13 November 2021
South Africa: De Klerk was important in the dismantling of the apartheid state, but he was also the “head of an illegitimate, discredited minority regime…incapable of upholding moral standards”, as Mandela had once put it. De Klerk was a staunch conservative and he was committed to apartheid; in his “statement before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the late 1990s he protested the international assignation of apartheid as a crime against humanity”. Though he was not a securocrat himself, “(d)uring his presidency, political violence escalated to unseen levels.” De Klerk “ was driven by pragmatism, not idealism”.
https://theconversation.com/fw-de-klerk-the-last-apartheid-president-was-driven-by-pragmatism-not-idealism-164026
South Africa: An article written in January 2020 that explains why, 30 years before, de Klerk made the speech that unbanned the ANC, PAC, SACP, etc. and ended the state of emergency. Little analysis, but lots of information about what led up to that momentous speech.
https://theconversation.com/fw-de-klerk-made-a-speech-31-years-ago-that-ended-apartheid-why-he-did-it-130803
South Africa: An article written in July 2020, excellent to re-read: what Mandela did well & what he got wrong.
https://theconversation.com/mandela-was-a-flawed-icon-but-without-him-south-africa-would-be-a-sadder-place-142826
Nigeria: Despite an electricity crisis and lack of widespread access to the internet, Nigeria’s central bank recently joined those of the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean region in launching a digital version of cash (not to be confused with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin). The article discusses advantages and possible problems with this.
https://theconversation.com/nigerias-digital-currency-what-the-enaira-is-for-and-why-its-not-perfect-171323
Sudan: According to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, four anti-putsch demonstrators today died from gunshot wounds and one from choking on tear gas and lots were hurt. Tens of thousands have participated in the demonstrations.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59276274
Egypt: In Aswan, a violent hail and thunder storm in the area near the Nile on Friday forced scorpions into streets and houses. About 450 people have been stung – three of them died.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59274686
12 November 2021
Uganda: In the past, the now Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed thousands in Congo-Kinshasa’s Kivu province, while attacks in Uganda have been rather rare. This may now be changing. And the change may have to do with Musa Baluku, a dedicated Salafist, taking over ADF in 2015. Nowadays, ADF and al-Shabaab – though the latter are an al-Qaida affiliate – are working closely together in Uganda, against the “crusader Uganda government”. And they may also be working together with the Islamic State affiliate Ahlu-Sunna wa-Jama (ASWJ) in Mozambique, locally also called al-Shabaab. In fact, there may be “a misunderstanding of ‘affiliation’. It doesn’t refer to total Islamic State control of ADF and ASWJ operations. Instead, there is a transference of ideas, tactics, training and personnel”.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/uganda-terror-attacks-point-to-deeper-jihadi-coordination?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=ISS_Weekly_FR&utm_medium=email
Libya: Macron will be joined by Egyptian President al-Sisi, US Vice-President Kamala Harris and Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at a conference in Paris starting today that is to ensure that Libya will hold elections in December as planned.
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 8:54
Mozambique: The country’s top defence and security posts have not been vacant for long. President Nyusi named former chief commissioner for immigration and provincial police commander in Inhambane, Manica and Nampula provinces Arsenia Felicidade Felix Massingue interior minister. Cristóvão Artur Chume, commander of the forces that (with Rwandan help) recently recovered towns including Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado province from djihadists, has been named minster of national defence.
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 7:36
Mozambique: Maputo will appeal the constitutional court’s decision to extradite its former finance minister to the United States and not to Mozambique.
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 6:12
Sudan: The new ruling council named yesterday Thursday by al-Burhan despite national and international protests “also includes civilians but none from the political coalition that was in power before the coup.” The naming of the council makes a return to the status quo ante more and more difficult.
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 4:45
South Africa/eSwatini/Lesotho: The article explains the politics around borders and the ten bantustans in the apartheid 1970s and 1980s between South Africa and its two small neighbours. Mentioning, without going into detail, that it was the inhabitants of the concerned areas that had to pay the price of “big” political decisions.
https://theconversation.com/south-africas-apartheid-regime-manipulated-borders-today-the-effects-linger-170469
Kenya: The UK was reported to have suspended the recruitment of health professionals from Kenya because the country is now on a list of countries with a shortage of health workers. But later, this was corrected, when “the Kenyan and UK authorities said that this deal was still on as the ban on recruitment did not apply as long as it complied with the terms of a government-to-government agreement.”
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 11:31 & 14:57
Uganda: Schools have been closed for almost 80 weeks. This “will have a long-lasting effect on people's education” according to the New York Times. According to an official report, 30% of students will most probably not return to school when they reopen. “Some lessons are being broadcast on radio and resources are available online, but these are not accessible for everyone.”
BBC Africa Live 12 November 2021. 14:00