Kenyans worried about election violence

Most of Kenya’s elections over the last 20 years have involved some level of violence and protests.

The worst was in 2007 when at least 1,000 people were killed and more than half a million displaced.

So it’s not surprising that many in Kenya are looking ahead to the upcoming elections in August with a sense of nervousness.

Kenyan journalist John Allan Namu tells us that it doesn’t help that some politicians are using “unsanitary” language on social media, that the independent election body is underfunded and untrusted by many Kenyans, and that the recent process for nominating candidates was chaotic and controversial.

“We are not rid of the ghost of violence in our elections… Even though it has not been switched on, there is current violence and intolerance that can be turned on at any moment,” he says.

“We are a country that has refused to take the many turning points that have been offered to us either through very painful points in our past or through opportunities,” he adds.

So what hope is there for a peaceful election in Kenya?

……………………………………………………………

Togo MPs Pass Vote To Join Commonwealth

Togo’s parliament has passed a resolution asking the government to make a formal bid for membership of the Commonwealth, a group of mainly former British colonies.

The country is already a member of the Economic Organisation of West African States (Ecowas) and the International Organisation of La Francophonie – a group of French-speaking countries that are mostly former French colonies.

“Togo is not leaving the Francophonie. It will only strengthen the English teaching programmes and reactivate other partnerships,” the privately-owned Icilome news website quoted speaker of parliament Yawa Tsegan as saying.

The resolution, passed on Friday, asked the government to submit its application for Commonwealth membership at the bloc’s next summit in Rwanda in June.

The West African nation embarked on the process of joining the Commonwealth in 2014.

…………………………………………………………

Costa Rican Vice President, Epsy Campbell Barr, Reveals Her African Identity

The Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, has disclosed what her African identity is.

Speaking to a gathering in Accra whilst visiting Ghana during a Return Mission that is targeted at Africans living in the diaspora, she explained that her family DNA tests proved to her that she is truly an African.

This, she added, is because her results showed that she was from multiple African countries, including Ghana; a discovery that has made her very happy.

“I’m a descendant and daughter of Africa, specifically from Nigeria, Mali, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, and I also have in my blood the imprint of Cameroon, Congo and the Bantu people of the West. This is what my family DNA analysis provided and that’s why I say with all authority that I’m proud that I’m here, that I’m a daughter of Africa,” she said.

Espy Campbell Barr also sent a word out to other diasporans that they can return home and enjoy the beauty of their heritage.

“Today, I speak to you from the bottom of my heart, to say with strength to the generation of African people who were violently taken away from their families, their communities, their tribes, their histories, that we’re able to return,” she said.

…………………………………………………………

People Of African Descent Have Stories Only They Can Tell – Bawumia

As part of initiatives by the United Nations to advance the rights of people of African Descent by promoting recognition, justice, and development, a high-level diaspora forum centered on ‘The Return Mission’ was held in Accra to advocate the reconnection of Africans in the diaspora.

Vice-President of Ghana, His Excellency, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, speaking at the forum noted that every person of African descent – Afro-descendants has a story with regards to racism, xenophobia, slavery, and colonialism, only they can tell.

According to him, despite developments and civilization all over the world, persons of African descent still struggle to find a sense of belonging as racism, and xenophobia among others increases.

“These deep-seated biases still prevail in the world we live. With Afro-descendants struggling to find a sense of belonging in the land where they were born but which rejects them at every turn,” he bemoaned.

He appealed that Afro-descendants should not be “sidelined in discussions on the advancement on the protection of rights and demand for equity,” noting that Africans and Afro-descendants just like every other person in the world deserve protection and fairness.

He further applauded persons of African descent who happen to face yet resist all forms of racial discrimination from all angles and walks of life.

“Join me, while I salute every single Afro-descendant who bravely challenged the order of the day by continuing to resist all forms of racial discrimination,” Dr. Bawumia said.

The forum was graced by various dignitaries including the Vice-President of Costa Rica, Her Excellency Epsy Campbell Barr, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Natalia Kanem.

The forum which was held in Ghana’s capital precedes this year’s International Day for People of African Descent which will be observed on August 31, 2022.

……………………………………………………………

African Leaders Congratulate Macron On Election Win

African leaders are congratulating French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election after a convincing victory over rival Marine Le Pen.

Mr Macron is the first sitting French president in 20 years to be re-elected.

Senegal’s President Mackey Sal, the current African Union chairman, sent his best wishes for Mr Macron’s re-election

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abbey Ahmed said he looked forward to working with Mr Macron to strengthen ties between the two countries.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda hailed Mr Macron’s leadership that “seeks to unite and not divide”.

……………………………………………………………

Macron defeats Marine le Pen for another five-year term in France

THIS JUST IN – The Ministry of Interior of France has announced the preliminary results of the run-off election between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far right challenger Marine le Pen and Macron has successfully pushed back her challenge

The preliminary results have Macron winning 58% of the votes to Marine le Pen’s 42% to book another five-year term for the now face of France.

Leading into the run-off, even conservative dailies endorsed Macron and encouraged voters to return him to pursue the national unity policy and also stay the course in light of the conflict to their east between Russia and Ukraine.

Neither candidate had yet spoken at the time of going to press.

More on this developing story.

DNT News, with correspondence reports from Hon. Osei Mensah, Paris

………………………………………………………………

Beijing kicks off mass testing after spike in Covid cases

The Chinese capital Beijing has kicked off mass testing for millions of residents after a spike in Covid cases.

The Chaoyang district reported 26 cases over the weekend – the highest number so far in Beijing’s latest surge.

Long queues outside supermarkets and shops were seen despite government assurance of a sufficient food supply.

It comes amid fears that Beijing could face a similar situation to Shanghai, which has seen some 25 million people shut in their homes for weeks.

All 3.5 million residents in the city’s largest Chaoyang district will undergo three rounds of mass testing, according to a notice by the city’s disease prevention team.

The news prompted residents to rush to stock up essential supplies, with images circulating on local media showing supermarket shelves emptied of goods and snaking queues at check-out counters.

Beijing’s major supermarkets also extended their opening hours to accommodate the spike in demand.

A supermarket in Beijing

“Never thought I would go to the market early in the morning….when I got there, all the eggs and prawns were gone and all the meat was snatched up,” said one Weibo user in Shanghai, before adding they managed to get some vegetables.

Another Weibo user in Shanghai said: “Seeing people in Beijing rush to buy food is both funny and distressing… its like looking at what my own life was like just last month.”

State-media news outlet The Global Times said that Beijing’s fresh food companies have been ordered to increase the supply of groceries like meat, poultry eggs and vegetables.

They also quoted health experts as saying that the results of the mass testing would indicate whether there is a need to escalate measures further, such as locking down several areas.

Separately, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told state-media outlet China Daily that the number of cases in Beijing is expected to increase in the following days.

The latest outbreak in Shanghai, first detected in late March, has seen more than 400,000 cases recorded so far and 138 deaths.

Some of the measures Chinese authorities have enforced include placing electronic door alarms to prevent those infected from leaving and forcibly evacuating people from their homes to carry out disinfection procedures.

Some in locked-down areas of Shanghai say they have been struggling to access food supplies, and forced to wait for government drop-offs of vegetables, meat and eggs.

Green barricades have also been erected overnight in parts of Shanghai without prior warning, effectively preventing residents from leaving their homes.

In contrast to many other countries, China is pursuing a zero-Covid strategy with the aim of eradicating the virus from the country completely.

While officials managed to keep infection levels relatively low at the beginning of the pandemic, later lockdowns have struggled to contain more recent, transmissible variants of the virus.

………………………………………………………………