Africa

A selection of the best photos from across Africa this week.

United Nations agencies have urged greater international support to stave off severe food insecurity in Africa’s western Sahel; a region reeling from the effects of conflict and now threatened by drought and rising hunger.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Wednesday’s attack on the electoral commission headquarters in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and reiterated the world body’s commitment to support the country.

Washed up flip-flops and plastic are being used to build boats and clean the ocean in East Africa.

Watch what happened when Liverpool's Mohamed Salah met his lookalike Ahmed Bahaa. Can you tell the difference?

Voicing concern over inflammatory rhetoric in the wake of widespread violence in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all actors to remain calm and to work together to bring peace to the country.

May 2, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir has appointed General Gabriel Jok Riak as the country's new army chief of staff.

General Gabriel Jok Riak (Getty Image)

Riak, according a decree issued on Wednesday, succeeds General James Ajongo Mawut who died last month.

The order of appointment came into effect in a decree Kiir issued on 2 May.

Riak, who hails from South Sudan's Jonglei state, briefly served as the acting army chief of staff after the position recently became vacant.

A former deputy army chief of staff, Riak also served as sector commander in Bahr el Ghazal region before moving to the general headquarters for top level assignment at command leadership.

In July 2015, the United Nations Security Council imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Riak, among other senior military officers. The move came after the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated for sanctions Riak, who was then commander of Sector One of the South Sudanese military.

The president, despite the sanctions, promoted Riak to the deputy chief of defence forces in December last year.

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May 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - President Omer al-Bashir decided to close 13 diplomatic mission in the world after the government's failure to pay the salaries of its diplomats for more than seven months.

In a presidential decree released late on Wednesday night, al-Bashir directed to shut down 13 embassies et four consulates.

He also ordered to have only one diplomat with the rank of ambassador in each embassy except in four embassies.

The presidential decree further has provided the closure of all economic and commercial attachés offices or sections except for Abu Dhabi office which is preparing Sudan's participation in the Expo 2020.

Finally, the president ordered to close press and media attachés sections in the Sudanese diplomatic missions with exception of three countries.

The shutdown of diplomatic missions is motivated by the need to reduce the huge economic cost generated by the expansion of diplomatic presence in Asia, and Africa within the government efforts to break international and regional isolation.

Last month President al-Bashir relieved his successful foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour because he publicly disclosed that Sudanese diplomats didn't receive their salaries for seven months.

Since, the government started to pay the diplomats but still, it gave an idea of the financial crisis the government is facing.

The reduction of embassies is expected to be followed by the appointment of a new foreign minister ending the ongoing speculations in Khartoum.

In a speech delivered before the annual conference of Sudanese ambassadors on the first of March 2018, al-Bashir said the foreign policy would be defined by the National Council for Foreign Policy (NCFP) which he chairs.

At the time, observers underlined that Bashir spoke about “presidential diplomacy” to lead Sudan foreign policy, pointing to the power struggle between the foreign ministry and the presidency particularly a presidential aide tasked with relations with countries that have important economic investments in Sudan.

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May 2, 2018 (YAMBIO) - The Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) is adding a new surgical unit and a blood bank to a hospital in South Sudan, a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates.

Bishop Edward Kussala of Tombura-Yambio lays the ceremonial cornerstone at the new facilities of St. Theresa Hospital in Nzara, South Sudan, April 7, 2018 (Photo: Matthew Jones/CMMB)

“We look to build the capacity of the hospital to make sure they are well equipped and well-staffed and well trained to the meet the needs of pregnant mothers and children coming in for services,” CMMB's Director of Partnerships, Robert Wuillamey, told CNA.

“One of the initiatives we are undertaking is building and equipping the hospital with an operating theater. Currently, the hospital does not have the capacity to do even simple surgeries in a clean and an efficient way,” he added.

St. Theresa Hospital, which is located in Nzara, fewer than 20 miles northwest of Yambio, is currently managed by the Comboni Missionary Sisters and owned by the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio.

The facility, specializing in maternal health also serves some 300,000 people in southwestern South Sudan as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR).

The hospital will reportedly receive not only a surgical operating theater, but a maternity ward as well. The facility will also implant a blood donation program for patients with malaria and anemia.

Last year, the hospital reportedly received between 21,000 and 28,000 out patients' attendances and 7,000 admissions, but the number is expected to rise as the new facilities become operational.

At 789 deaths per 100,000 live births, war-torn South Sudan reportedly has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and yet most of the causes of these maternal deaths are preventable, particularly when women receive recommended antenatal care.

