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☆ Congo Ruling Coalition Backs Tshisekedi for December Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Ange KasongoKINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi was officially nominated on Sunday as candidate for the Dec. 20 presidential election by his ruling political coalition the Sacred Union. Tshisekedi is seeking a second term in the vast nation, which is the world's top cobalt supplier and No. 3 copper producer, after winning a disputed first term in a 2018 vote. On Sunday, a congress of the Sacred Union coalition that includes political heavyweights such as Defence Minister Jean Pierre Bemba and Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, picked Tshisekedi unanimously. Tshisekedi, the son of Congo's beloved long-term opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, promised to root out corruption and authoritarianism and has rejected accusations by rights groups and critics that he has fallen short on his promises.

Persons: Ange Kasongo, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, Tshisekedi, Jean Pierre Bemba, Vital Kamerhe, Felix Tshisekedi, Andre Mbata, Congo's, Etienne Tshisekedi, Martin Fayulu, Bate Felix, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Democratic, Sacred Union, Sacred Union coalition, Defence, Economy, Union, Tshisekedi Locations: Ange Kasongo KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of, Rwanda, Republic, Kinshasa, Tshisekedi

☆ Guinea junta leader denounces Western democracy amid wave of coups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Guinea's President Mamadi Doumbouya addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsDAKAR, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Guinea's military leader Mamady Doumbouya told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that the Western model of democracy does not work for Africa, as evidenced by a recent wave of coups. Doumbouya took power in a coup in 2021, which was one of eight in West and Central Africa in the last three years. The coups have been strongly condemned by the United Nations and Western powers such as the U.S. and France, which have urged democracy to be restored as soon as possible. Doumbouya took power by overthrowing Alpha Conde, Guinea's then 84-year-old president who had changed the constitution to run for a third term, sparking widespread protests.

Persons: Mamadi Doumbouya, Brendan McDermid, Mamady Doumbouya, Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Guinea's, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, General, United Nations, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Africa, West, Central Africa, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, France, New York, Russia

☆ Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBAMAKO, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three West African Sahel nations ruled by military juntas, signed a security pact on Saturday promising to come to the aid of each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. Mali and Burkina Faso have vowed to come to Niger's aid if it is attacked. "Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties," according to the charter of the pact, known as the Alliance of Sahel States. "I have today signed with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, with the aim of establishing a collective defence and mutual assistance framework," Mali junta leader Assimi Goita said on his X social media account. France has been forced to withdraw its troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, and is in a tense standoff with the junta that seized power in Niger after it asked it to withdraw its troops and its ambassador.

Persons: Assimi Goita, Mahamadou Issoufou, Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiemoko Diallo, Bate Felix, Jason Neely Organizations: Economic, West African States, REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, West, Alliance, Thomson Locations: Accra, Ghana, Rights BAMAKO, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West African States, Sahel, State, France, Chad, Mauritania

Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani, Ghana April 11, 2019. A weakened cedi currency and a lower farmgate cocoa price in Ghana in the 2022/2023 season, compared with neighbouring Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, saw beans smuggled to there and to Togo. Fiifi Boafo, head of public affairs at regulator COCOBOD regulator told Reuters on Saturday that Ghana is targeting an output of 820,000 metric tons for the 2023/2024 season after the increased farmgate price. Boafo added that Ghana is planning to borrow $1.2 billion for its annual cocoa purchases. Cameroon, another top West African cocoa producer, and the world's fourth biggest, on Thursday raised its farmgate cocoa price by 25% to around 1,500 ($2.45) CFA franc per kg for the 2023/2024 season.

