IGIHE

Category: Politics

  • Libyan forces make key Benghazi gains

    Residents of Benghazi area celebrate their return as fierce clashes result in hardliners’ stronghold being freed.

    Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally-recognised government have seized a key central neighbourhood of Benghazi from armed militias, the military said.

    Special forces on Tuesday retook the Benghazi area of Lithi, which had been a stronghold for armed groups including the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) group, after days of fierce clashes.

    Fadel al-Hassi of Libya’s special forces said the neighbourhood was “totally liberated”.

    Residents celebrated alongside loyalist fighters in streets retaken from fighters, flashing victory signs next to the bombed-out shells of buildings.

    Some even tried to enter Lithi to reach their homes but were prevented by security forces who said they needed more time to mop up the district, an AFP reporter said.

    ‘Slow’ political process

    The advance came as Libya’s parliament again failed on Tuesday to vote on a UN-backed unity government seen as a crucial step in ending years of political chaos and conflict in the North African state.

    The administration, now exiled in the eastern town of Tobruk, failed to hold a vote of confidence because it lacked a quorum.

    “The required quorum (89 members of parliament) was not reached, so the president of the chamber adjourned the session,” said MP Mohamed al-Abbani.

    Another parliamentarian, Ali Al-Qaidi, confirmed that “the necessary quorum was not reached, and the session for the vote was adjourned until next week”.

    UN envoy Martin Kobler voiced his disappointment at the postponement.

    “Concerned by slowness of (political) process in Libya, overtaken by military events, must speed up to stop Daesh expansion,” Kobler tweeted, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.

    Libya has had rival administrations since the summer of 2014 when the recognised government fled Tripoli after a militia alliance overran the capital.

    Libya’s conflict, which has help to create a surge in refugees fleeing the country, has alarmed Western governments over the prospect of hardline groups including ISIL establishing a bridgehead just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from Europe.

    Italy said on Tuesday it had given the US permission to use an airbase in Sicily to launch drone strikes against ISIL in Libya.

    On Friday, US warplanes flying from a Royal Air Force base in Britain attacked an IS training camp in the western Libyan city of Sabratha, killing more than 40 people including two Serbian diplomats being held hostage.

    Source: Al jazeera:Libyan forces make key Benghazi gains

  • Lebanon vows to maintain Saudi ties despite tensions

    Current and ex-prime ministers pledge good ties with Riyadh after Saudi threat to halt grant to security forces.

    Lebanon vowed to support Arab countries and maintain its Arab identity days after Saudi Arabia decided to halt a $4bn grant for the Lebanese security forces in a diplomatic dispute.

    Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Monday that Lebanon should maintain good relations with Saudi Arabia and that Arab countries must garner a unified response to all obstacles that they face.

    “Lebanon will not forget Saudi Arabia’s role … in helping it rebuild the country after the [1975-1990] civil war” Salam said after a cabinet session.

    Also on Monday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri expressed loyalty to the kingdom.

    “Loyalty to the Kingdom means loyalty to Lebanon and offending the kingdom means offending Lebanon” Hariri said at a ceremony attended by politicians journalists and businessmen.

    “We tell the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership and the leaders of the Arab Gulf that the rogue voices attacking you do not speak in the name of Lebanon and the Lebanese and do not represent them.

    “These are the voices of those who turned against Arabism and withdrew from the national consensus. We will not give them the chance to seize the Lebanese Republic regardless of the challenges.”

    On Friday Saudi Arabia said it was halting the military aid programme over Lebanon’s failure to support the kingdom in its recent row with Iran and for what it said were hostile “political and media positions led by the so-called Hezbollah in Lebanon”.

    The Saudi announcement affects two deals: one for $3bn in military hardware for the armed forces and another worth $1bn in aid for the police.

    Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran last month after the kingdom was angered by the Islamic Republic’s criticism of its execution of Shia religious leader Nimr al-Nimr and a mob attack on its embassy in Tehran.

    Iran and Hezbollah are also staunch supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad committing troops to help his forces against the rebels and hardline groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

    Saudi Arabia has been a key backer of the Syrian opposition since the beginning of the uprising against the Assad regime in 2011.

