<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="535" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-820x535.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419314" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-820x535.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-300x196.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-138x90.jpg 138w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-768x501.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-1536x1002.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/4SZ2PXKNNFLCBOO5S5R2NBQ5ZI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Angola&#8217;s main opposition UNITA party stand on a lamppost as they wave flags during an election rally in Luanda August 25, 2012. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LUANDA, Aug 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Angolans head to the polls next week in what is likely to be a tense standoff between a ruling party in power for nearly five decades and an opposition with growing appeal to a frustrated, impoverished youth.



The MPLA, led by João Lourenço since 2017, has governed Africa&#8217;s second-biggest oil producer since independence from Portugal in 1975. But longtime opposition party UNITA is stronger than ever, as anger grows at government failures to convert vast oil wealth into better living conditions for all.



Angola, one of the world&#8217;s most unequal nations, will on Aug. 24 elect a new president and lawmakers in its fifth multi-party election since the first in 1992.



Half of Angolans live in poverty and more than half of those under 25 are unemployed, facts which UNITA hopes to capitalise on in promising a change of regime. Half of voters are under 35.



An Afrobarometer survey in May showed Angolans favouring UNITA, led by the charismatic Adalberto Costa Júnior, had increased to 22% from 13% in 2019, still seven points behind the MPLA. Nearly half of voters were undecided.



&#8220;Without a doubt, this election is the tensest since 1992,&#8221; said Oxford University researcher Ricardo Soares de Oliveira. &#8220;There&#8217;s a huge amount of volatility and unpredictability &#8211; and the party in power has a lot of fear.&#8221;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-what-is-at-stake-for-investors-in-angola-s-elections">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/what-is-at-stake-for-investors-in-angolas-elections/">What is at stake for investors in Angola’s elections?</a></h3>



Handpicked by his predecessor José Eduardo dos Santos when he stepped down in 2017 after ruling Angola for 38 years, Lourenço pledged to fight corruption and boost the economy at a time of crisis due to the 2014 oil price crash.



He investigated corruption during the dos Santos era, targeting the former leader&#8217;s children in seeking to recover billions of dollars of siphoned-off revenue, a moved aimed at trying to &#8220;gain some popular legitimacy,&#8221; said Justin Pearce, senior lecturer in history at South Africa&#8217;s Stellenbosch University.



Lourenço also signed a deal with the IMF and improved ties with the West to reposition Angola as a trustworthy investment destination, but was confronted with COVID-19 and a fall in oil prices, then the impact of Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.



&#8220;Issues that affect people very directly &#8230; haven&#8217;t been solved,&#8221; Jon Schubert, an anthropology professor at the University of Basel. &#8220;The cost of living is very high and salaries are worth a third of what they were six years ago.&#8221;



Angola emerged from a 27-year civil war between the MPLA and UNITA in 2002, but Soares de Oliveira said the youth had little concern for this history, and worried more about economic ills.



That raises the risk of violent protest, if they feel their voices were not heard. A report by the Institute for Security Studies said that if an MPLA win is perceived as fraudulent, unrest could follow.



EXPLAINER-What is at stake for investors in Angola&#8217;s elections? <a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZS59K&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Rachel Savage in London; Editing by Tim Cocks and David Holmes)

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Angola’s main opposition UNITA party stand on a lamppost as they wave flags during an election rally in Luanda

Unequal and divided, Angola braces for tense election

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="548" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY-820x548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419302" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY-820x548.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The Estadio da Cidadela stadium is seen with the skyline of central Luanda May 4, 2014. REUTERS/Saul Loeb/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LONDON/LUANDA, Aug 18 (Reuters) – Angolan voters will choose next Wednesday between a party that’s been in power for nearly five decades and its main opponent for even longer, in what looks like the closest ever election in Africa’s second-biggest oil producer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHO ARE THE MAIN PLAYERS?</h2>



President João Lourenço of the MPLA, who has made reforming the corruption-plagued southern African country his priority since taking office in 2017, faces Adalberto Costa Júnior of the rebel-turned-opposition group, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).



A May Afrobarometer poll gave the ruling MPLA, which has governed since independence from Portugal in 1975, a lead of 7% over UNITA. Analysts expect it to win despite growing support for the opposition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR INVESTORS?</h2>



In Africa, only Nigeria produces more oil than Angola, according to OPEC, while Kimberley Process data ranks it as the world’s seventh-largest rough diamond producer.



One of Africa’s largest economies, Angola has been dominated by state-owned companies, a legacy of its socialist past. The government has embarked on ambitious privatisation programmes but progress has been slow. Restructuring state oil company Sonangol and diamond miner Endiama ahead of partial IPOs is expected by authorities to take another 12 to 18 months.



Lourenço has also opened anti-corruption probes against the previous MPLA administration.



After five years of recession, Angola’s GDP increased 0.7% in 2021, according to the World Bank, and the finance ministry expects growth of 2.7% for this year. Inflation is falling, but remains above 20%.



The return to growth linked to higher oil prices has, as usual, not benefited most Angolans, around half of whom live in poverty, according to the Angola Multidimensional Poverty Index. Such desperation could easily spill over into violence during the elections, said Risk Advisory Group&#8217;s Laura Seara Cabeça.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-markets-watching-out-for">WHAT ARE MARKETS WATCHING OUT FOR?</h2>



Investors in the country&#8217;s $9 billion of outstanding Eurobonds are pricing in a win and a majority of the 220 parliamentary seats for the MPLA, which would mean the continuation of Lourenço&#8217;s market-friendly policies.



Angola’s Eurobonds currently yield above 10%, according to Tradeweb data, the level at which a country is often considered to be locked out from issuing new debt.



The country’s debt burden soared to a record high of 131% of GDP in 2020 and then fell to 75% last year, helped by higher oil prices.



