Ethiopian government lambasted for flipping on political reform promise

nternational Rights Group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has accused the Ethiopian government of turning back on its public promise to undertake reforms and to address the tense political climate in the country.

HRW’s latest position is contained in a piece authored by its Senior Researcher for the Horn of Africa, Felix Horne, in reaction to the recent charge brought against a leading opposition activist, Dr Merera Gudina.

60-year-old Gudina who is chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) was charged with terrorism last Thursday along with two others – Dr Berhanu Nega of opposition group Ginbot 7 and Jawar Mohammed of Oromia TV.
‘Instead of taking actions that would demonstrate genuine resolve to address long-term grievances, the government again used politically motivated charges to further crack down on opposition parties, reinforcing a message that it will not tolerate peaceful dissent.

‘‘This raises serious questions regarding the government’s commitment to “deep reform” and dialogue with the opposition. Instead of responding to criticism with yet more repression, the Ethiopian government should release opposition politicians jailed for exercising their basic rights, including Bekele and Merera,’‘ the statement added.

Merera according to HRW was being held at the Maekewali prison where mistreatment and torture are commonplace. Aside Merera, the OFC’s deputy chairman, Bekele Gerba is also presently standing trial along with scores of journalists and protesters charged under a 2009 anti-terrorism law.

Days after the imposition of a six-month state of emergency by the government, the Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, said the government was committed to broadbase political reforms. The European Union chief and German Chancellor all weighed in for such efforts to be all-inclusive.

The government in November 2016 announced a cabinet reshuffle which saw the appointment of two Oromos – the ethnic group behind agitations in one of the protest regions – to cabinet positions of Foreign Affairs and Communications.

The government has had cause in the past to accuse HRW of being behind the protests of last year due to their inaccurate reportage on issues in the country.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia’s immediate past Minister of Foreign Affairs asserted in an October 2016 article titled, ‘Human Rights Watch encourages opposition violence in Ethiopia,’ that the rights group was stoking the fire in the country.

Dr Tedros slammed HRW and opposition groups in the diaspora for misrepresentations that were worsening protests leading to the imposition of a state of emergency. He was responding to a report published at the time by Felix Horne – who he accused of being outside the country but pretending to know what went on inside.

‘‘In all of these, in order to support his (Felix) demands, he has deliberately given impressions and made claims he knows to be false about recent events, notably the Ireecha tragedy on October 2,’’ he wrote.

-Africanews

AEP

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

Profile: Somalia's 'cheese' President, Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed 'Farmajo'

 

His name combines that of the Holy Prophet of Islam (Mohammed) on two sides and Mohammed’s father’s name in between. Then his more popular Italian nickname follows – a nickname he is known for and for which he bears on his official twitter handle – ‘Farmajo’.

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmajo’ was on February 8 elected the 9th President of Somalia. An election held in an airport hangar due to increasing insecurity largely because of the activities of al-Shabaab insurgents.

There was a virtual lockdown in the capital Mogadishu as lawmakers in the country’s Upper and Lower legislative houses met to choose the Chief Executive of the Horn of Africa’s most insecure and embattled nation.

Security aside, a battered economy and drought are not helping matters and yet Farmajo and over 20 others believed it was worth pitching to inherit a nation in crisis, with the view to turn things around for the better.

In the end, it came down to four candidates and then to two – Farmajo and the then incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who ‘saved the day’ by conceding to President Farmajo – all candidates committing to join hands to overcome the challenges.

Who is the man Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo?

• Born in the Somali capital Mogadishu in 1962. The President is married with four children
• He holds dual citizenship Somali and American. He moved to the US in 1985, he got his US citizenship after 1991.
• He worked as a secretary in the Somali embassy in Washington DC between 1985 and 1988.
• He put himself through school after arrival in the US, 8 years later (1993) he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Buffalo.
• Then 6 years later (2009) he bagged a master’s degree in American studies. His thesis was titled, ‘U.S. Strategic Interest in Somalia: From the Cold War Era to the War on Terror.’
• Whiles in the US, he worked for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority as a commissioner. In 2000 he served as minority business coordinator with the county’s equal employment opportunity division.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

Guinea: President Alpha Conde sacks 3 ministers after deadly strike protests

 

Guinea’s President Alpha Conde fired three ministers, according to a decree read on state television Monday, following violent protests over a teachers’ strike last week in which seven people were killed and dozens more were injured.