    Source: Al Jazeera:Lebanon vows to maintain Saudi ties despite tensions

  • Bolivia’s Morales set to lose referendum on fourth term

    President’s bid to run for another term appears to be headed toward a slim defeat, unofficial partial vote counts show.

    An attempt by Bolivian President Evo Morales to run for another term by amending the constitution appeared headed toward a slim electoral defeat, according to unofficial partial vote counts and early results.

    Morales, 56, now serving a third term, was trying to change the constitution so he could run for re-election in 2019, potentially allowing the former coca grower to remain president until 2025.

    But exit polls showed he may have lost the vote. An Ipsos poll had the “no” side at 52.3 percent and “yes” at 47.7 percent, while a Mori poll gave a narrower 51 percent to 49 percent lead to the “no” side.

    Early official results had the “no” side winning with 66 percent of votes, although that covered only 3 percent of returns. Turnout had been very high, at nearly 88 percent, according to the electoral commission.

    The government urged patience, calling the results a tie and saying it was too early to call.

    “We are really talking about a dead heat at the moment. So it would be better to hold your enthusiasm and calmly wait for results,” the country’s vice president Alvaro Garcia told reporters.

    “All your celebration may well turn into weeping.”

    If the result is confirmed, it would be another blow for South America’s once dominant populist leftist movement that has suffered a series of recent electoral defeats across the continent.

    Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, has been credited with slashing poverty in one of the region’s poorest countries. He took office in 2006 and was re-elected in 2014 with 61 percent of the vote.

    But a growing number of critics charge his administration with corruption, waste and authoritarianism.

    Recent allegations about an ex-girlfriend whose company won lucrative government contracts have weighed heavily on his popularity.

    Economic boom

    Morales presided over an unprecedented economic boom as prices for raw materials soared just as he took office. He built airports, highways and the pride of La Paz, an Austrian-built aerial tramway system.

    He also put a Chinese-built satellite into space. Average per capita income rose from $873 to $3,119 and a new indigenous middle class was born.

    But the boom is over. Bolivia’s revenues from natural gas and minerals, making up three-fourths of its exports, were down 32 percent last year.

    Source: Al Jazeera:http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/bolivia-morales-set-lose-referendum-fourth-term-160222033644138.htmlBolivia’s Morales set to lose referendum on fourth term

  • Somalia may review Kenya ties after PM plane crisis

    MOGADISHU, Somalia-Somali government officials have withered words for neighbouring Kenya over its disrespect for a delegation led by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Garowe Online reports.

    By Saturday, Kenyan authorities prevented Prime Minister Sharmarke from racing in a fleet of cars parked outside Jomo Kenyatta International airport in recess enroute to the Turkish city of Istanbul.

    Though Somalia has yet to officially present diplomatic note to Kenya, Federal Member of Parliament Abdullahi Jama, who is accompanying the Prime Minister told VOA Somali Service that Somali parliament will have a session on the humiliating incident perpetrated against the high level delegation.

    The brief stranding attracted the attention of Kenyan media, with Standard running ‘Somali Prime Minister detained in Nairobi’ on its front-page on Sunday morning.

    Sharmarke departed Nairobi for Turkey late on Saturday night, with his entourage whom authorities interrogated at Criminal Investigation Department (CID) flying in the morning.

    Kenyan sources claim that the Prime Minister failed to obtain clearances at Jomo Kenyatta because of his failure to get inspected at Wajir airport where flights from and to Somalia go through for security checks.

    Authorities seized the passports of accompanying delegation members including ministers, staffers and MPs.

    Kenyan Defence Forces (KDFs) crossed the border into Somalia in 2011 to go after Al Shabaab militants in the extreme south.

    Somalia’s ties to Kenya have worsened in the past, with the war-ravaged East African country once recalling its ambassador for consultations.

    Source:Garowe:Somalia may review Kenya ties after PM plane crisis

  • Uganda challenger Besigye claims poll fraud over Museveni win

    The main opposition leader in Uganda, Kizza Besigye, has rejected the result of Thursday’s elections, in which President Yoweri Museveni won a fifth term of office.

