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☆ African leaders spearhead efforts to tackle terrorism across the continent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —African leaders discussed anti-terrorism solutions on the continent during a high-level security summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja Monday amid a rise in terror attacks. According to the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), Africa witnessed an average of eight terror-related incidents and 44 daily casualties in 2023. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser and organizer of the summit, Nuhu Ribadu, emphasized the urgent need to combat terrorism in Africa. Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the chair of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, urged the proper establishment and strengthening of a regional standby military force. “The moment has come to work out an all-encompassing Continental Strategic Plan of Action to effectively fight against terrorism across Africa,” Faki said.

Persons: Ribadu, ” Ribadu, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Faure Gnassingbe, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, ” Faki, Tinubu, Faki, Africa’s Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, African Center, Research, Terrorism, Nigeria’s National Security, West African, ECOWAS, United Nations, African Union Commission Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Nigerian, Africa, Africa’s, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togolese

☆ Senegal parliament to debate extending president’s mandate as protests break out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Senegalese police on Sunday cracked down on protests against the postponement of the presidential election, as parliament prepared to debate a bill that would reschedule the vote for August and extend President Macky Sall’s mandate. “It (AU) strongly encourages all political and social forces to resolve any political dispute through civilized consultation, understanding and dialogue..,” the statement added. Senegal has never delayed a presidential vote and uncertainty about what happens next threatens to fuel further unrest like the deadly protests of recent years that have tarnished its reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. In one area, around 200 people retreated into side streets after police in riot gear fired tear gas and started detaining protesters. Further protests are planned outside parliament on Monday.

Persons: Macky Sall’s, Sall, ”, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Daouda Ndiaye, Anta Babacar Ngom, Aminata Toure, Macky’s, ” Toure Organizations: Reuters, Senegalese, Reuters . African, Economic, West African States, Sunday Locations: Senegal, West, Dakar

☆ Giorgia Meloni prank call: Italy’s prime minister talks of Ukraine fatigue on phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Rome Reuters —Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of international fatigue with the conflict in Ukraine and a lack of support for Italy in dealing with migration in a phone call with Russian pranksters. Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Meloni, speaking in English, said: “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. Addressing Italy’s position as a first port of call for many migrants crossing the Mediterranean, Meloni lamented that international partners were not doing enough to help. He did the talking while Vovan also listened in on the call with Meloni, he explained. Meloni, Italian prime minister for a year, split with her TV presenter partner last month after off-air video excerpts from his program showed him using foul language and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.

Persons: Rome, Giorgia Meloni, Vovan, Meloni’s, “, ”, Meloni, Lexus, Alexei Stolyarov Organizations: Rome Reuters, Italian, Russian, Lexus, African Union Commission, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Italy

☆ Italy PM Meloni talks of Ukraine fatigue, migration in prank call
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts during a meeting of European heads of state or government in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of international fatigue with the conflict in Ukraine and a lack of support for Italy in dealing with migration in a phone call with Russian pranksters. Asked about Russia's war in Ukraine, Meloni, speaking in English, said: "I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. Prankster Lexus, or Alexei Stolyarov, said Meloni was at least someone who was willing to share her real opinions. Meloni, Italian prime minister for a year, split with her TV presenter partner last month after off-air video excerpts from his programme showed him using foul language and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Juan Medina, Vovan, Meloni's, Meloni, Lexus, Alexei Stolyarov, Alex Marrow, Federico Maccioni, Keith Weir, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Lexus, African Union Commission, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Ukraine, Italy

It comes amid criticism that the lending institutions are not taking climate change and the vulnerabilities of poor countries enough into account in their funding decisions. Dysfunctional because the system as a whole is too slow to respond to new challenges, such as climate change. Lee pointed to an IMF program that launched last year to help poor countries address problems like climate change. “The national policy to address climate change is lax — little or no focus is on climate change and the nexus between climate change and conflict in the Sahel is underappreciated,” Hassan said. “Go beyond the conflict itself to start prioritizing climate change as the root cause of the problem affecting these countries."

Persons: ”, William Ruto, Akinwumi Adesina, Moussa Faki, Patrick Verkooijen, Daniel Lee, Lee, Rwanda —, Carlos Lopes, It’s, Idayat Hassan, Ibrahim Audi, Femi, Lopes, ” Hassan, “, ” Mimiko, — Organizations: Global, International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, New York Times, Kenyan, African Development Bank, African Union, IMF, Mandela School of Public, University of Cape, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Africa Climate Summit, International Rescue Committee, AP Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Africa, Africa's Sahel, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Marrakech, Morocco, Rwanda, University of Cape Town , South Africa, Nigeria's, Katsina, Kenya

☆ Reaction to Gabon army officers announcing coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are reactions to what appeared to be the eighth military coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON OLIVIER VERAN"We condemn the military coup and recall our commitment to free and transparent elections." EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY JOSEP BORRELL"If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MARIA ZAKHAROVA"Moscow has received with concern reports of a sharp deterioration in the internal situation in the friendly African country. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES"The Secretary-General is following the evolving situation in Gabon very closely.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Moussa Faki Mahamat, BOLA TINUBU'S, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GENERAL PATRICIA SCOTLAND, OLIVIER VERAN, WANG WENBIN, Bongo, JOSEP BORRELL, MARIA ZAKHAROVA, JOHN KIRBY, It's, GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, Central African, AU, H.E, WEST, BLOC ECOWAS, GENERAL, Commonwealth Secretariat, MINISTRY, EU HIGH, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, Gabonese Republic, Republic, NIGERIA, African Union, CHINA, China, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Moscow

☆ Russia, expansion and Western relations in the spotlight as leaders gather for pivotal BRICS summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

South African police officers walk in front of an event banner outside the venue for the BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Center in the Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Ramaphosa invited 67 leaders from across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean to attend the summit, but no Western leaders received an invitation. watch nowBilateral deals and cooperation is common among BRICS members, but de Carvalho challenged the idea that there is a unanimous desire to compete with the G7. He added that the BRICS members do not always agree and do not see the group as a "panacea," but simply a "vehicle to become more influential in global discussions." "The G7 contains the rich Western economies, while BRICS contains the two most populous countries and the leading countries on three continents.

Persons: Michele Spatari, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ramaphosa, Gustavo de Carvalho, de Carvalho, Lula, BRICS, It's, it's, Steven Gruzd, Gruzd Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, West, South, Indian, Russian, International, Court, ICC, Western, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, South African Institute of International Affairs, CNBC Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Ukraine, Africa, Latin America, East, Asia, Caribbean, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, BRICS, Russia, Brazil, China

☆ Factbox: Key facts about the BRICS 2023 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some key facts about the summit. It will be the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps the most important and controversial issue the leaders are expected to discuss is BRICS expansion by adding new members, including the admission criteria and guiding principles. But divisions among BRICS members over criteria for admitting new members may preclude any major announcements at the summit, as the bloc operates by consensus. Twenty three countries have formally applied to become new BRICS members, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Naledi Pandor, Wendell Roelf, Olivia Kumwenda, Alistair Bell Organizations: WHO, Indian, International, Russian, South African Foreign, United Nations, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, Business, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, South, United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia

And it can only end on the basis of justice and reason," African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told Putin and African leaders in St Petersburg. Putin gave it a polite but cool reception when African leaders presented it to him last month. Putin responded by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war. On Thursday, he promised to deliver free Russian grain in the next several months to six of the countries attending the summit. Mali's Assimi Goita told Putin: "You have shown pragmatism and realism in efforts to reach agreement with Ukraine."

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Pavel Bednyakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Russia's Wagner, Faustin Archange Touadera, Assimi Goita, Kevin Liffey, Joe Bavier, Alexander Winning, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kremlin, Union, Reuters, South, Sputnik, Central African, CAR, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, Congo, Europe, Kyiv, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Ukrainian, Western, Mali, Central, Central African Republic

CNN —A Niger general, Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on state television as the country’s new leader following a military coup that sparked international condemnation. Tiani said in the broadcast that Wednesday’s coup was motivated by both the desire to “preserve our homeland” in a context of a “deteriorating security situation,” and poor economic and social governance. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the coup was “deeply dangerous for Niger and the whole region,” and called for Bazoum’s release. However, a senior official loyal to Bazoum has suggested there is discord among coup leaders. The aide spoke on condition of not being identified because of the security situation.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, “, Mohamed Bazoum’s, Abdourahamane, ” Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, insurgencies, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, –, Catherine Colonna, Bazoum, ”, they’ve, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Bazoum “, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Mahamat, General Antonio Guterres, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, ” Abdramane Organizations: CNN, African, AFP, Télé, Getty, Nigerien, Union, Bazoum, National Council for, ECOWAS, United Nations, African Union Commission, RIA Novosti, UN Locations: Niger, France, Télé Sahel, Sahel, AFP, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Papua New Guinea, Niamey

CNN —The Nigerien military has backed coup leaders who have reportedly seized the president of the West African country, prompting warnings from international leaders over further unrest in a region plagued by political volatility. President Bazoum was apparently taken by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday, although his precise whereabouts remain unknown. Niger’s presidential office said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday: “The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, pictured on December 13, 2022, was reportedly seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday. 1,000 US troopsWorld leaders and humanitarian bodies issued stark warnings against the coup leaders.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, insurgencies, Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Abdramane, Jake Sullivan, Washington, Volker Türk, ” Türk, General Antonio Guterres, Bazoum “, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, Twitter, country’s Ministry of Defense, Interior Ministry, National Guard, White, US, Air Base, United Nations, Human, UN, African Union Commission Locations: West, ” Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, France, Niger, Niamey, Washington, Agadez, The

