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Is Clarence Seedorf doomed to fail with La Republique?

12, September 2018

Is Clarence Seedorf doomed to fail with La Republique? 0

When Cameroon appointed Clarence Seedorf on August 4, it appeared like a decision driven primarily by glamour and status rather than by practical on-field reasons.

Certainly, the 42-year-old enjoyed the kind of playing career that would be the envy of the vast majority of his peers, winning four Champions League titles and five major leagues, yet his coaching career has done little to inspire confidence.

Stints with AC Milan, Shenzhen FC and Deportivo La Coruna, the last of whom were relegated under his watch, were as brief as they were muddled, and the Dutch great has done little to suggest that he can translate his playing qualities to the dugout.

Had he been taking over an African national team without internal ruptures, a recent track record of underachievement, or the pressure of a major tournament on home soil, he’d have been a questionable pick.

However, Cameroon—considering their challenging condition—represent a mammoth challenge for a young coach with no notable managerial track record and no prior experience of African football.

Cameroon Germany Wilmar Roldan Confederations Cup 2017

He’s walking into a particularly tough job, even if reigning champions Cameroon—for now at least—are guaranteed a spot at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Their Nations Cup success in Gabon in 2017 represents something of an isolated island of achievement after two underwhelming World Cup campaigns—in 2010 and 2014—in which they were the first team eliminated.

The side imploded in Brazil, hinting at the ongoing problems of governance and structure, and then missed out on qualification for the 2018 tournament – the first time they’ve not made it since 1986.

This failure, coupled with a sub-par showing at the Fifa Confederations Cup, prompted the dismissal of Afcon-winning coach Hugo Broos in early December, and interim manager Alexandre Belinga held the fort until Seedorf’s appointment.

His opening match, Saturday’s game away in lowly Comoros—ranked 149th in the world—represented, on paper, a relatively straightforward assignment for the Central African giants.

Cameroon fans

However, it proved to be anything but, with the synthetic turf and a furious atmosphere at the Stade Said Mohamed Chiekh in Mitsamiouli giving the hosts the kind of lift they needed to believe that they could trouble the five-time African champions.

Comoros took the lead through El Fardou Ben Nabouhane’s 15th-minute effort, and Cameroon appeared on course for a famous defeat until Stephane Bahoken levelled 10 minutes from time after the hosts’ captain—Abdou Nadjim—missed a defensive header.

View image on Twitter
It was a major let-off for Seedorf, and while other continental heavyweights struggled this weekend—Algeria, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal all failing to beat ‘lesser’ opponents—he ought to be concerned about the performance of his new charges.

Of primary concern for the coach and Cameroon fans will be their lethargy and apparent complacency.

There was little urgency or focus about this Lions side—Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting perhaps the only exception—and they appeared to underestimate their opponents.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

Yaya Banana’s Franz Beckenbauer-esque attempted slalom through the heart of the Comorian midfield—from centre-back—was an early sign of things to come, while the team grew frenetic and panicked when the prospect of defeat loomed, rather than intense and ruthless.

To those who questioned whether Seedorf’s lack of experience of the African game would make him a risky pick as Cameroon coach, this was fuel for the fire.

Without Sebastien Siani and Arnaud Djoum, two of several high-profile players cut from the squad, a midfield of Frank-Andre Zambo Anguissa and Georges Mandjeck floundered, failing to take a handle on the match or protect their defence.

Further forward, while Choupo Moting caught the eye in a forward line that was mobile, Karl Toko Ekambi struggled in place of injured Vincent Aboubakar, who has three goals in his last four for FC Porto.

His team selections also raised some question marks, with Seedorf seemingly redeeming his earlier error to start Gaetan Bong ahead of Ambroise Oyongo by introducing the latter late on.

It was Montpellier’s Oyongo who ultimately provided the assist for Bahoken’s equalier, while Bong had endured a torrid time—representing a nervous presence when under pressure and offering little going forward.

Once again, Cameroon’s showing served a reminder of how Seedorf should be making efforts to recall some of the squad’s ostracised stars.

Cameroon Absentees

He questionably cut Benjamin Moukandjo, Christian Bassogog and Siani from his maiden squad—denying the team of three key figures they could ill-afford to lose—and opted to start with Banana and Collins Fai in defence.

