Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu said on Tuesday that he was seeking to re-establish constitutional order to address political and economic problems in neighbouring Niger after a July coup and, welcoming any aid to make the effort fruitful.
Tinubu is the chairman of the main West African bloc ECOWAS, which has been trying to negotiate with the Niger military junta. ECOWAS has said it is ready todeploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail.
In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tinubu chided military coups, which have swept through West Africa in the past few years, a trend some citizens of those countries revel.
According to Reuters, Tinubu said: “The wave crossing parts of Africa does not demonstrate towards coups. It is a demand for solutions to perennial problems,” Tinubu said.
“Regarding Niger, we are negotiating with the military leaders. As chairman of ECOWAS, I seek to help re-establish democratic governance in a manner that addresses the political and economic challenges confronting that nation, including the violent extremists who seek to foment instability in our region.”
The decision by ECOWAS in August to activate a so-called standby force for a possible intervention has raised fears of an escalation that could further destabilize the insurgency-torn Sahel region.
The junta in Niger last month ordered its armed forces to go on highest alert, citing an increased threat of attack.
EU suspends food aid to Somalia amid theft probe
The European Union has confirmed it has temporarily frozen payments to the World Food Programme or WFP for deliveries of humanitarian aid to Somalia.
A spokesman for the European Commission, Balazs Ujvari, said the move was a precautionary measure to safeguard EU funds.
A UN investigation has earlier identified widespread theft of aid intended for vulnerable Somali people, with local officials, members of the security forces and humanitarian workers all involved.
Last year, the European Union spent more than $7m (£5.6m) on WFP operations in Somalia.
The US Agency for International Development says it’s not currently planning to suspend food aid to Somalia, reports the BBC.
Rwanda’s Kagame Says He Will Run For Fourth Term
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said for the first time that he plans to run for a fourth term in elections due to be held next year.
“Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Kagame, who has ruled over the country with an iron fist for decades, told Jeune Afrique, a French-language news magazine, in an interview published online on Tuesday.
The 65-year-old believed Rwandans would continue to support him as he would continue to serve them, as long as he could.
The Rwandan government in March decided to synchronise the dates for its parliamentary and presidential elections, which are due to be held in August next year.
Kagame had previously not made his intentions clear but has presided over controversial constitutional amendments that allowed him to serve a third term.
A former rebel chief, Kagame has been regarded as the country’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide. He won a third term in 2017, taking home nearly 99 percent of the vote.
Son of ousted Gabon leader, Ali Bongo, charged with treason and corruption
Bongo‘s eldest son Noureddin Bongo Valentin and former presidential spokesman Jessye Ella Ekogha, as well as four others close to the deposed leader,have been charged and placed in provisional detention.
According to News Wire, 64, who had ruled the oil-rich central African country since 2009, was ousted by military leaders on August 30, moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election.
The result was branded a fraud by the opposition and the military coup leaders, who have also accused his regime of widespread corruption and bad governance.
On the same day as the coup, soldiers arrested one of Bongo’s sons, five senior cabinet officials and his wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin. National TV showed rolling images of those arrested in front of suitcases filled with cash allegedly seized from their homes.
Kenya’s anti-gay bill proposes 50-year jail term
A proposed anti-gay bill in Kenya wants gays and lesbians jailed for 50 years for non-consensual sex.
Dubbed the Family Protection Bill 2023, the draft law sponsored by Homa Bay Town legislator, Peter Kaluma is recommending a ban on homosexuality, same-sex unions and any LGBTQ activities and campaigns.
It also seeks to prohibit gay parades, assemblies and marches on streets, and cross-dressing in public.
“A person who engages in sexual acts with a person of the same sex without the consent of the other person shall upon conviction be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years and not exceeding 50 years,” the bill read.
Owners of premises used for same-sex relations will pay a fine of $14,000 (£11,000) or face a jail term of seven years if the bill goes through.
Last week, clerics and some civil society organisation groups held anti-LGBTQ protests in the coastal city of Mombasa.
This followed a re-enforcement by Kenya’s Supreme Court of a decision in mid-September to allow the registration of LGBTQ non-governmental organisations.
Kenya’s NGO Coordinating Board BBC learned, had declined to register the National Gay and Lesbian Rights Commission, saying it “promotes same-sex behaviour”, dragging the case for a decade.
The Supreme Court early this year deemed the move discriminatory and unconstitutional hence allowing LGBTQ organisations to register in a landmark ruling.
