Africa
Sudan demands immediate withdrawal of UN peacekeepers
![Sudan demands immediate withdrawal of UN peacekeepers](https://accessnews.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Sudan-demands-immediate-withdrawal-of-UN-peacekeepers.jpg)
Sudan demands immediate withdrawal of UN peacekeepers
Sudan has called for the immediate withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa country.
In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the Sudanese military government demanded the UN’s mission, known as the Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), be discontinued immediately.
The letter was obtained by dpa on Friday.
The mission has more than 400 mainly civilian employees
The government said that while it called for the withdrawal, it was committed to constructive engagement with the UN.
An armed conflict broke out in the country in mid-April.
The conflict involves fighting between the army, led by de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary under Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.
The two generals had jointly seized power in a coup in 2021 but fell out over how to share control.
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee told a Security Council meeting on Thursday that there was no sign of de-escalation in the conflict.
“Sudan is facing a convergence of a worsening humanitarian calamity and a catastrophic human rights crisis, with more than 2,000 civilians killed since the fight erupted in April,” she said.
“It is high time that the warring sides recognise the futility of continued fighting and prioritise dialogue and de-escalation.’’
The UN mission in the country has existed since 2020.
In September UN Special Envoy for Sudan Volker Perthes announced his resignation, the German diplomat was declared persona non grata by Sudan’s Foreign Ministry in June and effectively barred from the country.
(dpa/NAN)
Sudan demands immediate withdrawal of UN peacekeepers
Africa
Tunisian court jails opposition leader, bans him from presidential elections
![](https://accessnews.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lotfi-Mraihi.webp)
A Tunisian court sentenced opposition party leader Lotfi Mraihi, a potential presidential election candidate, to eight months in prison on a charge of vote buying, his lawyer said on Friday.
The court also banned Mraihi, leader of the Republican Union Party and one of the most prominent critics of President Kais Saied, from running in presidential elections for life, his lawyer Omar Ismail said.
Mraihi will appeal the sentence, Ismail added.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied’s government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to crack down on his rivals in the 2024 elections and pave the way for him to win a second term.
Elected president in 2019, Saied has not officially announced his candidacy for the vote expected to be held on Oct. 6.
Still, it is widely anticipated that he will seek a second term.
He said last year he would not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
The opposition says fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media can do its job without pressure from the government.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move the opposition have described as a coup.
Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
(Reuters/NAN)
Africa
Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges
![Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges](https://accessnews.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Nigerian-CDS-and-his-South-African-counterpart.webp)
Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has called for stronger ties between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle the complex security issues facing Africa.
Gen. Musa made this appeal during an official visit to his South African counterpart, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, in Pretoria, South Africa. The call for enhanced cooperation was highlighted in a statement released by Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, Acting Director of Defence Information, on Tuesday in Abuja.
“The meeting is a panacea to addressing the multifaceted challenges bedevilling the continent,” Gen. Musa emphasized. He underscored the importance of mutual cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties to combat regional security threats.
During their closed-door meeting, both leaders discussed various strategies to address these challenges, focusing on the exchange of expertise and forging stronger ties for the betterment of the continent.
Gen. Musa was honoured with Cannon Gun Salutes, a mark of high regard, during his visit. Brig.-Gen. Gusau noted the significance of the meeting between the two largest economies and military powers in Africa.
The meeting also saw the presence of SANDF Chiefs of Intelligence, Policy and Plans, International Affairs, and Joint Operations, among other departmental chiefs, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the discussions aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation.
Africa
Ramaphosa takes oath of office for 2nd term as South African president
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Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), took oath as the nation’s president for the next five years on Wednesday at Pretoria, the administrative capital.
Ramaphosa, 71, was re-elected as South African president by the National Assembly on June 14 with 283 votes against the other nominee, Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, who received 44 votes.
Under the South African Constitution, once elected as president by the National Assembly, the president-elect must assume office within five days.
In the general elections on May 29, the ANC secured 159 out of the 400 seats in the National Assembly.
This is the first time the ANC is falling below the 50 per cent needed to maintain its 30-year-old outright majority in the lower house of parliament.
(Xinhua/NAN)
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