks of tension between the Sudanese civilian leadership and the military, the latter showed who is the boss by arresting top government officials, including Prime minister Abdallah Hamako, in their homes in what has emerged as the latest coup d’etat in Africa.

Latest pictures from the troubled northeastern African nation showed Prime Minister Abdallah apparently being held captive by members of the military, and the youth hitting the streets burning tires and signalling a showdown with the military.

Reports indicate that Internet service has been cut off nationwide but our correspondents were able to obtain the following pictures from the current situation in Sudan.

Saudi crown prince suggested killing King Abdullah, ex-official says

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince suggested using a “poison ring” to kill the late King Abdullah, a former top Saudi intelligence official has alleged.

In an interview with CBS, Saad al-Jabri said Mohammed bin Salman told his cousin in 2014 that he wanted to do so to clear the throne for his father.

There were tensions within the ruling family at the time over the succession.

The Saudi government has called Mr Jabri a discredited former official with a long history of fabrication.

In his interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes programme Mr Jabri warned that Crown Prince Mohammed – Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and the son of King Salman – was a “psychopath, killer, in the Middle East with infinite resources, who poses threat to his people, to the Americans and to the planet”.

He alleged that at a 2014 meeting the prince suggested to his cousin Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the then interior minister, that he could arrange the killing of King Abdullah.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) and Prince Muhammad bin Nayef (R) attend a ceremony in Riyadh (14 December 2016) — Image caption,Mohammed bin Salman (L) replaced Mohammed bin Nayef (R) as crown prince in 2017

“He told him: ‘I want to assassinate King Abdullah. I get a poison ring from Russia. It’s enough for me just to shake hand with him and he will be done,'” Mr Jabri said.

“Whether he’s just bragging… he said that and we took it seriously.”

He said the matter was settled privately within the royal court. But he added that the meeting was secretly filmed and that he knew where two copies of the video recording were.

Abdullah died at the age of 90 in 2015 and was succeeded by his half-brother Salman, Mohammed bin Salman’s father, who named Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince.

In 2017, Mohammed bin Nayef was replaced as heir to the throne by Mohammed bin Salman. He also lost his role as interior minister and was reportedly placed under house arrest before being detained last year on unspecified charges.

Mr Jabri fled to Canada after Mohammed bin Nayef was ousted.

He said in the interview that he was warned by a friend in a Middle Eastern intelligence service that Mohammed bin Salman was sending a hit team to kill him in October 2018, just days after Saudi agents murdered the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

He alleged that a six-person team landed at an airport in Ottawa but were deported after customs found they were carrying “suspicious equipment for DNA analysis”.

Last year, Mr Jabri accused the crown prince of attempted murder in a civil suit filed in a US federal court.

The prince rejected the allegations. He has also denied any involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, although US intelligence agencies assessed that he approved the operation.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (front left) and then-Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz (R) attend a festival on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (18 March 2008) — Image caption,King Abdullah (front left) was succeeded by his half-brother Salman (R) after he died in 2015 at the age of 90

The BBC has contacted the Saudi government for comment on the allegations.

In a statement sent to CBS, the Saudi embassy in Washington labelled Mr Jabri as “a discredited former government official with a long history of fabricating and creating distractions to hide the financial crimes he committed, which amount to billions of dollars, to furnish a lavish life-style for himself and his family”.

Mr Jabri is being sued for corruption by various Saudi entities and a Canadian judge has frozen his assets saying there is “overwhelming evidence of fraud”.

He denies stealing any government money, saying his former employers rewarded him generously.

In March 2020, Saudi authorities detained Mr Jabri’s son Omar and daughter Sarah in what human rights groups said was an apparent effort to coerce him to return to Saudi Arabia.

Last November, two months after their father sued the crown prince, the siblings were sentenced to nine and six-and-a-half years in prison respectively by a Saudi court after being convicted of money laundering and “attempting to escape” the country. They denied the charges.

An appeals court upheld their sentences in a secret hearing at which they were not present.

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