A JPMorgan index of Angola’s bonds is down 9.3% in the last six months, compared with a 12.5% fall for the continent as a whole.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MPLA AND UNITA’s POLICIES?</h2>



Not much.



Both have presented similar proposals aimed at diversifying the economy and tax base away from oil, and encouraging investment in sectors such as renewable energy, fisheries and tourism, according to Fernandes Wanda, an economist at University Agostinho Neto in Luanda.



The MPLA, certainly, has yet to show political will to end Angola’s dependency on oil, said Jon Schubert, a political anthropologist at the University of Basel.



UNITA has promised to end the “concentration of the economy in a single political and social group” – a reference to Angola being one of the world’s most stratified societies, whose elite comprises only those with ruling party connections.



But the party has not criticised the government&#8217;s broader macroeconomic reforms because it would most likely pursue the same policies, according to South Africa-based independent analyst Marisa Lourenço, not a relative of the president.



Whoever wins still faces the whims of the price of oil, which still accounts for more than half of Angola’s government revenues and 94% of exports, according to the International Monetary Fund, which says any oil price fall could quickly trigger debt problems in the country. 



(Reporting by Rachel Savage and Catarina Demony; Editing by Tim Cocks and Hugh Lawson)

7CA36F5I6ZJPDI4NOYPOXLASEY

What is at stake for investors in Angola’s elections?

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418713" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/VEJHBDTFHVOLZPRFPOGYBLONSA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt, July 24, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, July 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Congo Republic on Monday, the second leg of an African tour aimed at strengthening Moscow&#8217;s ties with a continent that has refused to join Western condemnation and sanctions over Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.



African countries, which have a tangled legacy of ties with both the West and the former Soviet Union, have largely avoided taking sides over the war in Ukraine. Many import Russian grain and, increasingly, energy too but they also buy Ukrainian grain and benefit from Western aid flows and trade ties.



Lavrov has already visited Egypt and will head from Congo to Uganda, then Ethiopia.



Africa is also being courted by the West this week, with French President Emmanuel Macron due to visit Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau and U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer on his way to Egypt and Ethiopia.



In a column published in newspapers in the four countries included in his tour, Lavrov praised Africa for resisting what he called the West&#8217;s attempts to impose a unipolar world order.



&#8220;We appreciate the considered African position as to the situation in and around Ukraine,&#8221; he wrote in the column, adding that African countries had come under &#8220;unprecedented&#8221; Western pressure to join the sanctions.



In Congo Republic, a small oil-producing former French colony north of the much larger Democratic Republic of Congo, Lavrov visited President Denis Sassou Nguesso at his residence in the town of Oyo, 400 km from the capital Brazzaville.



Sassou Nguesso has been in power since 1979, with a five-year gap from 1992 to 1997.



Lavrov was expected to hold a joint news conference with his Congolese counterpart Jean-Claude Gakosso on Monday, Russia&#8217;s foreign ministry said.



In a statement, Lavrov&#8217;s spokeswoman said this was the first visit by a Russian or Soviet foreign affairs minister to the country. She said friendly ties dated back to the Soviet era and that 8,000 Congolese citizens had studied in Russia.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balancing-act">BALANCING ACT</h3>



Lavrov was expected later in Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni has a long history of balancing strong ties with Western allies as well as friendly relations with Moscow. He has visited Russia at least twice since 2010.



In a statement announcing Lavrov&#8217;s visit, Museveni&#8217;s office said he desired &#8220;stronger bilateral relations especially in the areas of defence and security, economic and technical cooperation&#8221;.



Museveni&#8217;s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, an army general widely seen as being groomed to succeed his father, praised Russia on social media shortly after President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24.



&#8220;The majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia&#8217;s stand in Ukraine. Putin is absolutely right!&#8221; he wrote.



Uganda&#8217;s state broadcaster said it would carry news bulletins from Russian state-funded channel RT twice a day under a new memorandum of understanding signed with Moscow.



Sarah Bireete, head of Kampala-based campaign group the Centre for Constitutional Governance, said Museveni, who has been in power for 36 years, was keen on Russia because it did not question his government&#8217;s record.



&#8220;Uganda has strong alliances with the West but they are beginning to question his democratic credentials so Museveni is now running to Russia which doesn&#8217;t query his human rights or democracy record,&#8221; she said.



Uganda is among several nations in Eastern Africa suffering from food shortages due to a combination of the region&#8217;s worst drought in 40 years and soaring inflation fueled by the crisis in Ukraine.



Western powers have blamed Russia for the crisis, and last week the U.S. announced a $1.3 billion package to help tackle hunger in the region. Russia blames the Western sanctions for grain supply problems.



(Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Gareth Jones)

FILE PHOTO: Russia’s Lavrov visits Egypt

Russia’s Lavrov courts Africa in quest for more non-Western friends

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085536-16571944892022-07-07t114532z_13901088_rc2z6v9rig46_rtrmadp_0_britain-politics.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-418324" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085536-16571944892022-07-07t114532z_13901088_rc2z6v9rig46_rtrmadp_0_britain-politics.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085536-16571944892022-07-07t114532z_13901088_rc2z6v9rig46_rtrmadp_0_britain-politics-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085536-16571944892022-07-07t114532z_13901088_rc2z6v9rig46_rtrmadp_0_britain-politics-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, July 7, 2022. Henry Nicholls | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, bringing an acrimonious end to a nearly three-year premiership that has been beset by controversy and scandal.



Speaking outside Downing Street, Johnson said the process for choosing the new leader of the Conservative Party should begin now, with a timetable to be announced next week.



He said he intends to remain in place until a new Tory leader is elected.



His decision to remain in office comes despite a clear lack of support from within his own party and a growing push across the political spectrum for him to step down immediately.



