Source : Sahel weather

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The anger of the opposition and civil society remains palpable after the adoption of the new constitution promulgated on May 6, 2024. This new fundamental law establishes an honorary role for the President of the Republic and confers full executive powers on the President of the Council of Ministers. The opposition sees this as a constitutional hold-up, enabling the Gnassingbé dynasty to remain in power indefinitely. Demonstrations were organized by opposition parties and civil society organizations on June 30.

In conjunction with these constitutional challenges, the formal notice issued to the French media outlet France 24 bears witness to the tightening of state repression of foreign media.

In the space of two months, two leading French media outlets, Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France 24, have been served with formal notices by Togo's Haute Autorité de l'Audiovisuel et de la Communication (HAAC). These formal notices follow accusations of disseminating false information, exacerbating tensions between the Togolese government and the international media.

Previously, on May 7, 2024, RFI received a formal notice for incorrectly reporting that a total ban on demonstrations against the Fifth Republic was in force in Togo. The HAAC quickly denied this information, pointing out that an authorized and peaceful demonstration against the Constitution had taken place on the same day. RFI was also criticized for wrongly announcing that all international media, including RFI, had been suspended from covering the legislative and regional elections on April 29.

France 24, for its part, also received a formal notice in a letter dated June 27 addressed to the Director General of France 24, for broadcasting false news and inequitable treatment of information on Togo, following the broadcast of the report entitled: "Les Maternités face au manque de personnel médical". The HAAC accused the channel of failing to respect the principles of neutrality and fairness in its treatment of information. The Togolese regulator warned France 24 that more severe measures, including a possible suspension of its broadcasting rights, could be taken if these breaches persist. These actions by the HAAC illustrate the Togolese authorities' increasing determination to control international media reporting on the country.

Finally, the arrest of a writer, activist and blogger sparked an outcry on social networks with the hashtag #JeSuisMartheFaré. As a reminder, Marthe Faré, as she is known, is in charge of Communications and Public Relations at the Agence nationale du volontariat in Togo. She was arrested and placed in police custody on June 26, 2024 following the publication on her tiktok account of a video showing a woman in distress who, according to Internet users and a lawyer at the Marseille bar, Me Mawaba Songue Balouki, is unidentifiable. The latter at the same time denounces the failings of the Togolese justice system particularly on this case, which is prosecuting Marthe Faré on the basis of article 368 of the 2015 Togolese penal code, which states: "Constitutes a violation of a person's privacy, the fact: 1) to publish or distribute private papers or recordings, a drawing, photograph, film or any other medium reproducing the image of this person without his or her consent or that of his or her beneficiaries; 2) to organize, by any means whatsoever, the interception, listening or recording of private communications, oral, optical, magnetic or other exchanges received in a private place, without the knowledge or consent of the persons in communication or the master of the premises. "

Source : Sahel weather

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Food insecurity continues to weigh heavily on certain Sahelian populations, as can be seen in Mali. This scourge, which threatens more than a million people according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), fuels the motivation of armed groups who attack villages in the south (Orokoutan, Tégrou and Toukoto) to loot livestock, among other things. Faced with this situation, the President of the Transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, visited the Sikasso region on June 22, accompanied by Minister Commissioner Redouwane Ag Med Ali, and announced the launch of the National Food Insecurity Response Plan aimed at supporting vulnerable populations, improving agricultural production and strengthening local resilience to food crises. Colonel Goïta also took the opportunity to lay the foundation stone for the University of Sikasso, a project aimed at the intellectual and economic growth of Sikasso.

Faced with the multiple challenges facing the country, the opposition has not remained inert. Indeed, the Synergie d'action pour le Mali (Action Synergy for Mali) organized a demonstration in the Malian capital, Bamako, on June 7 to denounce the high cost of living, the lack of electricity, and the management of the country by the transitional authorities since 2020. Journalist Yeri Bocoum, who had covered the event, was abducted the following day, despite having been "advised" not to cover the demonstration, which had been banned by the authorities. Similarly, the provisional detention of Hamadoun Bah has become a major political issue in Mali, bringing banking activity to a standstill for the rest of the week.

The series of arrests continued on June 20 with that of 11 Malian opponents of the transitional authorities, including presidents of political parties and movements, all signatories of a declaration published on March 31,calling for the holding of presidential elections as soon as possible, justified by a decree signed in March 2024, suspending political activities. The decree, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court, has contributed to the continuing high level of tension in the country, prompting a number of political players to denounce a biased reading of the law.

