Republic of Congo Joins LNG-exporting Nations Under a New Project with Italian Energy Company ENI

12:17 PM EST, February 27, 2024

MILAN (AP) — The African nation of Congo became the latest exporter of liquified natural gas on Tuesday as it launched production of the first cargo load a year after Italian energy company ENI launched the Congo LNG project with local partners.

The first cargo ship laden with LNG will head to the Italian regassification plant in the Tuscan city of Piombino in the coming days, ENI said in a statement.

“With the first cargo, the Republic of Congo enters the group of LNG exporting countries, opening up opportunities for economic growth while contributing to the global energy balance,” ENI said.

ENI and it partners shared workforces, know-how and technology “ensuring additional revenues to the country while contributing to Europe’s energy security,” CEO Claudio Descalzi said in a statement.

The project will have an annual capacity of 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is used to heat homes and businesses. It is formed when gas is cooled to about -260 F (-162 C) to be stored and shipped safely aboard specially designed vessels.

Europe has been in search of new energy sources since moving to cut off Russian supplies following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Sales of Russian gas abroad have dropped by 40% since the invasion, according to the ISPI think tank.

Nigeria’s Union Workers Are on Strike Nationwide Over Soaring Inflation and Unmet Promises

BY DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

8:16 PM EST, February 27, 2024

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s government employees and other union workers began a new nationwide strike Tuesday that threatened to shut down key services while people are angry about soaring inflation and growing economic pain.

Since assuming office in Africa’s most populous country last year, President Bola Tinubu has enacted policies that include doing away with fuel subsidies and unifying the country’s multiple exchange rates, leading to a devaluation of the naira against the dollar.

Gasoline prices have more than doubled and inflation has shot up as a result, reaching close to 30% last month, the highest in nearly three decades, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

“We are hungry. There is nobody that doesn’t know this,” said Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigerian Labor Congress.

Others said the protest was the only way to get the government’s attention.

“Things are getting out of hand,” said Christian Omeje, a shop owner in the capital, Abuja. “Prices keep soaring, the aid the government said it would dole out has not been provided.”

This is just the latest strike action. In October, government labor unions reached a deal with the government to end strikes in return for monthly stipends and subsidies to cushion the blow of the new policies. Still, the unrest continued.

Unions say the government has failed to deliver on promises that included a monthly wage increase of approximately $20 for all workers for six months and payments of approximately $15 for three months to millions of vulnerable households.

A pledge to roll out gas-powered buses for mass transit last year also failed to materialize.

Most services appeared to continue Tuesday with a reduced workforce.

Red Sea Conflict Hits Egypt, Other Parts of the Region

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23 2024

Egypt's economy is facing serious hurdles after revenue from the country's most strategic asset — the Suez Canal — has dropped by nearly half. Attacks by the pro-Iranian Houthi militia group on ships passing by Yemen has made merchant ships avoid the Red Sea and the canal.

The Greek-flagged grain ship Sea Champion was slightly damaged Wednesday by two ballistic missiles fired by the northern Yemen-based Houthi group, which says it is attacking Western ships in solidarity with Hamas militants fighting Israel.

Because of such attacks, many ships that normally pass by Yemen, headed to or from the Suez Canal, now avoid the area and take the longer route around the Horn of Africa.

That is cutting deeply into Egypt’s revenue from ships passing through the canal and is just the latest challenge to the country’s economy, Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi said.

First, el-Sisi said, were the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Then the Russia-Ukraine conflict added to economic issues, as well as pressure from conflicts in border countries of Libya, Sudan and Gaza. Now, el-Sissi said, Egypt is seeing Suez Canal revenue of approximately $10 billion a year decline by nearly 40 percent to 50 percent.

Said Sadek, a professor of political sociology at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology in Alexandria, said Egypt isn't the only country affected by fewer ships transversing the canal.

"If the conflict continues," he said, "supply chains all over the world will be affected, especially since many of the cargoes that pass through the canal are oil and gas ships heading to Europe, and that will make the European economy suffer a lot."

Joshua Landis, who heads the Middle East studies program at the University of Oklahoma, tells VOA the conflict in Gaza has had repercussions on many Middle East fault lines, in addition to the Red Sea conflict affecting world shipping.

"It's ratcheted up the war between Iran and the US, it's increased violence in countries like Iraq and Syria, along borders that had become stalemates,” he said. “It's increased instability from one end of the Middle East to the other. It's like throwing a firecracker into the middle of a beehive.

Landis said that Iran, which controls many of the proxy militias that are participating in far-flung corners of the Gaza conflict, "has the United States by the short hairs," pulling it into conflicts, not only with the Houthis in Yemen, but also with Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Syria.

Paul Sullivan, a Washington-based Middle East and energy analyst at the Atlantic Council, warns the Houthis are not deterred by any of the US and British retaliatory airstrikes that have been made against them. He said that may indicate "that they have more sources of financing, training and weapons than was previously known."

"Yemen," Sullivan added, "has been at war for a good part of its history [and] many of those involved with the attacks are battle-hardened. They also live by a mountain code, which rules out not responding to threats like many others have."

