Africa

Biden invites AU to join G20, plans visit to Africa in 2023

Published

2 years ago

December 16, 2022

U.S. President, Joe Biden, yesterday, said he would support African Union (AU) joining the G20 group of large economies as a permanent member. He said this is part of Washington’s efforts to reinvigorate ties with the region. He added that over the next three years, the US would provide $55 billion in aid to Africa

Biden, speaking at a U.S.-Africa leaders summit event on the AU Agenda 2063, said the United States is looking to increase collaboration in all areas.

He said: “Africa belongs to the table in every room where global challenges are being discussed, and in every institution where discussions are holding. It’s been a long time in coming, but it’s going to come.”

South Africa is currently the only G20 member from Africa. The AU is made up of 55 member states. Biden’s remarks, and the summit, aim to position the United States as a partner to African countries amid competition with China, which sought to expand its influence by funding infrastructure projects on the continent and elsewhere.

Chinese trade with Africa is about four times that of the United States, and Beijing has become an important creditor by offering cheaper loans – often with opaque terms and collateral requirements – than Western lenders.

Having a seat at the table could help some African nations, many of which are not currently eligible for debt treatments under the G20 plan, advance their interests.

It will also give them a bigger say in key issues such as, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and mounting frustration that rich countries are not taking enough responsibility for years of rampant fossil fuel usage that has contributed to global warming.

Also, President Biden said he plans to visit Africa. “I’m eager to visit your continent. As I told some of you, when you invited me to your countries. I said, ‘Be careful what you wish for. Because I may show up.’”

The president added: “I’m looking forward to see many of you in your home countries.” However, Biden did not say, which African nations he plans to visit, nor when he would make the trip.

First Lady, Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also visit Africa, the President, said, as well as Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken; Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin; Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen and other officials.

“We’re all going to be seeing you and you’re going see a lot of us, because we’re deadly earnest and serious about this endeavour. And you’re going to see us deliver on our commitments.”

Former President Donald Trump was the first president since Ronald Reagan not to visit Africa. The last U.S. presidential trip to Africa came in 2013 when Barack Obama travelled to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

The Biden administration this week has worked to rebuild ties with African leaders after Trump never hosted a US-Africa Summit, which was started under Obama in 2014.

AU Chairman and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, expressed gratitude to Biden, and pleaded that economic sanctions that have crippled Zimbabwe’s economy should be rescinded.

“And with this summit, and with the African Unions Agenda 2063, our eyes are fixed squarely on the future. African voices, African leadership, African innovation all are critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges towards realising the vision we all share: a world that is free, a world that is open, prosperous, and secure.”• U.S. commits to $55b spending in Africa

Biden, speaking at a U.S.-Africa leaders summit event on the AU Agenda 2063, said the United States is looking to increase collaboration in all areas.

Having a seat at the table could help some African nations, many of which are not currently eligible for debt treatments under the G20 plan, advance their interests.

The president added: “I’m looking forward to see many of you in your home countries.” However, Biden did not say, which African nations he plans to visit, nor when he would make the trip.

“We’re all going to be seeing you and you’re going see a lot of us, because we’re deadly earnest and serious about this endeavour. And you’re going to see us deliver on our commitments.”

The Biden administration this week has worked to rebuild ties with African leaders after Trump never hosted a US-Africa Summit, which was started under Obama in 2014.

AU Chairman and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, expressed gratitude to Biden, and pleaded that economic sanctions that have crippled Zimbabwe’s economy should be rescinded.

Africa

Escalating Jihadist Retaliation Claims Over 120 Lives in Burkina Faso

Published

2 months ago

September 18, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

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

Published

4 months ago

July 19, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

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

Published

5 months ago

July 2, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

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.