Africa

Photo: Mali soldiers being trained by the Wagener Group. Source: Middle East Online.

Russian Mercenaries May Have Also Killed Hundreds of Africans

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Wagner Group, a Kremlin-affiliated private military contractor, is playing a central role in the rising levels of violence against civilians across Africa, especially in the Central African Republic and Mali, according to records newly seen by The New York Times.

The Wagner Group, which has been accused of committing human rights atrocities, is said to also have operations in Libya, Mozambique, Syria, Sudan and Venezuela, according to the Jerusalem Post.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 05 September 2022

Photo source: Global Information Network

Growing Anger Over Soaring Prices in South Africa

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | PRETORIA (IDN) — "We cannot breathe, comrades. We cannot breathe when today it costs more than $277 to buy food for a family of just four people. No!"

That was Moalusi Tumane, a schoolteacher in Palm Ridge, east of Johannesburg, speaking to some 1,000 workers who marched last week to the seat of government in South Africa’s capital Pretoria to protest the country’s soaring cost of living, including record-high fuel prices and more expensive basic foods.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 August 2022

Photo: Freetown street protest. Source: France24

High Prices Spark Rare Street Disturbance in Sierra Leone

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | FREETOWN (IDN) — The crisis of inflation taking a toll on the poor and middle class has spread to Sierra Leone, where rare protests shook the capital of Freetown.

Workers have been clearing broken glass from downtown restaurants. “It was an explosion of violence,” said Mohamed Sillah of the damage inflicted on his and other buildings. “We don’t usually see this in Sierra Leone but we are in tough times.”

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 August 2022

Photo: TICAD8 participating heads of delegations pose for the official family photo. TICAD Tunisia.

Japan Strengthens African Ties with Generous Pledge of Investment

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — African heads of state and a Japanese delegation are meeting to discuss “African-led” development at a meeting in Tunisia. Financial aid was discussed.

Tunisian President Kais Saied welcomed the participants to the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development—or TICAD— from August 27-28 in Tunis, where Japan promised $30 billion in investment in African aid to be delivered over three years, with smaller amounts also available for African food security.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 August 2022

Photo: Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate justice activist. CC BY-SA 4.0

A ‘Rousing Manifesto and Poignant Memoir’

Ugandan Activist’s New Book

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — A young climate activist from Uganda about to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, faced one final indignity from western media when they staged a photo op of her with her white climate colleagues and then clipped her out of the final shot.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 29 August 2022

Photo source: United States Institute of Peace

Electoral Epic Of “Hustler Vs. Dynasty” in Kenya

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — One of the ironies of politics is how easily fiction becomes reality, and reality, precedent. Before our eyes, the president-elect of Kenya, William Ruto, who has played all sides of Kenya’s politics for at least three decades, has just won an election by claiming to be an outsider.

Ruto’s electoral epic of “hustler vs. dynasty” appears to have wiped off all memory of his 30-year involvement in the good and bad of Kenya’s politics. This legend won him a razor-thin victory over Raila Odinga in the August 9 presidential election.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 August 2022

Newly Elected Kenyan Leader Ends Voting by Tribe, Analysts Say

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Is the two-party system a thing of the past? Low voter turnout in the US seems to reflect disenchantment with a single choice between Democrats and Republicans. Kenya is no different.

This month, Kenyans tossed the traditional toss-up between the Luo and Kikuyu ethnic groups to choose William Samoei Ruto, a Kalenjin. His party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and its allies, took the political experts by surprise when he easily won all nine governorships of Mount Kenya—once considered a sure bet for a Luo.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 August 2022

Photo: Somalia's Al-Shabab. Source: Inside Arabia (Jan 23, 2019)

Militants Take Lives at Somali Hotel as US Special Ops Deploy in Somalia

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Government forces say they have put down a siege at the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu that began on August 19 and has reportedly left over 20 casualties. It is the largest siege in the country since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president in May.

The Hayat is an upscale hotel frequented by government officials, elders and people from the diaspora community. The director of Mogadishu’s main trauma hospital, Mohamed Abdirahman Jama, said the facility was treating at least 40 people wounded in the hotel attack and a separate mortar strike on another area of the capital.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 August 2022

Photo: Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame (Hadrawi) in 2018 against the backdrop of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Somali’s Shakespeare Passes After A Long Illness

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, better known by his pen name Hadrawi, has passed away in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, after a long illness, according to family members. He was 79.

“We have lost an icon in Somali literature," President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said. "A man whom we will remember for his role in peace-building and conflict resolution, building the mindset of many Somalis through his wisdom and poems for the betterment and the unity of Somalis.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 August 2022

Photo: King of Amazulu nation Misuzulu kaZwelithini (centre) pictured during his coronation at the royal palace in Kwa-Nongoma, some 300 km north of Durban, on August 20, 2022. © Phill Magakoe, AFP

Son Of 'Goodwill Zwelithini' Ascends to Zulu Royal Throne

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — In the traditional ceremonies of the Zulu people, Misuzulu Zulu, 47, was crowned the new king of the country’s richest and most influential traditional monarchy.

Thousands of people gathered at the Zulu royal palace in South Africa to witness the ceremony.

Misuzulu Zulu ascended to the throne once held by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini. The ceremonies were partially overshadowed by a bitter succession dispute.