Persons: Ange Aboa, Nana Akufo, Addo, Ghana cedi, , Leticia Adu Yankey, Fiifi Boafo, Maxwell Adombila, Bate Felix, Clelia Oziel, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Ghana cedi, Ghana Civil Society Cocoa, Reuters, CFA, Central African CFA, Thomson Locations: Atroni, Sunyani, Ghana, Akufo, West Africa, London, Ivory Coast, Togo, Cameroon

General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Balima Boureima/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Niger's regional and Western allies have announced a series of sanctions against the country following the July 26 coup. These sanctions have been imposed on Niger since the coup:WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOCThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Monetary and Economic Union have imposed some of the most stringent sanctions on Niger so far since the coup. NETHERLANDSThe Dutch government, which was supporting development and security programmes in Niger, temporarily suspended its direct cooperation with the government following the coup. WORLD BANKThe World Bank suspended disbursements until further notice, except for private-sector partnerships which it said will continue with caution.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Bate Felix, Anait, Daphne Psaledakis, Gabriela Baczynska, Juliette Jabkhiro, Nick Macfie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOC, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, West, Monetary and Economic Union, Ivory, European Union, STATES, ., CANADA Canada, World Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, DAKAR, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, West Africa's, FRANCE France, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, NETHERLANDS, Dutch, United States, U.S, Africa, Washington, Brussels, Paris

DAKAR, July 31 (Reuters) - Niger's regional and Western partners have announced a series of sanctions against the country following last week's coup. Another 978.47 billion francs was supposed to come from project grants and loans from external partners. These sanctions have been imposed on Niger since the coup:WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOCThe Economic Community of West African States and the West African Monetary and Economic Union have imposed some of the most stringent sanctions on Niger so far since the coup. Niger had planned to raise 490 billion CFA francs ($834 million) from the regional debt market in 2023. FRANCEFrance, another major partner of its former colony, suspended development aid and budget support with immediate effect, demanding a prompt return to constitutional order.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis, Gabriela Baczynska, Juliette Jabkhiro, Nick Macfie Organizations: WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOC, Economic, West, Monetary and Economic Union, European Union, UNITED STATES, ., Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niger, West African States, FRANCE France, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Washington, Brussels, Paris

It has yet to disburse a $131.5 million loan to Niger that was approved on July 5, it added. The interior minister, transport minister, and a deputy had already been detained, it added. The arrests confirm the "repressive and dictatorial" nature of the coup leaders, the party said in a statement, calling on citizens to come together to protect democracy. The arrests were announced a day after Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby arrived in Niger to try to mediate between the coup leaders and the ousted government. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, last week welcomed the coup in Niger, and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Issoufou Mahamadou, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby, Bazoum, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Abdourahamane Tiani, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Antonio Tajani, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Bernadette Baum, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, CFA, West, African Union, European Union, Islamic, Junta, Nigerien Party for Democracy and, Chadian, ECOWAS, EU, REUTERS, Twitter, French Foreign Ministry, Paris, White, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, United States, France, Islamic State, al Qaeda, EU, U.S, Nigerien, Niamey, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, Niger's

[1/9] Demonstrators gather in support of the putschist soldiers in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. Images showed fires at the walls of the French Embassy and people being loaded into ambulances with bloodied legs. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added. The Niger military rulers later asked protesters to abstain from vandalism and destruction of property. The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same.

Persons: Stringer, Mohammed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Amadou Abdramane, Sani Idrissa, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, Felix Onuah, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Pro, Niamey Military, Sahel region's, French Embassy, Economic, West, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military, United Nations, African Union, European Union, World Bank, The, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Sahel, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Niger's, Nigeria, States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, United States, France, The United States, Italy, Germany, French, Niger national, Russian, Abuja, Paris

☆ Central Africa vote in referendum could extend Touadera's rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGUI, July 30 (Reuters) - Central African Republic is voting on a constitutional referendum on Sunday which, if it passes, could remove a presidential term limit and allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera to run for a third term in 2025. Touadera was first elected in 2016 for a five-year term and won reelection in 2020 for what was supposed to be his final term in office. Opposition parties and some civil society groups have called for a boycott of the referendum, saying it was designed to keep Touadera in power for life. What I really want is stability for the country to progress," said Laurent Ngombe, a teacher and one of the first people to vote. Reporting by Judicael Yongo Writing by Bate Felix Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Faustin, Touadera, I'm, Laurent Ngombe, Francois Bozize, Russia's Wagner, Judicael, Bate Felix, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Thomson Locations: BANGUI, African Republic, Bangui, France, Touadera, Russia

