DW News Africa with Tomi Oladipo 05 May, 2025 – DW – 05/22/2025
05/22/2025
May 22, 2025
Are democracy and civil liberties dying across East Africa? We look at the Tanzania treason trial, which activists say is the latest example of a wave of repression sweeping across the region and speak to a Kenyan lawyer and politician who was denied entry to the country to observe the case. Plus, the Dutch museum returning a collection of looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
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3 days ago
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Tanzania's crackdown on activists tests East African bonds – DW – 06/07/2025
Opposition activists from Kenya allege that they were detained and tortured in neighboring Tanzania. Leaders there don't seem to like that cross-border economic cooperation has extended to human rights solidarity. An unusual request from the Kenyan president caused a stir at the end of May. "To our neighbors from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us," William Ruto told a delegation of Tanzanian MPs at a national prayer breakfast. Some Kenyans found the gesture appropriate, but others found it outrageous. Less than a week prior, prominent Kenyan photojournalist and activist Boniface Mwangi had returned to Kenya visibly weakened after five days in a Tanzanian prison. He and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire had traveled to Tanzania to support imprisoned opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is on trial on charges of treason. Lissu and his Party for Democracy and Development (Chadema), the country's largest opposition party, had called for the Tanzanian constitution to be reformed ahead of elections in October. 'Treated worse than dogs' Early this week, Mwangi and Atuhaire made serious accusations at a press conference. They described how they were arrested in their hotel and later brutally tortured and raped. Mwangi also described numerous details in a lengthy post on the social media platform X. "We were treated worse than dogs," Mwangi said after returning to Nairobi. Tanzanian government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa confirmed that Mwangi and Atuhaire were expelled from the country, but denied all other accusations. "Do they have proof of these atrocities? They cannot just tarnish the country with allegations for which they have no evidence. They have invaded the country and violated law and order," he said. "Nobody should come here and try to impose their country's political culture on Tanzania." Fear of protests amid economic uncertainty For Kenyan economist James Shikwati, the motive for the Tanzanian government's actions is clear: "What's happening is the fear of what neighboring countries saw happen in Kenya in June last year when the young people demonstrated and were able to go all the way to parliament," said Shikwati, who heads the think tank Inter Region Economic Network. The demonstrations, often referred to as "Gen-Z protests," were a reaction by young Kenyans to a bill that would have increased taxes. "I think it made our neighbors have very sensitive skin about anybody who shows capability of mobilizing people," Shikwati told DW, adding that these tensions are taking place in the context of economic difficulties. Tanzania's intolerance of transnational activism To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "It's income, jobs, opportunities shrinking, the global dynamics changing, militarization of global economy, meaning the normal trade patterns are getting disrupted and the little income these countries were making is disappearing overnight," he said. Meanwhile, international NGOs are withdrawing, USAID cuts initiated by US President Donald Trump are hitting East Africa hard, and the entire region is feeling the economic losses for export giant Kenya, Shikwati added. 'Human rights have no borders' What does the heated atmosphere mean for the East African Community, founded in 2000 by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania? Citizens have been allowed to travel freely between the member states since the 1960s, and many take advantage of this to work or study in these neighboring countries. But now there is a growing fear, especially among Kenyans, of traveling to Tanzania. In fact, other human rights activists who wanted to support Tundu Lissu were also prevented from entering the country — including Kenya's former justice minister and lawyer Martha Karua. She is also in contact with Uganda's imprisoned opposition politician Kizza Besigye and successfully campaigned for improving his conditions. "Human rights have no borders," she told DW about both cases. Leaders likely to maintain status quo? Shikwati does not expect any major upsets at government level. For him, Ruto's statements at the prayer breakfast sent a clear message. "They feel that something is not OK and most likely are trying to coordinate on this because you could see the Kenyan government trying to distance itself and say, 'Look, we're not part of the activists, so forgive us if something went wrong'." Shikwati also said that the tensions show how previous ideas of the economic community failed to reflect reality. While East Africa has relied on good cooperation between governments, it had not been considered that political opposition could also use the community to advance its own goals, he added. Despite support from neighboring countries, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is facing strong domestic headwinds. Ideas about what Tanzania's "political culture" should be sometimes differ greatly from government actions. The well-known bishop of a revivalist church, Josephat Gwajima, himself a member of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, said at the end of May: "I want to tell you the truth: kidnapping is not our Tanzanian culture." People should only be arrested on the basis of the law, he said. Gwajima's church was closed last Monday. The Registrar of Civil Societies in Tanzania said that the church had broken the law by preaching in a way that turned citizens against the government. Their bishop is now missing. With reporting by Thelma Mwadzaya (Nairobi), Florence Majani
DW
4 days ago
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NATO likely to hike defense spending despite economic woes – DW – 06/05/2025
The military alliance looks set to satisfy US President Donald Trump's demands to commit to a massive increase in defense spending. Some creative counting proposed by NATO head Mark Rutte could soften the financial blow. A NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday showed "broad support" for signing off a historic hike in defense spending at a crunch summit later this month. This was their response to the growing threat from Russia and a "more dangerous world" in general, the military alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters. "I will propose an overall investment plan that would total 5% of gross domestic product in defense investment," Rutte announced, following months of pressure from US President Donald Trump for allies to more than double the present target. Current NATO guidelines encourage states to spend 2% of their economic output on their militaries. But not all of the alliance's members meet this target, raising questions of how they will reach an even higher spending goal. Splitting the bill In response, NATO chief Rutte has specified a division of the new spending goal that could allow Trump to claim a headline figure, while giving the other 31 nations room to maneuver their national budgets. Thus, of the 5%, 3.5% of national GDP could be allotted to "core defence spending", while the remaining 1.5% could be diverted to "defense- and security-related investment like infrastructure and industry," he said. Allied defense ministers gathered at the NATO headquarters in Brussels Image: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu/picture alliance Trump has long criticized NATO allies for relying on the US' large military might as a strategy to defend the European continent. In 2023, more than two thirds of the 32 NATO countries' collective $1.3 trillion (€1.14 trillion) military spending came from Washington, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drove home the message to the rest of the alliance once again. "Every shoulder has to be to the plough. Every country has to contribute at that level of 5% as a recognition of the nature of threat," he said. Leaders of the world's most powerful defense alliance are set to gather in three weeks in the Dutch city The Hague. Topping the agenda will be discussions on the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Russia's resulting massive rearmament drive. It seems likely that NATO members will officially commit to the 5% goal at these upcoming talks. Giving in to pressure Under US pressure, and with Europeans alarmed by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO military spending has already burgeoned in recent years. Most countries now meet the 2% threshold, which was agreed upon 11 years ago. But around one third of the alliance still doesn't, including Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, and Spain. Most NATO states had indicated willingness to spend more, but the 5% goal was considered far-fetched when Trump floated the idea earlier this year. Almost half a year on, the message seems to be resonating with many in the alliance. Earlier this week, 14 NATO states, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the five Nordic states, published a joint statement in which they said they were "moving towards reaching at least 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related investments." Specter of war: Are Europeans really ready to rearm? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepuhl also indicated Germany could get on board with the goal. Several NATO countries, including Poland, Estonia and Lithuania, have already committed to spending 5% or more in the future. All are former Soviet states, and two of them share a border with Russia. Since taking office in January, the "America-first" president has strained the NATO alliance with threats not to help defend alliance members that didn't meet spending targets should they be attacked. His designs on the semi-autonomous Danish territory Greenland have also alienated allies, as have his attempts at bilateral talks to find an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, which sidelined European partners and left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy largely marginalized. Questions remain There are still many open questions to be answered, one of them being the timeline. On Thursday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur spoke of committing to reaching 5% within five years. "We don't have time for ten years, we don't even have time for seven years, to be honest," he said. But the official focus at this week's meeting was on working out what exact capabilities NATO would need and may currently be missing to defend itself if a member of the alliance were attacked. After the talks, Rutte spoke of the need to upgrade air defense systems and long-range missiles, among other things. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany might need as many as 50,000 – 60,000 more troops in its standing forces to meet defense needs in the coming years. Increased spending amid economic downturn While consensus appears to be forming, it is also clear that increasing military spending to 5% of GDP would be an enormous strain on public finances, particularly as Europe's two major economies, Germany and France, face tough times. Paris and Berlin are touting increased defense spending as a chance to fuel economic growth in Europe, but there is a risk of public backlash. In April in Rome, the opposition Five Star Movement led a protest against an EU drive to rearm the bloc — a move supported by the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — reportedly drawing tens of thousands of people. According to Cullen Hendrix, an expert from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a US think tank, a 5% spending target would essentially put NATO countries on "war footing." US secretary of State Pete Hegseth was in Brussels for the last NATO gathering before next month's summit Image: Bob Reijnders/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images "In 2023, just nine countries spent 5% of GDP or more on defense: Algeria, Armenia, Israel, Lebanon, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and South Sudan," Hendrix wrote in February. "Most are, or were, at war. Five of these are authoritarian petro-states, unencumbered by competitive elections or the need to tax their populaces to fund this military largesse." There is also a risk that increased spending will make Europe less safe, Hendrix warned. "Increasing military spending to this extent would likely catalyze an arms race with those near-peer competitors." On Thursday in Brussels, Rutte argued there was little choice but to spend significantly more on defense, pointing to recent comments by the German Chief of Defense Carsten Breuer, who posited that Russia would be ready to mount an attack on NATO states by 2029. "We live in a more dangerous world," Rutte said. "We are safe today, but if we don't do this, we are not safe in the foreseeable future." Edited by: Maren Sass
DW
5 days ago
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Kenya: Gen Z questions Ruto's new jobs initiative – DW – 06/06/2025
Kenyan President William Ruto's new youth employment plan promises jobs to 800,000 young Kenyans. But amid economic strain and past unfulfilled pledges, many remain unconvinced. Kenyan President William Ruto announced an ambitious initiative to tackle Kenya's youth unemployment issue earlier this week. The program, dubbed the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA), which aims to target over 800,000 young Kenyans, has sparked skepticism among Generation Z — the term generally used to describe people born during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many Gen Zers in Kenya question the feasibility of to tackle youth unemployment amid budget constraints and a track record of unfulfilled pledges. According to the Kenyan leader, the NYOTA project is a 20 billion Kenyan shillings ($154.8 million/€135.5 million) partnership with the World Bank aimed at supporting young Kenyans between 18 and 29 — and up to 35 for people with disabilities. "In recognition of the immense potential of our young people, their critical role in the economy, and their capacity for creativity and innovation, the Government of Kenya has partnered with the World Bank to roll out the 20 billion National Youth Opportunity towards Advancement Project," said Ruto, noting that the initial 100,000 jobs will start as soon as next week. "We have committed 5 billion Kenyan shillings in grants to support 100,000 young people. We are not just offering a paycheck for today, we are providing financial relief and a bridge to future opportunities," Ruto added. But even as the president framed the plan as a generational investment, many young Kenyans dismissed it as political posturing. 'We don't trust him anymore' Young Kenyans are often seen as tech-savvy "keyboard warriors" who have increasingly asserted themselves as a politically conscious group pushing for transparency, accountability and good governance. Is Gen Z lazy, or are they onto something? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Risper Waithera, a university student in Nairobi, described the plan as unrealistic. "According to the current budget constraints that the government is undergoing, I don't think it's actually realistic to think that he can employ 800,000 youths in Kenya right now," she told DW. Last year, Gen Z protesters demanded better governance from Ruto, who dismissed nearly his entire cabinet in response to the demonstrations. For Lucy Njeri, the issue is one of broken trust: "The degree [to which] Gen Z trusts whatever the president is saying is very low. That is because he has promised a lot in the past, and there's been little to zero implementation of the promises before," she said. Expert doubts funding and sustainability The plan's financial foundation has also come under scrutiny. Alexander Riithi, head of programs at the Institute for Social Accountability, warned that the budget lacks clarity and fails to outline how the funds will be managed or distributed. "Given the many promises the president has issued in the past, people are a bit skeptical... We have not seen any allocation in the budget for this particular program," he told DW. "If you look at even the pay that is suggested, 500 shillings [about $3.87] a day for the workers and 580 shillings [around $4.50] for supervisors, this is even lower than what people in the construction industry get," he said. Riithi also highlighted what he called a contradiction in the president's approach. "This is the same thing that the president used against the Kazi Mtaani program of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He said you cannot have educated people going to slash grass." Kazi Mtaani was a public works program launched by Ruto's predecessor to provide short-term employment to young people through tasks such as street cleaning, garbage collection and landscaping. Patricia Rodrigues, associate director at Control Risks, an international political risk consultancy, told DW that the skepticism around the plan is rooted in Ruto's strained relationship with young voters. "The president has not had the best track record or reputation with young people in Kenya. While he came to power promising a lot of things, some of those promises have not been necessarily met," she said. "These programs cost money, and the Kenyan government does not necessarily have the finances available to do everything that it had intended." Gen Z: From street protests to disillusionment The NYOTA project comes months after a wave of youth-led demonstrations mobilized by mainly Gen Zers compelled the government to respond to growing public discontent over proposed tax increases, rising unemployment and allegations of police brutality. The protests — which were largely organized through social media platforms — drew thousands to the streets and forced several policy reversals, including the withdrawal of controversial finance bill provisions. Daniel Kimani, another young Kenyan who spoke to DW, expressed doubt about the government's ability to deliver on its pledge. "The promises that were given about employing 800,000 youths, I don't think that's possible with our government. Over the past years, we've already seen that no one has been employed," he said. Ruto's strained relationship with young voters "The government only listens to us when we go to the streets. But not unless we do that, they can't listen to us, and that's not going in the right direction." Lillies Aoko, a freelance content creator who has been actively engaging in online advocacy around youth issues, echoed that sentiment, saying that many young people feel ignored — despite repeatedly voicing their frustrations through social media and peaceful protests. "Do you think they are listening to our concerns? They are not. We've cried [out about] most of the things. But the government is not listening at all," she told DW. Global image, domestic tension While the World Bank-backed project adds credibility on paper, critics say it does little to resolve the trust deficit between the government and Kenya's digitally mobilized youth. Rodrigues warned that "when you unveil a new program, this naturally does come with a lot of skepticism about whether or not it will actually make a tangible difference in the lives of especially unemployed young people." For Ruto, the initiative may be an attempt to reconnect with the demographic that was pivotal in challenging his administration's policies online and on the streets. With the 2027 general election on the horizon, appealing to young voters, who make up the majority of Kenya's population, could be a strategic move to rebuild trust and regain political ground. A Gen Z lifestyle in Amsterdam To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Keith Walker