    Mr Besigye, under house arrest since Friday, said Ugandans had seen “the most fraudulent electoral process”.

    He described the poll as a sham and a creeping military coup.

    President Museveni, in power for 30 years, received nearly 61% of the votes, with Mr Besigye taking 35%.

    Foreign observers say the poll was conducted in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

    While praising the “remarkable determination” of Ugandans to vote, EU chief observer Eduard Kukan said the governing National Resistance Movement’s “domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign”.

    The election has been marred by sporadic violence and opposition allegations of electoral fraud, with social media sites and messaging apps blocked.
    ‘Military coup’

    “Today I am under house arrest,” Mr Besigye said in a statement.

    “My home is sealed off and I am not allowed to leave. Nobody is allowed to access my home. I am also under some kind of electronic blockade. I am unable to access any form of internet service in my house.

    “Generally, the regime is baring its bloodied fangs and claws for all to see. This has not been an electoral process. This is a creeping military coup.”

    It was the fourth time Mr Besigye, candidate for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, had taken on President Museveni.

    The two men were once allies, with Mr Besigye serving as Mr Museveni’s personal doctor when they were guerrilla fighters.

    He was placed under house arrest ostensibly to stop him announcing his vote score unilaterally.

    Mr Museveni seized power in 1986 and is credited with restoring stability to Uganda. However, critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian.

    The next closest challenger to Mr Museveni, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, is also reportedly under house arrest.

    The National Resistance Movement put out a statement celebrating the win, saying Mr Museveni’s opponents had “failed to offer any alternative”.

    Kizza Besigye, 59, a veteran opposition leader. He has lost the last three elections

    Amama Mbabazi, 67, former ally of President Museveni and once prime minister – also served as defence, security and justice ministers

    Yoweri Museveni, 71, in power since winning a five-year guerrilla war in 1986 – one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. His final term was meant to end in 2006, but in 2005 he won a campaign to lift the constitutional term limits

    Source:BBC:Uganda challenger Besigye claims poll fraud over Museveni win

  • Polls close in Niger amid tight security

    Issoufou seeking re-election amid claims of political crackdown and threat of armed groups from neighbouring states.

    Voting has closed in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Niger amid tight security as President Mahamadou Issoufou, 63, who is seeking another term in office, promised a “knockout” blow to his opponents.

    Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from the capital Niamey, said most of the polling stations had closed and counting had started across the country as of 19:00 GMT on Sunday, with exceptions in areas where election materials arrived late.

    In one voting station in Niamey, counting started under the dark because of lack of electricity, he said.

    A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote during at 25,000 polling stations across the impoverished country.

    Top budget priority

    Niger is endowed with abundance of minerals including uranium, the country’s leading export. It ranks fourth among global producers after Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.

    However, defence remains a top budget priority for the country on the edge of the Sahara Desert, with security a growing concern after attacks by armed groups from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

    The results of Sunday’s elections are expected within five days.

    A jailed candidate facing baby-trafficking charges was among the top contenders to challenge Issoufou for the country’s top job.

    Known as the “Zaki” or “lion” in Hausa, the majority language in Niger, Issoufou, a mathematician and mining engineer turned politician, faces a total of 14 rivals including a particularly tough challenge from two former prime ministers and an ex-president.

    Should he fail to snatch a first-round victory, his main rivals have struck a deal to back whoever scores highest among them in the hope of ditching the president.

    ‘Baby-trafficking scandal’

    One of the contenders heading the opposition pack is Hama Amadou, 66, who is campaigning from behind bars after being arrested in November on his return from exile in France over his alleged role in a baby-trafficking scandal.

    Amadou, a former premier and parliament speaker, heads the Nigerien Democratic Movement (NDM) whose members were tear-gassed by police earlier this month after gathering in their thousands to support the prisoner-candidate, known as “the Phoenix” for his ability to rise from the ashes.