☆ Senegal opposition leader Sonko charged with plotting insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, July 29 (Reuters) - Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offenses, two months after his trial for a separate rape charge sparked deadly riots across the country. Sonko, 49, was handed a two-year prison sentence on June 1 for immoral behavior towards individuals younger than 21, leading to protests in which at least 16 people were killed. Sonko was detained on Friday following a scuffle with security forces stationed outside his home, who he claimed were filming him without permission. Playing videos from a laptop of Sonko making allegedly inciteful speeches, Senegal's state prosecutor Abdou Karim Diop told a crowded press conference that Sonko would be freshly charged with calling for insurrection, plotting against the state and criminal conspiracy, among other charges. Reporting by Ngouda Dione; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Bate FelixOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Abdou Karim Diop, Ngouda Dione, Cooper Inveen, Bate Felix Organizations: Thomson Locations: DAKAR

☆ Niger coup leaders dissolve govt, declare Tiani head of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Moussa Aksar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Leaders of the coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday, and said they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement. African countries, Western powers, regional and international organizations have reacted with alarm to the coup in Niger, insisting that Bazoum be freed and constitutional order restored. Niger borders three countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad - that have also experienced military coups in the last two years. Niger so far has held them off better than Mali and Burkina Faso, where violence has only worsened since the military coups.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Bazoum, Josep Borrell, Kamala Harris, Boris Pistorius, Bate Felix, Anait, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Angus MacSwan, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Council, Bazoum, REUTERS, Islamic, West African States, European Union, United, European, EU, German, Spiegel, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, France, Niamey, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Nigeria, Guinea, United States, Africa, EU, Germany, Italy

'ONLY HOPE' FOR STABILITY IN SAHELNiger became a democratic outlier in West Africa's Sahel region following military takeovers in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad since 2020. All four countries of the arid Sahel region, just south of the Sahara, are now run by military leaders after soldiers in Niger said on Wednesday night they had ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. France, which has had counter-insurgency troops in West Africa for a decade, has turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces. Their role is solely to support Niger's army when local forces identify operations in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The European Union decided in December to set up a three-year military training mission in Niger, to which Germany contributes troops.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, juntas, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Nellie Peyton, Bate Felix, Emelia Sithole, Leslie Adler Organizations: Islamic, National Assembly, REUTERS, European Union, DEMOCRATIC, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, John, Thomson Locations: West Africa, Niger, Africa's Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, United States, U.S, Russian, Niamey, ACLED, Germany, Italy, Guinea, Bissau, Guinea Bissau, Paris

ORTN/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERSNIAMEY, July 27 (Reuters) - Niger's army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country. President Mohamed Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou earlier urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab, as western officials said the status of the coup attempt was unclear. They earlier cut off the presidential palace in the capital Niamey, with the president inside. Massoudou also called on "democrats and patriots" to make the "attempted coup" fail, according to a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Niamey was quiet on Thursday morning as citizens awoke to heavy rain, closed borders and a nationwide curfew imposed by the coup instigators.

Persons: Major Amadou Adramane, Mohamed Bazoum, Hassoumi Massoudou, Bazoum, Massoudou, Bate Felix, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, John Stonestreet Organizations: Niger Army, Reuters, REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, REUTERS NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Sahel

BURKINA FASOBurkina Faso's army ousted President Roch Kabore in January 2022, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. MALIA group of Malian colonels led by Assimi Goita ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. But the coup leaders clashed with the interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021. Deby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections. GUINEASpecial forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in September 2021.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roch Kabore, Colonel Paul, Henri Damiba, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Bah Ndaw, Goita, CHAD Chad's, Idriss Deby, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Mamady Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Conde, Doumbouya, Bate Felix, Nick Macfie Organizations: Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, African, BURKINA FASO Burkina Faso's, Mali's West, Chadian, GUINEA Special, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niamey, African Union, West, Central Africa, BURKINA FASO, MALI, Mali, N'Djamena, GUINEA

☆ Wagner troops arrive in Central African Republic ahead of referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Judicael Yongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government had said previously that the troops' movement was part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal. "They are also here to secure the constitutional referendum," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many troops had arrived. A senior CAR military official in the capital told Reuters that hundreds of troops had arrived. CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was first elected in 2016, and won reelection in 2020, turned to Russia for help to tackle the rebel groups. He is on the campaign trail for the constitutional referendum which, if passed, could remove a two-term presidential limit and enable him run again.

Persons: wagner, Faustin, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, Francois Bozize, Touadera, Judicael Yongo, Bate Felix, Anait Miridzhanian, Alison Williams Organizations: Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bangui, Central, Read, BANGUI, Central African Republic, Russia

☆ Exclusive: Ivory Coast halts cocoa forward sales as rains hit production
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Ange Aboa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SummaryCompanies Torrential rains hit Ivory Coast cocoa farmsIvory Coast CCC cocoa regulator says output could declineBlack pod fungal disease spreading in farmsABOISSO, Ivory Coast, July 13 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has stopped selling contracts for cocoa exports for the 2023-2024 season after heavy rains battered and flooded farms in the world's top cocoa-producing nation in recent weeks, the head of the country's cocoa sector regulator told Reuters. Ivory Coast is in the middle of its April to November rainy season. But Ivory Coast and other major cocoa producers Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon that account for around 70% of global production, have witnessed heavy tropical downpours in recent weeks. On May 15, tropical rains fell continuously for eight hours with unprecedented intensity in the Aboisso region in southeastern Ivory Coast, farmers and residents told Reuters. Farmers, cocoa pod counters, and cocoa exporters based in Ivory Coast, also told Reuters that they expected a significant decline in output during the first part of the main harvest.

Persons: Yves Brahima Kone, Barry Callebaut, Kone, Jean Paul Kadjo, Soubre, Kouman Kouadio, Kouadio, CCC's Kone, Ange Aboa, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Ivory Coast, Reuters, United Nations, Cocoa Council, Cargill, Hershey, Nestle, Plantations, Thomson Locations: Ivory, ABOISSO, Ivory Coast, United, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Aboisso, Farmers, Akressi, San Pedro, Tai

☆ As Nigeria scraps fuel subsidy, a vibrant black market collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Desire Danga Essigue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since Nigeria scrapped a state fuel subsidy on May 31, black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo who were heavily reliant on petrol smuggled from Nigeria have seen their businesses collapse. With supplies dwindling, queues have been forming at official petrol stations, where fuel is now competitively priced. "Supply has become scarce and customers think we're ripping them off with this high price, yet it's from Nigeria that prices have soared," said Perevet Dieudonne, a black market seller. The trade in black market fuel is so central to the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. At Hilacondji, a border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls were shut, while at others vendors waited among rows of empty plastic jerricans for potential deliveries.

Persons: Danga, turvy, Perevet Dieudonne, Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, Ayi Hilla, Alice Lawson, Pulcherie, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, CFA, Reuters, Dangote Petroleum, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Garoua, Cameroon, GAROUA, West, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Nigerian, West Africa, Dangote, Hilacondji, Africa, Cotonou, Pulcherie Adjoha

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency. It has said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron described the deployment of Wagner Group troops in Africa as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa" that will only sow misery. A suspension of Wagner operations in Africa could impact the group's finances. The group has cemented strong ties with several African governments over the past decade with operations in at least eight African nations, according to leaked U.S. documents, including Mali, Central African Republic, and Libya.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Bassirou Doumbia, Wagner's, Vladimir, Putin, Yvan Guichaoua, insurgencies, Emmanuel Macron, Edward McAllister, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prentice, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Central African Republic, Kremlin, United Nations, Brussels School of International Studies, Central African, Wagner Group, West, United, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Mali, Central, Africa, BAMAKO, BANGUI, Moscow, Malian, Russian, Central African Republic, Francophone Africa, France, United States, Ukraine, Libya

☆ Sierra Leone opposition leader decries lack of access ahead of Saturday's vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper InveenFREETOWN, June 23 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition candidate said on Friday the lack of election campaign access to some strongholds of the ruling party and unsupervised distribution of ballots could open the door to rigging. "Our biggest concern going into this election is the lack of access of the opposition party to the southeastern part of the country, and we're talking about seven districts," Kamara said in an interview on Friday. "So that makes a worrying situation where you're opening a door, you're opening a window, even if you're not doing so, you're opening a window for great suspicions of rigging," Kamara said. Asked if he'll accept the outcome of Saturday's vote, Kamara said, "It's not me.

Persons: Sierra, Samura Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Julius Maada, Kamara, he'll, Bate Felix, Richard Chang Organizations: All, Congress, REUTERS, People's Congress, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, Cooper Inveen FREETOWN, West

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ Ghana sees agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ofori-Atta said the West African nation aimed to reach agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks, adding that it was in the process of getting a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the creditors. The total external debt stock was about $30 billion. "We've successfully worked with the Paris Club and other creditors to determine the parameters for official debt restructuring under the G20 common framework for debt treatment," Ofori-Atta told journalists in Accra on Sunday. "In the coming weeks, we will seek to complete the MoU on terms with bilateral debt treatment," he added. Ofori-Atta said Ghana will continue discussions with private creditors, Eurobond investors on external debt to reach agreement with private creditors in the shortest possible time.

Persons: Ken Ofori, Atta, We've, Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Bate Felix, Frances Kerry, David Evans Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, West, China, Accra

☆ Mali asks United Nations to withdraw peacekeeping force
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - Mali's interim military authorities on Friday asked for a United Nations peacekeeping force to leave "without delay", citing a "crisis of confidence" between Malian authorities and the decade-long U.N. mission known as MINUSMA. MINUSMA was deployed by the U.N. Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability. "This situation is begetting mistrust among the Malian population and also causing a crisis of confidence between Malian authorities and MINUSMA," he said. Security Council members must adopt a resolution to extend MINUSMA's mandate by June 30. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended this month that the Security Council extend MINUSMA's mandate for a year, maintaining the current authorized strength of some 15,000 troops and police.

Persons: MINUSMA, Abdoulaye Diop, Wagner, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia, Nicolas de Riviere, de Riviere, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prenticel, Frank Jack Daniel, Grant McCool Organizations: YORK, United Nations, West, . Security, Foreign, Security, UN, Thomson Locations: France, MINUSMA, Russia, China, United States, Britain, Mali, al Qaeda, State, Sahel, El

☆ Man City 1-0 Inter Milan: Rodri's goal wins Champions League final as Pep Guardiola's team complete treble
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Adam Bate | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ilkay Gundogan (C) of Manchester City lifts the UEFA Champions League trophy after the team's victory in the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match against Inter at Ataturk Olympic Stadium. Manchester City completed the treble with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul. Having already overhauled Arsenal to retain the Premier League trophy and beaten Manchester United to lift the FA Cup at Wembley, this victory saw them match the achievement of their city rivals in 1999. City's task was made more difficult when Kevin De Bruyne trudged off injured in the first half, the second time in three seasons that he has departed a Champions League final with the game in the balance. The midfielder measured his finish, bending it beyond two Inter defenders and into the corner of the net to break the deadlock.

Persons: Ilkay Gundogan, Federico Dimarco, Ederson, Pep Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne trudged, Rodri, Erling Haaland, Lukaku, Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji, Guardiola, Akanji, Bernardo Silva Organizations: Manchester City, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Champions, Inter, Ataturk, Inter Milan, Champions League, Ataturk Olympic, Arsenal, Premier League, Manchester United, Wembley, Guardiola Locations: Manchester, Istanbul, Rodri's, Romelu Lukaku, City, Europe, Turkey

☆ Slump in global cashew demand pushes Ivory Coast industry to verge of collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ange Aboa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Global demand for cashew nuts, eaten as snacks or used for cooking and desserts, has tumbled since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by multiple factors, including consumer inflation and increased production. "No one wants to buy cashew, even if I ask for 150 CFA francs per kilogram ($0.24) instead of the farmgate price of 315 CFA francs. Dembele lost 20 million CFA francs ($33,000) during the 2022 season after buying nuts he could not resell to wholesale processors. Output rose from 400,000 tonnes in 2011 to 1 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected at the same level in 2023. In Bouake, the heart of the country's cashew processing industry, work has come to a near standstill as employers struggle to pay salaries.

Persons: Ange Aboa, Dembele, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Ivory Coast, Ganesh, Rajaraman, It's, Alessandra Prentice, Bate Felix, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Ivory, Farmers, Global, CFA, Factories, Thomson Locations: Katiola, Ivory Coast, Korhogo, Bouake, Dakar

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