US to remove Uganda and three other African countries from Agoa trade deal

 US President Joe Biden has revealed plans to expel Uganda, Gabon, Niger and the Central African Republic from a special US-Africa trade programme.The countries were either involved in “gross violations” of human rights or not making progress towards democratic rule, the president said.The US introduced the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) in 2000.

It gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US for more than 1,800 products. President Biden said that Niger and Gabon – both of which are currently under military rule following coups this year – are ineligible for Agoa because they “have not established, or are not making continual progress toward establishing the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law”.

He also said that the removal of the CAR and Uganda from the programme was due to “gross violations of internationally recognised human rights” by their governments.In May, the US government said it was considering removing Uganda from Agoa and introducing sanctions on the country after it passed a controversial anti-homosexuality law.

 

The law, which imposes a death penalty on people found guilty of engaging in certain same-sex acts, has faced global criticism.”Despite intensive engagement between the United States and the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda, these countries have failed to address United States concerns about their non-compliance with the Agoa eligibility criteria,” President Biden said on Monday, in a letter addressed to the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

 

The four countries are yet to react to the announcement, which comes just before South Africa is due to host the 20th Agoa forum from Thursday this week.Their expulsion from Agoa is set to take effect from the start of next year and is likely to impact their economies, as Agoa has been credited with promoting exports, economic growth and job creation among participating countries.CAR is likely to be the least impacted by the Agoa expulsion, as it only recorded $881,000 (£722,300) in US exports in 2022, according to US government data.

 

The country, however, imported goods worth $23m from the US in the same year, creating a massive trade deficit between the two countries.US data also show that Uganda exported goods worth $174m to the US last year, while Gabon and Niger recorded US exports of $220m and $73m respectively in the same period.Last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that several American companies had already stopped importing textiles – which fall under the Agoa trade deal – from Uganda due to the passing of the anti-homosexuality law.

 

“The homosexuals in the US are interfering with our export of textiles. Some of the orders have been cancelled there,” Mr Museveni was quoted as saying by the privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper.In August, Mr Museveni banned the importation of second-hand clothes, a move thought to target the US, which is a major supplier of the used garments to Uganda and other African countries.

The threat to exclude Niger and Gabon from Agoa is the latest US government action against the two junta-led countries.The US State Department announced last week that it had suspended most foreign aid to Gabon and would only resume assistance if Gabon’s transitional government establishes democratic rule.In August, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a similar measure against Niger, saying that the US “is pausing certain foreign assistance programs benefitting the government of Niger”.Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea have all previously been expelled from Agoa after military coups in those countries.

Source :BBC

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US rejects Putin claim that West organised anti-Jewish airport mob

 The US has dismissed as “absurd” claims by Russia that an anti-Israel riot at a Dagestan airport on Sunday was organised by Ukraine and the West.In a televised meeting on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incident had been part of an attempt to spread “chaos” in Russia.Hundreds stormed the Makhachkala airport ahead of the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

Many waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Semitic slogans.Dagestan, a constituent republic of Russia, has a majority Muslim population, and the incident is thought to have been sparked by anger over the conflict in Gaza.Security forces eventually brought the situation under control, and more than 60 people have since been arrested, according to local authorities.”The events in Makhachkala last night were instigated through social networks, not least from Ukraine, by the hands of agents of Western special services,” Mr Putin told a meeting of Russia’s Security Council.

“Who is organising the deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious.”It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites who are the main beneficiaries of world instability.”Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “against the backdrop of TV footage showing the horrors of what is happening in the Gaza Strip – the deaths of people, children, old people – it is very easy for enemies to take advantage of and provoke the situation”.

The governor of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, also said the riots had been incited “from the territory of Ukraine by traitors” using a Telegram channel called Morning Dagestan.Morning Dagestan is an Islamist channel that opposes Russian control of the region and has been associated with Ilya Ponomarev, a former Russian MP who defected to Ukraine in 2016 and was granted Ukrainian citizenship.

On Sunday, the channel posted the details of a flight arriving in Makhachkala from Tel Aviv and told its followers to “meet the unexpected visitors”.Following Mr Melikov’s comments, the channel posted a statement saying it had no connection to Mr Ponomarev or Ukraine. Mr Ponomarev has said he stopped supporting the channel last year, although his own statements in recent months contradict this claim.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the airport riot. Asked about Russia’s claims at a White House briefing, John Kirby, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, described them as “classic Russian rhetoric”.”When something goes bad in your country, you blame somebody else,” he said.”The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple.”

He also said comparisons between footage from the airport and the pogroms of the late 19th and early 20th century were “apt”.Video circulated widely on social media showed a large crowd of people storming through the airport, forcing open doors and spilling out onto the runway. Some were also seen stopping cars outside and demanding to see the passengers’ documents in an apparent search for Israeli passports.

