11 October 2022
Chad: Ndolembai Njesada, deputy leader of the main opposition party The Transformers has called the swearing in of Mahamat Idriss Déby a “democratic regression”, criticised letting him stand for the post-transition presidential elections (which is like “being both a player and the referee in a football game”) and threatened to form a parallel government.
BBC Africa Live 11 October 2022. 7:12
Burundi: The sacking of Prime minister Guillaume Bunyoni was well received by the general public. According to the article’s authors, Guillaume Bunyoni and President Evariste Ndayishimiye stand for different factions of the ruling CNDD-FDD, Bunyoni for the corrupt self-enrichers, Ndayishimiye for reformers who want to start the country on a different path. By sacking General Gabriel Nizigama at the same time as Bunyoni, the President has got rid of mots of Nkurunziza’s men in high offices and there is hope for the country’s future.
https://theconversation.com/burundi-after-exit-of-nkurunzizas-men-what-evariste-ndayishimiye-should-do-next-190994
Lesotho: Sam Matekane's Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party, just 5 seats short of a majority in parliament, has concluded a deal with two small parties, the Alliance of Democrats (AD) and the Movement for Economic Change (MEC) to form a government. Sam Matekane has promised “economic growth, more jobs, better infrastructure, a reduction in government ministries and new rules making public servants declare their assets.”
BBC Africa Live 11 October 2022. 14:46
Tanzania/Burundi: While Tanzania “granted citizenship to 160,000 Burundian refugees” in 2006 and 2007, it now wants to repatriate over 120,000 from two camps in Kigoma region (near the border with Burundi). According to humanitarians, conditions in these two camps may be better for the refugees than at home, rights groups and the UN have voiced concerns that the “refugees have suffered abuses including arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances at the hands of Tanzanian officers in cooperation with Burundian authorities.”
BBC Africa Live 11 October 2022. 19:26
Somalia: Abdalla Ahmed Muumin, leader of the country’s journalist union, has been arrested following his critique of “new government restrictions on the reporting of militant Islamist group al-Shabab”, saying the measures would not counter “al-Shabab’s sophisticated propaganda campaigns”, as the government claims, but silence critics.
BBC Africa Live 11 October 2022. 18:44
10 October 2022
Lesotho: The new Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) party of mining magnate Sam Matekane has obtained a relative majority in the legislative elections (56 of 120 seats). The well-regarded business man (diamonds, transports, construction) is a political novice but “captured the imagination of young voters”, also with his philanthropy (especially in education in poor areas) over the past few years.
BBC Africa Live 10 October 2022. 18:27
BBC Africa Live 10 October 2022. 17:32
Uganda: Ever since colonial powers drew borders in the West Nile region (north-west of the country), dividing ethnic groups, untaxed trade = smuggling across these borders has been considered legitimate by the concerned communities. And it is “viewed as a survival mechanism” in this marginalised region. Amongst the smugglers, the so-called OPEC Boys – fuel smugglers who are organised to some extent – occupy a special place. Termed “un-civil society”, they sometimes act as representatives for the interests of the urban informal sector. And “(t)heir smuggling activities provide employment to, and absorb, a potentially dangerous group: low-skilled, landless young men. In a region with a history of rebel groups, this is seen as an important stabilising factor, allowing for the voicing of discontent through trading activities rather than illegality.
https://theconversation.com/ugandas-fuel-smugglers-are-the-opec-boys-anti-heroes-of-the-marginalised-191525
Chad: Military ruler Mahamat Déby will be sworn in as transitional president for an additional two years today Monday. The “national inclusive dialogue” had made the extension by two years possible and also allowed Déby to stand for elections afterwards. The USA have announced sanctions and the African Union had also warned against extending the transition.
BBC Africa Live 10 October 2022. 9:11
Somalia: After the banning of pro-al-Shabab websites by the government on Saturday, al-Shabab not only accuses the government of trying “to silence the truth”, but has also “warned internet providers against blocking its affiliated media outlets.”
BBC Africa Live 10 October 2022. 10:51