Ibrahima Kourouma, the minister of pre-university education, and Civil Service Minister Sekou Kourouma were removed along with Environment Minister Christine Sagno, according to the decree.

Though the decree gave no reasons for the dismissals, a senior government official, who asked not to be named, said the sackings of Ibrahima Kourouma and Sekou Kourouma were directly linked to the strike.

The government agreed to a deal to end the strike last week.

Teachers in Guinea walked out early this month over the government’s decision to dismiss or cut the salaries of many junior staff after the latest civil service exams. Their students then took to the streets to support them.

The protests turned violent when demonstrators clashed with gendarmes in several neighborhoods of the capital Conakry.

-Africanews

AEP

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

After Jammeh, Gambians seek justice for the disappeared

 

When Gambian intelligence officers arrested journalist Ebrima Manneh at his newspaper, he asked an office guard to save some tea.

"I'm coming right back," he said, according to colleague Alhagie Jobe, who was present in the newsroom. That was on the afternoon of July 11, 2006; since then, neither his colleagues at the Daily Observer nor his family have seen him again.

Rights groups say Manneh is one of dozens of Gambians who disappeared without trace during the 22-year rule of president Yahya Jammeh, which ended last month when he fled the country.

Relatives have tried in vain for a decade to find the journalist, nicknamed "Chief" although he held no traditional title. Now they believe he is dead and, like a growing number of Gambians, say they are seeking justice.

"I want the new government to take action and prosecute whosoever had a hand in my brother's disappearance," said his sister Adama Manneh, a police officer, wearing a T-shirt bearing her brother's face that read: "Where is Chief Manneh?" Ebrima's brother Lamin said he hoped at least to recover the body.

Some families hope to gather evidence for a case against Jammeh - who quit under international pressure after losing an election in December - for human rights abuses, including unlawful detention, torture and murder of perceived opponents, charges his supporters deny.

Attempts by Reuters to reach Jammeh for comment in Equatorial Guinea, where he fled, were unsuccessful.

Rights officials say building a case could be tough. Another African ex-leader, former Chadian president Hissene Habre, was jailed for life last year for crimes against humanity, more than a quarter century after his overthrow. Habre was convicted by a court in Senegal with the help of incriminating documents, but rights officials say any hard evidence against Jammeh is lacking so far.

Another complication is that Equatorial Guinea has no extradition treaty with Gambia.

Many Gambians dream of bringing Jammeh before the International Criminal Court, which has put former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo on trial.

While Jammeh fled before fulfilling a pledge to withdraw Gambia from the ICC, Equatorial Guinea has never been a member of the Hague-based court and would be unlikely to hand him over.

Still, police in Gambia have promised to investigate cases of at least 30 people so far reported as missing or killed since Jammeh seized power in 1994, among them journalists, businessmen and soldiers. Several senior officials have been arrested including the former prison boss, interior minister and spy chief who was charged with murder last week.

Gambia's new President Adama Barrow has promised a U.N.-backed truth and reconciliation commission into past crimes which also include alleged torture.

CHRONICLE OF THE DISAPPEARED

Manneh was 28 when the intelligence officers came to call at the Daily Observer's offices in the capital, Banjul. On various occasions, Jammeh and his officials told reporters he was dead, had fled the country and had "stage-managed" his disappearance, according to an annual human rights report published in 2012 by the U.S. State Department.

The family still do not know the reason for his arrest, though colleagues suspect it may have been related to comments he wrote about the former president.

Adding to the mystery, Manneh called his mother immediately after his arrest, asking her to fetch his bag from the office. Manneh had said he was planning a trip abroad and would not be able to get it himself, his mother Sulay Ceesay told Reuters.

Three days later, on July 14, Manneh's sister discovered his passport in the bag. "I said to myself: 'Chief did not travel, he is in town'," said Adama.

The search began but family members were unable to find out where he was taken after the local police station. Two witnesses said they spotted him on separate occasions in hospital in 2007 looking sickly, but Adama said officials prevented her from visiting him at the time.

When Adama made inquiries within the police force, her superiors warned that she too risked arrest.

