Africa Now - Weekly Newsletter (Week 51, 2023)
Samir Bhattacharya

Commentary

China’s de-dollarization message finds a receptive audience in North Africa

Earlier this year, three of five countries in North Africa—Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt—applied to join BRICS, the loose affiliation of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which exists to challenge US influence in the global economy. Click here to read...

African countries at COP28: several big wins and a united voice

African countries entered the recent COP28 negotiations on climate change in high spirits. Click here to read...

The Crisis of African Democracy

These days, a question crops up when African officials gather to discuss governance: Which president will be ousted by his military next? Click here to read...

News

Egypt's Sisi cruises towards victory in subdued election

Egyptians cast their ballots on Tuesday on the third and final day of a presidential election expected to give President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a sweeping victory and a new six-year term in the absence of real competition. Click here to read...

Andry Rajoelina sworn in as Madagascar's president

Andry Rajoelina was sworn in for a second term as Madagascar's president on Saturday, amid fears of violence from opposition supporters who contested the results of the Nov. 16 election. Click here to read...

Chad holds referendum on new constitution amid opposition protests

Chadians have started voting on a new constitution as a stepping stone to next year’s election that aims to mend political and community division in the oil-producing, yet impoverished and fragmented country. Click here to read...

Congo's elections face enormous logistical problems sparking concerns

Congo’s president says he has confidence an upcoming vote will be rolled out credibly, as tensions mount that a severe lack of electoral preparation could throw the conflict-riddled nation into disarray Click here to read...

Burkina Faso’s military leader sacks foreign minister

Burkina Faso’s military leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore on Sunday fired his foreign minister in a mini-reshuffle, according to a decree read on national television. Click here to read...

South Africa: ANC ‘on verge of losing power’ as new party is launched

With less than a year to go until South Africa’s general elections, things don’t look good for the ruling party; from scathing resignation letters, to the launch of a new party to contest the vote. Click here to read...

South Africa: Zuma denounces ANC ahead of election

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has come out against his African National Congress party, in a sign of growing division ahead of the 2024 general election. Click here to read...

Senegal court orders reinstatement of jailed opposition leader to electoral register

The Dakar High Court ordered opposition leader Ousmane Sonko reinstated to the electoral register Thursday, paving the way for the jailed politician to run in next year’s presidential election. Click here to read...

Tunisian opposition leader Chaima Issa gets suspended jail term

A prominent Tunisian opposition activist has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence for insulting the president, her lawyer says. Click here to read...

Ethiopian security forces arrest former peace minister over participation in terrorist activities

Ethiopian security forces announced Tuesday that former State Minister for Peace Taye Dendea has been arrested for taking part in terrorist activities during his tenure in the government. Click here to read...

Sierra Leone’s ex-president named as suspect in foiled coup attempt: Reports

Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Bai Koroma is among 80 suspects named by police in connection with a failed coup attempt last month in the country, local media reported Wednesday. Click here to read...

Heavy gunfire in Guinea-Bissau as minister is freed from detention

Gunfire broke out near Guinea-Bissau’s presidential palace overnight and continued on Friday morning after soldiers freed a minister from the main opposition party detained for suspected misuse of public funds, Reuters reporters and a police source said. Click here to read...

Somalia: Hassan’s push for universal suffrage stokes tensions

Lawmakers in Somalia face fierce resistance in their push to replace the traditional clan-based electoral system with universal suffrage. Click here to read...

West Africa court orders reinstatement of ousted Niger leader Bazoum

A West African court on Friday ruled that the ousted president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and his family were arbitrarily detained and called for his reinstatement. Click here to read...

West Africa leaders set terms for lifting Niger sanctions

West African leaders on Sunday demanded a "short" period of transition toward civilian rule in coup-hit Niger before they would ease economic sanctions on the country. Click here to read...

Niger coup leaders agree to transition terms: Togo mediator

Niger's ruling military has agreed to terms and conditions of a transition back to civilian rule, and will present the plan to a regional bloc, the chief diplomat from mediator Togo announced Thursday. Click here to read...

Thousands flee as war reaches Sudan’s second-largest city

Thousands of displaced people have fled the formerly safe city of Wad Madani in Sudan, as the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reaches the city. Click here to read...

South Sudan: No basis for free and fair 2024 elections, warns Haysom

South Sudan is in no position to hold free, fair, or secure elections slated for December next year, the head of the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) said on Thursday, stressing that there’s still time to catch up. Click here to read...

Somalia signs Treaty of Accession with EAC

The Federal Republic of Somalia inched closer to joining the seven-member East African Community with the Horn of Africa nation signing the Treaty of Accession with the bloc at State House, Entebbe, Uganda on Friday, December 15. Click here to read...

Congo recalls envoys to Kenya and Tanzania over alliance launch in Nairobi

Democratic Republic of Congo recalled its ambassadors from Kenya and Tanzania for consultations on Saturday after a new Congolese military alliance that includes rebels was launched in the Kenyan capital. Click here to read...

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia resume negotiations over Ethiopia’s mega-dam in Addis Ababa

Another round of talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam continued on Saturday for three days, with representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan meeting in Addis Ababa. Click here to read...

Western Sahara: Belgium Reiterates Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan

Belgium has reiterated its position on the Western Sahara issue, considering Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as a “serious and credible effort”. Click here to read...

Polisario Launches New Attack on Morocco’s Southern Region of Aousserd

Militants from the separatist Polisario Front reportedly carried out a new attack in the southern regions of Morocco last night. Click here to read...

Egyptian air defence shoots down suspected drone off Red Sea coast

Egyptian air defence shot down a suspected drone off the Red Sea coast near the resort town of Dahab on Egypt's eastern Sinai coast, two security sources said. Click here to read...

Yemen Houthi rebels claim attacks on two Red Sea cargo ships

Two cargo ships in the Red Sea have been attacked by missiles fired from territory in Yemen, the US says. Click here to read...

BRICS influence in Africa grows with TV media deals

The BRICS economic bloc of countries is aggressively expanding its media presence in Africa through its Moscow-headquartered broadcast network to counter Western narratives in the Global South. Click here to read...

UN peacekeeping mission in Mali officially ends after 10 years

The United Nations mission in Mali has officially ended a 10-year deployment in the country, its spokesperson said, in a pullout ordered by Mali’s military government. Click here to read...

US Invests in Africa in Effort to Counter Chinese Influence

The United States has struck hundreds of deals worth $14.2 billion with African nations over the past year as Washington tries to counter growing influence on the continent by China. Click here to read...

How Kenya Deported Foreigners to Access Chinese Loans - US Report

In the 2023 report to the US Congress, the US-China Economic and Review Commission claims that the majority of the African countries, including Kenya, fall victim to China's demands owing to the challenges of servicing the debt. Click here to read...

China to lift tariffs on imports from 6 African nations

Products from Angola, Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania to enter China tariff-free. Click here to read...

China uranium grab poses threat to western energy supply, warns Yellow Cake

Prices of nuclear commodity at 15-year high as governments scramble to secure sources of fuel for power stations Click here to read...

Kenya, China pledge to strengthen diplomatic ties

Kenya and China have committed to continuing cultivating their close ties as the two countries marked 60 years of diplomatic relations. President William Ruto of Kenya and Chinese President Xi Jinping said the six-decade ties have been fruitful for both countries. Click here to read...

China donates SUV cars to support Uganda in hosting NAM, South Summit

China has pledged to support Uganda as the East African country gears up to host the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit and the 3rd South Summit. This was revealed here Thursday by Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong while handing over 70 SUV cars to the Ugandan government. Click here to read...

Eritrea: President Isaias holds talks with Special Envoy of China

President Isaias Afwerki met and had discussions with the Special Envoy of the People’s Republic of China to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Xue Bing, at Denden Guest House today, 15 December. Click here to read...

Mozambique signs $5 billion hydro-project accord with EDF-led consortium

Mozambique has signed an accord with a consortium led by French power giant EDF to build the new $5 billion Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project, the government said on Wednesday, as it seeks to harness energy from one of Africa's largest rivers. Click here to read...

South Africa to Build New Nuclear Plants. the Opposition Attacked the Plan Over Alleged Russia Links

The South African government has announced plans to build new nuclear power stations to generate more electricity amid an energy crisis in the continent’s most advanced economy. Click here to read...

Teodoro Obiang's Equatorial Guinea wants to send an astronaut into space with Russia's backing

The Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, has been in Moscow since 11 September to strengthen bilateral relations in the fields of defence and security and to open a framework for cooperation in the space sphere. Click here to read...

CDU seeks to win back German voters with its own Rwanda asylum plan

Official says party favours sending refugees to third countries such as Rwanda for application processing. Click here to read...

Pakistan desirous to boost diplomatic, political, trade ties with African countries: Solangi

Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi has said that Pakistan desires to boost diplomatic, political, parliamentary and trade relations with all African countries including Ethiopia. Click here to read...

Ethiopian airlines to launch Dhaka-Addis Ababa flight on 8 March

Ethiopian Airlines has decided to commence flights between Addis Ababa and Dhaka from 8 March 2024 as Bangladesh and Ethiopia signed an air service agreement (ASA) last week to establish direct air link. Click here to read...

Central Bank of Lesotho facing outages after cyberattack

The central bank of southern African country Lesotho is facing severe outages due to a cyberattack that was discovered earlier this week. Click here to read...

Women, children among 61 drowned after shipwreck off Libyan coast

As many as 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned following a "tragic" shipwreck off Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya. Click here to read...

Several feared dead in Guinea oil terminal blast

Several people are feared killed and injured following a blast at an oil terminal in Guinea's capital Conakry early on Monday, a senior police officer said. Click here to read...

India in Africa

"Strengthen India-Africa Partnership": MEA conveys PM Modi's message to Comoros, Madagascar Presidents

Dammu Ravi, the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (Economic Relations), interacted with Comoros President and African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani in Madagascar. Click here to read...

Benin's Foreign Minister arrives on official visit to India to strengthen bilateral ties

Benin's Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari arrived here on Sunday on an official visit to further strengthen bilateral ties with India. Click here to read...

RITES inks deal for 10 diesel locomotives with CFM Mozambique

State-owned RITES Ltd has signed an agreement with CFM Mozambique for the supply of ten diesel locomotives and incidental services, with a total cost of USD 37,680,080 (Rs 314.1 crore). Click here to read...

Indian Navy tails hijacked vessel headed for Somalia

The identity of the hijackers who have taken the crew hostage is unknown, but they are believed to be Somali pirates, the officials said Click here to read...

With 'visa-free' travel, Indians can now add Kenya's Maasai Mara to their bucket list

In a major boost to Indian passport's strength, the list of visa-free countries for Indian citizens has just extended. This week, both Kenya and Iran abolished visa requirements for Indian passport holders. Click here to read...

Kenya joins countries for visa-free travel for Indians, top places to explore

These top destinations are a must-add to your Kenya bucket list as the country opens up for visa-free travel from January 2024. Click here to read...

How 5 ‘rejected’ Indian & Pakistani cricketers helped Uganda get entry in T20 World Cup

Five discarded Indian and Pakistani cricketers, in a rare instance, joined hands in the far-off Uganda and guided the African country to their historic entry into the T20 World Cup. Click here to read...

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