    “Amadou’s supporters tell you that he has gained more popularity just because he is behind bars. They say he was already popular, but now more so,” Al Jazeera’s Vall said.

    “But if you talk to the government side they say he was given a lot of publicity and that he is wanted for a crime that here in Niger is punishable by many years in prison.”

    He said Issoufou believes he will win the elections in the first round.

    “The problem in this election is that since the beginning of the democratic process in Niger in 1993 … there has been many disruptions because of coups,” he said.

    He said another leading contender was opposition leader Seini Oumarou, who is described as more popular and more charismatic and the main challenger now for the president

    “He is not behind bars. He is free and spent the past few weeks campaigning for this election across Niger and he has a pedigree according to people here,” our correspondent said.

    Oumarou served as premier to Mamadou Tandja, the president who was overthrown by the army in 2010 after 10 years at the helm.

    Also among the favourites is Niger’s first-ever democratically elected president, Mahamane Ousmane, 66, who is making his fourth bid to step back into the job since his 1993 election.

    Source: Al Jazeera:Polls close in Niger amid tight security

  • EU Declines to Send Observers for Republic of Congo Vote

    The European Union says it will not send observers for next month’s presidential election in Republic of Congo, citing doubts the process will be truly democratic.

    Longtime President Denis Sassou N’Guesso is running for a new term in the March 20 election after voters in October approved revisions to term and age limits in the constitution that would have barred him. He first ruled the Central African country from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997.

    An EU statement released Sunday said recent electoral reforms, including the creation of a new electoral commission, were insufficient to guarantee transparency and inclusiveness.

    Government spokesman Thierry Moungalla said the EU was “free” not to send observers but that it would consequently be in no position to judge the vote.

    Source:ABC NEWS:EU Declines to Send Observers for Republic of Congo Vote

  • International observers give Uganda elections mixed bill of health

    INTERNATIONAL election observers have given the presidential election in Uganda last Thursday a mixed bill of health with the European Union and Commonwealth groups describing it as ‘’short of being free and fair’’ while African monitors praised the exercise.

    Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni was declared a winner on Saturday, polling 60 per cent of the votes against 35 per cent of his closest contestant, Dr Kiiza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

    Dr Besigye, who has contested for presidency in vain since 2001, slammed the results as a fraud and appealed to the international community not to recognise them.

    The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM), who condemned the actions of the police prior to voting and on polling day, commended the voters’ enthusiasm to participate in the election process, citing their active involvement in the campaigns and the long hours they queued up waiting to vote.

    The EU observers said this enthusiasm in the democratic process, however, was eclipsed by an atmosphere of intimidation and further concluded that the Election Commission lacks the required independence and transparency, which explains why “it does not have the trust of the stakeholders.”

    The various election mission observer groups invited by the government to monitor the 2016 presidential and parliamentary polls yesterday issued their preliminary assessments of the Thursday polls, which offered a number of key pointers.

    “On Friday, while the national tally centre was announcing the preliminary results of the presidential polls and the political parties were still following tallying and collecting data from their agents in the field, the police stormed FDC’s party headquarters using tear gas and arrested Dr Besigye and the party’s leadership. This extensive use of police force was not acceptable,” notes the EU-EOM chief observer Eduard Kukan in a statement.

    The EU-EOM report also pointed out the intimidation and harassment of the opposition and its supporters by police, the conduct of state-owned Uganda Broadcasting Corporation by denying Opposition air space.

    While the polls were conducted in a generally peaceful and calm environment in the various parts of the country, Mr Kukan noted that the National Resistance Movement’s “domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign.

    Speaking at the same event, the head of the European Parliament, Jo Leinen, who joined the EU-EOM to monitor the elections, observed that going back to two previous reports they had issued, “it was clear the same recommendations had been made, were not acted upon”.

    The head of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) mission, Mr Ashraf Gamal Rashed, and other African observer groups said security was adequately deployed to secure polling stations and their duties were performed in a proper manner.

    The East African Community (EAC) mission led by former Tanzanian president Mr Ali Hassan Mwinyi said they were still monitoring the process and would issue a final report of their assessment. Meanwhile, President Museveni celebrated extending his three decades in power with a walk with his cows, after an election rejected as fraudulent by the opposition and criticised by the international community.