Panionios’s Banana perhaps deserves more than the handful of caps he has to date, but he’s an inferior prospect to Joel Matip or Nicolas N’Koulou, and Seedorf must make major efforts to ensure that both are dragged back to the fold.

Similarly, Seedorf can justify doing without arguably the Lions’ two best players—Moukandjo and Bassogog—if Cameroon are blowing away teams like Comoros, who were beaten 3-0 by Mozambique less than four months ago.

If they’re not, his hardline decision—opting to overlook players playing in China or the Middle East—becomes a rod to beat him with.

Ultimately, the coach didn’t seem too fazed by Cameroon’s struggles, and indeed was impressed with some of the things he saw from his side.

Benjamin Moukandjo of Cameroon

“It was obviously difficult conditions,” he said, as per the Cameroonian Football Federation, “but the team spirit, the fighting spirit to try to escape with the victory was there.

“I do not think another team would come here to have an easy day,” he added. “I am absolutely not disappointed, but happy with the spirit we have shown.

“I finally got to know the players,” Seedorf concluded. “This first step of this cycle has been very positive.”

If the Dutchman can imbue this squad of players with team spirit—as Broos did ahead of the triumphant Afcon campaign—then he may just be on the right track.

However, his lack of experience in the continental game, his scant success as a manager and the significant absentees—several now caused by the coach—leave him with a mountain to climb.

Culled from Goal.com



Francophone media, political elites accuse France and the US of plot to kill Biya

12, September 2018

Francophone media, political elites accuse France and the US of plot to kill Biya 0

Some pro Biya comedians passing for opinion leaders and a group of CPDM media houses have reported that there is too much Western interference and diabolic harsh ploy to destabilise Cameroon.

With less than a month to the presidential election scheduled for October 7 in French Cameroun, several Biya regime media houses have made public what they described as maneuvers by the United States government and the European Union for the destabilisation of Cameroon.

In some of the reports, the Cameroon government media gurus observed that the US State Department recently convened a meeting in Washington grouping some presidential candidates and gave the party leaders instructions on how to combat the 85 year-old dictator who has been in power since 1982.

Prominent journalists of the state owned CRTV have also hinted that the Washington forum was expected to chose a single opposition candidate and fund popular uprisings in case the opposition fails to win on October 7.

The US and EU conspiracy against Cameroon has also been evoked by some opinion leaders in the opposition, like Franck Hubert Ateba, co-founder of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), who accused last April the European Union of financing the popular uprising in Cameroon. Franck Hubert revealed that he was approached several times by a colonel of the French police serving with the French diplomatic mission in Yaoundé. According to Franck Hubert, the French officer met him several times in order to participate in the destabilization of Cameroon and assassinate President Biya.

Like many French Cameroun corrupt media organizations owned by the CPDM crime syndicate, the state radio and television is an important tool of blackmail, misinformation and Paul Biya’s image laundering used by pro Biya comedians like Paul Atanga Nji.

CRTV like Cameroon Tribune are used to perpetrate crimes against Southern Cameroonians far worse than the genocide in Rwanda. They are instruments of mass mobilization through falsehood, corruption of the popular conscience and the deification of the 85 year old dictator who has finally destroyed the tribal tolerance miraculously put in place by the late President Ahidjo. CRTV was and is the conduit through which egregious violations and crimes of unimaginable magnitude are perpetrated against Southern Cameroonians.

CRTV is the conduit through which fraud is celebrated and the flames of the North West/ South West divide are fanned and Francophones soldiers are incited to take up arms against innocent Southern Cameroons civilians. These media organizations remain the voice of hate, sycophancy and intimidation. The question one may ask, is, who benefits from these crimes? The answer points to Paul Biya. This does not absolve Paul Atanga Nji  for the crimes he perpetrated or for accepting to perpetrate or oversee the use of CRTV to perpetrate crimes against Southern Cameroonians in which alleged “enemies dans la maisons” “biafrais” “anglobami” “Opposants” and now are blackmailed and targeted on account of their ethnicity or valid claims for self determination.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai


‘Monster’ Hurricane Florence takes aim at US Southeast

12, September 2018

‘Monster’ Hurricane Florence takes aim at US Southeast 0

Hurricane Florence, on track to become the first Category 4 storm to make a direct hit on North Carolina in six decades, howled closer to shore on Wednesday, threatening to unleash pounding surf, days of torrential rain and severe flooding.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 km per hour), Florence’s trajectory showed its center most likely to strike the southern coast of North Carolina by Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is expected to bring tropical storm-force winds, life-threatening storm surges of seawater and 35 inches (89 cm) of rain to parts of the Carolinas and Virginia, where intense inland flooding was expected, the center said.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” the center said in an early morning bulletin. “Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property.”