Johnson said he was “sad to be giving up the best job in the world,” but conceded that “no one is remotely indispensable” in politics. &nbsp;



Sterling traded 0.4% higher at $1.1979 shortly after Johnson’s announcement.



It comes as the wave of resignations from Johnson’s government and party since Tuesday evening approached 60, with one Conservative Party member after another publicly voicing their lack of confidence in the prime minister.



Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi was the latest of Johnson’s allies to urge him to “go now,” saying the unprecedented political crisis over his future was not sustainable and would “only get worse.”



Remarkably, Zahawi’s call for Johnson to step down came just two days after the prime minister appointed him finance minister.



The relentless stream of resignations was dramatically kickstarted by Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid. The two high-profile ministers quit within minutes of each on Tuesday evening following a dispute over Johnson’s decision to appoint Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip earlier this year.



Pincher resigned and was suspended as a Conservative Party MP last week, following accusations that he drunkenly groped two men at a private members’ club. It has since emerged that Johnson appointed him to the role despite knowing of previous misconduct allegations against him.



Johnson apologized for appointing Pincher as deputy chief whip. He has since repeatedly rejected calls to resign, claiming he had a “colossal mandate” to keep going. By Thursday, however, Johnson bowed to the political pressure over his future and announced he would step down.



Johnson’s downfall brings an end to his reputation as the “Teflon” prime minister. The 58-year-old former London mayor had become known for his ability to wriggle out of political controversies.



Last month, Johnson survived a vote of confidence triggered by his own MPs amid increasing dissatisfaction with his leadership. The secret ballot of Tory lawmakers saw some 211 MPs vote in favor of Johnson, while 148 voted against him.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-are-the-front-runners-to-replace-johnson"><a></a>Who are the front-runners to replace Johnson?</h2>



Johnson’s resignation means there will now be a leadership contest to determine who becomes the next Conservative leader and prime minister.



The individual candidates will need to secure the backing of Tory MPs, with the final two going head-to-head in a ballot of Conservative Party members.



Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former Health Minister Sajid Javid, former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, former Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove, International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and Defense Minister Ben Wallace are among the frontrunners tipped to run in a leadership election.



Polling firm YouGov said a comparison of individual candidates showed Wallace was the clear favorite among Conservative Party members to be the next party leader.



— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

107085536-16571944892022-07-07t114532z_13901088_rc2z6v9rig46_rtrmadp_0_britain-politics

Boris Johnson resigns as UK prime minister

Sterling hit a session high Thursday on expectations that U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will resign later in the day.



The pound rose 0.35% against the U.S. dollar to trade at $1.1971 around 9.25 a.m. London time. It pared gains slightly to trade around $1.199 at 10.40 a.m.



A Downing Street spokesperson told NBC News that Johnson will make a statement to the country later Thursday.



Meanwhile the FTSE 100 stock index rose 1.12% following multiple media reports, including by Sky News, that the prime minister is set to resign. CNBC and NBC News were unable to independently verify these reports.



In bond markets, the 10-year U.K. government bond yield rose to hit 2.181



It comes after more than 50 MPs resigned from Johnson’s government within 48 hours.



The prime minister has been under increasing pressure since Tuesday, when two government heavy weights, the health and finance minister, resigned from office. This led to a cascade of departures from government.



Roger Jones, head of U.K. equities at London and Capital, told CNBC there was “some relief” in currency markets because it was looking as if “this is not going to be long and drawn out with the prime minister refusing to go and ultimately causing a policy stalemate.”



The first resignations began in earnest on Tuesday, but Johnson clung to his position, appointing replacement ministers. However, even some of the new appointees have now told him that he needs to go.



Newly appointed finance minister Nadhim Zahawi said in a letter “you know in your heart what the right thing to do is, and go now.”



Market players are already wondering that a resignation would mean for the U.K.’s economy.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085211-1657130869966-boris.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418316" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085211-1657130869966-boris.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085211-1657130869966-boris-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/107085211-1657130869966-boris-160x90.jpg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes a question from the media during his press conference at the NATO Summit on June 30, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. Denis Doyle | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



“If Boris Johnson resigns as UK Prime Minister later today, as the media is now reporting, then it’s possible that fiscal policy may be a bit looser and monetary policy may have to be a bit tighter,” Paul Dales,&nbsp;chief U.K. economist at Capital Economics, said in a note.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-we-got-here"><a></a>How we got here</h2>



Thursday’s developments follow a premiership plagued by scandals and allegations of misleading the public, but the final straw for many MPs involves Conservative lawmaker Chris Pincher. The former deputy chief whip was suspended last week amid accusations that he drunkenly groped two men at a private members club.



Johnson on Tuesday apologized for appointing Pincher deputy chief whip — a senior party role — despite knowing of an investigation into his behavior in 2019.



The revelation that Johnson knew of the misconduct allegations prompted the resignations on Tuesday of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.



In a resignation speech to parliament Wednesday, Javid, also a former chancellor, said “treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months.”



Johnson narrowly survived a confidence vote from Conservative MPs last month, but many of those previously backing his leadership have now abandoned their support.

107085211-1657130869966-boris

Sterling, FTSE 100 gain ahead of UK PM Boris Johnson’s expected resignation

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417965" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/56N7KIQEIZK3ROTABJW5ITT7ZE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits a training base of the National Guard, as Russia&#8217;s attack on Ukraine continues, in Odesa region, Ukraine June 18, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, June 20 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Africa was a &#8220;hostage&#8221; in the war with Russia, which had contributed to rising food prices on the continent.



African countries are acutely affected by the growing crisis, which has sent prices of grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertiliser soaring.



Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies, while Russia is also a key global fertiliser exporter and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.



