News

15, January 2019

US: Government shutdown enters 25th day amid gridlock ⁰

US President Donald Trump has reiterated his demand for border wall funding as the partial government shutdown enters its 25th day.

Trump again urged Congress on Monday to give him the money to build his long-promised wall along the US-Mexican border.

Speaking at an American Farm Bureau convention in New Orleans, Trump rejected a Republican call for temporarily reopening shuttered US government agencies in order to encourage negotiations with Democrats on border security issues.

Democrats, who control the House, have rejected Trump’s $5.7 billion demand for a border wall.

He threatened to continue with the government shutdown for as long as it takes to get Congress’ approval for the wall funding across the southern border with Mexico.

PressTV-Trump: Shutdown could last ‘months or even years’

On the other side of the argument, Democrats say that there are cheaper and more effective ways than a wall to strengthen border security.

They have offered to give Trump $1.3 billion in new border security funds this year to help pay for a range of high-tech and other tools to enhance security at the southern border.

Constructing a wall along the US-Mexican border could cost way above $25 billion, according to Trump’s critics in the Democratic Party.

In the meantime, Trump was scheduled to meet members of Congress for lunch at the White House on Tuesday.

It was not announced who would be at the lunch; however, media reports cited unnamed sources as saying a group of more moderate lawmakers from the Democratic Party had been invited.

Until now Democratic lawmakers, who make up the majority of the House, have rejected Trump’s demand for funding Trump’s “big, beautiful wall”.

In an effort to restart talks with Democrats, on Sunday the powerful Judiciary Committee’s new chairman, South Carolinian Senator Lindsey Graham urged Trump to reopen the government for a short period of time.

PressTV-Graham urges Trump to reopen govt., he refuses

Temporarily reopening the government and then holding talks is an idea that the Democrats support.

The partial shutdown, which affects about 800,000 federal workers, has been the longest shutdown in the history of the United States.

Source: Presstv

15, January 2019

Kenya: Blast, gunfire reported at upscale hotel complex in Nairobi ⁰

Gunmen attacked an upscale hotel complex in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the neighbourhood. At least one person was killed and eight others were injured in the attack, hospital officials said. An AFP reporter said the death toll was at least five. Al Shabaab – the Somalia-based extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead – claimed responsibility for the assault and said its members were still fighting inside.

Kenya police chief Joseph Boinnet told reporters armed assailants could still be in the building and the police operation was ongoing. The complex in Nairobi’s Westlands neighborhood includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, along with banks and offices. Several vehicles burned. People were rushed, some carried, from the scene. At least one was on a stretcher. Some ducked behind cars, screaming. Others appeared to take cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex. “It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible. I have seen a human as I ran out and there is what looks like minced meat all over,” said one man who said he ran from the scene, Charles Njenga. Another man, who did not give his name, said he hid in an office. “I have been hiding. My colleagues were running everywhere,” he said, breathing heavily.

Another witness, Robert Murire, said he saw at least two bodies at the scene, along with attackers wearing green and wrapped in ammunition. It was not clear how many attackers took part. Gunfire continued several minutes after the first reports as ambulances, security forces and firefighters rushed to the scene. Black smoke rose from the complex. A bomb disposal unit arrived, and vehicles were cordoned off for fear they contained explosives. Police said they detonated a car that had explosives inside.

An unexploded grenade was also seen in a hallway at the complex. What appeared to be plainclothes security forces inched their way toward the scene, guns in hand. “We have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information,” police spokesman Charles Owino said.

A large group of women were hurried out by security forces, one woman still in curlers. Dozens of others were hurried away as plainclothes officers went shop to shop in the complex. Some people held up their hands to show they were unarmed. Al Shabaab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al Qaeda-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, which has been targeted more than any other of the six countries providing troops to an African Union force in Somalia.

The attack immediately reminded many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack, when al Shabaab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege. The hotel complex under attack is less than 2 kilometers from Westgate Mall and is in what is considered one of the most secure areas of the city. It lies on a relatively quiet, tree-lined road near a main avenue. Its website says it is “cocooned away from the hustle and bustle in a secure and peaceful haven.” The attack came three years to the day after al Shabaab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

15, January 2019

International Criminal Court: Laurent Gbagbo, the strongman who refused to let go ⁰

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo of crimes against humanity, marking the latest dramatic twist in the career of one of West Africa’s most divisive politicians. After seven years behind bars in The Hague, Gbagbo, 73, was cleared of crimes committed following a disputed presidential election in 2010. More than 3,000 people were killed in the cocoa-producing nation after he refused to accept defeat by his rival Alassane Ouattara, Ivory Coast’s current president. Gbagbo, a onetime socialist and labour activist, was the first former head of state to stand trial at the ICC. The judges’ ruling means he will now be released from jail – a familiar routine for a man who spent decades battling power-hungry strongmen, only to become one himself. The opponent Gbagbo, then a university lecturer with a PhD in history, was first jailed for “subversive” teaching in 1971, during the rule of Ivory Coast’s independence leader, president Houphouet-Boigny. The man nicknamed “Cicero”, because of his taste for Latin, would be among the first to defy Houphouet-Boigny, first as a trade union activist and then as a left-wing politician. A skilled orator whose affable manners concealed a ferocious determination, Gbagbo sought exile in Paris in 1982, cultivating ties with prominent socialist figures in France – ties that would endure during later crises with the former colonial power. He founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in exile, returning only in 1988 to attend its founding congress. Further stints in jail would soon follow.

Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), gives a press conference on August 1992 in Abidjan, shortly after his release from jail. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

His first shot at the presidency, in 1990, ended in crushing defeat to Houphouet-Boigny, then in his seventh term, though it cemented Gbagbo’s position as opposition leader. Two years later he was again jailed for his part in student protests against the government of prime minister Alassane Ouattara. The two would meet again. In 1993, the rise to power of Henri Konan Bédié coincided with mounting xenophobia in Ivory Coast, instigated by the notion of “Ivoirité” (Ivorianness), and Gbagbo was accused of jumping on the nationalist bandwagon too. Ivoirité paid dividends in 2000 when Gbagbo won a disputed presidential election in which Ouattara, a Muslim whose nationality was disputed, was barred from running.

Laurent Gbagbo smiles as he his sworn as Ivory Coast’s new president on October 26, 2000. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

Civil war Gbagbo’s decade in power was marked by years of civil war, triggered by a failed coup in October 2002 that resulted in rebels seizing the country’s mainly Muslim north. His supporters, notably the Young Patriots that policed the streets, were accused of carrying out xenophobic attacks against northerners and foreigners. As the war dragged on, Gbagbo’s camp became increasingly frustrated with a peacekeeping force deployed by France, which it accused of undermining the country’s unity. The anger boiled over in 2004 after nine French soldiers were killed in an Ivorian air strike against rebels, prompting France to destroy the country’s air force in retaliatory attacks. Gbagbo supporters vented their fury at French expatriates, forcing Paris to hurriedly evacuate some 8,000 people.

President Laurent Gbagbo meets his French counterpart Jacques Chirac at the Elysée palace in Paris in February 2004. Patrick Kovarik, AFP

As Gbagbo’s first term drew to a close in 2005, elections were repeatedly delayed, with postponements blamed on logistical failings and a row over eligibility to vote, centered on the question of who was and who wasn’t Ivorian. Unable to recapture the north militarily, Gbagbo signed a peace and power-sharing arrangement in March 2007 with rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who later became his prime minister. Three years later, the president and opposition leaders finally agreed to hold elections, which soon shaped up into a showdown between old rivals Gbagbo and Ouattara.

Gbagbo shakes hands with rebel chief Guillaume Soro (right) and Burkina Faso leader Blaise Compaore (centre) in March 2007 before signing a peace deal to end years of civil war. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

A bloody denouement In December 2010, Ouattara was declared the winner of a run-off vote, only for the Constitutional Court, controlled by Gbagbo supporters, to overturn the verdict 24 hours later. The ensuing power struggle would bring further bloodshed to the war-scarred nation, until Ouattara’s forces, backed by French troops, stormed the president’s compound in April 2011.

Gbagbo and his wife Simone are under arrest in their Abidjan residence on April 11, 2011. AFP file photo

Later that year, the ICC opened an investigation into the violence and charged Gbagbo with four crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and rape. He adamantly denied the charges, saying: “All my life, I fought for democracy.” Gbagbo maintained a strong following even while in jail, and news of his acquittal prompted celebrations in his Ivorian hometown of Gagnoa and other former bastions. His release comes just months after his wife Simone also walked free. Sentenced to 20 years in jail by a local court, the former “Iron Lady” of Ivory Coast was granted an amnesty by Ouattara after seven years in detention.

