Africa

The United Nations and other members of the international community have commended the efforts of Somalia’s electoral bodies to ensure a credible and legitimate electoral process and supported the bodies’ decisions to disqualify candidates who engaged in corruption, intimidation and manipulation in the ongoing parliamentary elections.

Wrapping up a visit to Africa’s Great Lakes region, a United Nations envoy today urged stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) electoral process to do more to help ensure the country is able to hold peaceful elections.

Zimbabwe's capital is suffering from a major water shortage - and a generation has grown up never having taken a shower.

A group of vintage air rally pilots lands in Kenya after being freed from detention in Ethiopia.

Kenya's top political show Jeff Koinange Live is dropped after a rape comment is made about a guest.

There is evidence of massive corruption in Somalia's ongoing elections, the auditor general tells the BBC.

With the collapse in the international oil price, Nigeria is under pressure to broaden its economic activity.

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

A public exhibition of dirty underwear is trying to raise awareness of the huge, but often under-reported, problem of rape and sexual violence in South Africa.

A Congolese fashion designer is finding fame - making clothes out of paper.

The BBC looks at the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which is fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state in parts of West Africa.

Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison term of more than 10 years for former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o for alleged tax crimes.

Archaeologists in Egypt unearth what they describe as a city that dates back more than 5,000 years.

A four-year-old girl who travelled alone to Italy will be reunited with her mother after a twist of fate.

Warning that ongoing unrest and rising inflation have left more than five million people in restive north-east Nigeria facing acute food insecurity, the United Nations agriculture agency today appealed for $25 million through May 2017 to support irrigated vegetable production and micro-gardening in the dry season, as well as rebuild livestock systems.

Somalia is in the midst of a process to choose its new leaders even though the country remains too dangerous to hold a national poll.

During a year of anti-government protests throughout Ethiopia, its global diaspora has been deeply involved.

November 23, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Wednesday has arrested four leading figures from the opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF).

Leading members of the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces, from the right Sidiq Youssef, Mohamed Dia Eldin and Abu Bakr Youssef, speak in a press conference held in Khartoum on 12 October 2015 (ST Photo)

“In an anticipated move from the regime, the NISS has arrested four members from the general commission of the NCF” said the alliance in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the four detainees include Siddig Youssef, Mohamed Diaa al-Din, Tarig Abdel-Mageed and Munzer Abu al-Maali.

The NCF vowed to exert every possible effort to overthrow the regime and achieve aspiration of the Sudanese people - freedom, peace and justice.

“We wouldn't be intimated by the detention centers and we promise you [the Sudanese people] to go all the way down the path of freedom and dignity or die as martyrs” further read the statement.

Meanwhile, the Arab Ba'ath Party (ABP) said the security agents took the four opposition leaders to an unknown location after they arrived at the NISS premises in North Khartoum on Wednesday.

In its newsletter on Wednesday, the ABP disclosed that the security summoned the four opposition figures at 11.00 am (local time) on Wednesday, pointing they were detained after they arrived at the NISS premises.

For its part, the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) denounced the detention of the NCF figures, saying the regime is reacting violently to the looming revolution.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, SCoP spokesperson Mohamed Hassan Arabi stressed the streets are getting ready to uproot the regime, pointing the detention campaign and human rights abuses wouldn't deter the Sudanese people from achieving its goals.

Following the government decision to raise fuel, drug and electricity price, the NISS launched a large arrest campaign and detained 20 leading figures from the SCoP besides several members of the National Umma Party (NUP), Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), Arab Ba'ath Party, National Alliance Forces (NAF), Reform Now Movement (RNM) as well as civil society activists and journalists.

The government decision stirred up small-scale protests in several towns across Sudan. Also, some two hundred private pharmacies in Khartoum went on partial strike and closed their doors from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday in protest against the government's move.

(ST)

November 23, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The exchange rate of the U.S. dollar on Wednesday went up to 19,00 Sudanese pound (SDG) in the black market as security services launches large arrest campaign against currency traders.

A $100 bill (AFP/Getty Images)

A trader in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that the dollar price rose from 18, 2 pounds on Tuesday to 19,00 pounds on Wednesday, saying the economics department at the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) launched an intensive arrest campaign against black market traders.

The same trader expected the dollar price will reach 20,00 pounds within few days due to high demand and limited supply.

Earlier in November, Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) introduced an incentive policy, increasing the exchange rate in commercial banks by 131%. As a result, the U.S. dollar exchange rate went up in banks to 15.8 SDG from the official rate of 6.5 SDG.

However this measure didn't curb the rise of the dollar against the pound in the black market.

Sudanese authorities regularly carry out arrest campaign against currency dealers in the black market following the significant increase of the dollar price five years ago after the secession of South Sudan.

Governor of the CBoS had earlier said the currency dealers must be charged with high treason, pointing the rise of the dollar in the black market “unjustified” and a result of “speculation”.

Sudan's economy was hit hard since the southern part of the country declared independence in July 2011, taking with it about 75% of the country's oil output.

(ST)

November 23, 2016 (JUBA) – Juba's decision to exclude South Sudan's armed opposition leader Riek Machar from the peace process only prolongs the war, rebel officials warned.

South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar speaks during an interview with Reuters in Addis Ababa on July 9, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

“There is a wrong perception with some of the regional leaders who are being misled by the government of Salva Kiir and political rhetoric from individual officials in some countries in the west. They believe chairman, Riek Machar is the problem. This is wrong perception,” Kuong Dak, a rebel official told Sudan Tribune.

He added, “He [Machar] is just a leader championing the cause of the people and even if he surrenders, the cause will never vanish. It can never be wished away like some people would like to believe”.

Dak said regional efforts to exclude Machar from the political process will never bring about peace and stability in the young nation.

"There are leaders in the region who believes that the exclusion of Dr. Riek will stop the war. This is a wrong analysis of the complex situation in South Sudan. The war will stop if there is a radical solution to the problem”, the official said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Mabior Garang de Mabior, the former Water and irrigation Minister in unity government said the ongoing conflict will not stop if even members of the opposition are kidnapped or killed.

“Even if we are all kidnapped or killed, it will not solve the root cause of the problem and rebellion will continue. The only way to stop the rebellion is to abandon a military solution and resume dialogue with us”, Mabior posted on his Facebook page.

MACHAR TO DENOUNCE WAR

South Sudan President Salva Kiir said amnesty will not be granted to his political rival and the country's former First Vice-President unless he openly denounces violence.

“My brother Riek Machar thinks the only way for him to become the president of this country is violence, killing innocent people. I told him several times [that] there is no reason to fight. If you [Machar] wants to be the president, wait for elections, but he did not listen”, Kiir said on Sunday.

The South Sudanese leader said a number of people approached him demanding that he pardons the armed opposition leader when he returns.

“They come asking me to pardon him. I tell them I have no problem with him. He is a citizen of this country and he can return anytime, but must denounce violence”, he said.

President Kiir had met Dinka elders who briefed him on their activities after they visited their counterparts from Equatoria and Nuer territories.

(ST)