In a speech to African Union leaders, Zelenskiy said the continent had been caught up in a situation not of its making.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-why-african-nations-support-for-un-action-on-russia-ukraine-is-so-mixed">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/why-african-nations-support-for-un-action-on-russia-ukraine-is-so-mixed/">Why African nations’ support for UN action on Russia/Ukraine is so mixed</a></h3>



&#8220;(I) address you in a state of emergency, when we have a war. In an emergency for the whole world, when Africa is actually taken hostage. Hostage of those who started the war against our state,&#8221; Zelenskiy said in a video speech to the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union.



&#8220;This war may seem very distant to you and your countries. But catastrophically rising food prices have already brought it home to millions of African families.&#8221;



Moscow rejects accusations it is deliberately blocking grain exports from Ukraine and says global food and fuel price hikes are due to Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the Feb. 24 invasion, which it calls a &#8220;special military operation&#8221;.



In early June, Senegal&#8217;s President Macky Sall said Russia&#8217;s Vladimir Putin had told him he was ready to enable the export of Ukrainian grain to ease a global food crisis that was hitting Africa especially hard.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2XQ11H&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



On Monday, Sall, who is also the chairman of the African Union, said on Twitter after Zelenskiy&#8217;s speech the continent remained committed to respecting international law, peacefully resolving conflicts and free trade.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; editing by James Macharia Chege and Philippa Fletcher)

Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy visits Odesa region

Ukraine president says Africa “hostage” in war with Russia

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="513" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U-820x513.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417910" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U-820x513.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U-300x188.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U-144x90.jpg 144w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Congolese civilians carry their belongings as they flee near the Congolese border with Rwanda after fightings broke out in Kibumba, outside Goma in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Djaffar Sabiti</figcaption></figure>



DAKAR, June 17 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Security has deteriorated in two provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the government placed them under military rule last year, U.N. experts said on Friday.



The government declared a state of siege in April 2021 in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in response to escalating attacks by militias, including repeated massacres by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has links to Islamic State.



The state of siege placed the provinces under the authority of military governors. Dozens of militias have remained active in North Kivu and Ituri since the end of a major regional war in 2003.



Neighbouring Uganda also sent troops in November to conduct joint operations with Congolese forces against the ADF, which originated in Uganda.



&#8220;Despite a state of siege &#8230; the security and humanitarian situation in the two provinces deteriorated,&#8221; said a report submitted by the U.N. Group of Experts on Congo to the Security Council.



It said the ADF had been dispersed by military operations but remained resilient, stepping up its attacks on civilians.



&#8220;This escalation in the number of attacks and killings of civilians was part of ADF reprisal tactics, which were also aimed at dissuading operations against ADF,&#8221; it said.



According to data from Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in eastern Congo, the ADF was responsible for 1,050 violent deaths in 2021, up from 599 in 2020.



Congo&#8217;s government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously denied the state of siege has been a failure, pointing to successes on the battlefield.



Violence by other militias is also on the rise, the experts said.



The M23 rebels, who captured swaths of eastern Congo in 2012 before being beaten back the following year by Congolese troops and U.N. peacekeepers, launched a major offensive last month that has captured several strategic towns.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Y00IC&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Congo accuses neighbouring Rwanda, which invaded twice in the 1990s, of backing the rebels and sending its own troops across the border. Rwanda denies this.



The U.N. experts did not reach a conclusion on whether Rwanda was supporting the M23, although research for the current report concluded before the rebels stepped up their offensive.



(Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alison Williams)

OQZXJFAEN5M5HNJCSF63PGDN3U

East Congo violence worsening despite military rule – U.N. experts

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="549" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414936" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Rwandan president Paul Kagame addresses delegates at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, April 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Rwanda&#8217;s President Paul Kagame has visited his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni near Kampala, in what is seen as a sign of improving ties after several years of trading accusations over spying and supporting dissidents.



In January, Rwanda re-opened a border crossing with Uganda that had been closed for three years since Kigali accused Kampala of harassing its nationals and supporting those bent on overthrowing the government.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2UB25X&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



In turn, Museveni&#8217;s government accused Rwanda of conducting illegal espionage in Uganda.



On Sunday evening, Kagame attended a state banquet for the birthday of Museveni&#8217;s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is seen as the Ugandan leader&#8217;s potential successor.



The pair discussed a number of issues including regional peace, stability and cooperation, Museveni said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-rwanda-re-opens-border-with-uganda-but-says-grievances-remain">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/rwanda-re-opens-border-with-uganda-but-says-grievances-remain/">Rwanda re-opens border with Uganda but says grievances remain</a></h3>



&#8220;I want to thank H.E Kagame for responding positively to Lt Gen Muhoozi&#8217;s invitation and coming to pay a visit to Uganda after years of not coming here,&#8221; Museveni wrote on Twitter.



Rwanda&#8217;s office of the presidency shared photographs on Twitter of the two men, who once fought together but whose relations have become strained, chatting at Uganda&#8217;s state house in Entebbe.



Kagame helped Museveni overthrow Uganda&#8217;s previous president Milton Obote in the 1980s, but relations soured as they jockeyed for influence in the region, particularly in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.



Museveni&#8217;s son Kainerugaba, who leads the Ugandan army&#8217;s land forces, is credited with helping mend relations. The visit comes just days after the East African Community (EAC), of which Rwanda and Uganda are members, agreed to set up a regional military force to try to end decades of bloodshed in eastern Congo.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2WK16H&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Rwandan president Paul Kagame addresses delegates at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali

Rwanda’s Kagame visits Uganda’s Museveni as relations thaw

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="599" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-820x599.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-416466" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-820x599.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-300x219.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-123x90.jpg 123w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-768x561.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-1536x1123.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4GHXRPYZUNNKPAB6O64ZIWBJHM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: South Africa&#8217;s Ambassador to the UN Mathu Joyini speaks during the 11th emergency special session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, April 13 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Western powers seeking to isolate Russia over Ukraine are disappointed at what they see as lukewarm support from African nations at the U.N. general assembly &#8211; where their 54 votes form a bloc large enough to swing resolutions.