Source: France24

15, January 2019

Villages in Cameroon’s Adamawa region deserted due to growing abduction cases ⁰

Leading figures in Cameroon like politicians and legal professionals have expressed their concerns over the increasing number of abduction cases in its mountainous Adamawa region. The region representative Theophile Baoro has expressed his concerns to the media persons at an emergency meeting.

“Adamawa is going through the worst moments in its history. We are worried. Abductions and paying ransom is now very common in the region. Villages have been deserted and the economy is crumbling,” Theophile Baoro opined.

In the year 2018, around 150 abduction cases have been noted as revealed by the local authorities. At least 500 million fcfa (about 900,000 US dollars) is estimated to have been paid as ransom, as reported by CGTN Africa. Whereas, three pastoralists were captured and assassinated by the kidnappers in December 2018.

“We are hoping that the population will work hand in hand with the security forces to end this nightmare,” Baoro said. “These are armed robbers looking for victims. They have been terrorizing the population for money. They mostly operate in villages and along the highway,” a local person told Xinhua.

Xinhua

15, January 2019

Cameroon tops list for internet disruptions and holds the record for Africa’s longest internet shutdown ⁰

Autocratic leaders in Africa are increasingly relying on internet blackouts to silence young people who use social media to mobilise against post-colonial political structures across the continent.

Imagine being charged for every tweet or having no access to the internet for months on end. These are just some of the challenges that millions of young Africans face regularly.

Authoritarian leaders from every part of the continent have realised it is not enough to blacken TV screens or hand in headlines to the press anymore. They also need to shut down social media – where young people engage with the world and express anti-establishment views.

Berhan Taye, leading the #KeepItOn campaign from Access Now, an advocacy group which defends the digital rights of users, believes internet shutdowns are an extension of traditional censorship.

“With a few exceptions, many countries that shut down the internet restrict the free press and violate human rights,” Taye told TRT World, “So the internet and social media shutdowns are an extension of these traditional means of censorship.”

Cameroon tops the list for internet disruptions in Facebook’s 2018 Transparency report and holds the record for Africa’s longest internet shutdown. Following protests in the Anglophone southwest and northwest regions against systematic social, political and economic discrimination, the Francophone-dominated government either completely shut down, or significantly slowed down, the internet to silence dissidents.

To maintain his 37-year-old regime Cameroonian president Paul Biya shut down the internet for more than 40 weeks, intermittently, between January 2017 and June 2018.

“This is the first crisis in Cameroon wherein the internet has played a major role. The youths who mostly use the internet have raised awareness… brought the attention of the international community to the situation in Cameroon,” barrister Agbor Nkongho, President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), told TRT World.

A man holds a paper with the writing in French “A call to dismiss the dictator” in front of a crowd of supporters of the leader of the Cameroonian opposition party Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) during an electoral campaign rally on Sunday prior to the Oct. 2018 national vote (AFP)

Recently in Sudan, when the rise in bread and fuel prices triggered nationwide protests across the country, 75-year-old Omar Al Bashir blocked access to popular social media platforms used to organise anti-government protests to protect his 29-year rule.

In a country where the state tightly controls traditional media, the internet has become a key information battleground for the Sudanese youth. Of Sudan’s 40 million people, some 13 million frequently use the internet and more than 28 million own mobile phones.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, outgoing President Joseph Kabila—who delayed elections for two years to stay in power—has frequently used the shutdown of internet and SMS services as a tool to suppress anti-government protests.

Last May, Uganda implemented a tax on 58 different social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Skype. The tax is designed to charge Ugandans 200 shillings ($0.05) per day, a significant amount of money in a country where 25 percent of the population lives below the poverty line ($1.25 a day, or around 4,500 shillings).

The ban was the latest attempt by 74-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who defended the tax saying “social media use is definitely a luxury item”.

But it backfired, and the backlash was fierce. Young Ugandans, who organised online under #NoSocialMediaTax and #ThisTaxMustGo hashtags, poured into the streets of the capital city Kampala to express their anger against the government. Following the public outcry, the government announced its decision to review the tax in July last year. People are currently still being charged the tax.

However, the social media tax controversy shed light on the deep clash of generations between the old authoritarian rulers and the younger generation.