Russia’s health ministry said 20 people, including some police officers, had sustained injuries and that two were in a critical condition.After the incident, Mr Melikov said that “all Dagestanis empathise with the suffering of victims by the actions of unrighteous people” but described the events at the airport as “outrageous”.A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli government viewed “with utmost gravity attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere”.”Israel expects the Russian legal authorities to safeguard the well-being of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they are and to take strong action against the rioters,” it said.

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Uganda court fines US couple $28,000 for child cruelty

 A US couple has been fined ($28,000; £23,000) by a Ugandan court after they pleaded guilty to child cruelty and “inhumane treatment” of their 10-year-old foster child. Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer accepted the charges under a deal which saw far more serious charges dropped.

They had been charged with child trafficking and torture, for which they could have faced life in prison. The pair made the boy sleep on a wooden platform and fed him cold food.

Their nanny reported the “repeated unbecoming inhumane treatment” of the boy, who has special needs, to local police last December.

The boy had lived with the couple, originally from South Carolina, for two years before they were arrested last year.

They also pleaded guilty to degrading treatment, working illegally and unlawfully staying in Uganda without permits.

For this charge they were sentenced to two months in prison, which they have served after they were arrested last year.

High Court judge Alice Kyomuhangi also ordered them to pay the victim compensation of 100 million Ugandan shillings ($26,000: £22,000).

“The child was in need of help and support, having lost his father and having been abandoned by his own mother. Unfortunately the accused persons failed to manage his peculiar behaviours,” the judge said while delivering her ruling.

David Mpanga, the couple’s lawyer, told the Reuters news agency the boy had psychiatric issues and that the pair failed to look after him properly because they had no parenting experience.

The couple fostered three children in Uganda, where they moved in 2017 to work as volunteers.

This case has sparked outrage among some Uganda child rights activists, who called it a mockery of justice.

Activist Proscovia Najjumba asked how the couple were allowed to “walk away” after accepting they “mistreated a child”, reports AFP.

Darren Namatovou, founder of Children Phoenix Foundation, told the BBC that due diligence and background checks needed to be done thoroughly during the adoption process in order to prevent cases of child abuse.

International adoptions are controversial in Uganda.

The law was tightened earlier this year, to remove what the government said was a loophole used for child-trafficking.

Source: BBC

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SADC intensifies diplomatic efforts for DRC's pacification and stabilization

 Luanda - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) gave, this Saturday, in Luanda, a mandate to its acting chairman, João Lourenço, and the organization's Troika, to intensify diplomatic efforts between the DRC and Rwanda to achieve lasting peace.

The decision is expressed in the Final Communiqué of the Extraordinary SADC Summit on the security situation in eastern DRC, which took place in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

The Troika of the SADC Political, Defence and Security Cooperation Body, led by Zambia's Head of State, Hakainde Hichilema, is made up of Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia.

The Summit also issued strategic guidelines on the deployment of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), to restore peace and security in this country.

In this regard, the Summit commended the member states that presented proposals to contribute additional resources for the SAMIDRC deployment.

The Extraordinary Summit expressed concern about the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation prevailing in eastern DRC and reports of resumption of attacks and occupation of parts of the territory by the M23, "in a clear violation of the ceasefire".

SADC Peace Fund

On the other hand, the summit reiterated the need for SADC to lead efforts to mobilize resources to promote peace and security in the region.

These efforts, according to the statement, include resuming discussions aimed at establishing and making the SADC Peace Fund operational, with the participation of international cooperation partners.

The meeting also received an update on the elections held in member states and took note of the report of the SADC Electoral Observation Mission on the Harmonized Elections in Zimbabwe in August 2023 and the General Elections held in the Kingdom of Eswatini in September 2023.

The meeting wished Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo peaceful and successful elections, scheduled for November and December this year, respectively.

In this regard, the summit reiterated SADC's support through the deployment of the organization's Electoral Observation Mission.

It also reiterated the urgent need for all parties involved, in particular political parties with parliamentary seats in Lesotho, to ensure that the reform process is implemented in the interests of political, economic stability and national security.

The Extraordinary SADC Summit praised the efforts undertaken by the Angolan President, João Lourenço, as champion designated by the African Union (AU) for the search for peace in the region.

Likewise, he congratulated the President of Zambia and the SADC Political, Defence and Security Cooperation Body, Hakainde Hichilema, "for his leadership in maintaining lasting peace and security in the region".

The SADC Chairperson, President João Lourenço, expressed his gratitude to all Heads of State and Government for their participation in the Extraordinary Luanda Summit and for their unwavering commitment to peace, security and development in Southern Africa.

In addition to the host statesman, the event was attended by the Heads of State of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, and of Zimbabwe, Emerson Mnangagwa.

The Kingdom of Lesotho was represented by Prime Minister Ntsokoane Matekane, Namibia by its Vice-President, Nangolo Mbumba, and Botswana and Mozambique by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, respectively Lemogane Kwape and Verónica Macamo.

SADC Is made up of 16 members states, namely, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Germany asks forgiveness for Tanzania colonial crimes

 The German president has expressed “shame” for the colonial atrocities his country inflicted on Tanzania.

German forces killed almost 300,000 people during the Maji Maji rebellion in the early 1900s, one of the bloodiest anti-colonial uprisings.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was speaking at a museum in Songea, where the uprising took place.

“I would like to ask for forgiveness for what Germans did to your ancestors here,” he said

“What happened here is our shared history, the history of your ancestors and the history of our ancestors in Germany.”

The Maji Maji rebellion was triggered by a German policy designed to force the indigenous population to grow cotton for export.

Tanzania was a part of German East Africa, which consisted of modern-day Rwanda, Burundi and parts of Mozambique.

President Steinmeier said he hoped Tanzania and Germany could work towards “communal processing” of the past.

He promised to “take these stories with me to Germany, so that more people in my country will know about them.”

Germany has, until recently, had “colonial amnesia”, according to Jürgen Zimmerer, a history professor at the University of Hamburg.

“The brutality and the racism of this colonial empire was not understood in the German public.”

As part of the three-day visit, the president met the descendants of one of the Maji Maji leaders, Chief Songea Mbano, who was among those executed in 1906.

He is now considered a national hero in Tanzania and President Steinmeier told the family the German authorities would try to find his remains.

Thousands of human remains were brought from German colonies – partly as “trophies” but also for racist research.

Prof Zimmerer said there was “almost no funding” available to identify where these bones and skulls, which lie in various museums or institutions, actually came from.

Some of the descendants of those killed have managed to locate them with the help of DNA tests.

On Tuesday, after meeting President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, he promised that Germany would co-operate with Tanzania for the “repatriation of cultural property”.

Tanzania historian Mohamed Said welcomed the president’s apology but told the BBC it did not go far enough.

“They decided to set farms on fire so people would run out of food and be unable to fight. This is unacceptable, in today’s world they would be taken to court,” he said.

In 2021, Germany officially acknowledged committing genocide during its occupation of Namibia and announced financial aid worth more than €1.1bn (£940m; $1.34bn).

The statements from Germany’s president comes after King Charles acknowledged the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans” during their independence struggle, while on a visit to Nairobi.

However, the British monarch did not deliver a formal apology which would have to be decided by government ministers.

Source: BBC

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Fally Ipupa urges DR Congo diaspora not to protest his gigs

 Fally Ipupa is one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s biggest stars.

His song Un Coup, featuring Congolese-French singer Dadju, for example, has been viewed more than 80 million times on YouTube, and his live performances attract thousands of fans.

In fact, so many people were desperate to see him perform in DR Congo’s capital last year that Kinshasa’s Stadium of Martyrs was over-full and there was a crush at the end.

Initial reports from the government said that 11 people lost their lives. According to Ipupa and the BBC’s Kinshasa reporter, this figure was never conclusively confirmed.

This is not the only one of Ipupa’s concerts that ended up in the news. When he performed in France in 2020, there were riots outside the venue in Paris with protesters setting fire to bins and motorbikes.

It was all linked to politics. For the last decade members of the diaspora have tried to stop Congolese musicians from performing in Europe, in order to show their opposition to politicians back home.

They have accused big stars of being too close to power and of failing to speak out against abuses happening in DR Congo.

In 2020, protesters demonstrating against a Fally Ipupa concert in Paris set fire to scooters and bins.Image caption: In 2020, protesters demonstrating against a Fally Ipupa concert in Paris set fire to scooters and bins.

So it is a big moment for Fally Ipupa that for the first time in his career he is finally due to perform in London. His concert will be in December, when elections are scheduled to be held back home.

The 45-year-old singer and his management tell me that an agreement has now been reached with sceptical Congolese communities and he is set to perform again in Paris and Brussels.

“Most of the people know now that I don’t do political things, I am just a musician and they have realised that you cannot punish your child all his life,” he said.

Ipupa does have some sympathy for those who boycotted his concerts but he feels it is time to move past politics and support DR Congo’s music industry.

“I agree that things were happening politically which were not correct in DR Congo, and I’ve always told them that I agree with certain of the protesters who wanted to get the message across and raise awareness in people.

“But now the time has come to say look guys, we have punished the artists, we have slowed down Congolese culture, it’s time to show the world that we have very, very strong music.”

He feels that Congolese music has really suffered, losing its place in Europe to music from Nigeria, Ghana and Jamaica. Nigerian Afrobeats artists are now filling the major venues that Congolese artists used to fill 10 years ago. But he is confident that this can change.

“Congolese music is one of the most beautiful and rich, we have many talented artists, so if our brothers and sisters in Europe say no more blocking of Congolese music in Europe trust me we’re going to take our place in the world,” he said.

Source: BBC

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