In 2007, the Media Foundation for West Africa, an NGO, brought a legal action against the Gambian government at the Community Court of Justice, a body set up by the ECOWAS group of West African states. The government lodged no defence and failed to show up for the case.

The Nigerian-based regional court ruled in 2008 that Gambia had violated Manneh's human rights. It ordered the government to free him and pay the family $100,000. The compensation was never handed over, the family said.

The court heard Manneh had been shuttled between at least six different detention sites between 2006 and 2008, and was never charged or given access to a lawyer. One witness, a journalist from a different newspaper, told the court he had seen Manneh being led back to a police cell in December, 2006.

Edward Gomez, who was justice minister and attorney general in 2010-2012 and later acted as Jammeh's lawyer, expressed ignorance of the journalist's fate. "I know what happened is very painful but quite frankly I don't know what happened to him," Gomez told Reuters.

Every year Adama went to Banjul's main prison to attend the annual release of pardoned prisoners to see if her brother was among them. Hope finally deserted her only in the past month when the new president released more than 100 political prisoners from some of the country's many detention centres. Manneh was not among them.

"I was thinking that my brother would be released but he never showed up there and I knew he had been killed," Adama said in the courtyard of her home near Banjul with her mother and sister, their cheeks glistening with tears.

-Africanews

AEP

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

Meet Egypt’s first female governor: Nadia Ahmed Abdou Saleh

It was not until this month (February 2017) that Egypt got its first female governor in Nadia Ahmed Abdou Saleh. The most populous north African country had never before elected a woman to serve as governor. The furthest women got politically was the deputy governor post.

This is despite the fact that south of the Sahara, women have climbed the political ladder and successfully risen to the presidency. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Malawi’s Joyce Banda quickly come to mind.

In conservative Egypt, the presidency looks a far shot for now but a glass ceiling for the governorship has successfully been shattered. Here are a few facts about the history-making governor.

1. She was appointed a governor of the Baheira Governorate located in the Nile Delta in the country’s far north. Governors are appointed by the President – in this case, President Abdel Fatteh Al-Sisi.

2. She previously held the post of deputy governor in 2013 – she was appointed for her role in development and innovation.

3. A product of the Alexandria University, Nadia graduated from the faculty of Engineering and Chemistry in 1965. She also holds a masters in Health Engineering from the same institution.

4. For a decade (2002 – 2012) she was head of the country’s Holding Company for Water and Wastewater.

5. Her political career started 7 years ago when she won a parliamentary seat on the ticket of the now-defunct National Democratic Party (NDP).

6. Her party was dissolved a year after she joined. The NDP were implicated in issues relating to poll rigging, it led to the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

7. She founded the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) and is a member of the World Water Council.

8. She has two sons who took after her academically – both graduates of the same faculty.

9. Her Governorate is holds great religious significance as it is home to a number of the most important Coptic monasteries in one of its cities, Wadi El Natrun

10. Baheira’s capital is Damanhur, it has 13 other cities, and houses important industries such as cotton, chemicals, carpets, electricity and fishing.

Egypt has a total of twenty-seven governorates. Governorates are the top tier of the country’s jurisdiction hierarchy. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the President of Egypt and serves at the president’s discretion.

According to population estimates of Baheira, from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 19.5%.

Out of an estimated 5,804,262 people residing in the governorate, 4,674,346 people live in rural areas as opposed to only 1,129,916 in urban areas.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

Kenyatta Urges Kenyans to Pray for the Nation Ahead of Polls

Nairobi — President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on Kenyans to pray for the nation ahead of the General Election to be held on August 8. President Kenyatta has asked citizens to dedicate the first week of March towards praying for the peace and stability of the country saying development could only be achieved in a cohesive environment. "I call upon all Kenyans for one week in the month of March beginning Monday March 6 to pray for the peace of our beloved nation," he said. "I urge Muslims to congregate in their Mosques on Friday 10 and Christians in their Churches on Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 March respectively to pray for our nation. The future of our nation is in the hands of each and every one of us." Speaking during the launch of this year's Lent Campaign being spearheaded by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), the President said political leaders ought to preach peace and desist from making remarks that are likely to stir violence in the country. "Embrace peace in your utterances, in your homes, in your work places and correct those around you who seek conflict and confrontations," he said while addressing thousands of Catholics during the launch held at the University of Nairobi. READ : Catholic Church asks politicians to preach, drink peace "As a citizen and as President I will practice what I preach holding myself to a high standard of integrity and I pray that God takes my hand and all our millions of hands to guide us forward to a higher destiny in the coming weeks months and years." He implored citizens to guard against negative political rivalry that could destabilize the nation saying leaders seeking elective posts must pass the integrity test and conduct themselves in a peaceful manner in the campaign trail. -Africanews   AEP   Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

