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Kenyan activist Mwangi charged over deadly antigovernment protests

Kenyan activist Mwangi charged over deadly antigovernment protests

Al Jazeera6 days ago
Kenyan activist Mwangi charged over deadly antigovernment protests NewsFeed
Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has been charged over his alleged role in the deadly antigovernment protests in June.
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RSF paramilitary-led coalition forms parallel government in war-torn Sudan
RSF paramilitary-led coalition forms parallel government in war-torn Sudan

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RSF paramilitary-led coalition forms parallel government in war-torn Sudan

A Sudanese coalition led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has announced it is establishing an alternative government in a challenge to the military-led authorities in the capital Khartoum, with the northeastern African country's brutal civil war in its third year. The group, which calls itself the Leadership Council of the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS), said RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo will chair the 15-member presidential council of the government, which includes regional governors. Sudanese politician Mohammed Hassan Osman al-Ta'ishi will serve as prime minister, TASIS said. 'On the occasion of this historic achievement, the leadership council extends its greetings and congratulations to the Sudanese people who have endured the flames of devastating wars for decades,' the coalition said in a statement. 'It also renews TASIS's commitment to building an inclusive homeland, and a new secular, democratic, decentralized, and voluntarily unified Sudan, founded on the principles of freedom, justice and equality.' The new self-proclaimed government could deepen divisions and lead to competing institutions as the war rages on between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). In May, the Sudanese army said it had completely driven the RSF out of the capital, Khartoum. The fighting since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people, according to United Nations estimates, resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In recent months, the violence has been intensifying in the western region of Darfur, where the RSF has been besieging the city of el-Fasher, compounding hunger in the area. Rights groups have accused both the RSF and SAF of rights abuses. Earlier this year, Amnesty International said RSF fighters were inflicting 'widespread sexual violence' on women and girls to 'assert control and displace communities across the country'. Earlier this year, the US imposed sanctions on Hemedti, accusing the RSF of committing 'serious human rights abuses' under his leadership, including executing civilians and blocking humanitarian aid. Sudan has seen growing instability since longtime President Omar al-Bashir was removed from power in 2019 after months of antigovernment protests. In October 2021, the Sudanese military staged a coup against the civilian government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, leading to his resignation in early 2022. Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti had shared power after the coup, but then began fighting for control of the state and its resources in April 2023. Although the rivalry between al-Burhan and Hemedti does not appear to be ideological, numerous attempts to reach a peaceful resolution to the crisis have failed.

Cameroon bars main challenger to longtime leader from presidential race
Cameroon bars main challenger to longtime leader from presidential race

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Cameroon bars main challenger to longtime leader from presidential race

Cameroon's electoral commission has rejected the candidacy of Maurice Kamto, President Paul Biya's main rival, in an upcoming presidential election, fuelling fears of unrest and increasing the likelihood of another win for the incumbent, who has led for decades. The chief of the electoral commission, ELECAM, announced the decision in a news conference on Saturday when he read out a list of 13 approved candidates, which did not include Kamto. No reasons were given for the exclusion, and those not listed have two days to appeal the decision. Kamto, 71, who had officially submitted his candidacy last week, was considered Biya's strongest rival in past elections. He came second during the last presidential election in 2018 with 14 percent of the vote, while Biya, who appears on the electoral list, cruised to victory with more than 70 percent in an election marred by allegations of fraud and a low voter turnout. Kamto sought to run as the candidate for the communist African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party. In the 2018 election, Kamto stood for his own party, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), which he established in 2012. For this year's election, Kamto had been nominated by MANIDEM. Fears of protests and unrest surged around Saturday's release of the list of approved candidates. Eighty-three names had been put forward to the electoral council. Security forces were deployed around the ELECAM headquarters and along major roads in the capital, Yaounde, and in Douala, the economic hub. The United Nations Department of Safety and Security had warned on Friday that the announcement could trigger protests in the capital. The definitive list of candidates will be announced in the coming days after any challenges to the provisional list are considered. Biya, 92, the world's oldest serving head of state, said last month he would seek re-election on October 12 despite rumours that his health is failing. He has been in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime. Biya's rule has left a lasting impact on Cameroon. His government has faced various challenges, including allegations of corruption and a deadly secessionist conflict in the nation's English-speaking provinces that has forced thousands out of school. Among the candidates also approved to run in the election are former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya's for nearly 30 years, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who resigned as employment minister in early June to submit his candidacy.

Tunisia an ‘open-air prison', say protesters at anti-President Saied march
Tunisia an ‘open-air prison', say protesters at anti-President Saied march

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Tunisia an ‘open-air prison', say protesters at anti-President Saied march

Hundreds of Tunisian activists have protested against President Kais Saied, calling his rule since 2021 an 'authoritarian regime' that has turned the country into an 'open-air prison'. The protesters marched in capital Tunis on Friday, marking four years since Saied made moves to consolidate his one-man rule in a country once known as the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings. Chanting the slogan, 'The Republic is a large prison,' they demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of Ennahdha, the self-styled 'Muslim Democrat' party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party. They are among dozens of politicians, lawyers, activists and journalists facing lengthy prison sentences under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws. Others have fled the country, seeking asylum in Western countries. On July 25, 2021, Saied suspended parliament, dismissed his prime minister and invoked a state of emergency to begin ruling by decree, ordering mass arrests and politically motivated trials to silence dissent. Though some cheered his efforts, critics called the moves a coup and said the events marked the beginning of Tunisia's descent towards authoritarianism. Protesters also chanted slogans such as 'No fear, no terror … streets belong to the people' and 'The people want the fall of the regime' as they carried portraits of political prisoners and a cage that organisers said represented the state of political life in Tunisia. 'Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore the democracy and to demand the release of the political detainees,' Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, told the Reuters news agency. Prisons are 'crowded' with Saied's opponents, activists, and journalists, said Saib Souab, son of Ahmed Souab, the imprisoned lawyer who is a critical voice of Saied. 'Tunisia has turned into an open-air prison … Even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, constantly at risk of arrest for any reason,' he told Reuters. In 2022, Saied also dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move the opposition said was aimed to cement the one-man rule. Saied said he does not interfere in the judiciary, but no one is above accountability, regardless of their name or position. In 2023, Saied said the politicians were 'traitors and terrorists' and that judges who would acquit them were their accomplices. July 25 also marks the anniversary of Tunisia's declaration as a republic in 1957. It later became the rallying cry of the pro-Saied 'July 25 Movement', which pushed for a crackdown on the country's largely unpopular political class. Samir Dilou, a former government minister and member of Ennahdha, said Saied had forever changed the day's meaning. 'July 25 used to mark the Republic's founding. Now, it marks its dismantling. Absolute power is absolute corruption,' he said.

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