The Ukraine war comes at a time of heightened rivalry between the West, China and Russia over Africa&#8217;s natural resources, trade and security ties.



Below are some reasons for the continent&#8217;s divided stance:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hearts-and-minds">HEARTS AND MINDS</h2>



On the day of the invasion, Feb. 24, the African Union unequivocally called on Russia to respect &#8220;the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine&#8221;, while Kenya&#8217;s U.N. ambassador, Martin Kimani, spoke for many when he compared Russian aggression to that of Africa&#8217;s former colonial masters.



However, African votes on U.N. resolutions have been mixed, for example on the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council: nine African nations voted against, 23 abstained, 11 didn&#8217;t vote and only 11 backed it.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2W5129&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



While an abstention might look &#8216;pro-Russian&#8217;, Russia has also threatened countries that abstain, underscoring how squeezed would-be neutral parties are.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2W413B&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The West has meanwhile stepped up its efforts to vie for African hearts and minds. That could serve the continent well.



&#8220;It makes sense for (the West) to maintain those relationships (with African countries),&#8221; said Cayley Clifford, researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs. &#8220;This whole conflict &#8230; almost gives Africa the upper hand.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AFRICA&#8217;S NOT A COUNTRY</h2>



Analysts note that African countries have varying motives when it comes to Russia, so talk of an &#8216;African position&#8217; makes little sense.



&#8220;You can&#8217;t just brush it with one paint. There is no &#8216;African view&#8217;. There are various views based on various historical reasons,&#8221; Comfort Ero, President of the International Crisis Group, said.



Kenya is pursuing a security partnership with the United States against Somalia-based Islamist militants; Nigeria seeks support against Islamic state and Boko Haram; Ghana has sought to deepen U.S. cultural ties by becoming Africa&#8217;s premiere slave heritage tourism destination.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/afreximbank-sets-up-4-bln-trade-fund-to-cushion-against-ukraine-related-shocks/">Afreximbank sets up $4 bln trade fund to cushion against Ukraine-related shocks</a></h3>



Many that do not back the West&#8217;s stance &#8211; like South Africa, Eritrea and Central African Republic &#8211; have close trade and security ties with Russia they don&#8217;t want to jeopardise.



The diplomatic heavyweight least inclined to back the West is South Africa, which went so far as proposing an alternative resolution that didn&#8217;t mention Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.



South Africa&#8217;s close trade and historical ties with Russia are often invoked, but analysts say it&#8217;s less to do with this &#8211; South Africa trades many times more with NATO countries &#8211; than with its non-aligned ideology, as outlined by Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor in a speech last week.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DISILLUSIONMENT</h2>



African countries have long resented being a theatre for distant power struggles happening in faraway capitals.



&#8220;It&#8217;s a feeling that we are where superpowers practise their games,&#8221; said a senior African diplomat. &#8220;How we experience it doesn&#8217;t matter to them. What they care about is their power.&#8221;



On COVID-19, African leaders&#8217; calls for vaccines have fallen on the deaf ears of rich nations with more than enough to spare. Ditto for Africa&#8217;s plea for funds to deal with climate change.



&#8220;When we have a problem, we&#8217;re on our own; when there&#8217;s an &#8216;international problem&#8217;, as defined by the West, then it&#8217;s a global problem&#8230; Everybody treats us like pawns,&#8221; Chris Ogunmodede, associate editor at World Politics Review, said.



For others, a superpower invading a weaker nation on a false pretext has echoes of 2003.



&#8220;They deceived us on Iraq, they told us there are weapons of mass destruction and we &#8230; supported them,&#8221; Uganda&#8217;s Foreign Minister of State Okello Oryem told Reuters, referring to the false claim that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons to explain why Uganda was being more cautious this time.



Uganda was among just four African states backing the U.S.-led invasion, when President Yoweri Museveni was a close ally.



Relations have since soured. Museveni bristles at Western criticism that he&#8217;s an autocrat, and defence of gay rights &#8211; the kind of moralising that China and Russia don&#8217;t do.



(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Elias Biryabarema in Kampala and Giulia Paravicini; Editing by James Macharia Chege, Kirsten Donovan)

FILE PHOTO: 11th emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in New York City

Why African nations’ support for UN action on Russia/Ukraine is so mixed

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-416422" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A protester marches during a rally against military rule following coup in Khartoum, Sudan. February 10, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



KHARTOUM, April 11 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Crowds of Sudanese protesters gathered in parts of the capital and other Sudanese cities on Monday, the third anniversary of Omar al-Bashir&#8217;s ouster to protest the prospect of renewed military rule.



Bashir was ousted after three decades in power by a group of his top generals, who later entered into a power-sharing government with the civilian groups that had led months of protests in 2019.



That arrangement ended on Oct. 25 when the same military leaders, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, staged a coup, which has plunged the country into economic and political turmoil.



&#8220;Bashir&#8217;s downfall did not mean a final victory for the revolution, because Burhan is a continuation of his regime,&#8221; said 38-year-old protester Ahmed Ibrahim. &#8220;We will bring down the military peacefully and democracy is Sudan&#8217;s future,&#8221; he told Reuters at a Khartoum protest.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-sudan-s-burhan-says-army-ousted-government-to-avoid-civil-war">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/sudan-internet-cuts-complicate-civil-disobedience-campaign-against-coup/">Sudan’s Burhan says army ousted government to avoid civil war</a></h3>



Protesters blocked main roads, burning tires, banging drums, and chanting revolutionary poems.