People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in North Carolina, on September 11, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

 

More than 1 million residents have been ordered to evacuate the coastline of the three states, while university campuses, schools and factories were being shuttered.

To hasten evacuations from coastal South Carolina, officials reversed the flow of traffic on some highways so all major roads led away from shore.

“This storm is a monster,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. He cited forecasts showing Florence was likely to stall over North Carolina, “bringing days and days of rain.”

Fierce winds and massive waves are expected to lash the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia even before Florence makes landfall bringing a storm surge as much as 13 feet (4 meters), the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. Catastrophic floods could follow if the storm stalls inland, it said.

The storm, a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, was expected to grow stronger and larger over the next few days, the NHC said.

The last Category 4 hurricane to plow directly into North Carolina was Hazel in 1954, a devastating storm that killed 19 people.

Communities could lose electricity for weeks, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long said.

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks while meeting with FEMA Administrator Brock Long (C) and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (R) in the Oval Office, September 11, 2018, in Washington, DC, about Hurricane Florence. (Photo by AFP)

 

Crews also prepared 16 nuclear reactors in the three-state region for the storm.

The American Red Cross said more than 700 workers were headed to the region while shelters were set up to house those unable to flee.

The US Coast Guard closed ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, North Carolina and Hampton Roads, Virginia to inbound vessels greater than 500 tons and was requiring vessels of that size to leave if they did not have permission to be in the ports.

Residents prepared by boarding up their homes and stocking up on food, water and other essentials, stripping grocery store shelves of merchandise. Many gasoline stations were running low on fuel.

(Source: Reuters)


EU-AU partnership to create 10 million jobs

12, September 2018

EU-AU partnership to create 10 million jobs 0

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday the continent’s regional bloc will propose a new alliance with Africa, that will create up to 10 million jobs. Juncker, who was delivering his annual state of the union speech to the European Parliament said a framework will be set up to attract more investment into Africa.

‘‘Today, we are proposing a new Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs between Europe and Africa, that would help create up to 10 million jobs in Africa in the next 5 years alone,’‘ Juncker said.

While he will be stepping down from his role in a year’s time, Juncker indicated that in the future, the EU would seek to take advantage of Africa’s efforts to forge a free trade area within the continent by offering a continent-to-continent free trade agreement.

‘‘I believe we should develop the numerous EU-African trade agreements into a continent-to-continent free trade agreement, as an economic partnership between equals.”

Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea Bissau are the only three African countries that are yet to make any commitment to the African Union’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), signed in March this year.

Among various proposals for EU action to bolster prosperity in the world’s poorest continent and Europe’s close neighbour, the Commission chief would call for a more equal partnership and investment rather than aid, as Europeans look for ways to stem an economic divide driving Africans to try to migrate northward.

‘‘Africa does not need charity, it needs true and fair partnership. And we, Europeans need this partnership just as much,’‘ Juncker said.

The EU has previously said they will be shifting from an aid-centered approach to a real partnership with Africa, as a means to manage migration and prevent radicalisation of Africa’s young people.

Africa News


Southern Cameroons Crisis: UN Secretary General won’t talk on Visa Denials

12, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: UN Secretary General won’t talk on Visa Denials 0

Visas have reportedly been denied to UN invited witnesses from Nigeria and Cameroon but UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his deputy have said and done nothing, despite formal written questions from the much respected Inner City Press Guterres banned from the UN for 70 days.

As the Cameroon government of 36 year President Paul Biya slaughters civilians in the Anglophone regions as well as in the North, it re-engaged Washington lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs and Mercury Public Affairs, documents show. The UN belatedly acknowledged to Inner City Press, which Guterres had roughed up on July 3 right after it spoke to Cameroon’s Ambassador Tommo Monthe and on August 17 declared banned for life from entering the UN.

For close to two years, the situation in Southern Cameroons has continued to deteriorate and nobody, not even the government, believes that it is time to change course.

The killings have continued on both sides, but the government still holds that a swift military victory is possible before the presidential election that will take place next month. The hardship in the two English-speaking regions of the country has increased exponentially over the last year and all what is on the minds of government authorities is keeping the people in check.

Yaoundé authorities seem to be frozen in time. In other places, the rule is for dialogue to ensure that things do not deteriorate, but ever since the conflict started, the government has kept on insisting on using an iron fist instead of an olive branch.

Many analysts are wondering when the killing and madness will come to an end. They hold that a different approach could have produced different results and this issue could have been laid to rest a long time ago.

The little infrastructure the two regions possess is deteriorating on a daily basis as both parties do what they can to prove that they have an upper hand. Today, the road leading to Bamenda from East Cameroon has been destroyed by Southern Cameroonian fighters and this is going to cost the region a huge fortune.

By Chi Prundence Asong with files from Inner Press


UN says World Hunger Levels Rise for Third Year Running

12, September 2018

UN says World Hunger Levels Rise for Third Year Running 0

World hunger rose in 2017 for a third consecutive year, fueled by conflict and climate change, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, jeopardizing a global goal to end the scourge by 2030.

Hunger appears to be increasing in almost all of Africa and in South America, with 821 million people – one in nine – going hungry in 2017, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 report.

Meanwhile, 672 million adults — more than one in eight — are now obese, up from 600 million in 2014.

“Without increased efforts, there is a risk of falling far short of achieving the SDG target of hunger eradication by 2030,” the report said, referring to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by member nations in 2015.

It was the third year in a row that global hunger levels have increased, following a decade of declines.

The report’s editor Cindy Holleman said increasing variation in temperature; intense, erratic rainfall and changing seasons were all affecting the availability and quality of food.

“That’s why we are saying we need to act now,” said Holleman, senior economist for food security and nutrition at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Because we’re concerned it’s not going to get better, that it’s only going to get worse,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Last year, almost 124 million people across 51 countries faced crisis levels of hunger, driven by conflicts and climate disasters, the U.N. said.

Many nations struggling with prolonged conflicts, including Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Afghanistan, also suffered from one or more climate shocks, such as drought and floods, the report said.

On Monday, the charity Save the Children warned 600,000 children in war zones could die from extreme hunger by the end of this year as funding shortfalls kick in and warring parties block supplies from getting to the people who need them.

The U.N. said South America’s deteriorating hunger situation might be due to the low prices of the region’s main export commodities – particularly crude oil.

A lack of food had caused an estimated 2.3 million people to flee Venezuela as of June, the U.N. has said.

Uncertain or insufficient access to food also contributes to obesity because those with limited financial resources may opt for cheaper, energy-dense processed foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, the report added.

Being deprived of food could also lead to psychological and metabolic changes, said Holleman.

“The emotions and anxieties associated with food deprivation could then lead to disorders and bingeing when you do have food,” she said, adding that experiencing this in fetal and early childhood increases the risk of obesity later in life.

Paul Winters, associate vice-president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said reducing hunger required targeted approaches that went to the roots of chronic poverty.

“That requires having data on where they are, what their limitations are… and making sure we actually do investments that are transformative,” he said. “One of the big concerns is some (donor) countries are shifting much more to humanitarian aid which is important but doesn’t build resilience and address the underlying cause.”

Reuters


Rockets fired at airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli

12, September 2018

Rockets fired at airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli 0

Rockets were fired late on Tuesday in the direction of the airport in Libya’s capital, residents said, forcing flights to be diverted, less than a week after the United Nations brokered a fragile truce between rival armed groups in Tripoli.

A spokesman for a faction controlling Matiga airport, the only one functioning in the capital, said there were no casualties or damage. Libyan channels reported that several people had been wounded by the rockets, one of which landed in the Mediterranean sea.

Rival groups have been fighting in Tripoli for several days but clashes had been focused on the south of the city.

Matiga airport lies in an eastern suburb. A Libyan Airlines flight bound for Tripoli from Alexandria, Egypt, was diverted to Misrata, the airport said on its Facebook page. Misrata lies about 190 km (120 miles) east of Tripoli.

A spokesman for Misrata airport said that all flights bound for Tripoli would be diverted to Misrata.

Separately, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on the headquarters of Libyan state oil company NOC in Tripoli, the jihadist group’s news agency said on Tuesday.

The attack on Monday killed two NOC staff and wounded 10, said officials, who had described the three shooters who were also killed as “Africans.”

It targeted the “economic interests of oppressing governments funding crusaders,” a statement carried on the militants’ Amaq news agency said. It was the first attack of its kind against the leadership of Libya’s state oil industry.

Libya has been divided into rival administrations but NOC has continued to function relatively normally across the country, which relies on oil exports for most of its income.

Militants loyal to Islamic State have previously carried out attacks in Tripoli and other towns, despite having lost their stronghold in the central city of Sirte late in 2016. In May, Islamic State claimed a deadly attack on the national election commission offices in Tripoli.

(REUTERS)


New UN Human Rights Chief says Southern Cameroons crisis worsening

11, September 2018

New UN Human Rights Chief says Southern Cameroons crisis worsening 0

New United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has expressed worry over the worsening security situation in Cameroon’s Anglophone region.

Bachelet intimated that the situation required urgent attention even though Yaounde had failed to take the lead in ensuring a resolution to the crisis.

She spoke about the economic, social and educational impact of hostilities by government forces and separatists, condemning attacks of teachers and students in the south-west and north-west regions.

Bachelet’s comments were part of her opening statement at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council on 10 September 2018. Her predecessor, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein had in several statements bemoaned the crisis and called for the government to pursue an immediate resolution.

Michelle Bachelet’s full comments on Cameroon

The situation in Cameroon has also worsened in recent months, as fighting has intensified in the so-called Anglophone regions between security forces and armed groups, with a large number of civilian victims and over 180,000 people forced to take refuge far from their homes – now in pressing need of humanitarian assistance.

Many economic activities across these regions are now paralyzed. In this volatile security context, many people fear reprisals if they participate in the Presidential elections scheduled next month.

The Government has not acted to promote the conference on dialogue suggested by religious leaders, and there is still no mechanism in place which could envisage a halt in hostilities in the short term.

We strongly condemn reports of the killing and abductions of teachers and students and the destruction of schools by armed elements in the north-west and south-west regions. These acts of intimidation are preventing thousands of children from attending school.

We note that the Government has opened investigations into several atrocious crimes apparently committed by members of the military, and urge swift and effective action to ensure all the perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable.

Due process should also be guaranteed for all those detained in connection with terrorism, and we urge the Government to address key grievances, in order to foster peaceful resolution of this crisis.

Source: Africa News


Australian paper under fire for ‘racist’ Serena Williams cartoon

11, September 2018

Australian paper under fire for ‘racist’ Serena Williams cartoon 0

An Australian cartoonist faced withering criticism on Tuesday for portraying tennis superstar Serena Williams using — what Harry Potter author JK Rowling described as — “racist and sexist tropes”.

Mark Knight’s caricature, published in Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper on Monday, showed a butch and fat-lipped Williams throwing a temper tantrum at the US Open.

In the midst of losing Saturday’s final, the 23-time Grand Slam champion smashed her racquet and called the umpire a “thief” and a “liar”.

She was deducted a point and received a US$17,000 fine, stirring the tennis world and sparking a broader debate about double standards toward men and women in the sport.

In Knight’s cartoon, Williams was seen jumping up and down having spat out a dummy as the umpire asks Haitian-Japanese tournament winner Naomi Osaka “can’t you just let her win?”.

Knight, who has a reputation for controversial cartoons, was pilloried from far and wide for his portrayal — including by a member of the US Congress and a large portion of the 22,000 people who commented on his Twitter post showing the drawing.

The detractors included author JK Rowling, who said: “Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop.”

Knight responded to the criticism by pointing out that he had drawn an unflattering portrayal of Australian male tennis star Nick Kyrgios “behaving badly”.

“Don’t bring gender into it when it’s all about behaviour,” he said. Michael Miller, executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, which publishes the Melbourne’s Herald Sun, defended his cartoonist.

“Criticism of Mark Knight’s Serena Williams cartoon shows the world has gone too PC & misunderstands the role of news media cartoons and satire,” he said.

“Poor behaviour in any sport needs to be called out.”

The Washington Post ran a searing post about Knight’s cartoon, calling it “racist” and reminiscent of the era of racial segregation in the United States.

“Knight draws facial features reflecting the dehumanizing Jim Crow caricatures so common in the 19th and 20th centuries,” commentator Michael Cavna wrote.

Other US media pointed out that Osaka was portrayed as petite and feminine with jet blonde straight hair — in real life she has dark curly hair with blonde streaks and is taller than Williams.