Benin Offers 2,000 Troops to Haiti Force, US Ambassador Says

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27 2024

People march as tires burn during a protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on August 7, 2023. PHOTO |

Benin has offered 2,000 troops to support a planned Kenyan-led international force to help Haitian national police fight armed gangs, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a press conference on Monday.

The United Nations authorised the mission in October, a year after Haiti's unelected government requested it. The UN estimates the conflict in the Caribbean nation killed close to 5,000 people last year and has driven some 300,000 from their homes.

Thomas-Greenfield, speaking in Guyana where she traveled to lead the US delegation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit there, said she had learned just before starting the trip that Benin had offered the troops to support the force.

She said some Caribbean countries that had pledged support had called for more Francophone nations to join the effort.

A US statement issued on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro last week had announced "financial, personnel, and in-kind commitments to the mission" from Benin, France and Canada, the latter which later announced 80.5 million Canadian dollars ($60 million) for the mission.

The United States has itself committed $200 million and pledged to boost efforts to stem the flow of illicit arms to the Caribbean region. The UN estimates firearms held by Haitian gangs are largely smuggled from the United States.

Thomas-Greenfield added that Guyana had also pledged funds to the mission, though she did not give an amount.

Kenya, which has pledged to lead the mission, offered 1,000 police officers, but a local court later barred the move as unconstitutional. President William Ruto has, however, said the plan will go ahead and meetings have since continued.

So far public offers to support the security force, which is based on voluntary contributions, have come largely from developing nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

Thomas-Greenfield said she had held meetings with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and encouraged both him and opposition groups to agree on a path forward, noting that no time frame has been set for the country's long-awaited elections.

Henry, who came to power after the assassination of the country's last president in 2021, had pledged to step down by early February, but later said security must first be re-established in order to ensure free and fair elections.

Burundi Rebel Group Kills Nine in Overnight Attack - Government

MONDAY FEBRUARY 26 2024

Burundi soldiers stand guard during a patrol. File | AFP

Gunmen from the Red Tabara rebel group killed nine people and injured others in an overnight attack in western Burundi near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, a government spokesperson told reporters on Monday.

Red Tabara has been fighting Burundi's government from bases in Congo since 2015.

In a post on social media platform X, Red Tabara said it had attacked two Burundian military positions on Sunday night, also seizing weapons and ammunition.

The rebel group said six soldiers had been killed in the attack.

Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye in late December accused Rwanda of hosting and training Red Tabara after a separate attack in which the government said at least 20 people had been killed.

Guinea Names Mamadou Oury Bah as Prime Minister

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28 2024

Special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya walks out after meeting the envoys from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to discuss ways to steer Guinea back toward a constitutional regime in Conakry, Guinea on September 10, 2021. 

Transitional authorities in junta-led Guinea have appointed one-time opposition leader and economist Mamadou Oury Bah to the role of prime minister, according to a decree read on national television on Tuesday.

The political veteran faces a challenging task setting up a government amid an indefinite general strike launched this week over deep economic hardships and the military authorities' allegedly repressive policies.

Television footage showed Bah taking the oath of office in front of interim President Mamady Doumbouya, a special forces commander who ousted former president Alpha Conde in a coup in 2021.

Bah, commonly known as Bah Oury, has been a prominent figure on the Guinean political scene since the early nineties. He served as minister of reconciliation in a consensus government in the wake of a political crisis triggered by the killing of at least 130 people in union-led protests in 2007.

The founder and vice president of the UFDG party later spent four years in exile in France, during which time he was convicted in absentia for a 2011 assassination attempt against Conde.

He returned to Guinea in 2016 following a presidential pardon but was later pushed out of UFDG. In recent years, he has faced criticism for his support of the junta.

JABRIL ABDULLE: We Come with Opportunities, Not Burdens to East Africa

MONDAY FEBRUARY 26 2024

Somalia Ambassador to Kenya Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle during an interview at his office in Nairobi, Kenya on February 21, 2024. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG

By AGGREY MUTAMBO

Somalia's Ambassador to Kenya Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle reported to duty three months ago. But he has found himself in the middle of a changing arena of relations. Somalia, he says, is choosing to look at the good side of relations and wants to pursue that, including targeting as many as 60,000 expatriates from the neighbourhood to sew up its economy. He spoke with Aggrey Mutambo.

The dispute with Ethiopia over the Somaliland deal has caused fears that diplomacy is being abandoned. What is the chance for dialogue ending the tensions?

It is Ethiopia creating a crisis. Somalia has offered Ethiopia access to its sea for economic use; Somalia has an interest to have its people access the Ethiopian market. There is no question that there is a benefit for us to find or create the most of opportunities for our East African people to improve the economic situation. However, what Ethiopia is now proposing is actually an annexation.

But for us to ensure there is continued regional stability, Somalia has not taken any step. Ethiopian airlines still operates to Somalia; we have not sent their ambassador back to Addis Ababa, and we have not ordered their troops out of Somalia.