Kenyatta Urges Kenyans to Pray for the Nation Ahead of Polls

Nairobi — President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on Kenyans to pray for the nation ahead of the General Election to be held on August 8. President Kenyatta has asked citizens to dedicate the first week of March towards praying for the peace and stability of the country saying development could only be achieved in a cohesive environment. "I call upon all Kenyans for one week in the month of March beginning Monday March 6 to pray for the peace of our beloved nation," he said. "I urge Muslims to congregate in their Mosques on Friday 10 and Christians in their Churches on Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 March respectively to pray for our nation. The future of our nation is in the hands of each and every one of us." Speaking during the launch of this year's Lent Campaign being spearheaded by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), the President said political leaders ought to preach peace and desist from making remarks that are likely to stir violence in the country. "Embrace peace in your utterances, in your homes, in your work places and correct those around you who seek conflict and confrontations," he said while addressing thousands of Catholics during the launch held at the University of Nairobi. READ : Catholic Church asks politicians to preach, drink peace "As a citizen and as President I will practice what I preach holding myself to a high standard of integrity and I pray that God takes my hand and all our millions of hands to guide us forward to a higher destiny in the coming weeks months and years." He implored citizens to guard against negative political rivalry that could destabilize the nation saying leaders seeking elective posts must pass the integrity test and conduct themselves in a peaceful manner in the campaign trail. -Africanews   AEP   Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

Kenya: Samuel Wamathai Sworn in As New Nyeri Governor

Hundreds of Nyeri residents have Monday morning gathered at the county headquarters to witness the swearing in of the new governor, Samuel Wamathai. At least 12 members of the county assembly led by Speaker David Mugo were present. The seat fell vacant following the death of Governor Nderitu Gachagua in a London hospital on Friday. Mr Wamathai was Mr Gachagua's deputy. Mr Gachagua's relatives of were represented by his younger brother, Rigathi Gachagua at the swearing in of the new governor. On Sunday, the family promised to fully support the new governor, noting that he has been a pillar of strength to them. "The incoming governor has been a blessing to the county because, were it not for him, when the governor had been indisposed, the county would have ground to a halt," said Mr Rigathi, the family spokesman. "He deserves the support." Mrs Margaret Nderitu , wife of former Governor Nderitu Gachagua hugs Mrs Leah Githaiga, wife of new Governor Samuel Wamathai on February 27, 2017. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP FIGHT CORRUPTION After he was sworn in, Governor Wamathai promised to fight corruption in the county. Speaking moments after being sworn in, Mr Wamathai said he would effectively executive his duties as a governor without fear. "I demand total honesty and integrity from everyone working in the county. I will not tolerate acts of corruption and dishonesty," he said. The governor took oath of office in a ceremony presided over by Justice Jarius Ngaah. Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya congratulates new Nyeri Governor Samuel Wamathai on February 27, 2017 after he was sworn in. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP NYERI MPS ABSENT Most MPs snubbed the event with only Tetu's Ndung'u Gethenji showing up. However, Mr Gethenji said he was representing the rest of the MPs. Speaker David Mugo said the assembly will support the new governor. On the differences between MCAs and Mr Gachagua, the Speaker said they were not personal, adding that the assembly was only doing its job. The chairman of the Council of Governors Peter Munya was the only governor present at the ceremony. -Africanews   AEP   Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

South Africa's youngest MP dazzles as she delivers her first address

24-year-old Hlomela Bucwa, the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) in South Africa took her turn to address the house for the first time on Tuesday.

She delivered a contribution to the parliamentary debate on the subject, ‘‘Government’s failure to improve the lives of young South Africans with regard to employment education and training.’‘

Hlomela emphasized on the section of the youth she described as the ‘‘lost generation,’‘ those who continue to be without basic access to education and to employment.

