Burkina Faso junta says it foiled coup attempt

 Burkina Faso’s security and intelligence services foiled a coup attempt on Tuesday, according to the country’s military government.

It alleged that officers and others had planned to destabilise the country and throw it into chaos.

It has been almost a year since the interim President Capt Ibrahim Traoré seized power.

That was the country’s second coup of 2022, which took place amid a growing Islamist insurgency.

In a statement read out on television on Wednesday evening, the authorities said some arrests had been made and they were actively pursuing other suspects, without giving specific details. The military prosecutor has since said that four officers have been detained.

 

It said the alleged perpetrators “had the sinister intention of attacking the institutions of the republic and plunging the country into chaos”.

Hours earlier,Capt Traore had issued a statement  saying he was “determined to safely lead the transition [to democracy] despite adversity and the various manoeuvres to stop our inexorable march towards assumed sovereignty”. He also thanked pro-junta supporters for “their vigilance”.

The junta has said elections will take place by July next year.

On Tuesday, rumours of a brewing mutiny led hundreds of people to take to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, in support of the junta.

On the same day, the authorities suspended the French-language news magazine Jeune Afrique, accusing it of publishing articles discrediting the armed forces.

The widespread jihadist insurgency, which spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015, has complicated plans to hand over power to civilians by next year.

About 6,000 people have been killed this year alone in jihadist attacks, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled).

Since taking power, Capt Traoré has moved to cut links to France, the former colonial power.

He ordered French forces based in the country to help tackle the Islamist insurgency to leave, and launched mass recruitment drives to reinforce the security forces.

Earlier this month, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali – three neighbouring countries all threatened by jihadist forces and where the army has seized power in the past year – established a defence pact in a bid to support each other against any armed rebellion or external aggression.

Source : bbc news

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How worried are Americans about their choices in the 2024 vote?

 US pollsters weigh in on the economy, Biden’s age and more as the parties plot their strategies for victory in 2024.

Will the Republican-led impeachment inquiry succeed in painting United States President Joe Biden as “crooked”? Will it backfire and be judged as a colossal waste of time? Can Biden’s attempt to paint the 2024 election as a “fight for democracy” work again? How much will Biden’s age affect his chances of winning? Will the economy play into the hands of Biden or his chief opponent, former President Donald Trump?

On this episode, host Steve Clemons asks pollsters Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, and Micah Roberts of Public Opinion Strategies, to weigh in on the main drivers of US public opinion.

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Harry Potter actor Sir Michael Gambon dies aged 82

 The actor Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82, his family has said.

He was best known for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films.

The Dublin-born star worked in TV, film, theatre and radio over his five-decade career. He had won four Baftas.

His widow Lady Gambon and son Fergus said their “beloved husband and father” died peacefully in hospital with his family by his side, following a bout of pneumonia.

Sir Michael began his career as one of the original members of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre acting company in London. He went on to win three Olivier awards for performances in National Theatre productions.

He played French detective Jules Maigret in ITV series Maigret and was also known for his role as Philip Marlow in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective on the BBC.

Sir Michael took on the role of Dumbledore – headmaster of wizarding school Hogwarts – in the hit Harry Potter series, based on JK Rowling’s novels, after the death of Richard Harris in 2003.

He was nominated for Emmy awards for his role as Mr Woodhouse in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma in 2010, and for playing President Lyndon B Johnson in Path to War in 2002. He also got a Tony nomination in 1997 for a role in David Hare play Skylight.

The actor – known as “The Great Gambon” in acting circles – last appeared on stage in 2012 in a London production of Samuel Beckett’s play All That Fall.

He was knighted for services to the entertainment industry in 1998.

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US Secretary of Defense highlights historic opportunity

 Luanda - The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America (USA), Lloyd Austin, highlighted on Wednesday, in Luanda, the historic opportunity that Angola and his country have to strengthen relations in defensive field, with special emphasis on the maritime sector.

Lloyd Austin, who was speaking at the opening of talks between military delegations of the two countries, also welcomed the cooperation in the Atlantic field.