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. assistant secretary of State for African affairs, Molly Phee, will travel to Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday to meet with African leaders and Sudanese civilians on how to end the conflict in Sudan, the State Department said on Sunday. Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate. During her travel, Phee will meet with Sudanese civilians and with senior representatives of governments in the region, the East African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union Commission, according to the State Department. Egypt said on Sunday it would host a summit of Sudan's neighbors on July 13 to discuss ways to end the conflict between the rival Sudanese military factions. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Molly Phee, Phee, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S, State Department, Rapid Support Forces, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, East, Authority, Development, African Union Commission, Thomson Locations: Addis Ababa, Sudan, Khartoum, Sudan's, El Obeid, Egypt, Jeddah, United States, Saudi Arabia, East, Kenya, Washington

☆ War in Sudan Was Inevitable - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Bayan Abubakr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

— which had once operated in the same national military force — led a joint coup that dissolved Sudan’s transitional government. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Britain welcomed this agreement as a step in the right direction. Since the start of the war on April 15, the R.S.F. The participants refuse to cooperate with the Sudanese military, which has orchestrated genocides and violence since Sudan’s independence in 1956, or with its dark offshoot, the R.S.F. It was inevitable that they would eventually come head-to-head with the institution that created them.

Persons: —, Wagner, ’ Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Revolutionary Charter, Sudanese, African Union Commission Locations: Saudi Arabia, United States, Britain, El, Khartoum, Darfur, Libya, Europe, Sudan

☆ Senegal, one of Africa's bastions of stability, faces its gravest threat of unrest in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

DAKAR, Senegal - June 2, 2023: Supporters of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko protest in the Senegalese capital following his two-year sentencing for "corrupting the youth." The criminal conviction of a populist opposition leader in Senegal has triggered widespread unrest that threatens the West African country's long-established political stability. "The African Union and ECOWAS should use their influence to press Senegalese authorities to end their repression of protests and critics." The underlying roots of the unrest are both political and socio-economic, according to analysts at African specialist intelligence company Pangea-Risk. Consumer price inflation has slowed since late 2022, but hovers at around 9%, with food prices up more than 11% year-on-year.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Kaneza Nantulya, Antonio Guterres, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Kaneza, Sonko, Macky, Sall Organizations: Human Rights Watch, United Nations, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, African Union Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Africa

☆ Scholz's East Africa trip to address regional conflict, green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, May 2 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to discuss the conflict in Sudan, signal his support for the peace process in Ethiopia and explore cooperation on green hydrogen with Kenya during his trip to East Africa this week, officials said on Tuesday. On Friday, he will meet the president of Kenya, East Africa's biggest economy, to discuss trade and other issues. On Saturday, Scholz will visit Africa's biggest geothermal plant, at Lake Naivasha, in the geologically active Great Rift Valley, which is key to Kenya's plans for producing green hydrogen. The German officials played down the possibility of any imminent deal on cooperation on green hydrogen. Kenya was interested in producing green hydrogen to use in fertilizer production but could potentially export to Germany in future if supply was extensive, the officials said.

☆ US, African states race to extend Sudan truce, gunfire still heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Mahamet RamdaneKHARTOUM, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Gunfire could be heard on Thursday in the Khartoum area, a resident told Reuters. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. "Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said. The U.N. refugee agency has estimated 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

☆ Reaction to expert panel report on South Africa's Ramaphosa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former minister and chairwoman of the African Union Commission, attends the 54th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa December 17, 2017. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cyril Ramaphosa's future as South African president was in question on Thursday, a day after a panel report found preliminary evidence he may have committed serious misconduct. "We need to look at the report, study its implications very carefully, follow the parliamentary processes and allow matters to take their course." NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA, EX-WIFE OF FORMER PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA"I think the president has to step aside now and answer to the case." JOHN STEENHUISEN, LEADER OF MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY, THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA)"The report is clear and unambiguous.

☆ Ghana president sacks junior finance minister over alleged impropriety
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bernd Lauter/Pool via REUTERSACCRA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has sacked Charles Adu Boahen, the minister of state for finance, the presidency said on Monday after allegations of impropriety were circulated by a well-known Ghanaian investigative journalist. Adu Boahen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. read moreThe allegations against Adu Boahen did not appear to be related to those previously raised against Ofori-Atta. Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said in a statement the video showed Adu Boahen "apparently using my name, inter alia, to peddle influence and collect money from supposed investors". "I would like to state that if what the minister (Adu Boahen) is alleged to have said is accurately captured in the video, then his position as a minister of state is untenable.

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