Her six-minutes address lambasted the government for not doing enough to rescue the average South African youth. ‘‘We believe youth should be provided with quality education with support to ensure their success in institutions of learning. Let us tread softly because we tread on the dreams of a lost generation.

‘‘The lost generation is a generation of born frees who are victim to decades of compounding government greed and corruption. This is a lost generation whose government has turned its back on the building blocks, the futures, of my fellow young South Africans.

‘‘We find ourselves with a govt that is scared of its own young people and excludes them from acquiring an education and jobs,’‘ she added. She concluded her speech to a standing ovation by members of her party, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).

But during the speech and long afterwards, South Africans took to Twitter to shower her with praise for her effort. The popular news website Times Live captioned her delivery ‘‘Every South African needs to watch this maiden speech from the youngest Member of Parliament to date.’‘

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

Gambia's new president pledges fresh start, economic reform

Gambia's President Adama Barrow vowed on Saturday to revive the country's faltering economy with sweeping reforms as he sought to draw a line under the erratic 22-year rule of his predecessor.

Barrow was sworn into office a month ago during a brief exile in Senegal as Yahya Jammeh refused to accept his defeat in a December election. Jammeh fled into exile days later as troops from West African countries prepared to enter the capital and force him to go.

Saturday's inauguration event at the national stadium was ceremonial, timed to coincide with the date that Gambia won independence from colonial master Britain in 1965.

Tens of thousands of Gambians gathered at the stadium to watch military marches and brass bands performing before a giant banner reading #GambiaHasDecided, the slogan of a campaign to persuade Jammeh to accept defeat.

"Few people would have thought that I'd be standing here today," Barrow said, wearing a traditional flowing white robe with gold trim.

"For 22 years, the Gambian people yearned to live in a country where our diverse tribes will be bridged by tolerance and our determination to work together for the common good," he said. "One Gambia, one nation, one people."

Barrow, 51, now faces the task of lifting the tiny nation -- which straddles the banks of a West African river -- out of grinding poverty, in part a consequence of Jammeh's volatile rule during which thousands of dissenters were jailed and scores of businesses expropriated.

"We have inherited an economy in decline," Barrow said

He pledged to introduce free primary education, which is guaranteed by the constitution but was not implemented during Jammeh's rule.

Gambia's economy depends on exports of groundnuts from small-scale farming and on the hard currency brought in by thousands of tourists drawn to its sun, white sandy beaches and lively resorts.

Barrow said his government would start work immediately to encourage investment in other sectors such as technology.

He also pledged to re-build institutions that had been hollowed out under Jammeh. During his rule, Gambia's supreme court judges fled the country and the press was muzzled.

Jammeh's cruel and eccentric antics often made headlines, such as when he vowed to rule for "a billion years" and threatened to slit the throats of homosexuals.

Barrow, in contrast, is nicknamed "no drama Adama" because of his calm quietness.

A self-made real estate developer who once worked at an Argos department store in London, he is softly spoken and plans to reverse Jammeh's more capricious acts, such as a letter withdrawing from the International Criminal Court.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

 

Zimbabwe's Mugabe says he is people's choice for 2018 election.

Zimbabwe's people and the ruling ZANU-PF party see no viable alternative candidate to President Robert Mugabe for general elections in 2018, state media quoted him as saying on Sunday.

"They want me to stand for elections, they want me to stand for elections everywhere in the party ... The majority of the people feel that there is no replacement, successor who to them is acceptable, as acceptable as I am," he said in comments to state media ahead of his 93rd birthday this coming week.

"The people, you know, would want to judge everyone else on the basis of President Mugabe as the criteria," Mugabe, who is Africa's oldest leader, said.

Mugabe has been in power in the southern African country since 1980 and in December his party confirmed him as its candidate for the next presidential election expected in mid-2018, when he will be 94.

"Of course if I feel that I can't do it any more, I will say so to my party so that they relieve me. But for now I think I can’t say so," Mugabe said.

Mugabe, known for his combative style, said he agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump's "America for America" approach.

"When it comes to Donald Trump, on the one hand talking of American nationalism, well America for America, America for Americans - on that we agree. Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans," he said.

The state-run Sunday Mail newspaper, which published the comments, said he added Trump might review the sanctions imposed on Mugabe and members of his inner circle by Washington in 2003 over alleged rights violations. The sanctions were extended by the Obama administration.  

No reason was given as to why Mugabe felt Trump might re-examine sanctions and his direct comments on the matter were not published.

But Mugabe said he had not wanted Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 White House election because "I knew she could slap sanctions on us as a legacy."

"We are just now under sanctions imposed not by Donald Trump, but by Obama. What arrogance is that?" Mugabe was quoted as saying.

The comments were published in advance of the full broadcast of the interview on state-run TV on Monday and Tuesday.

Critics accuse Mugabe of wrecking one of Africa's most promising economies through policies such as violent seizures of white-owned commercial farms and money printing. He and his party say the economy has been undermined by western powers.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

UK's Johnson says Gambia to rejoin Commonwealth 'as soon as possible'

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Gambia, which is seeking to emerge from more than two decades of authoritarian rule, would be readmitted "as fast as possible" to the Commonwealth, a body whose African members he once maligned.

Longtime leader Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled since seizing power in 1994, fled Gambia last month after regional militaries launched an operation to remove him.

In 2013, the mercurial former coup leader pulled his tiny West African nation out of the Commonwealth, the grouping including Britain and most of its former colonies, branding it a "neo-colonial institution."

Johnson met with Gambia's new president, Adama Barrow, who won a Dec. 1 election that Jammeh rejected, on the first leg of his maiden trip to Africa, a continent where he has been accused of racial insensitivity in his previous career as a journalist.

"We are going to admit them as fast as possible. Last night I talked to the Commonwealth secretary general, and she is determined to speed it up and get it done as soon as possible," Johnson told reporters after the meeting.

Barrow is attempting to reverse many of Jammeh's most controversial decisions and is also planning to stop Gambia's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

"We welcome any effort being made by the newly democratically elected government of The Gambia to try to re-join the Commonwealth," the body said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Should it decide to apply, we have formal processes which have to be undertaken and membership agreed by the 52 heads of government," the Commonwealth said.

Before becoming Britain's foreign minister, Johnson was known for his often abrasive writing as a newspaper columnist. In a 2002 article in The Telegraph criticising a trip by then Prime Minister Tony Blair to Congo, he employed a racially charged term to describe the Commonwealth's African members.

"It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies," Johnson wrote.

He apologised for the language while running for mayor of London six years later.

Johnson continues his Africa tour in Ghana on Wednesday.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

'We welcome Gambia's efforts to rejoin' - Commonwealth

The Commonwealth Secretariat has reiterated its stance that its doors are wide open and it is ready to re-admit The Gambia back into the fold.

A statement released on Tuesday (February 14) quoted a spokesperson as saying, ‘‘We welcome any effort being made by the newly democratically elected government of The Gambia to try to re-join the Commonwealth.’‘

The statement follows a visit to the West African country by the British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, who held talks with the Gambian President Adama Barrow.

Ahead of the trip, Johnson was quoted to have said, ‘‘I am also very pleased that Gambia wants to rejoin the Commonwealth and we will ensure this happens in the coming months.’‘

The Commonwealth, however, clarified that should The Gambia apply to rejoin, there were formal processes which have to be undertaken and membership agreed by the 52 heads of government.

“When The Gambia left the Commonwealth in 2013, the heads of government, meeting in Colombo in Sri Lanka that year, noted its decision with regret. We looked forward to the country’s eventual return because it was part of our very close knit family and our doors have always remained open,” the statement concluded.

Exiled President Yahya Jammeh led the Gambia out of the Commonwealth in 2013, The decision to quit the United Kingdom’s league of nations was because Jammeh’s Gambia was not going to be part of any neo-colonial institution.

Subsequently, Jammeh declared the country an Islamic republic in December 2015 as part of efforts to distance it from its colonial past. Jammeh came to power through a bloodless coup in 1994, he was elected in 1996 and reelected continuously in 2001, 2006 and 2011.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of more than 50 independent and sovereign states. Our countries span Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and are diverse – they are amongst the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries.