- In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, a man holds a banner as Gambians cheers in Serrekunda, Gambia. Gambians heaved a sigh of relief when longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh flew into exile in early 2017 after a surprise election defeat. Two years after a — – In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, a man holds a banner as Gambians cheers in Serrekunda, Gambia. Gambians heaved a sigh of relief when longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh flew into exile in early 2017 after a surprise election defeat. Two years after a “new Gambia” emerged from the shadows, the West African nation now begins to address the alleged human rights abuses committed over more than two decades. (AP)

Generational clash

Uganda is one of the youngest nations in the world, where 78 percent of its population is under 30. For most Ugandans, Museveni is the only president they’ve ever known. This vast group of young people, suffering from high unemployment and political exclusion, see a government that does not represent them nor understand the challenges they face.

As a result, instead of consuming traditional media, such as state-controlled TV or newspapers, they turn to the internet and social media to grow their businesses, get educated and informed about the latest trends, and express their frustration with the government.

The clash of generations in Uganda is a microcosm of what has been happening across the world’s youngest continent, where 60 percent of the population is under 25 years old.

Africa’s largest country, Nigeria, ruled by the 75-year-old Muhammadu Buhari, has a median age of just 18.4 years, while 84-year-old Paul Biya has been ruling Cameroon for 36 years, where the median age is 18.5 years old, meaning a gap of 65.5 years.

Tradition and technology is not a zero-sum game

Far from being understood and having their socio-economic struggles recognised by the state as a priority, young Africans raise their critical voices online and form anti-establishment political movements over the internet.

By demanding more comprehensive democratic reforms, inclusive economic models and quality education and infrastructure, they challenge old-fashioned, elite-controlled, post-colonial political systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taye said: “In countries where censorship is extreme, the internet and social media have given many young people that are fighting injustice the ability to reach many people and rally folks for change.”

She continued: “Even though traditional media houses were heavily censored, many used social media to show the world the injustice perpetrated by federal and regional forces, and provide momentum when the movement was fading from the international press.”

The pop-star-turned-parliamentarian Bobi Wine raises his anti-establishment voice in the Ugandan parliament and his digital activism also has an enormous impact on young Ugandans.

Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan human rights activist, rising from the digital world, has been a critical voice against police brutality and post-election violence in Kenya. In Nigeria, the collective youth movement #NotTooYoungToRun aims to change the age-dominated political scene and push for an inclusive political structure for young people.

Taye said: “Young activists… are the vanguards that are using social media to challenge the structures that have instilled fear, injustice, and poverty in the African continent. And they are a threat to the all that want to continue to perpetuate fear and injustice.”

Protesters pose with a police shield outside the parliament in Ouagadougou on October 30, 2014. (AFP)

Many autocrats on the continent have witnessed what youth movements, which mobilise and organise on social media, are capable of. Their extensive use of the internet and frustration toward established political structures have brought considerable changes over the past years in West Africa.

When then-president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore – who had ruled the country since 1987 – decided to run for the 2015 general elections, despite the constitutional two-term limit, no one could have guessed that his decision would trigger a massive protest movement that eventually led to the “Burkinabe Spring”.

Huge protests spread across the country and put an end to the 27 years of Compaore rule. Behind the nationwide protests that overthrew Compaore, lay a youth movement, Balai Citoyen (English: Citizens Broom), which was founded by a few musicians and grew through social media, driving thousands of young people to the streets.

When Gambia ’s then-president Yahya Jammeh did not recognise election results and refused to hand over power in 2016, a hashtag campaign #GambiaHasDecided spread and brought regional and international attention to the brutal 22-year regime in the Gambia.

“Social media has forever changed the dynamics of politics in Africa,” said Raffie Diab, one of the founding leaders of the #GambiaHasDecided movement.

Leaders like Museveni strictly control and censor the internet in a bid to stop any possible opposition through social media. However, autocrats across the continent have seen that the strategy can backfire – and as the internet continues to empower African youth, leaders will need to find new strategies to win them over, or risk losing their grip on power.

Culled from Trtworld.com

15, January 2019

President Ali Bongo returns to Gabon ⁰

President Ali Bongo returned to Gabon on Monday after a three-month medical leave during which a coup attempt was thwarted, two government sources told Reuters.

His return comes a week after a small military group took over the state radio station. The move to grab power was quickly halted but exposed growing frustration in the oil-producing country over Bongo’s secretive absence.

Bongo suffered the stroke during a conference in Saudi Arabia in October and was flown to Morocco in November for treatment.

He has appeared in television clips in recent weeks, including a New Year’s address in which he slurred his speech and appeared unable to move his right arm. It is not clear if he can walk.