Protests against the coup have taken place despite a security crackdown that has claimed the lives of 94 people and injured thousands, as well as climbing temperatures and Ramadan fasts.



Khartoum protesters broke their day-long fasts in the street, as they did in major protests last week, and numbers swelled after sunset.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2W42JO&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Protests were also seen in other major cities, including Bahri, Omdurman, Port Sudan, Madani, and El Obeid.



The military says the coup was a necessary corrective measure. Reuters reported last week that a deal was under consideration between the military and some political groups to bypass opposition parties and set up a new government.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2W334F&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Howard Goller)

XMLGGTXX2ZMPXGKFLCTUVP6EHA

Sudanese protesters mark third anniversary of Bashir’s ouster with fresh protests

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-401486" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1x-1-4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Ghana President, Nana Akufo-Addo attends the fifty-sixth ordinary session of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Kola SULAIMON / AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



ACCRA, Feb 3 (Reuters) &#8211; The chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Thursday that a coup in Mali was &#8220;contagious&#8221; and had set a dangerous trend that led to subsequent coups in the region.



Mali&#8217;s August 2020 coup was followed by a second military coup in the West African nation last May, one in Guinea in September last year, a coup in Burkina Faso last week, and a failed coup in Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.



&#8220;Let us address this dangerous trend collectively and decisively before it devastates the entire region,&#8221; said Nana Akufo-Addo at the opening of a summit of West African leaders in Ghana&#8217;s capital Accra, to discuss the coup in Burkina Faso.



&#8220;This summit will focus on the emerging threats in our region that stem from the military&#8217;s interference in Mali and its contagious influence in Guinea and Burkina Faso,&#8221; he said.



ECOWAS has suspended Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso from the 15-nation bloc and imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea, hitting Mali particularly hard last month after its junta failed to organise elections and proposed holding power until 2025.



Mali defaulted on more than $31 million of bond payments due to the financial freeze, it said on Wednesday.



But the regional bloc and its Western allies have found they have limited leverage to deter the surge in support for military leadership in West Africa&#8217;s Sahel region, driven largely by governments&#8217; inability to contain a worsening Islamist insurgency.



An ECOWAS delegation was dispatched to Burkina Faso on Monday to meet with coup leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who declared himself head of state and has not yet proposed a timeline for returning to constitutional order.



The delegation was expected to report back on the talks to other ECOWAS members on Thursday. 



(Reporting by Cooper Inveen; Writing by Nellie Peyton Editing by Bate Felix, Alexandra Hudson)

NIGERIA-SECURITY-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-ECONOMY

West Africa bloc chairman says Mali’s coup was “contagious”

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="549" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414936" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Rwandan president Paul Kagame addresses delegates at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Rwanda on Monday re-opened a border crossing with Uganda closed three years ago when the government accused Kampala of harassing its nationals and supporting dissidents bent on removing the government in Kigali.



In turn the government of President Yoweri Museveni accused Rwanda of conducting illegal espionage in Uganda, which suffered a huge drop in exports with the border closed.



Officials from both side hailed the reopening, allowing a resumption of trade and some people to move back and forth. But the comments of a Rwanda government spokesman to Rwandan television on Sunday signal the animosity still lingers.



Deputy government spokesman Alain Mukuralinda told Rwanda TV that although the border was re-opening, Uganda had not yet addressed all of Kigali&#8217;s grievances.



&#8220;It does not mean that cases of beatings, torture and deportations of Rwandan nationals are over. It does not mean that the people, based in Uganda, who want to destabilise Rwanda have stopped. We hope it is a good move towards stopping all that,&#8221; he said.



On Monday, government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo declined to comment on her deputy&#8217;s comments. Uganda&#8217;s government spokesman could not immediately be reached. Both sides have previously denied the allegations from each other.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-rwanda-to-re-open-border-with-uganda-as-relations-thaw">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/rwanda-to-re-open-border-with-uganda-as-relations-thaw/">Rwanda to re-open border with Uganda as relations thaw</a></h3>



&#8220;The Gatuna border is open. Currently trucks, Rwandan citizens, returning residents, are crossing to Rwanda,&#8221; Makolo told Reuters.



She said the two countries were working on anti-coronavirus health measures and that other categories of travellers would be allowed too once those measures were put in place.



Uganda&#8217;s state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem, told Reuters: &#8220;We are very pleased that it (border) is finally open &#8230; so that the people in both countries can trade with each other.&#8221;



The border closure had choked off commerce on a major regional transport artery that funnels goods from the Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa in Kenya through Uganda to Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.



In the last two decades Uganda&#8217;s annual exports to Rwanda rose gradually to above $200 million but suddenly plunged sharply after the border closure in 2019. In 2020, at the peak of the hostilities during the closure, Uganda&#8217;s exports to Rwanda were under $2 million.



A Reuters witness at the border said there was little vehicular traffic crossing from either side on Monday. State-run Rwanda TV showed at least one bus crossing. 



(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Alison Williams)

Rwanda re-opens border with Uganda but says grievances remain

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="549" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414936" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-820x549.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/U5DUPVTNRFIELG6KDS4EHR4OCM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Rwandan president Paul Kagame addresses delegates at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, Jan 28 (Reuters) &#8211; Rwanda will re-open on Monday a border crossing with Uganda that was shuttered nearly three years ago, even as tensions rise between the central African neighbours, fuelled by accusations of espionage and support for each other&#8217;s dissidents.



Rwanda had repeatedly accused Uganda of supporting rebel groups planning to topple the government in Kigali while Kampala accused Rwanda of carrying out illegal espionage activities in Uganda.



In a statement on Twitter on Friday, Rwanda&#8217;s foreign ministry said the country would re-open the common border on Jan. 31.



&#8220;Rwanda has taken note that there is a process to solve issues raised by Rwanda, as well as commitments made by the government of Uganda to address remaining obstacles,&#8221; it said in the statement.



Various attempts, including <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rwanda-uganda-angola-idUSKCN1VB1M0">mediation efforts by Angola</a>, to restore normal relations and open the border had yielded little.



The border closure in March 2019 had severely disrupted the trade links in the region.



For its external trade, Rwanda primarily relies on a transport corridor that runs from the Indian ocean port of Mombasa through Kenya and Uganda. The same road also funnels goods through Rwanda to Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.



Rwanda and Uganda have long harboured mutual suspicions and hostilities, partly stemming from historical ties between both countries&#8217; politics and security.



Paul Kagame, Rwanda&#8217;s current leader, grew up in Uganda and participated in the a guerrilla struggle that brought Uganda&#8217;s president Yoweri Museveni, 77, to power.



The move to re-open the border followed a meeting in Kigali last week between Kagame and Museveni&#8217;s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is also a general in the military and who the public widely believes is being prepared to take over from his long-serving father.



A resumption of normal trade at the two countries&#8217; border crossing is potentially a much needed impetus for jump-starting regional economies battered by effects of COVID-19 containment measures.



Rwanda and Uganda are members of regional trade bloc East African Community alongside Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan. 



(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Lincoln Feast.)

Rwanda to re-open border with Uganda as relations thaw

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-820x461.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414799" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MO6CKQMAYVPD5NTRU5GXC4S4FU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: People hold a Burkina Faso flag as hundreds gather in downtown Ouagadougou to show support for the military, in Burkina Faso, in this still image taken from video on January 23, 2022. REUTERS TV via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



DAKAR, Jan 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Burkina Faso&#8217;s military appeared to seize power on Monday by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-president-kabore-detained-military-camp-sources-tell-reuters-2022-01-24">arresting President Roch Kabore</a> after mutinying in demand for greater resources in the fight against Islamist militants.



This would mark the fourth military coup in the past year in West and Central Africa, a region once known as the continent&#8217;s &#8220;coup belt&#8221;.



Here is a list of other recent coups.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/west-african-officials-head-mali-after-attempted-coup-2021-05-25">MALI</a>



A group of Malian colonels first seized power in August 2020 by ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The coup followed large anti-government protests over deteriorating security, contested legislative elections and allegations of corruption.



Under pressure from Mali&#8217;s West African neighbours, the junta agreed to cede power to a civilian-led interim government tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to democratic elections in February 2022.



But the coup leaders quickly clashed with the new interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021. Colonel Assimi Goita, who had served as interim vice president, was elevated to the presidency.



Goita&#8217;s government made little progress toward organising elections and announced late last year that it intended to delay them by up to five years. West African regional bloc ECOWAS responded earlier this month with harsh sanctions, including closing its members&#8217; borders with Mali.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/chad-military-council-names-former-pm-padacke-prime-minister-2021-04-26">CHAD</a> 



Chad&#8217;s army took power in April 2021 after President Idriss Deby was killed while visiting Chadian troops fighting rebels in the north.



Under Chadian law, the speaker of parliament should have become president. But a military council stepped in and dissolved parliament in the name of ensuring stability.



Deby&#8217;s son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/guinean-junta-replaces-provincial-governors-after-coup-media-say-2021-09-07">GUINEA</a> 



Special forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya led a coup in September 2021 against President Alpha Conde, saying he acted because of poverty and corruption in the coastal state.



Conde had outraged opponents the previous year by changing the constitution to circumvent term limits that would have prevented him from standing for a third period. He won a third term in the October 2020 vote.



Doumbouya became interim president and promised a transition to democratic elections but has not said when those will take place.



ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on junta members and their relatives, including by freezing their bank accounts.



(Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Bate Felix and Andrew Cawthorne)

FILE PHOTO: Hundreds gather in downtown Ouagadougou to show support for the military

Recent coups in West and Central Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="557" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-820x557.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414784" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-820x557.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-768x521.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-1536x1043.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/6D36GZZBTJJRRAVRXACPEWGKNA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Burkina Faso&#8217;s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore holds his final campaign rally ahead of the presidential election, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, November 20, 2020. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra</figcaption></figure>



OUAGADOUGOU, Jan 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore has been detained at a military camp by mutinying soldiers, four security sources and a West African diplomat said on Monday, following heavy gunfire around his residence on Sunday night in the capital Ouagadougou.



His detention comes after sustained gunfire rang out from military camps in the West African country throughout Sunday, with soldiers demanding more support for their fight against Islamist militants. The government had denied that the army had seized power.



Kabore&#8217;s exact whereabouts or situation were unknown on Monday morning, with conflicting reports circulating among security and diplomatic sources.



Several armoured vehicles of the presidential fleet, riddled with bullets, could be seen near the president&#8217;s residence. One was spattered with blood. Residents of the president&#8217;s neighbourhood reported heavy gunfire overnight.



Government sources could not immediately be reached on Monday.



Frustration has risen in Burkina Faso in recent months due to the frequent killing of civilians and soldiers by militants, some of whom have links to Islamic State and al Qaeda.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-sudan-s-pm-hamdok-intends-to-resign-within-hours-sources">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/sudans-pm-hamdok-intends-to-resign-within-hours-sources/">Sudan’s PM Hamdok intends to resign within hours -sources</a></h3>



Protesters came out to support the mutineers on Sunday and ransacked the headquarters of Kabore&#8217;s political party. The government declared a curfew from 2000 GMT to 0530 GMT until further notice and closed schools for two days.



The turmoil in Burkina Faso comes after successful military putsches over the past 18 months in Mali and Guinea, where the army removed President Alpha Conde last September.



The military also took over in Chad last year after President Idriss Deby died on the battlefield there.



Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in West Africa despite being a gold producer.



Its army has suffered heavy losses at the hands of Islamist militants, who control swathes of the country and have forced residents in those areas to abide by their harsh version of Islamic law.



The upheaval underscores the political consequences of the growing insurgency across the Sahel region. 



(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga and David Lewis; Writing by Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Peter Graff and Alex Richardson)

President Kabore holds final rally ahead of presidential election in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso President Kabore detained at military camp – sources

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="548" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-820x548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-412985" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-820x548.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Sudan&#8217;s new Prime Minister in the transitional government Abdalla Hamdok, speaks during a Reuters interview in Khartoum, Sudan August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Files</figcaption></figure>



KHARTOUM, Dec 21 (Reuters) &#8211; Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has told a group of national political and intellectual figures that he intends to resign in the coming hours, two sources close to Hamdok told Reuters on Tuesday.



Hamdok was reinstated on Nov. 21 following a coup a month earlier that saw the military take power and end a transitional partnership with political parties.



While several political forces took part in drafting the agreement, according to the sources, it has faced widespread criticism from parties and the general public.



On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people marched on the presidential palace rejecting both military rule and Hamdok&#8217;s decision to return, which he had said he took to preserve gains made during the transition and to end bloodshed.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-sudan-military-reinstates-prime-minister-but-protests-continue">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/sudan-military-reinstates-prime-minister-but-protests-continue/">Sudan military reinstates prime minister, but protests continue</a></h3>



Some 47 people have died in crackdowns on protests against military rule, including two as a result of Saturday&#8217;s protest. The United Nations said on Tuesday that it had received reports of rape or gang rape of 13 women and girls.



Sources close to Hamdok had said previously he would only remain in office if he had political support and if the agreement was enforced. It called on the military to release political detainees, protect freedom of expression and allow Hamdok to independently appoint a new cabinet.



In a statement over the weekend, Hamdok said Sudan was inching towards &#8220;the abyss,&#8221; blaming political intransigence and lack of consensus on a new political agreement.



The group Hamdok spoke to on Tuesday called on him to stay in his position but he insisted he would leave, the sources added. 



(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Mahmoud Mourad and Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Grant McCool)

6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M

Sudan’s PM Hamdok intends to resign within hours -sources

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="548" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-820x548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-412985" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-820x548.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/6BVDF5M3RNNJ7PZB4HG6YQ3M3M.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Sudan&#8217;s new Prime Minister in the transitional government Abdalla Hamdok, speaks during a Reuters interview in Khartoum, Sudan August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Files</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday told Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that an agreement to reinstate Hamdok was only a &#8220;first step&#8221; in restoring Sudan&#8217;s democratic transition, according to a spokesperson.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-sudans-hamdok-says-he-returned-safeguard-economic-gains-2021-11-22">Hamdok was restored to his post on Sunday</a>. He had been detained following the Oct. 25 military takeover. First appointed after the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 uprising, Hamdok will lead a civilian government of technocrats for a transitional period.



U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Blinken called on the two Sudanese leaders to build on the &#8220;first step&#8221; of the agreement and continue the transition that was interrupted by the coup.



Blinken&#8217;s message was that, &#8220;We must continue to see progress, we must continue to see Sudan move back down the democratic path, and that starts with the reinstitution of the Prime Minister but it certainly doesn&#8217;t end there,&#8221; Price told reporters.



Price called on Sudan&#8217;s leaders to release all civilian leaders and others and lift a state of emergency.



Sudan&#8217;s military promised to release all political detainees after weeks of deadly disturbances triggered by the coup, although large crowds took to the streets to reject any deal involving the army. 



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool)

Political

Unequal and divided, Angola braces for tense election

What is at stake for investors in Angola’s elections?

Russia’s Lavrov courts Africa in quest for more non-Western friends

Boris Johnson resigns as UK prime minister

Sterling, FTSE 100 gain ahead of UK PM Boris Johnson’s expected resignation

Ukraine president says Africa “hostage” in war with Russia

East Congo violence worsening despite military rule – U.N. experts

Rwanda’s Kagame visits Uganda’s Museveni as relations thaw

Why African nations’ support for UN action on Russia/Ukraine is so mixed

Sudanese protesters mark third anniversary of Bashir’s ouster with fresh protests

West Africa bloc chairman says Mali’s coup was “contagious”

Rwanda re-opens border with Uganda but says grievances remain

Rwanda to re-open border with Uganda as relations thaw

Recent coups in West and Central Africa

Burkina Faso President Kabore detained at military camp – sources

Sudan’s PM Hamdok intends to resign within hours -sources

U.S. tells Sudan that deal to reinstate PM Hamdok is only ‘first step’ -State Department

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Political

Unequal and divided, Angola braces for tense election

What is at stake for investors in Angola’s elections?

Russia’s Lavrov courts Africa in quest for more non-Western friends

Boris Johnson resigns as UK prime minister

Sterling, FTSE 100 gain ahead of UK PM Boris Johnson’s expected resignation

Ukraine president says Africa “hostage” in war with Russia

East Congo violence worsening despite military rule – U.N. experts

Rwanda’s Kagame visits Uganda’s Museveni as relations thaw

Why African nations’ support for UN action on Russia/Ukraine is so mixed

Sudanese protesters mark third anniversary of Bashir’s ouster with fresh protests

West Africa bloc chairman says Mali’s coup was “contagious”

Rwanda re-opens border with Uganda but says grievances remain

Rwanda to re-open border with Uganda as relations thaw

Recent coups in West and Central Africa

Burkina Faso President Kabore detained at military camp – sources

Sudan’s PM Hamdok intends to resign within hours -sources

U.S. tells Sudan that deal to reinstate PM Hamdok is only ‘first step’ -State Department

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters