Mali’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta has won the backing of key political allies to be declared president for the next five years.

The 41-year-old, who has seized power twice, was named transitional president after his last coup in 2021.

At the time he promised to hold elections the following year – but has since reneged, in a blow to efforts to restore multi-party rule in the West African state.

A national conference organised by the regime – but boycotted by leading opposition parties – has now recommended naming Gen Goïta president until 2030.

He has not yet commented on the recommendation, but the conference was seen as an attempt to legitimise his bid to remain in power.

Over the weekend, an opposition leader, Mohamed Salia Touré, told the AFP news agency that suppressing the multi-party system would be a “historic error”.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International said it denounced what it described as a “proposal to dissolve all political parties in Mali”.

The rights group’s Sahel researcher, Ousmane Diallo, said he was “alarmed by the proposition” and that such a move “would be a flagrant attack on the rights to freedom of expression and association”.

It is unclear if the conference proposes to dissolve all political parties, or only those that fail to comply with certain requirements.

The conference also recommended suspending anything to do with elections until there was peace in the country, according to a document seen by AFP.

The military government has been trying to quell jihadist violence unleashed by groups linked with the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda.

Since taking power, the junta leader has formed an alliance with coup leaders in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, pivoting the region towards Russia after drastically reducing ties with former colonial power France.

Gen Goïta has also withdrawn Mali from the regional grouping Ecowas over its demands to restore democratic rule. Burkina Faso and Niger have also left the grouping.

He first staged a coup in August 2020 overthrowing then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta after huge anti-government protests over his rule and his handling of the jihadist insurgency.

Gen Goïta handed power to an interim government that was to oversee the transition to elections within 18 months.

He had sought to lead that government, but Ecowas insisted on a civilian leader.

Unhappy with the performance of the civilian transitional arrangement, he seized power again in May 2021.

He was a colonel at the time, but became a five-star general last year.

Source: BBC

The African Union has lifted sanctions against Gabon, it said in a statement on Wednesday, after the central African nation was suspended from the organisation following a coup in August 2023.

A meeting of the Peace and Security Council on Gabon’s political transition “reviewed the processes and found them to be generally successful”, the AU’s Political Affairs Peace and Security department said on X.

The statement said Gabon would be welcome “to immediately resume her participation in the activities” of the AU.

Gabon was suspended when General Brice Oligui Nguema took power after overthrowing president Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for 55 years.

Nguema pledged to hand back the oil-rich country to civilian rule after a two-year transitional period, and was elected president in April with 94 percent of the vote.

According to the new constitution, the president will lead the country with expanded powers.

The decision by the AU to lift sanctions follows a meeting last year between Nguema and Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara, in which Nguema asked for support in lifting sanctions.

The country of 2.3 million people has endured high unemployment, regular power and water shortages, and heavy government debt despite its oil riches.

Source:  AFP

Botswana President Duma Boko has condemned leaders who attempt to extend their presidential terms beyond the established limits, boldly stating that such leaders are failures. His remarks came during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Bonno Target 3 000 project in Gaborone on Wednesday, where he also launched a new initiative aimed at addressing the country’s housing needs.

The Bonno Target 3 000 project will begin with the construction of 3,000 housing units across selected urban and peri-urban areas, aimed at addressing the growing demand for affordable housing in the country. However, it was Boko’s strong stance on leadership tenure that dominated headlines after the ceremony.

Boko emphasised the importance of knowing when to step aside from power, stating unequivocally that any president who seeks to hold office for more than 10 years is fundamentally failing in their role.

“I will say to you today that any president of any country who wants to be president for more than 10 years, anybody who has that ambition, is instantly a failure,” Boko remarked. “You can’t want to do this job for more than 10 years. If you take the job seriously, you can’t do it for more than 10 years.”

Boko’s comments are a sharp critique of the numerous African leaders who have clung to power for decades, often facing widespread criticism for their inability to step down despite their extended tenures. He added that any attempt to extend a presidential term was a clear sign of failure and a lack of understanding of the job’s demands.

“And anybody who sticks with the presidency for more than 10 years, that’s a sure-fire indication that he has failed. He does not understand the job,” Boko said.

His remarks come amid growing concerns about the longevity of several African leaders. Presidents such as Paul Biya of Cameroon, who has led for over 50 years, Teodoro Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea with 45 years in power, and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for nearly 40 years, continue to dominate the political landscape in their respective countries.

Source – newsday

Mozambique’s new President Daniel Chapo has been sworn in at a low-key ceremony in the capital, Maputo, more than three months after heavily disputed elections.

Most businesses in Maputo were shut after defeated presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane called for a national strike to protest against Chapo’s inauguration.

Chapo won the election held in October with 65% of the vote, extending the 49-year-rule of the Frelimo party.

Mondlane – who contested the election as an independent – came second with 24% of the vote. He rejected the result, saying it was rigged.

