News From Around The Motherland.

Hi there! Here are the top African news making headlines from week 41 of the year 2024

• Fighting In The West Gojjam Zone Of Ethiopia's Amhara Region.
• Ethiopia's First Female President Resigns Following Tensions With Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
• Kenya’s Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, Impeached!
• Kenyan President And Haiti's Prime Minister Advocate For Support For Haiti Peace Mission.
• Mozambique Ruling Party Expected To Win Elections Described As Rigged.
• The United States Has Sanctioned The Brother Of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, The RSF Leader.

HEADLINE NEWS

Ethiopia.

Fighting In The West Gojjam Zone Of Ethiopia's Amhara Region.

The West Gojjam zone of Ethiopia's Amhara region has been gripped by intense armed conflict, with heavy weaponry being used in clashes between government forces and Fano militants. The fighting began early last week, with residents of Finote Selam reporting relentless artillery bombardment until Fano forces briefly withdrew on October 5, 2024. However, the respite was short-lived as Fano militants launched a renewed offensive to reclaim the city. Locals fear for civilian safety amid ongoing urban warfare, with many confined to their homes as both sides continue to engage in heavy fighting. Other areas in the region, including Bure, Jiga, and Tilili in Agew Awi Zone, have also been affected by the conflict, with reports of gunfire and heavy weapons use.

The conflict, part of a broader struggle that has affected the region for over 14 months, intensified after Fano militants called for a suspension of all transportation activities across the Amhara region starting on October 3. Despite efforts by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Amhara regional government to describe their operations as "law enforcement" measures aimed at restoring peace, clashes continue to cause civilian casualties, including a recent heavy weapons attack near Gondar City that killed at least 20 people. The situation remains tense as both sides engage in fierce battles across multiple zones in the Amhara region.

Ethiopia's First Female President Resigns Following Tensions With Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Ethiopia's first female president, Sahle-Work Zewde, has resigned just days before the end of her term, following reported tensions with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Appointed in 2018 as a symbol of gender equality in Ethiopian politics, Sahle-Work's resignation signals a disillusionment with the country's leadership. Taye Astike Selassie, a former foreign minister and close ally of Abiy, was swiftly confirmed as her successor in the largely ceremonial role.

While Sahle-Work’s presidency was seen as groundbreaking, her relationship with Abiy became strained over time. She had remained silent on key national issues, including gender-based violence during the Tigray conflict, which led to criticism. In a social media post, she hinted at her dissatisfaction, stating that she had been quiet for the past year. Sources close to the 74-year-old revealed that she had been unhappy and was anticipating the end of her tenure. Critics argue that despite her calls for peace, she did not speak out enough against ongoing violence in regions like Oromia and Amhara.

Sudan.

The Sudan Neighbourhood Kitchens Endorsed For Nobel Peace Prize For Efforts In Combating Hunger.

Sudan's capital, Khartoum, is teetering on the brink of famine, with over 90,000 people facing catastrophic hunger levels (IPC5), meaning they are at risk of starvation. The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up efforts by partnering with grassroots community kitchens in Khartoum to provide daily hot meals. These neighbourhood kitchens have been vital for residents throughout the ongoing conflict but have struggled with inconsistent funding and resources. By supporting 110 community kitchens with plans to expand to 138, WFP aims to provide 100,000 meals daily in areas like Bahri, Jebel Awlia, and Khartoum. This partnership highlights WFP’s commitment to supporting local initiatives and addressing urgent food needs in the city.

In addition to hot meals, WFP is exploring digital cash transfers to provide food assistance in areas where traditional aid methods are inaccessible. They launched an online self-registration initiative, receiving a significant response, and plan to pilot digital cash transfers soon. Meanwhile, after months of waiting for safe-passage guarantees, WFP successfully delivered over 1,200 metric tons of food assistance to 100,000 people in Karrari and Omdurman and nutritional supplements to 50,000 children and mothers. WFP also delivered critical aid to hunger hotspots in South Kordofan State, helping over 120,000 internally displaced people.

Kenya.

Kenya’s Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, Impeached!

