Politics

Following Mali’s lead, President Tshisekedi wants UN peacekeeping mission to leave Congo DR

Published

3 months ago

September 21, 2023

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi has requested for withdrawal of a key UN peacekeeping mission that has been in the nation for nearly 25 years.

Tshisekedi made the call during his address at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. “It is time for our country to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability,” the president said.

For years, discussions over the future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have focused on the UN Stabilization Mission in the country (Monusco) which has been the subject of controversy and populist rhetoric in the Central African country.

Tshisekedi said that the mission of some 15,000 peacekeepers “has not succeeded in confronting the rebellions and armed conflicts… nor in protecting the civilian populations.”

He added that it was “illusory and counterproductive to continue to cling to the maintenance of Monusco to restore peace.”

Several assaults and protests against the UN mission in the nation have taken place. In a crackdown on an anti-UN protest in eastern DR Congo in August, about 50 people were killed.

“The acceleration of the withdrawal of Monusco becomes absolutely necessary to ease tensions,” said Tshisekedi

With a budget of nearly $1 billion annually, the UN peacekeeping mission in the East African region, which has been operational since 1999, is one of the biggest and most expensive in the world.

However, in the DRC, it is widely believed that the peacekeepers have failed to stop the conflict, and the UN faces harsh criticism because the political and security environment has deteriorated sharply, creating a severe humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the country.

There appears to be a growing wave of anti-UN peacekeeping forces in some countries of Africa. Mail had earlier asked the UN to end its mission in the country and withdraw, a request the UN honoured, ending the MINUSMA mission in the country.

Related Topics:Congo DR Featured President Felix Tshisekedi

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Politics

Seychelles declares emergency following explosion, flooding

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Officials in the Seychelles have confirmed that a blast at an explosives store wrecked buildings and caused massive damage to an industrial zone.

The explosion has prompted the president, Wavel Ramkalawan, to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.

The president called for a minute of silence on Thursday after telling reporters that the blast rocked the island and caused flooding due to heavy rains. Three people died as a result.

National television footage showed streets strewn with uprooted trees buried in deep mud and covered in debris.

“Following an explosion at the CCCL explosives store that has caused massive damage to the Providence Industrial area and the surrounding areas and major destruction caused by flooding due to heavy rains, the President has declared a state of emergency for today, December 7th,” President Wavel Ramkalawan’s office said in a statement.

“Everyone is being asked to stay at home. All schools will be closed. Only workers in the essential services and persons travelling will be allowed free movement.”

Tourists can still use the international airport and the ferries that travel between the islands, according to the government’s official social media.

Comprising 115 islands, the Seychelles is the least populous country in Africa, home to only 100,000 people.

Politics

Mauritania: Ex-president Abdel Aziz jailed for 5 years

Published

3 days ago

December 5, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

A former president of Mauritania , Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been found guilty, and sentenced frollowokg a trial.

He was arraigned on money laundering and “illicit enrichment” charges.

Abdel Aziz was on Tuesday sentenced to five years in prison for the offences which were said to have been committed during his decade-long reign as the leader of the West African country. He was found guilty of two of the ten charges against him by the court late on Monday, after it looked into claims of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.

However, some of Abdel Aziz’s associates who had also been on trial, including two former prime ministers, were acquitted.

The decision was described as “a political verdict targeting a man and his family” by one of his solicitors, but his conviction, according to the prosecution, was historic.

Although Abdel Aziz was succeeded in 2019 by a political ally, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who remains president, his government however quickly came under scrutiny over actions, including deals on offshore oil projects.

Abdel Aziz’s conviction is the biggest against high profile public servants in the country. The former military leader has the option of appealing his sentence at the Supreme Court.

According to Transparency International, Mauritania scored 30 points out of 100 on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. The country averaged 28.00 points from 2006 until 2022, reaching an all-time high of 31.00 Points in 2006, having hit a record low of 23.00 Points in 2010.