Africa
ECOWAS Foreign Ministers To Visit Guinea after Coup
West African foreign ministers will arrive in Guinea on Friday to evaluate the situation after a military coup in the country, Burkina Faso’s foreign minister Alpha Barry said Thursday.
The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo will visit as representatives of the West Africa bloc ECOWAS, said Barry, a member of the delegation.
On Wednesday ECOWAS suspended Guinea from its ranks after the military coup on Sunday when special forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya seized power and arrested President Alpha Conde, sparking international condemnation.
Conde, 83, had come under increasing fire for perceived authoritarianism, with dozens of opposition activists arrested after a violently disputed election last year.
But the putsch in Guinea has sparked fears of democratic backsliding across West Africa — where military strongmen are an increasingly familiar sight.
It has drawn parallels with its neighbour Mali. The Sahel state has suffered two coups since August last year led by Colonel Assimi Goita, who was also a special forces commander.
On Wednesday Barry had announced the 15-nation ECOWAS would send a “high-level mission” to Guinea to review the situation.
So far the West African bloc has imposed no economic sanctions on Guinea.
When faced with a similar predicament in Mali last year, ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions on the country but lifted them after Mali’s ruling military committed to restoring civilian rule.
Doumbouya, hours after taking power in Conakry, appeared on television and accused the Conde government of “endemic corruption” and of “trampling on citizens’ rights”.
He has pledged to open talks on forming a new government, but it is not yet clear when, or under what form, these may take place.
The coup leader has also sought to reassure the business community, alarmed over the potential for disruptions in commodity supply chains.
Mining is the economic backbone of Guinea, which has abundant mineral resources, from bauxite and iron ore to gold and diamonds
Guinea will continue to uphold “all its undertakings and mining agreements”, the coup leader said Monday
The putsch followed a long period of political tension in Guinea, first spurred by Conde’s highly contested bid for a third presidential term last year.
The military coup was met with jubilation in some parts of Conakry, where residents turned out on the streets to applaud passing soldiers.
AFP
Africa
Escalating Jihadist Retaliation Claims Over 120 Lives in Burkina Faso
Escalating Jihadist Retaliation Claims Over 120 Lives in Burkina Faso
Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed on Wednesday that jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have intensified attacks on civilians, particularly targeting those accused of collaborating with government forces or refusing to join their ranks.
The conflict, fueled by insurgents linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, has plagued the West African nation for nearly a decade, spilling over from neighbouring Mali.
Under military leader Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso has recruited thousands of civilian volunteers, known as VDPs, to assist in the fight. However, this move has provoked increasingly violent reprisals from jihadist factions, leading to tragic consequences for local communities.
HRW documented seven attacks between February and June, resulting in the deaths of at least 128 civilians.
These assaults, including a massacre in a Catholic church and strikes on displaced persons camps, were attributed to al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) and ISIS-linked Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
Witnesses claimed some attacks were motivated by civilians’ involvement with government forces.
“We are between a rock and a hard place,” a 56-year-old villager lamented, describing the dire situation faced by many.
HRW’s report also highlighted that some villagers were killed after being forced by authorities to return to areas previously overtaken by jihadists.
In response, Burkina Faso’s justice minister dismissed HRW’s claims of slow prosecutions, asserting that human rights violations by insurgents are being investigated.
The junta, which came to power following a coup in 2022, faces growing criticism for its handling of the crisis, with analysts noting a further deterioration in security under Traore’s leadership.
Despite Traore’s promises to restore stability, the conflict shows no signs of abating, with HRW citing the recent massacre in Barsalogho, where hundreds were killed, as one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s history.
Africa
Tunisian court jails opposition leader, bans him from presidential elections
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
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.
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