In his statements, he highlighted the fact that he was the first North American Secretary of Defense to travel to Angola, which at the same time shows the value that the United States of America gives to relations between the two countries.

Lloyd Austin highlighted that the two countries currently have a great opportunity to deepen cooperation in the field of maritime defense, defense policy, doctrine, among other areas.

He also expressed his country's satisfaction at being with its allies, fighting against threats such as climate change and illegal fishing, and ensured the willingness of the US Department of Defense to continue cooperating with Angola, as the country is modernizing its Armed Forces.

To those present, he also highlighted the fact that Angola's defense forces are helping to fight against the forces that are trying to destabilize the region, presenting as an example the support for the defense forces of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in Mozambique, as well as the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In turn, the Minister of State and Head of the Military Office of the President, General Francisco Pereira Furtado, said he hopes that negotiations between the two countries can achieve the goals set so that they can, in fact, have a broad cooperation program.

Gen. Francisco Pereira Furtado said that, once defined, this cooperation should begin immediately to be implemented from January 2024.  

In Angola since Tuesday, for a 24-hour visit, as part of a tour of Africa, which has already taken him to Djibouti and Kenya, the US Department of Defense was received in audience, this Wednesday morning, by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.

U.S Defense Secretary reiterates commitment to African partners

 Luanda - The United States of America (USA) is deeply committed to ensuring that Africa enjoys all the protections of international rules and standards that promote security and prosperity.

The statement was made this Wednesday, in Luanda, by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, when he spoke about the new angles of US policy towards Africa and the power of partnership, at the end of a tour of the African continent, which previously took him to Kenya and Djibouti.

Lloyd Austin reiterated the commitment of the North American Government and the President of the United States to the future of Africa, redoubling efforts to prevent conflicts, especially through its strategy to prevent conflicts and promote stability.

He highlighted the need for the continent to overcome the most urgent common threats it faces, and expressed optimism regarding a shared future in which there is peace, prosperity and, above all, freedom.

The U.S Defense Secretary referred, among others, to the fact that military cooperation with African partners is now stronger, there is collaboration in strengthening ties, always based on equality and mutual respect, the joining of new partners and  building coalitions to oppose aggression and defend sovereignty.

He noted that the United States is empowering its partners to find local, national, and regional solutions to the dangers they face, as well as working to help create stronger institutions to combat the long-term forces that shape extremism.

According to Lloyd Austin, threats include violent extremism, piracy, cyber vulnerabilities and climate catastrophes, often made worse by tenuous governance, predatory institutions or persistent poverty.

“So we are determined to work with our valued African partners to develop the capabilities they need to keep their populations safe,” he said, adding that the extraordinary US Africa Command, led by General Michael Langley, provides a range of support to partners' security forces.

Likewise, he said, to increase their capabilities, President Biden created, last year, the “21st Century Partnership for African Security”.

The Secretary of Defense mentioned the cruelty of extremist organizations or terrorist groups, such as Al-Shabaad and ISIS, which deliberately target innocent civilians and cause the destruction of communities on the continent, as well as waves of suffering and instability that cross borders.

In this sense, he argued that African security forces must be able to combat these groups, defend their sovereignty and protect their people, a task that he considered AFRICOM's central point, the States Command for Africa.

For lasting success, he said, African countries need responsive, transparent and civilian-led institutions that respect human rights, uphold the rule of law and work for all their people.

He also considered it important that there is greater participation of women in issues of peace and security at the continent level and highlighted joint work to deepen partners' cyber security, as well as to expand information sharing in this area, in order to help African countries to combat the digital evil of external disinformation.

On the other hand, he spoke of close cooperation in the space area, with emphasis on Nigeria and Rwanda, countries that recently signed the Artemis Accords, which establish common principles to guide space exploration, and joint efforts in the field of health, against infectious diseases and medical readiness.

Lloyd Austin made a 24-hour visit to Angola, as part of a tour of Africa, which will take him to Djibouti and Kenya.

In the country, the North American official was received in an audience by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, and witnessed the opening of talks between military delegations from Angola and the USA.