Category: #newsinsouthafrica

Poor planning, a lack of objectives and insufficient funding have hobbled President Felix Tshisekedi’s pledge to end the bloodshed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a confidential parliamentary report seen by Reuters on Friday.

In May the government replaced civilian administrations in North Kivu and Ituri provinces with police and military figures in a bid to improve decades of security issues in the mineral-rich region.

Since May civilians have been killed at the same rate as before, reaching more than 1 000 this week, according to data compiled by the Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in the region.

Compiled by the National Assembly’s Defence and Security Commission, the report found killings, rapes, and robberies have intensified in affected areas since the martial law was established in the two provinces in May.

Spokespeople for the government and army were not immediately available to comment.

Based on interviews with five senior ministers, including defence and finance, the report said the army’s request for $596 million to implement the state of siege, more than double its annual budget, was met by an initial disbursement of just $33 million.

More than half of the money was spent in the army headquarters in Kinshasa, with another 12% on salary arrears.

“The proclamation of a state of siege was not underpinned by strategic action-planning,” the report said.

“It was done without a substantial and coherent financial package, without defining military objectives, and without a timetable of strategic actions,” it said.

Other problems cited by the report included the lack of equipment and transport, ghost soldiers, a worrying human rights situation, corruption, illegal road blocks demanding “taxes of the state of siege”, and a lack of collaboration with local communities.

The report, which was submitted on September 29, said 273 soldiers have been killed and 111 injured since May, revealing for the first time the human toll on the army.

Violence has remained endemic along Congo’s border with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi since the official end of the civil war in 2003, but security issues have intensified in the past two years.

 

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A convoy transporting staff and contractors for Iamgold’s Essakane gold mine in northern Burkina Faso was attacked on Friday, and two people were still unaccounted for, the Canadian mining company said.

Iamgold said the incident involved 33 people in three buses, and three supply trucks travelling on the road from Dori, approximately 12 kilometres from the Essakane mine.

“The Essakane mine site remains secure and activities are not disrupted. The company does not expect this incident to have a material negative impact on production,” it said in a statement.

It added that the search for the missing two was continuing.

Another Iamgold convoy was attacked on its way to Essakane in September, causing the company to temporarily suspend convoys.

Islamist militants carry out frequent raids in the area, which lies near the borders with Mali and Niger.

Essakane, the company’s biggest operating mine produced 364 000 ounces of gold in 2020, more than half the miner’s overall production.

 

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Opponents of a military coup in Sudan have called for nationwide protests on Saturday to demand the restoration of a civilian-led government to put the country back on a path to democracy after decades of authoritarian rule.

Thousands of Sudanese have already taken to the streets this week against the coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who dissolved Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s cabinet in a coup that has led Western states to freeze hundreds of millions in aid.

With at least 11 protesters killed in clashes with security forces this week, opponents of the junta fear a full-blown crackdown and more bloodshed.

“The army should go back to its barracks and give the leadership to Hamdok,” said an activist who gave his name as Mohamed, who plans to protest. “Our demand is a civilian country, a democratic country, nothing less than that.”

The United States, which is calling for the restoration of the civilian-led government, said how the army reacts on Saturday will be a test of its intentions.

“We call on the security forces to refrain from any and all violence against protesters and to fully respect the citizens’ right to demonstrate peacefully,” said a senior State Department official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity.

With internet and phone lines restricted by the authorities,opponents of the coup have sought to mobilise for the protest using fliers, SMS messages, graffiti, and neighbourhood rallies.

Neighbourhood-based resistance committees, active since the uprising against deposed President Omar al-Bashir that began in December 2018, have been central to organising despite the arrests of key politicians.

Bashir, who ran Sudan for nearly three decades, was deposed by the army following months of protests against his rule.

Khartoum committee activist Hussam Ibnauf said the protest date had been well-advertised and he was confident of a big turnout.

“Everyone on the street … they know about October 30. If they know, the rest is easy,” he said.

There was now “no fear factor”, he said.

NO DEBT RELIEF

Burhan has said he removed the cabinet to avert civil war after civilian politicians stoked hostility to the armed forces.

He says he is still committed to a democratic transition, including elections in July 2023.

Hamdok, an economist, was initially held at Burhan’s residence when soldiers rounded up the government on Monday, but was allowed to return home under guard on Tuesday.

The US State Department official said he was, however, still under house arrest and unable to resume his work.

The US official said tens of billions of dollars of debt relief sought by Sudan would not happen as long as the army was attempting to direct Sudan unilaterally.

The United States and the World Bank have already frozen assistance to Sudan, where an economic crisis has seen shortages of basic goods including food and medicine and where nearly a third of the population are in need of urgent humanitarian support.

Several mediation efforts have emerged but there has been no sign of progress towards a compromise.

Western states are not looking to engage with the military or mediate any negotiation until detainees are released and the army shows commitment to power-sharing as set out in a transitional constitutional declaration, a Western diplomat said.

Many Sudanese opponents of the coup oppose a compromise with an army of which they are deeply mistrustful following several coups since independence in 1956.

Friction had been mounting between the civilian government and the army leading up to the latest takeover.

One point of tension had been the pursuit of justice for alleged atrocities in Darfur in the 2000s, with the International Criminal Court asking Sudan to hand over Bashir.

“All those who accept or participate in dialogue with the military do not have the street’s support,” the Sudanese Professionals Association said in a statement, demanding full handover of power to civilians.

Magdi El Gizouli, a political analyst, said Burhan’s calculation is that he can suppress the opposition by force if needed, while counting on the backing of people who crave stability.

While it was important the army avoid violence on Saturday, Burhan’s opponents must make realistic demands, he added.

Amnesty International said the Sudanese authorities must stop the security forces from using unnecessary force.

“Sudan’s military leaders … must make no mistake about it: the world is watching and will not tolerate further bloodshed,”Amnesty said in a statement.

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