Bongo appointed a new government on Saturday in an apparent effort to shore up his political base, including the nomination of Julien Nkoghe Bekale as prime minister.

The new government will be sworn in in Bongo’s presence on Tuesday, the two sources said. The media will not be allowed to attend.

The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for over 50 years. Ali Bongo took over upon his father Omar’s death in 2009. Ali Bongo won re-election in 2016 by fewer than 6,000 votes amid widespread accusations of fraud, sparking deadly clashes between protesters and police during which the parliament was torched.

REUTERS

14, January 2019

French Cameroun: SDO of Upper Plateau dies under mysterious circumstances ⁰

Bilonougou Felix the senior divisional officer for Upper Plateau Division in the West region is no more! The civil administrator passed away on Sunday night amid political tension in the region.

Awa Fonka Augustine, the governor of the West Region, confirmed the prefect’s death in a press release in which he stated that, “The Governor of the West region announces with regrets the death of the Prefect of the Upper Plateau Division; he died on Sunday, January 13, 2019 in Bafoussam.”

A lot of tongues have been waging ever since Governor Awa Fonka made public the news of the prefect’s demise. The governor’s press release did not provide any details of what killed the prefect who reportedly died near his command post. What we do know is that the prefect’s body has been kept in a private mortuary in Bafoussam, the chief city in the West region.

By Rita Akana

14, January 2019

Death of Jean Foumane Akame end of an era; Its a personal loss for President Biya ⁰

Jean Foumane Akame a former legal adviser to President Biya died on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland. The former technical adviser in charge of legal affairs at the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic was quickly evacuated by medical aircraft over the weekend after a malaise.

A senior Magistrate and former Chancellor of the University of Yaoundé, Jean Foumane was a key player in the so-called “Sparrowhawk” operation that initiated the dubious anti corruption campaign and targeted opponents of the regime.

A chartered member of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate, Jean Foumane Akam made headlines when his name and signature appeared on a motion calling on Biya to run for president in October 2018-a move that revealed to the world that the Constitutional Council was a pro Biya institution.

Born August 31, 1937 in Ndonkol in the South region of Cameroon, Jean Fouman Akam who was appointed a member of the Constitutional Council in February 2018, has held numerous high offices since 1969.

He is presented by the press as the one who makes and breaks careers in the Cameroonian judiciary. He was a close friend to President Biya.

Sama Ernest

14, January 2019

Nigeria’s Top Judge to Face Trial on Asset-declaration Charges ⁰

Nigeria’s chief justice will face trial Monday for allegedly breaching asset-declaration rules, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) said Saturday, a month before a presidential election in Africa’s most populous country.

Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen is the head of Nigeria’s judiciary, which plays a key role in election matters and has helped resolve disputes in past votes.

The conduct tribunal, which tries asset-declaration misdemeanors, said in a statement Saturday that Onnoghen would face six separate counts, without giving further details.

Onnoghen could not be reached for comment.

Under Nigerian law, state officials must declare their assets before taking office and after they leave. The court did not say why it had brought the charges against Onnoghen almost two years into his tenure.

The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) accused the ruling party of plotting to destabilize the judiciary ahead of elections by seeking to remove Onnoghen, which could cause a constitutional crisis.

Nigerians go to the polls on Feb. 16 to elect a new president in an election where incumbent Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term and is campaigning on his anti-corruption record.

In 2016, the tribunal charged Senate President Bukola Saraki, the country’s third most-powerful politician, with false asset declaration. Saraki was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Source: VOA

14, January 2019

French Cameroun: One soldier killed in road accident ⁰

One soldier was killed and several others injured on Saturday in a car crash in the Centre region of Cameroon, police sources said.

The accident occurred on the Bafoussam-Yaounde highway in Ndiki, a village in Mbam and Inoubou division of the Centre region of the country, according to eyewitnesses.

“The accident happened early this Saturday. One soldier died on the spot and another senior military personnel was seriously injured. Several civilians were injured and rushed to the hospital for treatment,” a police source told Xinhua.

“The army vehicle was severely damaged. Some of the victims were in a critical condition,” Jean-Claude Essomba, who witnessed the accident, told Xinhua.

The army confirmed the accident, saying those injured were being treated. The army has ordered formal inquiries into the tragedy. On Friday, the army said several soldiers were injured in another road accident on the Douala-Yaounde highway.

Source:Xinhuanet