Politics

Sudan shuts down internet, imposes lockdown Khartoum on October 25 coup anniversary

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2022

The Sudanese military authorities have shut down internet services as well as imposing a total lockdown on the capital, Khartoum, as the country marks the anniversary of the October 25 coup that toppled the transitional government of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

The announcement which was contained in a government bulletin released on Tuesday, also declared a declared an official holiday in all government and private institutions while the authorities deployed reinforcements from the army and police in the central Khartoum area.

The measure was to forestall planned processions against military rule which the country has been facing every week since October 25 last year.

According to a human rights watchdog in the country, Net Blocks, most parts of the capital began experiencing internet disruption very early on Tuesday before the announcement was even made.

“Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale internet disruption in Sudan.

“The incident comes amid planned pro-democracy protests on the first anniversary of the 25 Oct 2021 military coup that seized power from the transitional government,” the watchdog tweeted.

In a statement, the watchdog said the military authorities also closed all roads leading to the Presidential Palace and the General Command of the Army, the headquarters of the military.

“The authorities also announced the closure of all Nile bridges linking the central Khartoum area with the rest of the cities of the state, except for the Soba and Halfaya bridges,” it added.

In the statement published by state-owned news agency, the Khartoum State Security Committee, said it was keen “to protect the participants in peaceful processions and marches that express the will of the youth,” but noted that “the security services is working to save the lives and property of citizens.”

Sudan has been faced with a series of political crises since the coup as the country has not had a formal government with the current military junta led by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, facing almost a daily dose of protests by youths and civil society groups opposed to the coup.

His bid to re-form a transitional government have fallen through as civilian movements reject any role for the military in the transitional government with only one demand which is for him to quit and the country returned to democratic rule.

In his first address after the coup, Al-Burhan had promised to “form a government of independent technocrats, achieve the requirements of justice and transition, and form a constitution-drafting commission.”

He also pledged to form an electoral commission, a council of the high judiciary, a constitutional court, and a parliament, and set the end of the month following the coup, last November.

But he has neither fulfilled nor kept to any of the promises he made, which had led to the political and economic situation in the country deteriorating while security has gone out of control in a number of states.

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Politics

Mali: 7 Russian mercenaries killed

Published

15 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

An al Qaeda offshoot in North Africa has claimed responsibility for the attack in central Mali, killing at least seven mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private military contractor company.

Wagner earlier lost a battle in July with mostly Tuareg rebels and Islamists close to Mali’s Algerian border, exposing the perils faced by mercenaries used by military juntas in the Sahel area of West Africa.

The separatists and strong branches of Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which have taken over large areas of the Sahel over the past 12 years, are difficult for Mali and its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger to control.

The al Qaeda offshoot JNIM claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack, according to a statement from SITE Intelligence Group, which keeps an eye on extremist activity in the area. According to SITE, JNIM captured several weapons and killed seven Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Following an attack, the bodies of at least five white males wearing army fatigues were seen laying near a military truck in a video obtained by Reuters. The validity of the footage could not be confirmed by Reuters.

SITE Intelligence posted images allegedly from JNIM that showed many crates of weapons and ammo together with the dead and bloodied bodies of troops.

Although two local officials acknowledged the incident, a Malian army source claimed to have seen seven dead bodies, including Russian fighters. Five Wagner warriors were slain, according to one of them.

At least six Russians have been murdered in the attack, which was carried out by Katiba Macina, a division of JNIM, according to a consultant working on security in the area.

The expert referred to the Russians as Africa Corps warriors, a paramilitary group under Kremlin leadership that has taken Wagner’s position in Africa throughout the previous 12 months.

Mali has previously said that Russian servicemen trainers are assisting local troops with Russian-purchased weaponry rather than mercenaries.

Politics

Mauritius’ Prime Minister to double as Finance Minister

Published

2 days ago

November 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In an effort to maintain a tight eye on the economy, Mauritius’ Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who took office this month following a resounding election victory, said on Friday that he would retain the position of finance minister for himself.

“We are doing an audit of the economy to see to what extent the outgoing government has destroyed it,” Ramgoolam told reporters in the capital Port Louis after he presided over the swearing-in of other ministers.

Ten years after he stepped down as prime minister, the seasoned politician returned to the position when his Alliance du Changement (ADC) alliance won 60 of the 62 seats in the national legislature.

The 77-year-old Ramgoolam said earlier this week that he would be auditing governmental finances. Before this, he was prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

Ramgoolam started a campaign in 2006 to streamline taxes and reduce bureaucracy to diversify the $10 billion economy beyond exports of sugar, textiles, and tourism.

Since then, the 1.3 million-person nation, which positions itself as a bridge between Africa and Asia, has developed into a major offshore financial hub and has been rated by the World Bank as the easiest location to do business in Africa regularly.