    Pictures released by the Ugandan government showed a relaxed Museveni walking in the midst of his long-horn cattle and chatting with their herders, wielding a stick and wearing his trademark wide-brimmed hat.

    Another photograph showed the 71-year-old leader surrounded by his family. After the chaotic election, which returned him to a fifth term in office, Museveni said he planned to “go for my cross-country walk to exercise and then go to my cows.” Born in western Uganda to a cattle-rearing family, he has always said he plans to be a herder on his retirement.

    While Museveni succeeded to extend his rule of the east African country, over a dozen influential ministers lost their parliamentary seats. Among them were defense minister Crispus Kiyonga, who is spearheading regional efforts to end the political crisis in Burundi, and attorney general Fred Ruhindi. Despite the controversy, several African leaders extended their congratulations.

    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta wished Museveni “every success as he serves his nation for another term”, while Burundi’s embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza offered his “warmest congratulations” for the “well-deserved re-election.”

    President Museveni was chosen by fellow leaders of the East African Community (EAC) last year as a key mediator for wrangling parties in Burundi.

    Source:Daily News:International observers give Uganda elections mixed bill of health

  • CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner

    CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner

    Former Prime Minister Faustin Touadera has been elected president of the Central African Republic in a run-off contest seen as an important step towards restoring peace.

    Provisional results showed Mr Touadera received almost 63% of the votes, defeating his opponent Anicet Dologuele who won just over 37%.

    Mr Touadera’s campaign focused on restoring security.

    The country has been through a period of violent sectarian unrest.

    Prolonged bloodshed began after the seizure of power by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels in 2013.

    It is estimated that about a fifth of the population became either internally displaced or forced to flee abroad, leaving the country poverty stricken and divided along ethnic and religious lines.

    Mr Touadera, throughout the campaign, was portrayed by supporters as a peacemaker who can bridge the Christian-Muslim divide and boost the economy.

    At a press conference on Saturday night Mr Dologuele said he would honour the results and recognise Mr Touadera as president despite reservations about voting irregularities.

    Mr Touadera has vowed to encourage reconciliation and disarmament.
    “These elections are important but they are not the only step out of this crisis,” he said.

    “We have to create the conditions for dialogue between the two communities. We will do everything we can so that Central Africans can live together in Central African Republic.”

    Mr Touadera is a former maths professor who served as prime minister for Francois Bozize, the president of 10 years who was deposed in 2013.

    The election results have to be certified by the Constitutional Court to become final.

    Source:BBC:CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner

  • Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls

    Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls

    Voters in Niger are to go the polls in the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

    President Mahamadou Issoufou is hoping to secure a second term in the impoverished West African nation.

    His main opposition rival, Hama Amadou, is currently behind bars accused of trafficking babies, a charge he strongly denies.

    The run-up to the vote has been marred by accusations of repression and a row over identification documents.

    The authorities have announced that roughly 1.5 million people without ID papers will be able to cast their ballots by having witnesses vouch for them, in a move that was condemned by opposition leaders.

    Crowded field

    Polling stations are due to open at about 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Sunday.

    Security is expected to be tight amid fears of jihadist attacks by groups based in neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

    Meanwhile President Issoufou says his government foiled a coup plot in December.
    Niger election: Can a prisoner beat the president?

    One of the candidates in Sunday’s presidential election, Ibrahim Hamidou, was arrested for casting doubt upon December’s alleged coup but was released in January against the wishes of state prosecutors.

    Well-known figures among the crowded field of 15 presidential candidates also include former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, who denies trafficking babies from neighbouring Nigeria, and Mahamane Ousmane, Niger’s first democratically elected president.

    A run-off will be held if no candidate secures an outright victory on Sunday.

    The uranium-producing nation is seen as an important ally of Western powers in the fight against militant Islamists in the fragile Sahara region.

    However, the country is far from stable with corruption, food shortages and porous borders remaining serious problems.

    Source:BBC:Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls