Tag: Africa

Africa
Ivory Coast

Côte d’Ivoire elections in atmosphere of repression

Amnesty International called on Côte d’Ivoire authorities to end the repression of peaceful protests ahead of the upcoming presidential elections, following the dispersal of a demonstration by security forces in Abidjan and the arrest of 255 individuals. The Ivorian government’s ban on peaceful assemblies is part of a broader set of measures announced by the National Security Council ahead of the elections later this month. Protesters have repeatedly attempted to defy the ban after the Electoral Commission barred two opposition candidates from running in the race. (Image: David Peterson/Pixabay)

Africa
deportees

West Africans deported by US sue Ghana government

Eleven individuals deported from the US to Ghana filed a lawsuit against the Ghana government, charging that they were illegally held in a military detention camp. The legal action reflects the chaotic fallout following the deportations, which have resulted in deportees being scattered and “dumped” into neighboring African countries. The deportees are of multiple West African nationalities, none of which is Ghanaian. The deportations arose from a “third country deportation” agreement between the US and Ghana earlier this year. Ghana’s parliamentary minority bloc has now called for its suspension, as leaders claim the government entered into the agreement without proper legislative approval. (Photo: Venezuelan deportees in Honduras. Credit: ICE via Wikimedia Commons)

Africa
darfur suspect

ICC convicts ex-militia leader of Darfur war crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC)  convicted Ali Kushayb, a former Sudanese militia chief, on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in massacres and atrocities in Darfur region in 2003 and 2004. Guilty verdicts included for the war crimes of torture, murder and rape, as well as multiple crimes against humanity, including forcible population transfers. The ICC Trial Chamber found that Kushayb, as a senior commander in the Janjaweed militia, led a campaign of atrocities during the Darfur conflict, with witnesses describing razed villages, mass executions, and gang rapes used as a weapon of war. Sentencing will take place at a later date, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. (Photo via Radio Dabanga)

Africa
Darfur

Sudan: ‘roadmap’ to peace —amid escalation to genocide

After months of US-led negotiations, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (the “Quad“) issued a “roadmap to peace” in Sudan, starting with a push for a three-month “humanitarian truce.” However, despite the agreement with the main regional backers of the two sides in the war, fighting continues between the Sudanese armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since the “roadmap” was announced, the RSF has continued to close its ring around El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur state. UN officials have condemned the assault and warned of catastrophic consequences for civilians under siege, facing severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical services. When the RSF offensive was launched earlier this year, a coalition of aid organizations and human rights groups issued a statement finding: “Genocide and atrocity crimes are being committed now in North Darfur. The RSF is engaged in the mass killing of civilians and will likely continue this if/when they reach El Fasher.” (Map via Radio Tamazuj)

Africa
Madagascar

‘Gen Z’ uprisings in Morocco, Madagascar

Youth-led protests demanding better education and healthcare in Morocco escalated into violent clashes with security forces. The protests were organized online by a loose network calling itself “GenZ 212,” after Morocco’s country code. In the southern cities of Tiznit, Inzegane and Ait Amira, as well as the eastern city of Oujda and Temara near the capital Rabat, hundreds of protesters hurled stones at security forces attempting to disperse the gatherings. At least two protesters were killed when police opened fire in Lqliaa, near the coastal city of Agadir. But there was far worse violence in Madagascar, where President Andry Rajoelina announced the dissolution of the government in response to youth protests over power and water shortages. The UN criticized Malagasy authorities’ response to the demonstrations, reporting at least 22 people killed and hundreds injured. The Madagascar demonstrations were also organized under the banner of “Gen Z.” (Photo via Mika R/Twitter. Madagascar protesters use appropriated image from One Piece manga series.)

Africa
Sahel States

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso announce withdrawal from ICC

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso announced that they will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the tribunal of serving “imperial” rather than African interests. The three countries, each governed by military juntas and members of the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), issued a joint declaration stating that they no longer recognize the ICC as a legitimate forum for justice, charging that it has become an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression.” The decision comes amid ongoing security crisis in the Sahel region, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are waging brutal insurgencies, carrying out attacks against civilians as well as security forces. Human rights groups have accused state security forces of committing extrajudicial killings and other serious abuses in counter-terrorism operations. (Image: Wikipedia)

Africa
IS Sahel

Niger: mounting atrocities by ISIS franchise

Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that the armed group Islamic State in the Sahel Province (IS Sahel) is escalating attacks on civilians, reporting that since March the group has illegally executed 127 people in western Niger. HRW documented five armed attacks by the group in Tillabéri region during that time frame. The group killed 70 worshipers at a mosque in a mass execution in June. In May, IS Sahel attacked villages and burned at least a dozen homes, the report found. HRW stated that these attacks constituted war crimes. (Photo: Aharan Kotogo via Wikimedia Commons)

Africa
Mali

UN rights chief warns of growing repression in Mali

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned of a deteriorating rights situation in Mali amid a growing atmosphere of repression. The high commissioner urged the military junta to promptly rescind legal changes that have “slammed the door shut” on a return to democratic rule, and called for the unconditional release of all wrongly detained persons. Türk stated: “The laws enacted in recent months risk undermining respect for human rights in Mali for a protracted period. I urge the transitional authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to revoke the problematic laws.” (Map: PCL)

Africa
DRC

DRC prosecutor seeks execution of Kabila for M23 ties

The public prosecutor of the Democratic Republic of Congo requested the death penalty for former president Joseph Kabila during proceedings before the High Military Court in Kinshasa. Kabila, who governed the country from 2001 to 2019, is being tried in absentia on charges of treason and war crimes for his alleged ties to the M23 rebel group, which has waged a long-running insurgency in the country. He has consistently denied the allegations. (Map: PCL)

Watching the Shadows
Orwell

Podcast: Trump for War-is-Peace Prize

In Donald Trump’s perverse ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he is citing his supposed diplomatic victories in ending six conflicts: Armenia-Azerbaijan, Congo-Rwanda, Israel-Iran, India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia and Egypt-Ethiopia. In Episode 292 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines each of these examples, and breaks down how claims to have won “peace” are either extremely overstated or (more often) total Orwellian jive. The implication that Russia-Ukraine will be next, as Putin escalates his aggression, puts a hideous crown on the irony. (Image via Twitter)

Africa
Cameroon

France admits legacy of colonial violence in Cameroon

French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, in which he officially acknowledged his country’s use of repressive violence before, during and after Cameroon’s struggle for independence. Macron stated that the historians of the Franco-Cameroonian Commission studied the war that began in 1956, finding that colonial authorities and the French army carried out a campaign of attacks against the Cameroonian populace. He added that the war continued after Cameroonian independence in 1960, with France supporting state repression in a post-independence power struggle that lasted through 1971. This comes in sharp contrast to France’s previous denial of its atrocities during the Cameroon war, despite established historical consensus. Macron has also acknowledged French responsibility in the Rwandan Genocide and war crimes during the Algerian War, making this most recent acknowledgment the latest chapter in a careful and calculated move toward admission of France’s violent colonial and neo-colonia history in Africa. (Image: Wikipedia)