Thirty-one of our members are classified as small states – countries with a population size of 1.5 million people or less and larger member states that share similar characteristics with them. Africa has the highest representation with 18 countries. The Gambia will become the nineteenth upon readmission.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

 

Zuma to Begin Presidential Campaign for His Ex-Wife to Replace Him

It was reported last month that President Jacob Zuma will be endorsing his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma following his assertion that he wouldn’t be vying for a third term, and that his political party is ready for a woman President. Now the South African President has decided to start campaigning in support of his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the next president to take over from him in 2019. According to reports from sources within his political party, President Jacob Zuma summoned KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairperson, Sihle Zikalala to inquire why the province is yet to start drumming up support for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the next president. After much deliberation, a source said: ' Zuma told Zikalala to go do the work that is expected of him.'

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

Somalis celebrate after election of former U.S. state worker as president

Thousands of Somalis fired guns in the air, cheered atop military vehicles and slaughtered camels on Thursday to celebrate the election of anti-corruption campaigner Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as president.

Protected from Islamist attack inside the heavily fortified airport compound, lawmakers voted on Wednesday to elect the former U.S. state worker, beating incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud whose government repeatedly faced corruption scandals.

"Please fight corruption as you promised when you were campaigning for president," said Mohamed Jamaa, a resident of Mogadishu, who had joined crowds in the capital.

Western donors welcomed his election. The European Union urged him to tackle corruption, while the United States called the transition a "step forward" despite concerns about irregularities. Opponents had accused each other of vote buying.

In the central Somali towns of Dhusamareb and Guriel, a region where many are now facing a severe food crisis because of drought, the local authorities slaughtered camels and goats to hand out the meat to the poor.

Mohamed, a former prime minister better known in Somalia by his nickname "Farmajo" due to his love of cheese as a child, told lawmakers shortly after his election that his "core value is justice, to help the poor people".

But the dual U.S.-Somali citizen, who worked for years in the New York State Department of Transport, faces an uphill task. The aid-dependent state faces an imminent food crisis, empty coffers and an Islamist insurgency.

Abdirashid Hashi, an political analyst who worked in Mohamed's cabinet when he was prime minister between 2010 and 2011, called him "a populist politician, saying all the right stuff the demoralized citizens of Somalia want to hear."

"His detractors charge that it is a bit naive thinking that populism can undo Somalia's quarter-century quagmire," he said. "Somalia's problems are much bigger than one individual."

Soldiers and members of the security forces at the sharp end of the fight against al Shabaab militants are among the most worryingly demoralised parts of society, constantly complaining that meagre salaries are often delayed or not even paid.

Some remember fondly the new president's period as prime minister, when they say wages were paid on time.

"We never missed one month's salary when Farmajo was prime minister," said Colonel Ali Abdirahman, a senior police officer.

The new president said he planned to get down to work immediately. When he left the airport on Wednesday night, he told cheering crowds to return to the safety of their homes in a city that is often attacked by al Shabaab militants.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  

 

 

 

Somali election: Legislators set to pick new President

After months of delays, some 275 Somali MPs and 72 senators will on Wednesday choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term, or one of his 21 other rivals.

The electioneering process has been marred with corruption and vote-buying, but Somali’s are still hopeful for change, in the most corrupt country in the world according to a 2016 report by Transparency International.

The capital Mogadishu was on security lockdown on Tuesday after an increase in al-Shabab attacks in lead-up the vote.

The government dropped an initial plan to give each adult a vote owing to challenges in securing national polling stations. Instead, about 14,000 clan elders and regional figures chose the 329 lawmakers.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

Somali lawmakers gather at airport to vote for president

 

Somali lawmakers gathered behind the blast walls of the capital's airport on Wednesday to elect their president, after months of delays and following threats from Islamist insurgents bent on derailing the process.

The protracted vote began with 14,000 elders and prominent regional figures choosing 275 members of parliament and 54 senators, who in turn now choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term or one of 21 rivals.

The presidential vote, which was originally slated for August, is due to start at about noon (0900 GMT). It is likely to take several rounds before a winner is declared.

President Mohamud, who has led the country since 2012 in the effort to rebuild after more than two decades of war and chaos, has the support of about a third of lawmakers, experts say, giving him an edge but not a guarantee of victory.

