Politics

Cape Verde: President Neves insists on discussions over colonial reparations

Published

3 months ago

June 6, 2024

The President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves, acknowledged that the emergence of right-wing populism has complicated the serious discussion surrounding colonial reparations, but maintained that this should not prevent countries from holding these discussions behind closed doors.

In a Wednesday online interview with the news site Brasil Já, Neves stated that discussing reparations in the “public arena” might exacerbate political polarization in nations like Portugal, the previous colonizer of Cape Verde, where the far-right is becoming more and more popular.

“We see extremist, xenophobic, anti-immigration groups growing in former colonising powers,” Neves said. “There are no political conditions to publicly discuss these questions at the moment.

“But among governments, it is necessary to discuss these matters.”

He added that there were “diplomatic corridors” that could be utilized in place of encouraging the formation of these kinds of organizations, saying it was feasible to “build solutions” for talks to occur.

When questioned by Reuters in April, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that his nation was accountable for crimes during the colonial era and transatlantic slavery and implied that reparations were necessary. His remarks provoked heated criticism from right-wing parties and a national conversation.

For more than 400 years, Portuguese ships abducted around six million Africans, forced them across the Atlantic, and sold them into chattel slavery, mostly in Brazil. Before sending police officers to Haiti, President William Ruto of Kenya conferred with foreign leaders, security experts, and political advisors.

During the Portuguese colonial era, Portugal ruled over nations including Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor, and certain Asian provinces. Among other reasons, reparations opponents contend that modern states and institutions shouldn’t be held accountable for their history.

Opponents of reparations argue, among other things, that contemporary governments and institutions shouldn’t be held responsible for historical slavery. Proponents contend that action is required to address the legacy of slavery on disadvantaged groups because states are still profiting today from the wealth accumulated by hundreds of years of labour without pay.

The concept of paying reparations or further atonement for transatlantic slavery has gained support worldwide, despite ongoing heated discussion.

Related Topics:Cape Verde Featured Reparation

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Politics

Tunisia: Presidential contender Zammel remains in detention despite being legally discharged

Published

1 day ago

September 6, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

After being arrested on Monday, and his release ordered by a judge on Thursday, Tunisian presidential contender, Ayachi Zammel, remained in custody as of Friday, his campaign staff reported.

Zammel is one of three candidates approved by Tunisia’s electoral commission for an Oct. 6 presidential election that opposition sources allege is rigged for President Kais Saied.

Authorities accuse him of electoral irregularities.

He was reportedly released from police custody for the first time before being re-arrested. But he remained in prison Friday, his campaign staff told Reuters. Mahadi Abdel Jawed: “Zammel was arrested minutes after his release last night.”

For next month’s election, he’s accused of fraudulent voter forms. All candidates must submit 10,000 supporter forms to run. He denies accusations.

Zammel says he is restricted and intimidated since he is a serious Saied competitor. He promises democracy, liberties, and economic recovery for Tunisia.

Saied was democratically elected in 2019, but he took power by fiat in 2021, which the opposition called a coup.

Major political forces argue that Saied’s rule has damaged Tunisia’s 2011 revolution’s democratic accomplishments.

Human rights groups and opposition parties have accused the government of employing arbitrary limitations to re-elect Saied.

Presidential elections in Tunisia are scheduled for October 6, 2024. These are the first presidential elections since President Kais Saied’s 2021 coup attempt.

Politics

Burundi launches much-awaited demographic census

Published

3 days ago

September 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Burundi’s National Census of the Population, Housing, Agriculture, and Livestock has begun as President Evariste Ndayishimiye urged citizens to provide accurate information to aid in project development.

The president of state urged Burundians and foreigners living in Burundi to be counted and to be truthful with information.

“Everyone must know that this census is important for the country and the population. Based on this census, we will be able to get the right state of the country, and its economic situation, and enable us to make good project plans, because it is difficult to plan for the future without knowing the current situation. I call on residents of Burundi to respond truthfully and honestly in the questionnaire because wrong information may hinder project planning,” the President said.

Census personnel, supervised by the president of the Central Bureau of the Census, Nicolas Ndayishimiye, registered President Ndayishimiye and his family at their home on Mt Vugizo in Bujumbura’s Kiriri Quarter.

Vice-President Prosper Bazombanza and his family also participated in the exercise on Monday, and he echoed the President’s message, adding that accurate data would aid in the design of education and other social services.

However, this year’s count has presented complications, with enumerators reporting difficulty locating certain residents due to abandoned homesteads.

The agents are also dealing with travel and accommodation issues as a result of delays in the disbursement of their allowances, and many have had to walk great distances during the day to reach residential neighbourhoods.

In a news briefing last week, Central Bureau of Census Director Nicolas Ndayishimiye stated that the government has set aside BIF66 billion ($22.85 million) to fund the activities, with the World Bank pledging an additional $6.5 million.

Burundi’s last population and housing census was done in 2008. The ongoing exercise is scheduled to end on September 15.

Since its independence in 1962, Burundi has undertaken three censuses: in 1979, 1990, and 2008. The country now has five provinces: Gitega, the political capital; Bujumbura, the economic capital; and Butanyera, Buhumuza, and Burunga.