Kenya’s Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, has been impeached following a vote in the National Assembly, where 281 MPs supported the motion citing 11 charges, including corruption. Speaker Moses Wetangula announced that 44 MPs opposed the motion, and one abstained. Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse sponsored the motion. Despite the impeachment, Gachagua will continue to perform his duties until the Senate reviews the charges.

Speaker Wetangula will notify Senate Speaker Amason Kingi of the resolution within two days. The Senate must then convene within seven days to either appoint a special committee to investigate the allegations or vote directly on the impeachment. If the committee is formed, it has 10 days to report its findings. Gachagua has the right to appear and defend himself during the process. If the Senate finds any charges substantiated and two-thirds vote in favour, Gachagua will be removed from office.

Kenyan President And Haiti's Prime Minister Advocate For Support For Haiti Peace Mission.

Kenyan President William Ruto and Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille called on international partners to honour their commitments to the U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission in Haiti to combat gang violence. The mission, led by Kenya, has so far deployed nearly 400 officers, with a small contingent from Jamaica, but falls short of the 2,500 personnel pledged by other nations. Ruto announced that Kenya would send 600 more officers next month. However, the mission’s funding, currently at $68 million out of $85 million pledged, will run out by March 2025.

Prime Minister Conille emphasized the need for more resources and personnel to support the Kenyan-led force and stressed that the fight against gangs in Haiti is "winnable." The rise in gang violence, which escalated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, has led to increased civilian vigilante actions as gangs control much of the capital. The U.N. recently extended the mission's mandate, though it stopped short of transforming it into a formal peacekeeping mission.

Egypt.

Egypt Strengthens Ties With Somalia To Ethiopia's Dismay.

Somalia has welcomed Egypt’s offer to deploy peacekeeping troops as part of a new security partnership, just as the mandate for the long-standing African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) nears its end in December. The offer from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi came during a summit in Asmara, Eritrea, where leaders from Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea pledged cooperation on regional security. Somalia's federal government has relied on AMISOM troops since 2007 in its fight against the al-Shabab extremist group, and it now looks to the new African Union Mission to Support Stabilization in Somalia (AUSSOM) to maintain security moving forward.

The summit's outcomes come amid regional tensions involving Ethiopia. One dispute concerns Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, which Egypt fears could disrupt its water supply. The other dispute concerns Ethiopia’s efforts to gain access to the Red Sea through a controversial agreement with Somalia’s breakaway region, Somaliland, which Ethiopia seeks to recognize as independent in exchange for coastline access. Somalia opposes this, as it still claims Somaliland as part of its territory.

South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa Will Not Face Criminal Charges Related To Hidden $580,000.

After a two-year investigation, South African prosecutors announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa will not face criminal charges related to the discovery of $580,000 in U.S. banknotes hidden in a couch at his Phala Phala game farm. The scandal came to light in 2022 when former national security chief Arthur Fraser accused Ramaphosa of attempting to cover up the theft of the money, allegedly to evade foreign currency laws. Fraser also claimed that Ramaphosa's security team had tracked, kidnapped, and bribed the thieves to keep quiet.

Ramaphosa, who admitted the theft but denied any wrongdoing, maintained that the cash came from the legitimate sale of buffaloes. The prosecutors stated that their decision not to press charges followed a "comprehensive investigation." The scandal, dubbed "Farmgate," led to opposition attempts to impeach Ramaphosa, but his African National Congress party blocked the motion. Ramaphosa was also cleared by the South African Reserve Bank and an independent watchdog.

Morocco.

King Mohammed VI Reaffirmed Morocco’s Commitment To Resolving The Western Sahara Dispute.

King Mohammed VI reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to resolving the Western Sahara dispute, emphasizing its central role in the country’s foreign policy. In a speech to parliament, he lauded recent diplomatic successes, including support from the U.S., Spain, and France for Morocco’s autonomy plan over the region. The king thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for backing Morocco’s sovereignty, marking a shift in France’s position. This comes as the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, continues to seek legal challenges to Morocco's claims, including a recent European Court of Justice ruling invalidating EU-Morocco deals involving Western Sahara.

Morocco has garnered growing international support, including backing from 18 EU member states and various African and Middle Eastern nations. The king also highlighted key infrastructure projects, such as a new Atlantic port and a pipeline from Nigeria, aimed at enhancing Morocco's influence in Africa and the Atlantic. He framed these efforts as strategic steps to strengthen Morocco’s position as a regional power. Mohammed VI made a rare public appearance during the speech, accompanied by his brother and son, Prince Moulay Hassan, the heir to the throne.

Mozambique.

Mozambique Ruling Party Expected To Win Elections Described As Rigged.

Mozambique's ruling Frelimo party is expected to win the recent elections, but opposition parties and election observers have raised serious allegations of electoral fraud. Venancio Mondlane, an independent presidential candidate, claims he is the victim of "election rigging of the highest order" and has denounced the results, which show him in second place behind Frelimo's candidate, Daniel Chapo. Mondlane's accusations are echoed by Renamo, the traditional opposition party, which reported irregularities such as missing voter names, sabotage of the power supply during vote counting, and pre-filled ballots in Frelimo's favour. These claims have led to calls for an independent investigation.

Renamo, which once fought a civil war against Frelimo, has seen its support erode, with analysts predicting that Mondlane's candidacy could push Renamo into third place, behind Mondlane's newly-formed Podemos party. Further irregularities were reported, including allegations that Zimbabweans, illegally registered as Mozambican voters, were urged to vote for Frelimo by Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party. Zimbabwean media has corroborated these claims, with reports of hundreds of Zanu-PF supporters participating in Mozambique's elections. Despite these accusations, Frelimo representatives maintain that the elections were transparent and fair.

WORLD HEADLINES.

The United States Has Sanctioned The Brother Of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, The RSF Leader.

The United States has imposed Sanctions on Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa, a senior leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), for his role in supplying weapons for the ongoing 17-month war that has claimed more than 20,000 lives and devastated Sudan. Algoney, the brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, controls Tradive General Trading LLC, a UAE-based front company that imported vehicles into Sudan for the RSF. These vehicles were retrofitted with machine guns, contributing to the violence, including the siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

The U.S. Department of Treasury emphasized that Algoney’s actions have directly fueled the conflict, despite international efforts by the U.S., U.N., and African Union to negotiate peace. As a result of the sanctions, all of Algoney's assets within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and any entities he controls are also subject to these restrictions. This is part of broader U.S. efforts to curb violence in Sudan, including last year’s visa restrictions on officials from the Sudanese army and RSF and sanctions against key defence companies. The conflict has displaced over 13 million people and is marked by widespread atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the U.N.

IMF Director Advocates For Greater Representation For Africa.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasized the need for greater representation of Africa within the organization during an interview with DW at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. Georgieva announced that the IMF will add board members from sub-Saharan Africa to its governing body starting November 1, a move aimed at giving the continent a stronger voice in global financial decision-making. She highlighted the region’s vast potential, particularly its youthful population and talent. She stressed that supporting Africa’s economic growth is vital for the continent and the global economy.

Georgieva also addressed Africa’s growing debt crisis, exacerbated by infrastructure investments and the pandemic. She outlined the IMF’s approach, including providing liquidity through special drawing rights, promoting debt restructuring for countries like Chad, Ghana, and Zambia, and delivering debt relief during COVID-19. She underscored the importance of balancing fiscal discipline with growth and poverty reduction, noting that the IMF's primary goal is stability as a foundation for sustainable development.

African Personality Of The Week

Samson Dauda.

Samson Dauda, born in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 11, 1992, transitioned from rugby to bodybuilding after moving to the UK. Earning his IFBB Pro card in 2017, Dauda rose in the bodybuilding ranks and secured his first professional victory in 2021. By 2024, he achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first bodybuilder of Nigerian descent to win the prestigious Mr. Olympia title.

Nigerian-born Samson Dauda won the 2024 Mr. Olympia title in Las Vegas, earning a record-breaking $600,000 prize. Dauda, now based in the UK, also earned the People’s Champion title, defeating Hadi Choopan and 2023 champion Derek Lunsford.

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