29 April 2021
Malawi: The death penalty has been outlawed by the Supreme Court. There had been no executions since 1975. Malawi is the 22nd sub-Saharan country to have abolished the death penalty.
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 7:10
South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa, giving testimony before a judicial inquiry probing corruption during Jacob Zuma’s presidency, says that the ANC “could and should have done more to prevent the abuse of power and the misappropriation of resources that defined the era of state capture”, that “the ANC had not lived up to the expectations of the South African people in enforcing accountability”, that “corruption had undermined the rule of law”.
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 4:31
Mozambique: The summit on Mozambique that was to be held today Thursday by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been postponed because the presidents of South Africa (testifying in the state capture inquiry) and Botswana (self-isolating because of Covid) could not attend. The summit, it is hoped, will come up with a solution for the ongoing crisis in Mozambique’s very north/Cabo Delgado which has come under persistent terrorist attacks that the country’s government is unable to handle.
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 5:05
Egypt: Giulio Regeni was tortured and murdered in Cairo in 2016 while doing research on trade unions. A trial against four members of the Egyptian security forces suspected of murdering him has now started in Rome. “The Egyptian authorities cleared all those implicated in his killing but Italian prosecutors say they’ve gathered unequivocal proof that the four officers murdered the student.”
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 9:57
Kenya/Terrorism: Mandera is the northern-most of the three Kenyan counties bordering Somalia. Al-Shabaab control half of the county’s major roads and there have been more than 10 terrorist attacks this year alone. “Security sources indicate that while the attackers often come from Somalia, those planning the assaults are locals living in Mandera.” With non-local civilians often being the target of attacks, Nairobi has withdrawn non-local teachers from the county. Extrajudicial killings and corruption undermine police-community trust. Illicit traders paying Al-Shabaab for their protection provide considerable financial means for the terrorists. Alongside better intelligence, “building effective partnerships between the locals and security officials” will be a sine qua non of success against terrorism. Restoring a functioning education system will be part of this. “Capacity building for civil society groups, community structures, local leaders and the media could also help prevent violent extremism in Mandera. Resources, both human and material, and training for all those involved in fighting al-Shabaab – such as elders and community leaders – are needed.”
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/winning-community-trust-can-help-rid-kenya-of-al-shabaab
South Sudan: Despite all the peace agreements, there has been little progress towards peace and stability. Levels of violence have been called “staggering” by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. Land disputes are a major cause. “Establishing transitional justice mechanisms as required by the peace agreement is the only hope to prevent further conflict.”
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/missteps-by-south-sudans-government-keep-the-country-in-conflict
Lake Chad Basin: Boko Haram’s activities and also counter-terrorist measures like banning the trade of some goods in certain areas or blocking specific transport routes have harmed women’s livelihoods. Instead of spending billions of dollars on filling up Lake Chad from afar, state resources should be spent to “make communities safer, rebuild and secure markets, fix trade routes, and underwrite debt and provide loans”. This would also be in line with preventing violent extremism which we know won’t work unless it is community-oriented.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/security-crisis-in-lake-chad-basin-erodes-womens-livelihoods
Uganda/Mozambique/Kongo-Kinshasa: Total has, for the time being, withdrawn from its Cabo Delgado-gas megaproject because of the insecurity created by Mozambique’s Al-Shabaab (termed ISIS-Mozambique by the US). It has on 11 April announced the launch of Tilenga project under Uganda’s Lake Albert, not far from the border with Congo-Kinshasa, where the Allied Democratic Forces/ADF (termed ISIS-DRC by the US) terrorise the local population. Having avoided Al-Shabaab attacks, does Total expose itself to attacks from ADF in Uganda? It is not clear, whether Total was specifically targeted in Cabo Delgado – the question being debated being whether the insurgency focuses on local grievances or is, “as a supposed ISIS affiliate, also motivated to attack more global targets, such as Total.” The same holds true for ADF. Seems that nothing is known about either terrorist group in that respect.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/will-total-confront-another-islamic-state-linked-insurgency-in-uganda
Algeria: Karim Tabbou, one of the most prominent figures of the Hirak, has been arrested yesterday/Wednesday evening. Parliamentary elections are a few weeks away – as other opposition figures, Tabbou had said he would boycott them.
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 12:08
Chad: Fighting has been going on between the army and the Fact rebels in Kanem region, close to the Niger border and also close to where Idriss Déby Itno was killed ten days ago. The military council had said on Sunday that there would be no negotiating with the rebels.
BBC Africa Live 29 April 2021. 16:31
28 April 2021
Sahel: According to the UN, 29 million in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and parts of Nigeria and Cameroon need aid urgently. 1.6 million children suffer from severe malnutrition. 5.5 million have been displaced because of insecurity, first of all because of terrorist attacks.
BBC Africa Live 28 April 2021. 7:03
Sahel: An overview of the uncertainties and concerns raised in the Sahel by the death of Idriss Déby Itno & the need for Nigeria to now assume leadership.
https://theconversation.com/debys-death-threatens-security-in-the-sahel-nigeria-has-a-key-role-to-play-159731
Somalia: The president has backed down and will no longer extend his term by two years, instead there are to be new presidential elections. He has restored the 17 September 2020 deal that established an electoral framework – but the election modalities were exactly the point where no agreement was found…
BBC Africa Live 28 April 2021. 4:33
Somalia: Power grab by president Farmaajo? “Open fighting between security forces is evidence of a fragmented security apparatus. It does not show the force and authority needed for an authoritarian takeover that would include command of security forces. It shows rather the power struggles already underway over the carcass of the government and the renegotiation of what comes next.” The president is not trusted by large parts of the population – yet the opposition also does not offer credible leadership out of the crisis. The country is faced with “a violent escalation of toxic elite politics over control of sovereignty”.
https://theconversation.com/somalia-toxic-elite-politics-and-the-need-for-cautious-external-mediation-159270