Africa News and Discussions

[weatheriscool]

Airstrikes reported in Sudanese capital; paramilitary group claims to seize palace
Source: Washington Post

Airstrikes slammed into neighborhoods in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and three planes were set aflame in the main airport as the military and a heavily armed paramilitary force battled in the streets on Saturday, pushing the troubled Horn of Africa nation to the cusp of a civil war.

The outbreak of violence follows years of ratcheting tensions between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a major paramilitary group led by Vice President Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — universally referred to as Hemedti — and the military, headed by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the nation’s president.

Shooting broke out around 9 a.m., residents said, and fighting quickly escalated as artillery, armored vehicles and then fighter jets were deployed. Bridges were blocked and three planes at the international airport were hit, witnesses said.

The RSF claimed it had taken control of sites including the presidential palace, Khartoum International Airport, and the airport in Merowe, north of the capital. The Sudanese Armed Forces dismissed RSF statements as “lies.” Both sides blamed the other for attacking first.

Read more: https://wapo.st/43Dorbu

[caltrek]

Evidence Emerges of Russia’s Wagner Arming Militia Leader Battling Sudan’s Army
by Nima Elbagir, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Tamara Qiblawi and Barbara Arvanitidis.
Updated April 21, 2023

Introduction:

London CNN —
The Russian mercenary group Wagner has been supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces with missiles to aid their fight against the country’s army, Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources have told CNN.

The sources said the surface-to-air missiles have significantly buttressed RSF paramilitary fighters and their leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he battles for power with Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military ruler and the head of its armed forces.

In bordering Libya, where a Wagner-backed rogue general, Khalifa Haftar, controls swathes of land, satellite imagery supports these claims, showing an unusual uptick in activity on Wagner bases

The powerful Russian mercenary group has played a public and pivotal role in Moscow’s foreign military campaigns, namely in Ukraine, and has repeatedly been accused of committing atrocities. In Africa, it has helped to prop up Moscow’s growing influence and seizing of resources.

Dagalo and Burhan had been jockeying for power in negotiations over restoring civilian leadership in Sudan before talks broke down, erupting into some of the worst violence the country has seen in decades.

Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/africa/ ... ndex.html


Sudan

[Time_Traveller]

Sudan: First flight evacuating British nationals has left amid ceasefire, Downing Street confirms

Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 4:35pm

The UK government has said urgent rescue efforts are underway to rescue thousands of trapped British nationals in Sudan, Romilly Weeks reports

Downing Street has confirmed the first British military flight evacuating UK nationals has left Sudan after a 72-hour ceasefire was agreed, with two more trips to take place overnight.

After growing criticism of its failure to help civilians trapped in the country as violence escalates, the government later confirmed it would run evacuation flights for UK nationals from an airfield outside Khartoum.

The prime minister's official spokesperson said on Tuesday: "The first flight has left and you can expect that there will be at least two more flights overnight tonight but that is subject to change."

The situation is “fast-moving” but the flight that has already left is expected to arrive in Cyprus later.

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-04-25/uk- ... from-sudan

[caltrek]

U.S. Navy Sea Base to Reposition Off Sudan For Evacuation Contingency
by Joseph Trevithick
April 24 , 2023

Introduction:

(The Drive)The U.S. Navy's Expeditionary Sea Base ship USS Lewis B. Puller is on its way to take up a position off the coast of Sudan where it could support evacuation efforts if required. The ship's unique abilities to support these kinds of operations are among the exact reasons why the Navy began working to acquire vessels of this type more than a decade ago.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced that Puller was headed for Sudan earlier today at a routine press conference. The Navy had already deployed the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Truxtun to the area, where it is also on call, if necessary. The deployment of Puller follows a U.S. military operation this weekend to help American diplomats and their dependents evacuate Sudan's capital Khartoum, which you can read more about in The War Zone's past reporting on the crisis here.

Read more here: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ ... ntingency


USN

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

UN Refugee Agency Warns More Than 800,000 May Flee Sudan
May 1, 2023

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) More than 800,000 people may flee Sudan as a result of the ongoing conflict, the United Nations refugee agency has said, including Sudanese nationals and thousands of existing refugees living temporarily in the country.

“In consultation with all concerned governments and partners, we’ve arrived at a planning figure of 815,000 people that may flee into the seven neighbouring countries,” Raouf Mazou, UNHCR assistant high commissioner for refugees, told a member-state briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.

Some 73,000 have already left Sudan, he added.

Mazou’s estimate includes approximately 580,000 Sudanese, while the others are refugees who had settled in the country for safety.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi later said the planning figure was indicative. “We hope it doesn’t come to that, but if violence doesn’t stop we will see more people forced to flee Sudan seeking safety,” he said in a tweet.

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/ ... lee-sudan

[caltrek]

Humanitarian Agreement Announced in Sudan
by Nolan Stout
May 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) — The United States and Saudi Arabia announced a humanitarian agreement from the warring factions in Sudan on Thursday night as senior State Department officials rebuffed speculation over what contribution U.S. foreign policy decisions had in the fighting.

Representatives for the warring Sudanese Army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary have been meeting since Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to establish a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia stepped in to facilitate negotiations after a Western-backed agreement to transition to a civilian government unraveled last month into the ongoing conflict. The U.S. largely evacuated its personnel from Sudan almost three weeks ago, as did other countries, when fighting broke out and the State Department has facilitated the departure of more than 2,000 people from the country since that time.

An announcement on the agreement from the U.S. State Department says it “recognizes the obligations of both sides under international humanitarian and human rights law to facilitate humanitarian action to meet the emergency needs of civilians."

It seeks to promote the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, restoring essential services, withdrawing forces from hospitals and clinics, and allowing respectful burial of casualties.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/humanit ... n-sudan/

[caltrek]

Sudan’s Army, Rapid Support Forces Sign 7-day Ceasefire
May 21, 2023

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire following talks in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, according to a statement from Washington and Riyadh, as fighting that has killed hundreds and displaced more than a million entered its sixth week.

The ceasefire agreement was signed late on Saturday.

It will take effect 48 hours after, at 9:45pm local time (19:45 GMT) on Monday, the sponsors of the talks, the United States and Saudi Arabia, said in their joint statement.

Numerous previous ceasefire agreements were violated. However, this agreement will be enforced by a US-Saudi and international-supported monitoring mechanism, the statement said without providing details.

The agreement also calls for distributing humanitarian assistance, restoring essential services and withdrawing forces from hospitals and essential public facilities.

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/ ... ceasefire

[weatheriscool]

Fire razes school dormitory in Guyana, killing at least 19 children, many of them Indigenous
Source: AP

By BERT WILKINSON an hour ago

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A nighttime fire raced through a dormitory in Guyana early Monday, killing at least 19 students and injuring several others at a boarding school catering to remote, mostly Indigenous villages, authorities said.

“This is a horrific incident. It’s tragic. It’s painful,” President Irfaan Ali said, adding that his government was mobilizing all possible resources to care for the children.

The fire broke out shortly before midnight in the dormitory building of a secondary school in the southwestern border town of Mahdia, a gold and diamond mining community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the capital, Georgetown, the government said in a statement.

Officials initially said 20 students were killed but later updated the toll to 19, with several others injured. National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said the figure was revised after doctors revived a very critical patient that “everyone thought was dead.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/guyana-fire- ... fcac893e33

[Powers]

^ Not to be an ass but Guyana is in America

[caltrek]

Fire razes school dormitory in Guyana, killing at least 19 children, many of them Indigenous
Source: AP

...

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/guyana-fire- ... fcac893e33

...Guyana is in America

I have reposted the citation in its entirety in the South America Watch thread. I will leave the cited post in this thread, at least for the time being, for readers who first noted it here to refer. Further responses not related to which thread this topic belongs should be made in the South America thread.

[caltrek]

Sudan Factions Agree to 24-Hour Ceasefire
by Nolan Stout
June 9, 2023

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) Warring forces in Sudan have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire this weekend, negotiators from the United States and Saudi Arabia announced Friday, cautioning that they will pull out of peace talks if the agreement is violated.

The ceasefire is scheduled to take effect at 6 a.m. local time on Saturday in a bid to “break the cycle of violence,” according to a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been coordinating negotiations since May 6 between the warring Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, which have been embroiled in conflict for almost two months.

But over the past few weeks, international players have been losing whatever tenuous grasp they had on the conflict, especially since the Sudanese army pulled out of the formal negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 31.

In a joint statement, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia said the army and RSF have agreed to refrain from attacks, use of aircraft or drones, aerial bombardment, artillery strikes, reinforcing or resupplying forces, or seeking military advantage as part of the ceasefire.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/sudan-f ... asefire/

[weatheriscool]

At least 41 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
Source: AP

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA51 minutes ago

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of 41 people, including 38 students, who were burned, shot or hacked to death after suspected rebels attacked a secondary school near the border with Congo, the local mayor said Saturday.

At least six people were abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous border into Congo after the raid on Friday night, according to the Ugandan military.

Authorities blamed the massacre at Lhubiriha Secondary School in the border town of Mpondwe on the Allied Democratic Forces, a shadowy extremist group with ties to the Islamic State, which has been launching attacks for years from bases in volatile eastern Congo.

The victims included the students, one guard and two members of the local community who were killed outside the school, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Mayor Selevest Mapoze told The Associated Press.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/uganda-rebel ... b9d1b19b37

[weatheriscool]

Sudan officials say airstrike kills 17 people, including 5 children, in capital Khartoum
Source: AP

By SAMY MAGDY 2 hours ago

CAIRO (AP) — An airstrike in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday killed at least 17 people, including five children, health officials said, as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control the country.

The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas of Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan between the military and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.

There was no immediate comment Saturday from either side of the conflict on the strike, and it was not clear whether the attack was by warplanes or a drone. The military’s aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops and the RSF has reportedly used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.

The fighting broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-airstr ... 0277d44018

[caltrek]

Togo Offers Washington a Diplomatic Win if it Takes It
by Komlan Avoulete
July 17, 2023

Introduction:

(International Policy Digest) Togo and the United States boast a long-standing history of bilateral relations, harking back to 1960 when Togo severed ties with France to claim independence. Sylvanus Olympio, Togo’s inaugural president, enjoyed a warm reception from President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Both leaders shared a vision of fostering a prosperous, democratic nation within a robust alliance. But their aspirations were cut short by their assassinations in 1963. Despite the tragic turn of events, the two countries have continued to collaborate. Togo, aiming to become an influential, democratic, and prosperous West African player, would greatly profit from bolstering its U.S. ties.

Like many African countries, Togo grapples with several challenges hindering its evolution into a democratic, developed society. Domestic political issues including electoral disputes, impunity, and corruption, alongside external threats such as terrorism, climate change, and food insecurity arising from the global rise in food prices, plague Togo. The current president, Faure Gnassingbé, and his government are addressing these challenges head-on, implementing actions for the benefit of all citizens, whether native or foreign.

Historically, Togo has played a crucial role in promoting peace and dialogue in regional conflicts, such as Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. It has been recognized for fostering peace, as demonstrated when its capital, Lomé, was hailed the “Capital of Peace, Mediation, Dialogue, and Tolerance” in 2022. Hence, Togo’s neutral stance in the ongoing and bloody war in Ukraine at the United Nations, stressing dialogue as a solution to the conflict, is hardly surprising.

As a market-oriented country, Togo actively seeks cooperation, particularly with the U.S., across issues of shared concern. The U.S. has previously aided Togo in areas such as health, education, security, and economic growth, and backed Togo’s reforms in telecommunications and land titling through a $35 million Threshold program under the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The U.S. and Togo share common objectives of promoting democracy, human rights, regional stability, and West African development. These collaborative relations should be bolstered, particularly in two key areas.

Read more here: https://intpolicydigest.org/togo-offer ... takes-it/


Togo

[weatheriscool]

Attempted coup underway in Niger, regional leaders say, with reports guards are holding president
Source: CNN

There has been an attempted coup in Niger, regional leaders say, following reports the country’s president has been seized by his guards.

“ECOWAS condemns in the strongest terms the attempt to seize power by force and calls on the coup plotters to free the democratically-elected President of the Republic immediately and without any condition,” the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said.

Niger’s presidential complex was sealed off Wednesday, a journalist on the ground who spoke to CNN, witnessed in the capital Niamey.

A statement on the presidency’s social media channels said President Mohamed Bazoum is “doing well.” CNN cannot verify the statement.

“The President of the Republic and his family are doing well. The Army and the National Guard are ready to attack the elements of the GP [Presidential Guard] involved in this fit of anger if they do not return to their better senses,” a tweet from the presidency said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/26/africa/n ... index.html

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Sudan conflict brings new atrocities to Darfur as militias kill, rape, burn homes in rampages
Source: AP

By SAMY MAGDY

CAIRO (AP) — Amna al-Nour narrowly escaped death twice. The first was when militias torched her family’s home in Sudan’s Darfur region. The second was two months later when paramilitary fighters stopped her and others trying to escape as they tried to reach the border with neighboring Chad.

“They massacred us like sheep,” the 32-year-old teacher said of the attack in late April on her home city Geneina. “They want to uproot us all.”

Al-Nour and her three children now live in a school-turned-refugee housing inside Chad, among more than 260,000 Sudanese, mostly women and children, who have fled what survivors and rights groups say is a new explosion of atrocities in the large western region of Sudan.

Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations that identify as Central or East African. Fears are mounting that that legacy is returning with reports of widespread killings, rapes and destruction of villages in Darfur amid a nationwide power struggle between Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-darfur ... e6f666c3ca

[weatheriscool]

The French embassy in Niger is attacked as protesters waving Russian flags march through the capital
Source: AP

By SAM MEDNICK
Updated 8:03 AM CDT, July 30, 2023

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Thousands of supporters of the junta that took over Niger in a coup earlier this week marched Sunday through the streets of the capital, Niamey, waving Russian flags, chanting the name of the Russian president and forcefully denouncing former colonial power France.

The protesters marched through the city to the French Embassy, where a door was lit on fire, according to someone who was at the embassy when it happened and videos seen by The AP. Black smoke could be seen rising from across the city. The Nigerien army broke up the crowd of the protesters.

Russian mercenary group Wagner is already operating in neighboring Mali, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to expand his country’s influence in the region. However, it is unclear yet whether the new junta leaders will move toward Moscow or stick with Niger’s Western partners.

On Sunday at an emergency meeting in Abjua, Nigeria the West African bloc said it was suspending relations with Niger and authorized the use of force if the president was not reinstated within a week.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-m ... 75199c5fbe

[wjfox]

Ghana abolishes the death penalty

It joins a growing list of African countries which are turning away from capital punishment

Rebekah Evans
31 Jul 2023

https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-ne ... th-penalty