The relationship between Kenya and Somalia is a mature one in the sense that the two countries are going beyond issues of security to trade. President William Ruto and President Hassan Sheikh decided that the two countries have to bury the hatchet.

Under the last regime in Somalia, the relationship between Kenya and Somalia was dicey, difficult at best. Trade had stopped, ambassadors had been recalled… it was a very adversarial relationship. Our relationship is now a partnership that goes beyond formalities.

What does Somalia bring to the EAC?

Somalia is a country of entrepreneurs. It has influential people who are good at business. So, what we bring to the table is our spirit of entrepreneurship. We are a people driven by economics, by trade, and we would like to bring that to East Africa.

The other thing is that Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, a huge blue economy, which the eight member states of the East African bloc can access. We are also bringing the capacity of Somalis to invest outside their comfort zone.

If you look at most of the East African countries, their integration is via economic links. We are lucky because, without even joining EAC, Somalis had already made inroads into EA countries and they are dominating some sectors in South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.

How is Somalia improving the business environment to attract EAC investments?

The war on Al Shabaab is moving very well. Al Shabaab is a threat to global security. That is why we are using every tool available to fight them. It is not just about Somalia; it is also about defending East Africa as a bloc.

Secondly, we are introducing legislative changes that allow us to immerse into the East African economy, for example, laws on investments are now improved. All legal issues are being addressed by the two houses of Parliament.

We are also opening the Somali airspace. Last week, we launched Kenya Airways direct flights to Mogadishu. It is a huge market as Nairobi is becoming a transit hub.

Many are still sceptical of stability after Atmis departs. Your view?

Atmis / Amisom have been in Somalia for nearly 18 years. They have helped us stand on our feet, helped us solve our internal issues, and some of the soldiers paid the ultimate price for it.

But I think it came to a time when Somalis have to take their security seriously.

The Somalia government has established a fully functional national army, and the forces are mostly ready. We expect that these will be capable of taking over positions vacated by Atmis. As this will be gradually and systematically done, it will not shock our system. It has been negotiated, discussed, planned by all actors involved.

How does Somalia see the threat of Houthi attacks on Shipping lines in the Red sea?

Somalia is situated at a very important part of the region; it connects Indian Ocean with Red Sea. Some people say Somalia is the vein of sea trade. That is why in the past, piracy off the coast of Somalia affected regional trade.

When Houthis now disrupt global trade, the implication is that it will affect our economy and the other worry so that terrorism activities might increase in our region. We are worried about issues related to terrorism, economic sabotage and Al Shabaab getting more guns and illegal ammunition from Houthis through the sea.

And our only way of defeating Houthis is not an Ethiopian intervention. Ethiopia’s move is actually empowering an environment where Al Shabaab can use Ethiopia’s ‘annexation tool’ as a recruitment tool. We have already seen, last month, Al Shabaab claimed they were recruiting over 5,000 youth because it claimed Somali government was incapable of defending Somali territory. Houthis and Al Shabaab joining hands will have a huge implication beyond Somalia.

Somalia has been notorious for illicit trade and smuggling. How is your government addressing that?

The border with Kenya was closed due to the security and incursion by radical groups. The border is porous and sometimes illicit trade ensued.

But after this time, there is a realisation that in fact the closed border is aiding that illicit trade and there has been a decision taken by both sides that we really have to open the border, for two reasons. One is that we want communities deprived of economic activities to gain opportunities from the trade.

Opening border can gradually contribute to the opening up of markets and I think it would be positive step that we can use to defeat radicalism. 

Al Shabaab has used the closure of the border to radicalise communities: when you are economically deprived and there is nothing on both sides of the border, militants can take advantage of you. If I have an economic interest to protect, I will fight for it and deny Al Shabaab a chance.

There are those who believe opening the borders will allow al-Shabaab to filter through. We do not agree with that. And there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

There are still doubts though about safety?

Of course, people sometimes question if Somalia is also bringing a security challenge to the table. But I think things are getting better. I would point out that last year, we were the only East African country that had zero debt after all our debts were forgiven by the World Bank and the IMF.

It gave us give us a fresh start and that opens a huge market for East Africa. The other thing is for Somalia, because of the Civil war, our hospitality industry had been decimated.

So now also keep in mind that the entire economy or sector will be dominated by East Africans. So, we are bringing a huge market and opportunity as seen by the number of international hotels coming in. So now they will have access to large financial institutions for the first time, with billions of dollars being invested and who benefits from these if not our East Africans next door. 

US Names Tom Perriello New Special Envoy to Sudan in Push to End War

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27 2024

Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan on May 1, 2023.

By MAWAHIB ABDALLATIF

The United States is tapping former diplomat and congressman Tom Perriello as Washington's special envoy for Sudan as it seeks direct influence on the path to peace in the troubled country.

Mr Perriello will help coordinate US diplomacy and efforts with partners across Africa and the Middle East to end the war, humanitarian crisis and atrocities, a dispatch said on Monday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Perriello would “advance our efforts to end the hostilities, secure unhindered humanitarian access, and support the Sudanese people as they seek to fulfil their aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice”.

