Politics

Push for East African confederation strengthens as Kenya digs in

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2023

The clamour for an East African confederation might be coming through soon as Kenya, a regional powerhouse, has reiterated its commitment to its realization.

Kenya’s President, William Ruto, had pledged $1 million to help speed up the process for the drafting of the constitution and have it available by the end of 2024.

“We should work together and collapse all the boundaries for the sake of integration.

“East Africans want to live together and do business regardless of national boundaries. The EAC partner states should therefore endeavour to catch up with them and factualise the political confederation as fast as possible,” said President Ruto.

Consultations were launched in Mombasa last month by the Committee of Constitutional Experts for Drafting the EAC Political Federation Constitution spearheaded by a regional team of law experts, led by former Ugandan Chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki, and former attorney general, Amos Wako.

Wako, in an interview, revealed that “when we listened to their views, there was nobody who was opposed to greater political social and economic integration. They were all supporting of a political confederation. They were all supportive to the confederation. In fact, some were saying we should not waste too much time on the confederation. We should just go straight to a federation.”

It is reported that Kenyans want an EAC that would be led by a commission similar to that of the European Union, rather than a secretariat. Others wanted the EAC to proceed to a political federation.

On his part, Justice Odoki noted that political federation required an organization where there would be a centre of authority among independent institutions to strengthen direction of control at the top. “Basically, that is what we are looking at but not in the form in which we weren’t selected to be”, he said.

An East African confederation would be a political arrangement where the federal government (the EAC) would be accountable to the member states— the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.