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April 2, 2018 (NEW YORK) – UN's deputy peacekeeping chief Wednesday said holding elections in South Sudan before to reach a peaceful settlement is not a solution to the current crisis.

Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Security Council about her recent visit to South Sudan to discuss UNMISS mandate and efforts for peace. In Juba, she met with First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai, and a delegation of Cabinet Ministers led by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Martin Elia Lomoro.

Regarding the peace process, Keita told the Security Council she discussed with the government officials their plan B if the upcoming talks fail. She added that they think that resorting to general elections can be used as a means to end the conflict.

“We said, well, even in places where it is extremely well organized there is no way that you can go through all the steps of preparing elections in the conditions that we are seeing now” in South Sudan, she said.

The Guinean diplomat further said that South Sudan is not “a country where it is conducive, right now, to go through any meaningful elections as a Plan B.”

“So for us, there is no Plan B”. “The only plan is the High-Level Revitalization Forum,” she emphasized.

South Sudanese officials say the opposition groups want to undermine the IGAD-led process before to claim that Salva Kiir's government has no legitimacy.

They add that election can allow choosing a leader and the opposition groups including SPLM-IO Riek Machar have to renounce violence if they intend to take part in the polls.

But the opposition leaders reject this option pointing to the need for a political solution and the return of displaced civilians to their home areas before any election.

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May 2, 2018 (JUBA) – All sides involved in South Sudan's conflict must abide by what they agreed to and have their actions on the ground carefully monitored and scrutinized, David Shearer, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said.

David Shearer (UN photo)

“The intensification of the conflict is having a serious human impact. Hundreds of people are sheltering next to the UN base,” said Shearer.

“We saw tukuls (huts) burnt to the ground. We were told that elderly people and children had been killed and medical clinics ransacked,” he added.

The senior UN official's comments came in the aftermath of a visit he conducted in Leer and Dublual in the Unity region to see first-hand the impact of the deteriorating security situation on communities.

“I met a little girl who had been shot through her stomach and back. She is just one example of dozens of people injured and killed over recent weeks,” said Shearer, also Special Representative of the Secretary General to the war-torn nation.

“We also know that hundreds, if not thousands, of people have fled into the swamps and are surviving on wild vegetables and fruit,” he stressed.

During the visit, Shearer and his team met with both government and opposition leaders in the area, urging them to lay down their weapons, reconcile, and work together to build durable peace.

He also reminded the warring parties on how the signing of last year's ceasefire accord had given the peace process momentum, but warned that lack of a political will could undermine the truce.

“Earlier this year it felt like we were moving in the right direction. But after seeing the effects on civilians of this conflict, I believe there is a real risk that the situation will deteriorate further and undermine the chance for lasting peace,” stressed Shearer.

The official, however said, UNMISS would continue to fulfill its mandate.

“Our job is still to protect people and help them get through these dark times so that the peace process can work and we can find a durable solution. We will do all we can to support the people of South Sudan,” assured Shearer.

South Sudan's civil war has displaced some 4 million people and created a humanitarian crisis. The internal conflict began in 2013 as a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his deputy, former first vice president Riek Machar.

The war has also forced about 2 million people to flee the country and left more than a million others at the verge of starvation, according to the UN.

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By James C. Philip

South Sudanese now have a shocking but clear picture of where their country's arduous and tortuous peace process may lead them. It seems the whole enterprise mediated by IGAD is doomed, according to H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Head of IGAD. He let the cat out of the bag while speaking at Mo Ibrahim Forum on Good Governance on 28/04/2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Prime Minister Desalegn's candid remarks came at a time when the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is busy confounding mediation with procrastination while South Sudan slips farther into the abyss of civil war amid fears the country could disintegrate. Thanks to H.E. Desalegn, it is now certain the plight of South Sudanese will continue unabated across the country and particularly in UN Protection of Civilian Sites and refugee camps in neighbouring countries where life hangs in the balance. Peace is likely to remain elusive five years since President Salva Kiir and his Deputy, Dr. Riek Machar, have imposed a senseless war with an ethnic turn on the civilian population at large. The prospects of a just and lasting peace for the suffering people of South Sudan are now slimmer than at any time before. Prime Minister Desalegn's verdict is simple and forceful: IGAD is running round in circles and President Kiir is hell-bent on failing as a leader to the best of his ability to do so. What that means in practical terms is that IGAD Special Envoy Festus Mogae's insistent claim that the 2015 peace deal is well and alive is not only pointless but wrongheaded and foolhardy for the former President of Botswana whose credibility is now on the line.