He will also work to “empower Sudan's civilian leaders and push US engagement with partners in Africa, the Middle East, and the international community to forge a united approach to stop this senseless conflict, prevent further atrocities, and promote accountability for crimes already committed”.

In the statement, Washington said there is urgency to prevent “an already dire humanitarian situation from turning into catastrophic famine”.

Before the appointment, Perriello had been a special envoy in the Great Lakes region of Africa, appointed by US former president Barack Obama in 2015.

He also served as a member of the US House of Representatives from 2009 - 2011.

After receiving his PhD from Yale University in 2001, he moved to West Africa and served as an advisor to the International Prosecutor of the Special Court in Sierra Leone, where he worked with former child soldiers and pro-democracy groups.

Mr Perriello has also played many diplomatic roles and worked with international justice efforts in Kosovo, Darfur and Afghanistan.

After leaving Congress, Mr Perriello moved on to the role of CEO of the American Progressive Action Fund, a non-profit organisation. He also served as a policy advisor to the Fund on voting, immigration, firearms, and women's issues.

His appointment as US special envoy to Sudan comes months after US lawmakers called for the appointment of a senior expert to help prevent Sudan from sliding deeper into a war that is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

He will not be in the role of ambassador to Sudan though.

Washington also said its ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, had completed his tenure in Khartoum.

Mr Godfrey was the first US ambassador to Khartoum in 25 years, a glimmer of hope after the ouster of former dictator Omar al-Bashir.

“Former ambassador Daniel Rubinstein will serve as Chargé d’Affaires and interim for Sudan as the Director of the Office of Sudan Affairs and will work closely with Special Envoy Perriello, as will the Sudan team in the Bureau of African Affairs,” the statement said.

The appointment of a US special envoy for Sudan comes just days after US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed that US is deeply concerned by “the military's recent decision to block cross-border humanitarian assistance from Chad and reports that the Sudan Armed Forces (Saf) are obstructing the delivery of assistance to communities in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”

The war between the army and the paramilitary RSF has devastated parts of the country, killing more than 13,000 people, while 1.6 million people have fled, according to UN estimates.

Bushnell Incident Causes Fear of Escalation Against Washington Policy

By Al Mayadeen English

Politico views soldier Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation as the apex of mounting dissatisfaction with the White House's Gaza policy.

Politico considered the death of soldier Aaron Bushnell as the culmination of the increasing wave of dissatisfaction with the White House's policy regarding Gaza.

The newspaper confirmed that "the self-immolation is an escalation of the anger from within the government, which until now manifested itself in resignations and hastily called group meetings."

The news website expressed the ruling establishment's fear that the Bushnell incident would "lead those who work in the administration or are members of the services to become more outspoken."

Letter in protest of Biden's policy in Gaza

Administrative personnel within Biden's administration penned a protest note to him, expressing concerns about his policies in the Gaza Strip. They urged the White House to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In the letter, staffers wrote that "to end one’s life in the most violent and severe way is a stark warning for our nation,” calling on the White House to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. “May his sacrifice be a haunting reminder for those who refuse to change course.”

On Monday, the Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, said that the Biden administration bears full responsibility for the death of American pilot Aaron Bushnell "due to its support for the Nazi Zionist entity in its genocide". 

West Bank: 3 Palestinian Martyrs, Including Commander of Tubas Brigade

By Al Mayadeen English

Martyrs are reported among Resistance fighters during confrontations with occupation forces raiding the al-Faraa refugee camp and the city of Tubas in the occupied West Bank.

Three young Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupation fire in the al-Faraa refugee camp, south of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Sources from the Red Crescent reported that Commander Ahmad Daraghmeh of the Tubas Brigade of the Al-Quds Brigades, along with Osama Jabr al-Zalat and Mohammad Samih Bayadsa, were martyred. Additionally, three others were injured after being hit by occupation fire in the camp.

IOF raid towns west of Ramallah

Earlier tonight, occupation forces stormed the al-Faraa refugee camp, escorted by multiple bulldozers, and snipers were deployed in various locations. 

Amid the continued aggression on the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces conducted a raid on the town of Beit Rima, situated northwest of Ramallah.

According to local sources, occupation forces raided the town, stormed several homes, searched them, and vandalized them.

Resistance operations have increased significantly throughout the West Bank since the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, in response to "Israel's" increased oppression of Palestinians in occupied territories. Occupation forces are conducting raids on towns and camps to assert further control and pacify Palestinians. Nevertheless, the situation in the West Bank continues to pose a persistent concern due to the potential for broader unrest.

Israeli security authorities are concerned about the upcoming month of Ramadan in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds. According to the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth website, the newspaper's military affairs correspondent, Yoav Zeitoun, quoted warnings from the security and military establishment that "Hamas may take advantage of this significant time for Muslims in order to incite unrest."

On that note, earlier this month, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called for battles to shift to the heart of "Israel" from the West Bank.

The PFLP confirmed the increase in settler attacks on the Palestinian people across the West Bank. These assaults, which include road blockades, land seizures, attacks on homes, and shooting Palestinians, are occurring concurrently with the genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip. The PFLP asserted that these actions were being orchestrated by the occupation officials and the occupation army.

WTO Ministerial Conference Kicks Off Against Backdrop of Global Instability

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speaks at a WTO summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.

Africa News and AP

The world Trade organization (WTO) ministerial conference kicked off in Abu Dabi on Monday (Feb. 26).

The member nations will discuss issues such as banning subsidies contributing to overfishing and digital taxation, against the backdrop of instability and the uneven recovery from the pandemic.

The outcome of the deliberations of the WTO's topmost decision-making body will be closely watched.

Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned of the daunting task ahead.

"Let's not pretend that any of this would be easy. If we thought the world looked tough in May 2022, when we were slowly emerging from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine had taken food and energy security. We are in an even tougher place today," the Nigerian said.

"Looking around uncertainty and instability everywhere. Geopolitical tensions have worsened. Conflict has spread, as we see here in the Middle East and away from the headlines across parts of Africa and the Arab world. We must not forget the conflict in Sudan, which has displaced close to 8 million people internally and across borders, or the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo."

The WTO's General council chairperson emphasized the urgency of the gathering.

Athaliah Lesiba stressed the need for collective action amidst economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions.

Lesiba underscores the importance of steering the WTO towards effectively addressing contemporary challenges.

The Director noted the adverse impact of war.

"Higher prices for food, energy, fertilizer and other essentials continue to weigh on people's purchasing power, fueling political frustration. Shipping disruptions in vital waterways like the Red Sea and the Panama Canal, a new source of delays and inflationary pressure, offering a real time reminder of the risks posed to global trade and output by security problems and the climate crisis."

Elections are schedule this year across more than 50 countries.

The outcome of these deliberations and elections are set to significantly influence the trajectory of the WTO and the global economy, underscoring the importance of proactive and collaborative efforts to navigate the challenges ahead.

The biennial meeting will end on February 29 in the United Arab Emirates.

French Journalist Detained in Ethiopia

An African migrant holds his hands up displaying mock hand cuffs during a protest

Africa News with AP

A French journalist has been detained in Ethiopia while visiting the country for a recent African Union summit, his employer said Monday.

Antoine Galindo, a Paris-based correspondent for the Africa Intelligence website, was detained in the capital Addis Ababa last Thursday by plainclothes security officers, the news outlet's publisher, Indigo Publications, said in a statement.

Galindo had arrived in Ethiopia earlier this month to report on an annual African Union summit and had a visa authorising him to work as a journalist, the statement said.

Ethiopia's government has not publicly commented on Galindo's case. According to the statement by Indigo Publications, a judge on Saturday ordered the extension of Galindo's detention until March 1.

He has been accused of "conspiracy to create chaos in Ethiopia," the publisher said and called on the authorities to release him.

"Indigo Publications is outraged by his unjustified arrest, which is also a serious attack on press freedom," the statement said.

Galindo was detained at Addis Ababa's Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, where he was interviewing Bate Urgressa, the spokesperson of the Oromo Liberation Front opposition party, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Bate was also arrested and was still in custody, CPJ reported.

The journalist was denied bail after police had requested his continued detention so they could access his phone records and apprehend other suspects, CPJ said, citing Galindo's lawyer.

Ethiopia is the second-biggest jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, CPJ said, and joined calls for Galindo's immediate release. "His unjust arrest highlights the atrocious environment for the press in general in Ethiopia," it said.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 amid mass protests against authoritarianism, had initially promised to introduce a new era of political openness, but civil rights have suffered under his administration.

During the 2020-2022 war in the Tigray region, foreign journalists and diplomats were expelled while thousands of ethnic Tigrayans were rounded up and detained. A new rebellion in Amhara, Ethiopia's second-biggest state, prompted parliament to impose a state of emergency amid accusations of extrajudicial killings by soldiers.

At least eight Ethiopian journalists are currently behind bars, according to the CPJ.

At Least 15 Catholic Worshippers Were Killed in an Attack During a Service in Northern Burkina Faso

Africa News with AP

At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in a Burkina Faso village on Sunday when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for prayers in the country's conflict-hit northern region, church officials said.

The violence in the village of Essakane was a "terrorist attack" that left 12 of the Catholic faithful dead at the scene, while three others died later as they were being treated for their wounds, according to a statement issued by Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, vicar-general of the Catholic Diocese of Dori, where the attack happened.

No further details were provided about the attack, which no group claimed responsibility for. But suspicion fell on jihadis who have frequently attacked remote communities and security forces, especially in the northern region.

"In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for the rest in God for those who have died in faith, for the healing of the wounded and … for the conversion of those who continue to sow death and desolation in our country," Sawadogo said in a statement.

About half of Burkina Faso is outside government control as jihadi groups have ravaged the country for years. Fighters have killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people, further threatening the stability of the country that had two coups in 2022.

The country's junta has struggled to restore peace in violent hot spots since the first coup in January 2022, the number of people killed by jihadis has nearly tripled compared with the 18 previous months, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in August.

In addition to the junta's limited capacity, the security situation also has been worsened by the country's porous borders with Mali and Niger, both of which are also run by juntas and which also struggle with security crises.

UN Member States are Meeting to Plan How to Tackle the World’s Environmental Crises

FILE - A crane operator walks next to the waste footing in the Drina river near Visegrad, Bosnia, Jan. 10, 2024. The United Nations Environment Assembly is meeting in Nairobi on Monday, Feb. 26, to discuss how countries can work together to tackle environmental crises like climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut, File)

BY CARLOS MUREITHI

11:09 AM EST, February 26, 2024

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The world’s top decision-making body on the environment is meeting in Kenya’s capital this week to discuss how countries can work together to tackle environmental crises like climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity.

The meeting in Nairobi is the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, and governments, civil society groups, scientists and the private sector are attending.

At the opening plenary at the U.N. Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi on Monday, Leila Benali, the president of this year’s assembly, urged members to work toward making “a tangible difference to people’s lives.”

“It is up to us to deliver a clean greener and safer future for all people,” she said.

Kenya’s environment minister, Soipan Tuya, described this year’s assembly as “an opportunity to inject optimism and restore faith” in the global environmental governance system.

At the gathering, member states discuss a raft of draft resolutions on a range of issues that the assembly adopts upon consensus. If a proposal is adopted, it sets the stage for countries to implement what’s been agreed on.

“None of us live on an island. We live on planet Earth, and we are all connected,” Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, which is leading the process, told The Associated Press ahead of the talks. “The only way we can solve some of these problems is by talking together.”

In the last round of talks in 2022, also in Nairobi, governments adopted 14 resolutions, including to create a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution globally. Andersen described it then as the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

For this year’s talks, countries will discuss 19 draft resolutions, including on how best to restore degraded lands, combat dust storms and reduce the environmental impact of metal and mineral mining.

But with countries having different priorities, it’s often hard to get consensus on the draft resolutions. However, Andersen said, there’s generally “a forward movement” on all draft resolutions for this year’s assembly, known as UNEA-6.

With this meeting’s focus on multilateralism, UNEP wants to build on past agreements it led between governments, such as the Minamata Convention.

Björn Beeler, international coordinator for the International Pollutants Elimination Network, thinks there’ll be slow progress on more complex issues such as financing around chemicals and waste.

Beeler also expects strong opposition on a draft resolution that wants to phase out the use of highly hazardous pesticides. The draft resolution, which was submitted by Ethiopia and is co-sponsored by Uruguay, aims to create a global alliance of U.N. bodies like UNEP, the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization.

“If this does go through, it would be very significant because it would be the first time ever to see global movement on highly hazardous pesticides,” said Beeler, who is attending the talks.

UNEP anticipates more than 7,000 attendees at the talks, which will end on Friday.

“What we should expect at UNEA-6 is decision makers looking into the horizon, being aware of what is it that’s coming to us that could potentially damage our planet, and taking preemptive action to prevent this,” said Andersen.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

CARLOS MUREITHI

Mureithi covers climate and the environment in Africa for The Associated Press. He is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Australian Tourist Missing in Zimbabwe not Seen for 9 Days, Officials Say in New Details

FILE - Tourists wear face masks at the entrance of the Victoria Falls in Victoria Falls on Aug, 6, 2021. An Australian tourist has gone missing in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park, home to one of the world’s natural wonders, the country’s parks spokesman said. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo told The Associated Press that the tourist went missing in the vast rainforest on Friday Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Tichaona Muketiwa, File)

BY FARAI MUTSAKA

12:55 PM EST, February 26, 2024

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — An Australian tourist reported missing late last week in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls already had been missing for nearly a week before that, according to new information released Monday by national park officials.

The 67-year-old tourist, whose name has not been released, was reported missing Friday in the area near the Zimbabwe Victoria Falls National Park, and officials said at the time that a search with sniffer dogs was underway.

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said on Monday that the missing tourist was male, and that he had last been heard from on Feb. 17.

The tourist, who was traveling alone, was staying at a luxury lodge about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the rainforest park. He told the lodge management on Feb. 17 that he was heading into the park, Farawo said.

However, the man was not seen entering the park on CCTV footage reviewed later, nor was he among those recorded as entering the park, Farawo said.

“We have replayed the CCTV footage, physical records at the entrance of the falls have no record of him entering and our search team has been checking the rainforest. There is no sign of him, Farawo said.

“We are looking at other leads because it seems he never entered the rainforest,” he said.

Farawo did not disclose any other details, saying investigations are still underway.

Such incidences are rare in Victoria Falls, a destination that attracts thousands of tourists from across the globe for its majestic water curtain that tumbles down more than 350 feet (108 meters) from the mighty Zambezi River to a gorge below, sending up a mist visible from miles away.

The parks agency deployed a team that included the police and rangers with sniffer dogs, professional ground trackers and drones to track the Australian tourist Friday, said Farawo.

A few cases have been recorded in other parks. A German tourist reported missing last October in Matusadona National Park, which teems with wild animals in northern Zimbabwe, was found alive and in good health three days later.

Algeria Inaugurates Africa’s Largest Mosque After Years of Political Delays and Cost Overruns

Algeria has inaugurated the “Great Mosque of Algiers”, a gigantic structure on its Mediterranean coastline after years of construction.

1:55 AM EST, February 26, 2024

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria inaugurated a gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline Sunday after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns.

Built by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s, the Great Mosque of Algiers features the world’s tallest minaret, measuring at 869 feet (265 meters). The third largest mosque in the world and largest outside Islam’s holiest cities, its prayer room accommodates 120,000 people. Its modernist design contains Arab and North African flourishes to honor Algerian tradition and culture as well as a helicopter landing pad and a library that can house up to 1 million books.

The inauguration would guide Muslims “toward goodness and moderation,” said Ali Mohamed Salabi, the General Secretary of world union of Muslim Ulemas.

Propagating a moderate brand of Islam has been a key priority in Algeria since government forces subdued an Islamist-led rebellion throughout the 1990s when a bloody civil war swept the country.

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune inaugurated the mosque, fulfilling his promise to open it with great pomp and circumstance. The event, however, was mainly ceremonial. The mosque has been open to international tourists and state visitors to Algeria for roughly five years. An earlier ceremony was delayed.

The timing allows the mosque to officially open to the public in time to host nightly prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next month.

Beyond its gigantic dimensions, the mosque is also known for the delays and controversy that characterized the seven years it was under construction, including the choice of site, which experts warned was seismically risky. The state denied that in a news release Sunday posted on APS, the state news agency website. Throughout the delays and cost overruns, the project never stopped feeding Algerians’ anger, with many saying they’d rather have four hospitals built throughout the country.

The project’s official cost was $898 million.

The mosque was originally a project of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who designed it to be the largest in Africa. He wanted it to be his legacy and called “Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque” much like Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco. That mosque, named after the former King of Morocco — Algeria’s neighbor and regional rival — was once marketed as Africa’s largest.

But the protests that swept Algeria in 2019 and led him to resign after 20 years in power prohibited Bouteflika’s from realizing his plans, naming the mosque after himself or inaugurating it in February 2019 as scheduled.

The mosque — along with a major national highway and a million new housing units — each were marred by suspicions of corruption during the Bouteflika era, with suspected kickbacks to contractors then paid to state officials.

US Cruise Ship Finally Allowed to Dock in Mauritius After Tests Show no Cholera Aboard

FILE - The cruise ship Norwegian Dawn is docked on May 22, 2015, at the Black Falcon Terminal in Boston. The U.S.-owned cruise ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew onboard was finally allowed to dock in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on Monday Feb. 26, 2024, having been quarantined offshore over fears of an outbreak of the cholera disease onboard. (Mark Garfinkel/The Boston Herald via AP, File)

BY GERALD IMRAY

5:47 PM EST, February 26, 2024

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A U.S.-owned luxury cruise ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew was allowed to dock Monday in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius after being quarantined offshore for a day over fears of a possible cholera outbreak onboard, authorities said.

The Mauritius government cleared the Norwegian Dawn, which is owned and run by the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line company, to dock at the harbor in the capital, Port Louis, after health officials found no traces of cholera in tests conducted on the ship’s water.

Mauritius authorities blocked the ship from docking Sunday because 15 people onboard were ill with vomiting and diarrhea. The Mauritius Ports Authority said it took the decision “in order to avoid any health risks,” and sent officials onboard to collect samples to test.

The Mauritius government said the sick passengers who had been isolated after falling ill in fact had mild cases of the viral infection gastroenteritis.

Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that there were “a small number of guests experiencing mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness” and there were “no confirmed cases nor any evidence of cholera.”

The Mauritius government “required testing in an overabundance of caution,” it added.

Several countries in mainland southern African have experienced serious outbreaks of cholera over the last year, possibly leading to the concern from authorities in Mauritius, an island nation of about 1.2 million people off the east coast of Africa that’s a popular tourist destination.

Cruise ships were problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of them reporting outbreaks of that disease and having to be quarantined at ports.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there’s a cholera epidemic in southern Africa, with a total of around 188,000 cases and 3,000 deaths in eight countries since January 2023.

Cholera spreads through food or water contaminated with the bacteria that causes it. Health officials were also testing the food onboard the Norwegian Dawn for cholera. Those tests results hadn’t yet come back but authorities said they were satisfied that there was no cholera threat after the water tests were negative.

There were 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members onboard the Norwegian Dawn when it arrived in Mauritius, the ports authority said. Around 2,000 of those passengers were due to disembark in Mauritius and end their cruise and 2,279 new passengers were due to get onboard.

Everyone leaving the ship would still be screened by health officials, said Dr Bhooshun Ori, the director of health services at the Mauritius ministry of health.

Norwegian Cruise Line said passengers would now disembark the ship on Tuesday.

The 294-meter (964-feet) long Norwegian Dawn has 14 decks, with a casino, a theater and a video game arcade among its facilities.

