African Security News

Cameroon President Launches Campaign on Northern Border

Cameroon president Paul Biya says he has successfully pushed the militant group Boko Haram beyond Cameroon’s borders and urgently needs to be re-elected in the October 7 presidential poll so he can rebuild what was destroyed. Biya was in the northern town of Maroua in one of his rare outings from his presidential palace to launch his campaigns for the presidential election. Women dressed in President Paul Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) party attire sing Saturday to welcome Paul Biya to Maroua. They are assuring Biya that they will vote for him to lead Cameroon in a new seven year mandate beginning October 7. More than 30,000 people ferried by the CPDM party from all over northern Cameroon are present in Maroua. Biya’s campaign photos can be seen everywhere in the town. VOA

Cameroon Braces for Anglophone ‘Independence’ Anniversary

Cameroon’s restive anglophone regions were in lockdown on Monday as separatists prepared to celebrate the one-year anniversary of a symbolic “independence” declaration just a week before nationwide presidential polls. A 48-hour curfew was imposed on English-speaking towns in the regions which have been rocked by deadly clashes sparked by the majority francophone country’s sensitive linguistic divide. Gunfire was reported on Sunday night in the flashpoint town of Buea in the country’s southwest which has been at the heart of the nascent insurgency. In other English-speaking areas, shops and bars were ordered to close, meetings of more than four people were banned and transport was suspended. AFP

Chad Troops Kill 17 Boko Haram Fighters after Lake Chad Attack

Six people, including two soldiers, died in an overnight Boko Haram attack near Lake Chad with Chadian troops killing 17 assailants in a counter-offensive. Three forestry officials, a customs officer and two soldiers were killed in attacks on Moussarom and Ngueleya located in the Lake Chad region, a security source told AFP news agency on Saturday “The attackers were later repelled,” the source said. Chadian army spokesman Colonel Azam said “17 Boko Haram members have been killed”, although he put the civilian death toll at three instead of four. Al Jazeera

Thousands in First Big Protest against Burkina Leader

Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou on Saturday, the first major protest against the leadership of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. “No to insecurity, terrorism, to corruption, to unemployment,” chanted the protesters in the first such march organised by the opposition since the election of President Kabore in November 2015. “We are here because the country is in danger,” said opposition leader Zephyrin Diabre, rejoicing in “the very, very strong mobilisation”. Burkina Faso, which borders Mali and Niger, has been the scene of deadly jihadist attacks since 2015. AFP

Congo Opposition Pledges Unity and Joint Candidate at Rally

Seven key opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo pledged unity and promised to back a single candidate against President Joseph Kabilas chosen successor in Decembers election.Such an outcome would increase the chances of Kabilas opponents defeating Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister under European Union sanctions for his role in human rights abuses. The Dec. 23 poll is a one-round contest and multiple candidates would split the anti-Shadary vote. The opposition must be united behind a candidate that we will choose and that we will support, Jean-Pierre Bemba told thousands of people in Congos capital, Kinshasa. Only four of the seven politicians can run for the presidency. Bemba, who finished second to Kabila in 2006, was disqualified by the electoral agency and Moise Katumbi, a onetime ally of the president whos been in self-imposed exile for more than two years, was blocked by Congolese authorities in August from returning to the country to file his candidacy. The electoral commission also excluded Adolphe Muzito, a former prime minister. Bemba and Katumbi addressed the crowd from abroad by phone. Bloomberg

Nigeria Ruling Party Nominates Buhari for Re-Election in 2019

Nigeria’s ruling party has nominated President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate to stand for re-election in February 2019, a spokesman for Buhari said on Saturday. Buhari had run unopposed on Friday in a nationwide primary for nomination as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress. The main opposition People’s Democratic Party has not yet selected a candidate to oppose him. Reuters

Burundi Suspends Some NGO’s for Violating New Law

Burundi has suspended some local and international non-governmental organizations for three months for violating a new law, a senior government official said late on Thursday. The move could deepen opposition concerns that a crackdown by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government is being extended. In May, a referendum approved a change to the constitution that makes it possible for him to stay in power until 2034. Violence surged in 2015 when Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term in what many said was a breach of the constitution. He won a subsequent election but the decision to stand sparked protests and a crackdown.

South Sudan President Orders to Release PoWs and Detainees

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Thursday ordered to release all the prisoners of war, and detainees in line with the revitalized peace agreement In his Republican Order N° 17, President Kiir directed the Chief of Defence to release the prisoners of War (PoWs) and detainees immediately under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In his decision, Kiir stressed the need to register and hand over the released Pows and detainees to a third party (the ICRC). The presidential decision comes in line with Chapter II (Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements) article 6 of section one dedicated to the permanent ceasefire. Manawa Peter Gatkuoth SPLM-IO Deputy Chairperson of the National Committee for Information and Public Relations said they had already released all the PoWs.

Somali FM Calls for End to UN Arms Embargo

Somalia’s foreign minister is telling the U.N. General Assembly that his young government has made significant strides in fighting violent al-Shabab militants, and called on the world body to lift its long-standing arms embargo. Ahmed Awad Isse says young people are no longer joining al-Shabab as they used to because “that ideology is no longer popular.” In his address on Saturday, Isse said the Somali government has been engaging with religious leaders, young people, the elderly and women to “turn the tide against the twisted ideology of hate and religious intolerance.” Isse also notes that many, including some of the militant group’s senior commanders, have taken the government’s amnesty offer and surrendered peacefully.

Cartoons That ‘Humiliate’ Officials in Rwanda Now a Crime

A new law in Rwanda says drawing cartoons or producing writing that “humiliates” a government official is now a criminal offense. Journalists say the law that took effect on Thursday will greatly affect work that is meant to hold public officials, including Cabinet members and security officers, to account. A cartoonist who breaks the law faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $1 145. If the cartoon targets a member of parliament or top-ranking official, the penalty doubles. At least one Justice Ministry official is asking who will determine whether someone has been humiliated. The Rwanda Journalists Association’s executive secretary says it’s easy for officials to take cartoons negatively.