Prime Minister Desalegn's sincere and bold remarks contain five important lessons for South Sudanese and friends of South Sudan to learn with respect to the fallacy President Kiir has built around the peace process, buoyed by IGAD's mediation fiasco and an insidious regional and continental indifference at the predicament of the people of South Sudan. First, H.E. Desalegn stated unequivocally that the problem of South Sudan is a leadership failure, confirming what world leaders such as former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, have said. It is the failure of leaders of the ruling SPLM that has plunged South Sudan into political violence. The SPLM's inter-elite competition for power is primarily to control the immense resources of the country and create a tribal hegemony to consolidate their power base, to that end.

Notwithstanding the splinter factions of the ruling party, there is a tacit agreement across the SPLM divide: a united SPLM is a ticket for impunity and looting of public resources; and a divided SPLM is a recipe for killing, pillaging and raping the masses into oblivion. At any rate, all SPLM factions, IG, IO and FDs, are either uniting to carry on with their fixation of looting the national coffers; or simply fighting to return to their vomit. President Kiir is a typical example of a SPLM faction seeking “reunification” with Vice-President Taban Deng so as to use state power as crude shorthand for self-aggrandizement. By contrast, Dr. Riek Machar and the Former Detainees are looking for ways to crawl out of their hide-outs and be reunited with their privately accumulated wealth in South Sudan. The SPLM in its entirety has no political agenda for South Sudan. Their misguided pretensions of possessing a change agenda have been exposed over the last five years. Granted, all the SPLM factions simply want to be back in power at any cost.

The clearest evidence is President Kiir's insistence to stay in power despite failing his country and people. H.E Desalegn said he had urged Kiir to step down and hand over the mantle of leadership to a new breed of patriots who can fix the country's wide-ranging problems. Instead, President Kiir is still looking for a personal “incentive” to accept change at a time when millions of his countrymen are languishing in destitution! Thus, the first lesson that peace-loving South Sudanese and their friends across the world must get right is that unless the issue of failed leadership in South Sudan is resolved and therefore Kiir is removed; there will not be peace in South Sudan. IGAD's misguided proposal during Phase II of the Revitalization Process to keep Kiir in power and accommodate the Opposition around him in a bloated government is typically a short-sighted and hurried approach to conflict resolution and, therefore, a dangerously meaningless political payload.

Second, Prime Minister Desalegn's remarks at the Forum in Kigali seem to suggest what most observers have known all along, namely, that the 2015 peace deal (known as the ARCSS) has long been dead. He said and I quote, “Agreements are signed and never implemented and I see further more agreements can be signed; but I don't think they will be implemented as the history shows...” (End of quote). The IGAD's negotiated peace deal between President Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar was a case of stillbirth. It was abrogated by Kiir long before the ink had dried on the very paper proclaiming its success. The ARCSS as such is not only dead but even irrelevant for the current complexity of the political landscape in the country. Resuscitating it would therefore amount to a wilful act of political travesty by the region.

The Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) was an elitist peace deal meant to reward warmongers and grant them more power to destroy each other and the country. That was just what Kiir did in July 2016 when he turned Juba into a war zone in one last desperate attempt to kill Machar. It failed miserably; but it was IGAD who had failed South Sudanese by again trying to assuage rivals instead of addressing the root-causes of the conflict. Moreover, IGAD has the audacity to repeat its deadly mistake by espousing a “Revitalization” logic that sees expansion of government as the remedy for South Sudan's systemic failure. The second leaf worth borrowing from H.E. Desalegn's remarks is that an elitist peace deal like the 2015 ARCSS only assuages rivals but leaves intact the structural issues bedevilling South Sudan as a nation-state.

Hence, in the unlikely event of arriving at a new peace deal with Kiir and Machar as parties, there must be an elaborate and enforceable implementation timetable and an UN-driven “scheme of sticks” that the Opposition can deploy with vigour to avoid another security incident at J1 when Kiir's caprice proves unhelpful again. The Opposition groups shall not compromise and betray the suffering people of South Sudan in return for positions. For any peace agreement to be sustainable, it must address the root causes of the conflicts and negotiated in a good faith.