A regular cabin starts at around $2,000 per person for a 12-day cruise, according to the company’s website. For $47,000, you can have a 3-bedroom Garden Villa that comes with a private garden, a hot tub, an outdoor dining area and your own butler service.

Senegal’s President Says the Postponed Election will be Held Before the Rainy Season Begins

BY BABACAR DIONE

7:47 PM EST, February 26, 2024

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s President Macky Sall told a national dialogue Monday that elections will be held before the rainy season begins around July, and reiterated his commitment to leave office before his mandate ends in April.

But the election’s 16 candidates refused to take part in the dialogue, insisting that an election date must be set as soon as possible in line with a court order earlier this month.

Sall, who has said he wouldn’t run again after his two terms in office, had postponed the election for 10 months while citing unresolved disputes over who could run. Senegal’s Constitutional Court struck down the delay as illegal.

The court on Feb. 15 ordered the government to set a new election date as soon as possible, but Sall’s government still hasn’t done so.

The national dialogue is intended to foster trust among the population and political actors and includes civil society members and religious leaders.

“Dialogue and consultation are precisely what is needed to heal these weaknesses and move forward in the quest for the ideal of democracy,” Sall said.

Senegal had been seen as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, but disputes over the election have plunged the country into a political crisis.

In another attempt to calm the West African nation, the president said he would submit a general amnesty law addressing the sometimes deadly protests in which hundreds of people were jailed.

It was unclear who would benefit from the amnesty law and if leading opposition political figures like Ousmane Sonko would benefit. Sonko is in jail and barred from running in the election. He is charged with calling for an insurrection and convicted of “corrupting youth.”

Exclusive: 'Israel' Obstructed Prisoner Exchange Deal in Paris Meeting

By Al Mayadeen English

Informed sources from the Palestinian Resistance have revealed the details behind the latest meeting of mediators in Paris, saying that the gap remains large.

"Israel" obstructed reaching a final agreement to a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal during the latest talks in Paris, private sources in the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen on Sunday evening.

Although sources explained that the latest meeting in Paris attempted to "bridge the differences" in proposed clauses between Hamas and "Israel", the meeting saw insufficient changes in the Israeli representatives' positions. 

Some progress was made on specific clauses, however, the main demands made by Hamas were "ignored", the sources told Al Mayadeen.

Among the demands overlooked by the Israeli side was a clause for a comprehensive ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, according to the sources.

In detail, the progress made during the meeting revolved around altering the ratio of Israeli captives to Palestinian prisoners, from 1 captive to 3 Palestinians, to 3 to 13 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 1 Israeli captive.

The sources revealed to Al Mayadeen that Hamas insisted that all displaced Palestinians should be allowed to return to their homes in the first stage of the deal, adding, however, that those present at the meeting opted for including a clause that would allow only for "the gradual and limited return of displaced" Palestinians to their homes. 

Moreover, Al Mayadeen's sources said that "it is clear that the gap between the two sides remains large," adding that Hamas believes that "Israel" is attempting to buy its time and "procrastinate to avoid reaching a final agreement, as that could trigger an internal crisis that may lead to the collapse of the (Israeli) coalition government."

Earlier on Sunday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan informed CNN's State of the Union that negotiators from the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and "Israel" have reached a preliminary agreement on the fundamental aspects of a captives deal during discussions in Paris.

Sullivan noted that the deal is currently in the negotiation phase, and further talks will be conducted indirectly by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas.

Meanwhile, Egyptian security sources stated that additional discussions would take place in Doha this week, with intermediaries shuttling between Hamas and Israeli representatives, followed by another round in Cairo. As of now, there has been no immediate confirmation of these plans from "Israel", Hamas, or Qatar.

Fatigues-clad Man Sets Himself on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy in D.C.

By Al Mayadeen English

The event has caught the attention of many on social media platforms with posts indicating that he is a former US Air Force soldier.

A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., local Fire and Emergency Services (FEMS) confirmed to The Daily Beast.

D.C. FEMS responded to a call about a person on fire just before 1 pm on Sunday. “We arrived to find an apparent adult male who had been on fire,” Vito Maggiolo, the FEMS public information officer, said, adding that US Secret Service members had extinguished it.

The man was rushed to a local hospital to be treated for “critical life-threatening injuries.”

Commenting on the incident, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming that an individual set himself on fire near the Israeli embassy in Washington.

The statement further noted that the individual involved was not previously familiar with the embassy before the self-immolation incident.

The event has caught the attention of many on social media platforms with posts indicating that a former US Air Force Soldier in uniform reportedly set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington to protest the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Social media users circulated news that the individual, wearing fatigues, introduced himself as “an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force."

" I will no longer be complicit in genocide," he reportedly said.

After setting himself on fire, he reportedly repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine".

This incident has sparked conversations and responses online increasing the exposure of this act of self-immolation as a form of protest.

This incident appears to be the second self-immolation outside an Israeli embassy in the United States. A similar incident occurred in December when a protester self-immolated at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. Authorities discovered a Palestinian flag near the consulate, which is an essential part of protests against the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.