Australia is a highly multicultural country, but also sees frequent public dust-ups about the use of racially and sexually loaded language. William’s loss cost her a chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

During the match she was given three code violations by Carlos Ramos — the first for receiving coaching, the second for racquet abuse and the third for verbal abuse of the umpire. The second and third violations earned Williams a point penalty and then a game penalty, giving Osaka a 5-3 second-set lead that effectively gifted her the title.

AFP


Bilateral deals, corporate investment to the fore as China trims state funding to Africa

11, September 2018

Bilateral deals, corporate investment to the fore as China trims state funding to Africa 0

China has for the first time reduced the amount of money pledged to support the promises of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as elements of the event suggest a maturing of Sino-African relations.

Chinese trade with Africa has dropped significantly in recent years, down to $170 billion in 2017 from a peak of $220 billion peak in 2014. As scrutiny of China’s influence in Africa – the debts owed, political involvement via training programmes, military presence – intensifies and Beijing’s own attention is diverted by the emerging trade war with the US, the $10 billion reduction in funding announced at the 2018 FOCAC forum in Beijing this month should perhaps not be seen as a surprise.

At $60 billion, the headline figure for the mix of aid, loans and credit lines promised seems at first glance to match the amount pledged at the previous summit in Johannesburg in 2015. Up until then, the figure had grown dramatically since the triennial summits of the FOCAC programme began in 2006.

This year’s $60 billion pledge comes as more of a mixed bag for African nations, as it actually includes a $5 billion reduction in the overall amount of pledges, loans and export credits at $35 billion, down from $40 billion three years ago. However, the level of concessional assistance to Africa is now $5 billion, the highest rate ever, according to analysis by Johns Hopkins University.

Most noticeably, the figures for the various amounts of government funding add up to $50 billion, and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at $60 billion again by including $10 billion in extra investment that Chinese companies would be encouraged to make on the continent. No further details of this were available and Chinese companies here in Ivory Coast are not yet prepared to comment on what the announcement means for them.

Around the prearranged announcements of the forum itself were side events and bilateral meetings as the Chinese hosts sought to integrate their Belt and Road trade initiative more concretely with individual nations. Details are yet to emerge, but some African leaders entered the meetings with clear requests. For example, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta sought help for an extension for the country’s troubled railway project that has previously been financed by China.

At the continental level, President Xi outlined eight areas of initiative and cooperation including industrialisation and agriculture hailed by the FAO; healthcare, hailed by the WHO; aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development plan; security and green development, an area in which China is the global leader.

China’s ‘five-no’ pledge

While some African nationals took to social media to criticise their leaders for what they believed was the blind acceptance of Beijing’s will, the mood at the events in the Chinese capital was of genuine cooperation. According to sources at the event, the announcements most welcomed by African delegates were the “five-no” promises, the clarification of five things that China will not do in Africa.

In the Chinese president’s own words there will be “no interference in African countries’ pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions; no interference in African countries’ internal affairs; no imposition of our will on African countries; no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa”.

These declarations are a direct response to the growing criticism, predominantly by the West, of what is being called Chinese neo-colonialism across the continent – the notion of saddling countries with debt for useless projects as a way to secure resources. For example, over 90% of Djibouti’s external debt is held by China.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who co-chaired the event with China’s Xi, said at the forum, “In the values that it promotes, in the manner that it operates, and the impact it has on African countries, FOCAC refutes the view that a new colonialism is taking hold in Africa, as our detractors would have us believe”.

Ramaphosa went on to state that: “We are working [together] to build an Africa that is defined by good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law,” listing all the areas in which China is most criticised by the West.

The forum’s announcements were immediately accompanied by supportive editorials from China’s state media. The People’s Daily, the publication seen as the most direct link to the Communist Party, pushed out fact sheets on social media defending China’s involvement in Africa.

Back in China, the announcements of funding led to criticism online by Chinese citizens complaining about the amount of money being sent overseas when parts of their own country are extremely poor. Such comments were promptly removed by censors.

It will take some time for the details of the 2018 event to emerge, but the China International Import Expo later this month in Shanghai is now the next China-Africa date on the calendar after Xi announced reduced or free participation for African nations and pledged to create a specific China-Africa trade expo.

The FOCAC events started at the request of African leaders 18 years ago to make bilateral relations more transparent. The triennial summits alternate between China and an African nation playing host. The 2021 FOCAC gathering will take place in Senegal.

Source: France 24


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