Third, Prime Minister Desalegn offered a rare glimpse into the working failures of IGAD when he noted, “This country (South Sudan) has suffered for half a century now and still people are continuing to flow to Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan as refugees. I think this [is a] heart-breaking situation in South Sudan. We have tried our best as a Chair of the IGAD; we tried our best to resolve this issue....” (End of quote). IGAD has tried its best but only just. For how long does the IGAD intend to pursue its dim-witted mediation of the conflict in South Sudan? Why should the taxpayers' money of partner countries be spent on a futile undertaking by an ineffective IGAD forum and its paparazzi of “special envoys”? How much do the traumatized people of South Sudan have to endure at the hands of a murderous government before the conflict is “ripe for resolution”? How long do South Sudanese have to wait for accountability with regard to the atrocities documented extensively by global human rights bodies?

Two useless smokescreens IGAD has deployed successfully to keep its total failure at bay are Revitalization and Shuttle Diplomacy. In June 2016, they came up with Revitalization. Revitalization of ARCSS means to achieve restoration of Permanent Cessation of Hostility, full implementation of ARCSS and review of timelines. In the run-up to the revitalization meetings, Estranged groups, civil society organizations and Eminent Personalities were separately consulted by the IGAD teams; their views were compiled as a Pre-Consultation Report. Because the views of the people and parties were well-articulated in the report, the regime in Juba pressured IGAD to leave out the report. IGAD gave in to Juba and, during Revitalization phase II, discarded the report reflecting the views of the parties negotiating with the Government and the civil society representing the voices of the people of South Sudan.

Not only that, IGAD has persistently allowed the regime in Juba to disproportionately and wilfully shape its decisions about how the peace process should be run despite the fact that Juba is a party to the conflict. During the meetings, Juba is always there freely carrying its shuttle diplomacy with the IGAD members whether with Heads of States or Governments, Ministers or Ambassadors. IGAD members, including the mediators are not honest in discharging their role as peace-makers. This is no longer a suspicion but a fact. Recently, the East African Community has requested to be an Observer on the suspicion that IGAD has failed and is still failing with the case of South Sudan.

IGAD is not only biased in the peace process but it is not taking the peace process seriously. How can IGAD repeatedly postpone the peace process at the whims of Juba? What is the shuttle diplomacy for since they don't consider the pre-consultation report? What a waste of our time by the civil society last time here in the Protection of Civilians Camp (POCs) filling up questionnaires!

To my surprise, yesterday a team from IGAD was in Juba for shuttle diplomacy. How can IGAD simply travel to juba and meet Kiir to brief him on outcomes of peace consultations? Is this the job of IGAD to brief Kiir? H.E. Mr Hirut Zemene Ethiopian State foreign Minister was quoted as saying, “we have briefed His Excellency President Salva Kiir on the outcomes of what has been reached.” What Ethiopia's foreign policy chief could not clarify was with whom IGAD has reached what. Assuming these are outcomes of consultations with the civil society and Opposition groups, why should IGAD report to Kiir? If with TGONU, why should IGAD take the role of Chief Negotiator of the TGONU? This is a sick joke that only mediocre leaders can entertain.

It is time Festus Mogae packed. It is time IGAD came out clean on its true intentions vis-a-vis the five-year conflict raging in South Sudan. Truth hurts but telling it should not. The third lesson we can learn collectively from H.E. Desalegn's remarks is that a mediation that insists on “a bad peace is better than no peace” is bound to encounter a colossal failure of moral authority. IGAD's “bad peace” mantra sounds like the region wants to put the current conflict on hold and pass the baton of conflict resolution to another generation of South Sudanese who are probably now living in IDP or refugee camps as victims of the Kiir-Machar nexus. That is not just a bad peace; it is “bad mediation”, too! IGAD and its Heads of States must understand that the people of South Sudan will rather suffer for long time and get a genuine and just peace than desperately fall for a bad peace that will not break the cycle of conflict for generations.

Fourth, H.E. Desalegn called upon the UN to “take aggressive actions.” This remark by H.E. Desalegn seems to suggest that the IGAD and the AU cannot resolve the problem of South Sudan. So much for “African solutions to African problems”! The UN is also divided with some UNSC member countries probing up Kiir and turning a deaf ear to the suffering people of South Sudan. It is also clear a great many member countries have an oversimplified understanding of the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan by choice or default. Either way, the spectre of another Rwanda-like genocide is unfolding in South Sudan, albeit on a slower pace and more muted than anything the world has seen since Darfur. And this is the fourth lesson we can draw from Prime Minister Desalegn's remarks. Hundreds of thousands of children under five currently living in the camps are unlikely to survive for another 5 years. Many children who are currently not in school are not likely to go back anytime soon. Many young girls in the camps are going to end up as child-mothers and inherit the suffering of their parents. These are all President Kiir's silent weapons killing the South Sudanese everywhere.

Fifth, the world is talking to war criminals in South Sudan. That is the case when the IGAD Forum chooses to relate to Kiir and Machar as “protagonists”. The time of strong statements, including sanctions, revitalization and shuttle diplomacy to resolve the conflict in South Sudan is over. War Criminals don't heed advice nor succumb to pressure. Kiir looked past Desalegn when the latter urged him to step down! People like Kiir only listen to force! President Obama's rhetoric was miserable and brainless. President Kiir saw through it all and continued with the killings undeterred. President Trump's approach is pragmatic and credible but must not lose momentum or President Kiir will outwit him, too. That is the fifth lesson we can draw from H.E. Desalegn's remarks about the posture of the international community.

In conclusion, the ordinary and suffering people of South Sudan are not only ashamed of the leadership failure in South Sudan, but are more ashamed of the failure of world leaders (UN, AU, IGAD, USA, TRIOKA, Russia, China). South Sudan's immediate region has failed abysmally to recognize the grotesque upheavals in South Sudan and address the conflict in a very clear, honest, and transparent manner. The mediator, IGAD, has no sense of urgency, leave alone a sense of direction.

For now, Kiir and his Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) have free reins over South Sudan. That means more suffering to civilians like me. I have been living with my wife and seven children in the main UN PoC Site in Juba. Our children don't go to school. There is little value in education if educated leaders in and around South Sudan cannot bring peace to our country. It is a mockery to push our luck hard. After all, my family and I are survivors of Kiir's ruthless massacre of my ethnic people on the night of Sunday 13th December 2013. Five years later, Kiir still remains a war criminal at large as the world watches on. Our hope is in God. I know, between now and then the “civilized” world will produce a slew of sombre literature promising to prevent genocide. It will draw chuckles from Kiir because he has been doing exactly the opposite!

Kenya's free-runners flip, skip and somersault across Nairobi in a sport that's gaining popularity.

The surge of violence in South Sudan’s Unity region "looks set" to continue despite the ceasefire accord signed last year by warring parties, the top United Nations official in the African country said on  Wednesday.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has appealed for calm following fresh violence in the capital Bangui which claimed the lives of several civilians, including a religious leader.

The murder sparked outrage among women who used the hashtag #MenAreTrash in their protest.

The Islamic State group says it was behind the attack, amid concerns over election security.

Senegal striker Souleymane Camara extends his contract with French club Montpellier as he looks forward to his 12th season at the club.

The MDC leader says China is "asset-stripping" resources and vows to cancel deals if he wins elections.

May 1, 2018 (LAMWO) – South Sudanese army (SPLA) soldiers have halted a road construction taking place in Uganda's northern district of Lamwo, officials said.

Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers singing pro-war song (AFP file photo)

Engineers from a company contracted to undertake the survey of the 21 kilometers road from Agoro sub-county to Apiriti market at South Sudan border were confronted by SPLA soldiers who accused them of trespassing into their territory.

Agoro sub-county chairperson, Denis Onyon, told Daily Monitor that over 60 armed SPLA soldiers forced surveyors to stop their activities.

South Sudanese officials, Onyon said, also claimed the surveyors from Uganda encroached their territory during the survey exercise.

“The soldiers were very many and armed, they violently confronted our Ugandan team with accusation that they have crossed to their territory. We want government intervention in this matter as soon as possible,” he remarked.

Lamwo Resident District Commissioner, Jonathan Rutabingwa said they have informed government officials in Kampala and also contacted the Governor of Torit State, Alberio Tobiolo to discuss ways of reaching consensus without stopping road works.

“We have accepted their demands to halt the road survey in good faith so that no clashes erupt. We want to have cordial talks with the South Sudanese counterparts to come to a common ground, the road once complete will benefit not only Ugandans but also South Sudanese,” he told Daily Monitor.

Rutabingwa was, however, quoted saying the disputed area belongs to Uganda.

The Lamwo District Chairperson, John Ogwok said the dispute over the territory would delay the road project, which would benefit both the South Sudanese and Ugandans in boosting cross border trade.

South Sudanese authorities were not immediately available to comment on the matter.

In August 2015, over 200 armed militias from South Sudan entered nine kilometers into Uganda's territory at Lokung sub-county in Lamwo claiming its ownership, before Ugandan soldiers push them back.

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