The threat from Islamist al Shabaab rebels, who regularly launch attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere, meant the government and its Western backers scrapped a plan to give each adult a vote due to the challenge of securing polling stations.

Several blasts, probably from mortar bombs, echoed across the seaside capital Mogadishu late on Tuesday. But there were no reports of casualties in the city, which had been subject to a security lock-down in the build up to the vote.

Earlier on Wednesday, the group's militants stormed a hotel in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, further north up the coast, killing four guards. Two attackers also died.

Rival presidential candidates have accused each other of buying the loyalty of lawmakers, drawing furious denials. Anti-corruption group Marqaati says tens of thousands of dollars have been handed to individuals to secure support in the vote.

Western donors, who have often criticised President Mohamud's government for corruption, say the vote is far from perfect but say it marks a modest step forward from 2012 when just 135 elders picked the lawmakers, who chose the president.

The airport, where the vote is taking place, is guarded by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM and is surrounded by high concrete barriers to protect it from attack. U.N. agencies and foreign embassies are located in the compound.

Al Shabaab, which had ruled Somalia for several years, has been slowly driven out of its major strongholds in a campaign by AMISOM and Somali troops. But its fighters continue to launch regular gun and bomb attacks in their bid to topple the government and impose their strict interpretation of Islam.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page

 

 

 

 

In Congo, Tshisekedi's death undermines chances of 2017 transition

The death on Wednesday of Congo's opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi leaves opponents of President Joseph Kabila seriously weakened in their bid to force Kabila to quit power after he defied constitutional term limits to stay on last year.

Democratic Republic of Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power and Kabila's refusal to stand down when his final term expired in December has raised fears the chronically unstable country could slide back into civil war.

Despite his 84 years and failing health, Tshisekedi known as "the Sphinx" for his sparse but profound statements, remained the undisputed leader of the opposition to Kabila. He was expected to head a transitional council to oversee Kabila's exit by the end of this year under a deal struck on Dec. 31.

As hundreds of mourners congregated in front of a hastily-erected, candlelit shrine at his house in the Limete district of the capital, Kinshasa, on Thursday, many said they had little faith that anyone else could carry on his legacy.

Nearby, police fired tear gas at more than a hundred Tshisekedi supporters from his Union for Democracy and Social Progress Party (UDSP) as a nearby vehicle burned, a Reuters witness said.

Tshisekedi founded the party in 1982, creating the first organised opposition party under former leader Mobotu Sese Seko's single-party rule. Many admired him for remaining outside the folds of power in a country where many opponents have cycled in and out of government over the decades.

"He never betrayed the nation," said Rejeton Tshawuke, 35, his eyes misty, speaking over the loud wails of female mourners. "We can't invest hope in just anyone. Many opposition leaders are only interested in money."

In an interview on Thursday, Okello Oryem, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in neighbouring Uganda, told Reuters that the instability almost certain to follow Tshisekedi's death meant there should be no rush to push Kabila out of office in accordance with the December deal.

"There might be a need to examine the whole time agreement," he said.

"(Tshisekedi's death) might cause some ripples and a shaking of the system, hence the need for Kabila to continue holding the country together until such time as things stabilize."

SUCCESSION

Tshisekedi's credibility with an impoverished and frustrated population enabled him to mobilise the masses like no other figure in the country. Tens of thousands lined the streets of Kinshasa last July for his return from two years abroad for medical treatment.

But his critics say he failed to leave in place political structures that could survive him. His absence from Congo touched off bitter infighting within the UDPS.

His son Felix's rapid ascent within the UDPS ranks has led to criticism that the party had become a private family patrimony. He is now tipped to become the next prime minister in a forthcoming power-sharing government.

There are few obvious opposition leaders to assume Tshisekedi's leadership role.

The former governor of Congo's copper-mining region, Moise Katumbi, has consolidated support from several prominent opposition groupings for a planned presidential bid.

However, Katumbi has been in self-imposed exile since May after the government accused him of plotting against the state - charges he denies.

Meanwhile, negotiations on implementing the December deal had already stalled amid wrangling over the composition of the power-sharing government, rendering the prospect of an election by the end the year increasingly remote.

-Africanews

 

AEP

 

Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by Following us on twitter  @africanelection and like our  facebook page