Mondlane called for a strike on inauguration day “against the thieves of the people”.

Both of Mozambique’s leading opposition parties – Renamo and MDM – boycotted the swearing-in ceremony because they too do not recognise Chapo as the rightful winner.

Even those in Mozambique who do wish Chapo well openly question his legitimacy.

“Chapo is someone I admire greatly,” civil society activist Mirna Chitsungo tells the BBC.

“I worked with him for four years – I am familiar with his willingness to act, his openness to dialogue, and his readiness to follow recommendations from civil society on the ground.

“However, he is assuming an illegitimate power. This stems from a fraudulent electoral process… He is taking power in a context where the people do not accept him.”

‘He will face many enemies’

In addition to winning over a hostile public, Chapo will also have to deliver the economic turnaround and halt to corruption that he promised on the campaign trail.

“Chapo will face many enemies because it looks like Mozambique is run by cartels, including cartels of books, cartel of medicines, cartel of sugar, cartel of drugs, cartel of kidnappings, mafia groups,” says analyst and investigative journalist Luis Nhanchote.

“He needs to have a strong team of experts, willing to join him in this crusade of dismantling the groups meticulously,” he adds.

“But first, he has to calm down Mozambicans and do all in his power to restore peace in the country.”

Daniel Francisco Chapo was born on 6 January 1977 in Inhaminga, a town in Sofala province, the sixth of 10 siblings. This was during Mozambique’s civil war, and the armed conflict forced his family to move to another nearby district.

His secondary schooling in the coastal city of Beira was followed by a law degree from Eduardo Mondlane University then a master’s degree in development management from the Catholic University of Mozambique.

Now married to Gueta Sulemane Chapo, with whom he has three children, Chapo is also said to be a church-going Christian and fan of basketball and football.

Many current and former colleagues describe Chapo as humble, hard-working and a patient leader.

Source: BBC

The government of Chad has insisted the situation in capitol N’Djamena is stable after gunshots were heard near the presidential palace.

Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a video apparently recorded within the palace complex that there had been a “little incident” but that “everything is calm”.

Sources close to the African state’s government said clashes had occurred between security forces and “terrorist elements”.

The French news agency AFP quoted Koulamallah as saying that 18 attackers and a member of the security forces had been killed.

Chad is a landlocked country in northern-central Africa which, since gaining independence from France in 1960, has seen frequent periods of instability and fighting, most recently between government forces and those of Islamist group Boko Haram.

It is led by President Mahamat Déby, who was installed by the military in 2021 after his father, Idriss Déby, was killed in a battle with rebel forces after 30 years in power.

Following the incident on Wednesday, tanks were seen in the area and all roads leading to the palace were closed, the AFP said.

In the video, posted to Facebook, Koulamallah is seen surrounded by members of the government forces.

“Nothing serious has happened,” he says.

“We are here and we will defend our country at the price of our blood. Be calm.

“This whole attempt at destabilisation has been thwarted.”

He is then seen taking photos and raising his fist with the soldiers.

Koulamallah was quoted by AFP as saying the assault had been launched by a 24-man commando unit, adding that six of the attackers had suffered injuries.

A further three members of the government forces also suffered injuries, he added.

The incident came just hours after a visit to the former French territory by China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who met Déby and other senior officials.

Source: BBC

Chad voted Sunday in a general election the government says is a key step towards ending military rule, with turnout expected to be low after the opposition called for a boycott.

Midday figures suggested a turnout of just 38 percent to choose a new parliament, provincial assemblies and local councils, according to the elections management agency ANGE.

Election officials in the upmarket district where the president’s family and ruling dignitaries live put voter apathy down to the “cold weather”.

But opposition parties have urged Chad’s eight million voters to shun the election, the results of which they say had been decided in advance.

They “have all stayed at home following our call, that is, the overwhelming majority,” Succes Masra, leader of the opposition Transformers party, told AFP.

The boycott leaves the field open for candidates aligned with President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who was brought to power by the military in 2021 and then legitimised in a presidential election in May that opposition candidates denounced as fraudulent.

“I urge all my compatriots on the electoral roll to come out and vote en masse,” Deby posted on Facebook, alongside photos of himself casting his ballot on what he called a “historic day”.

‘Nothing’s been done yet’

On Saturday, Masra had said: “The fabricated results are already in the computers.”

Herve Natouingan, 28, a construction worker turned motorbike taxi driver due to a lack of job prospects, said it was “pointless” to cast a ballot because “there’s no real voting in Chad”.

Patrice Lumumba Deoumoundou, an unemployed 39-year-old, told AFP he had voted Sunday morning in the hope of “change across the board” — more jobs, fewer price rises, “more justice” and “more equality”.

“Nothing’s been done yet,” he said.

As in previous elections, soldiers, police officers and nomads voted on Saturday for logistical reasons.

Chad’s election management agency said there had been “record” turnout, with more than 72 percent in the army and 54 percent among nomads.

“There is a lot at stake locally in these elections,” it said.

“The nomads came to ask the people who will be elected tomorrow to improve their living conditions,” said sheikh Djibrine Hassabakarim, one of the community’s representatives.

He said climate change had made life hard for his community, killing livestock, triggering clashes with sedentary farmers and making it hard for them to feed their families.

Transition to democracy

Polling stations, which will remain open until 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), are being monitored by around 100 foreign election observers and representatives of political parties.

On Saturday evening, the opposition Democratic Party of the Chadian People (PDPT) said more than a thousand ballots intended for the sub-prefecture of Bongor had disappeared.

It called for “vigilance” to “thwart the fraud networks” it said had been set up by the ruling MPS party.

Voting is taking place against a backdrop of recurring attacks by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, the ending of a military accord with former colonial master France and accusations that Chad is interfering in the conflict ravaging neighbouring Sudan.

The government has presented the elections as the final stage in the transition to democracy.

Deby took power in 2021 after the death of his father, who had ruled the Sahel country for three decades.

Source: AFP

Former president John Mahama, Ghana’s main opposition leader, tried twice before to win back the country top post.

Now he has secured a huge comeback on his third attempt for the presidency after tapping into the country’s economic frustrations to win Saturday’s election.

His win marks a historic victory, making him the first president in the three decades of Ghana’s Fourth Republic — since the 1992 return to multi-party democracy — to reclaim the presidency after being voted out.

Mahama, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, beat out Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who represented the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and who conceded defeat on Sunday.

The economy became a major election issue after Ghana defaulted on its debt and entered into a $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund.

Mahama, 66, who served as president from 2012 to 2017, promised to “reset” Ghana, renegotiate parts of the IMF deal and introduce a “24-hour” economy to create jobs, a major concern for many younger voters.

– Writer and music fan –

A writer and devotee of Afrobeat music, Mahama wrote in his memoir “My First Coup d’Etat — And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa” that he was changed by his boyhood experiences during a 1966 military coup.

He was born in northern Ghana as a child of privilege, his house being the only one in the village with a diesel generator.

His father, who served as junior minister, was briefly detained and interrogated by the 1966 coup leaders but was later released unharmed.

Mahama was also a Member of Parliament and chairman of the West Africa Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament in Pretoria.

On corruption, Mahama says he will create a new office tasked with scrutinising government procurement above a $5 million threshold.

He says unchecked procurement processes are a major source of corruption.

Mahama voiced support for the anti-LGBTQ bill passed by Ghana’s parliament in February but which is yet to be signed into law and has sparked international criticism.

But Mustapha Gbande, a spokesperson for Mahama’s campaign, had expressed confidence in the candidate’s chances.

“People are looking for change and they trust Mahama to steer the country in a better direction,” he said.

But Mahama’s tenure as president was marred by a severe energy crisis that led to persistent power cuts, known locally as “dumsor”, which dented his reputation.

Corruption allegations also plagued his administration, although no charges were formally filed against him.

Mahama’s campaign sought to counter criticism by emphasising his experience in international leadership, including his role in combating the Ebola crisis as chairman of regional West African bloc ECOWAS.

Source: AFP

The party of Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said Thursday that his convoy was attacked a day earlier while he was campaigning for upcoming parliamentary elections.

The West African nation is due to vote in snap legislative polls on November 17 after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament in September.

Sonko was unharmed in Wednesday’s attack, but a former minister and head of a party allied to Sonko’s Pastef party suffered a broken arm, according to local media reports.

His party published a photo purporting to show his arm in a sling with a bloodied sleeve.

Sonko’s convoy was pelted with stones in the central town of Koungheul on Wednesday evening, Vieux Aidara, a member of his campaign team, told AFP.

“The rapid intervention of the police dispersed the attackers,” he added.

“Violence has no place in an election. In Koungheul, they tried and they only tried because frankly, attacking… Pastef is suicide,” Sonko said on social media, without identifying the attackers.

Media reports quoted local opposition leader and MP Fanta Sall as saying that opposition activists had themselves been targeted by armed “strongmen” acting on behalf of Pastef.

She said that several people had been injured.

An attack by unknown assailants targeted the headquarters of an opposition party in the capital Dakar on Monday, the day after the campaign period began, local media reported.

The attackers targeted vehicles, smashed windows and started a fire, the reports said.

Senegalese civil society figures, including Amnesty International’s Seydi Gassama and Birahim Seck from Transparency International, condemned the violence in Koungheul on social media.

President Faye and Prime Minister Sonko took office in April after sweeping to victory on a ticket of radical change, but their first six months in power have been marked by confrontation with the national assembly.

Their party is aiming for a legislative majority in November to see through their promises of social justice, sovereignty and leftist Pan-Africanism.

At the end of October, Faye called for those involved in the election to show “responsibility, restraint and moderation”.

Source: AFP