In the same vein, the video intervention by the Prime Minister, whose capacity for action vis-à-vis the military is said to be very limited, was highlighted by local observers, who noted his ambiguous and confused position. On the one hand, he aligned himself with a text openly critical of the junta, while on the other, he called for support for the head of the transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, while denouncing attempts to pit him against the military.

Finally, the Direction de l'information et des relations publiques des armées (Dirpa), announced that several terrorists had been neutralized during operations carried out in the Sikasso region, around the Niamazana forest in the Kignan cercle and in the Tiere locality. During his visit to Ouagadougou on June 26, Colonel Assimi Goïta affirmed that Mali's security situation was under control, and that the upcoming objectives were to secure the referendum and the inter-Malian dialogue. Earlier, during his visit to Sikasso, the head of the junta made similar remarks, this time directly accusing France of seeking to destabilize the country's economy by printing counterfeit FCFA bills. The colonel added that Mali must now face three types of terrorism: armed terrorism, media terrorism (lies and fake news) "to pit us against each other" and economic terrorism."

Source : Météo Sahel juin 2024

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L’insécurité alimentaire continue de peser sur certaines populations sahéliennes, comme on peut le constater au Mali. Ce fléau qui menace plus d’un million de personnes selon le bureau des affaires humanitaires des Nations Unies (OCHA), alimente les motivations des groupes armés qui s’attaquent aux villages du Sud (Orokoutan, Tégrou et Toukoto) pour piller, entre autres, le bétail. Face à cette situation, le Président de la transition, le Colonel Assimi Goïta, s’est rendu le 22 juin dans la région de Sikasso, accompagné du Ministre Commissaire Redouwane Ag Med Ali, et a annoncé le lancement du Plan National de Réponse à l’Insécurité Alimentaire visant à soutenir les populations vulnérables, à améliorer la production agricole et à renforcer les capacités locales de résilience face aux crises alimentaires. Le Colonel Goïta a profité de l’occasion pour procéder à la pose de la première pierre de l’Université de Sikasso, projet visant la croissance intellectuelle et économique de Sikasso.

Face aux multiples défis que traverse le pays, l’opposition n'est pas restée inerte. En effet, la Synergie d’action pour le Mali a organisé dans la capitale malienne, Bamako, une manifestation le 7 juin visant à dénoncer la vie chère, l'absence d'électricité, et la gestion du pays par les autorités de transition depuis 2020. Le journaliste Yeri Bocoum, qui avait couvert l'événement, a été enlevé le lendemain, bien qu'il ait été "avisé" de ne pas couvrir cette manifestation interdite par les autorités. De même, la détention provisoire de Hamadoun Bah est devenue un enjeu politique majeur au Mali, qui a mis un coup d’arrêt sur l’activité bancaire pendant le reste de la semaine.

La série d’arrestations s’est poursuivie le 20 juin dernier par celle de 11 opposants maliens aux autorités de la Transition parmi lesquels figurent des présidents de partis et mouvement politiques, tous signataires d’une déclaration publiée le 31 mars, réclamant la tenue d’une élection présidentielle dans les meilleurs délais justifiées par un décret signé en mars 2024, suspendant les activités politiques. Ledit texte contesté devant la Cour Suprême, a contribué à la tension qui reste élevée dans le pays et suscité la réaction des nombreux acteurs politiques qui dénoncent une lecture biaisée de la loi. 

Dans le même sillage des contestations, l’intervention vidéo du premier ministre dont la capacité d’action vis-à-vis des militaires serait très limitée, a été mise en lumière par les observateurs de la place et ont relevé sa position ambiguë et confuse. D’une part, il s’aligne sur un texte ouvertement critique envers la junte et de l’autre l’homme appelle au soutien du chef de la transition, le colonel Assimi Goïta, tout en dénonçant les tentatives de le dresser contre les militaires.

Enfin, la Direction de l’information et des relations publiques des armées (Dirpa), a annoncé que plusieurs terroristes ont été neutralisés lors d’opérations menées dans la région de Sikasso, autour de la forêt de Niamazana dans le cercle de Kignan et dans la localité de Tiere. Dans ce sillage, le Colonel Assimi Goïta a affirmé lors de sa visite à Ouagadougou le 26 juin, que la situation sécuritaire du Mali était sous contrôle et que les objectifs à venir sont la sécurisation du référendum et du dialogue inter-malien. Précédemment, lors de sa visite à Sikasso, le chef de la junte a tenu des propos similaires incriminant, cette fois-ci, directement la France de vouloir déstabiliser l’économie du pays en imprimant de faux billets de FCFA. Et le colonel d’ajouter que le Mali doit dorénavant faire face à trois types de terrorismes : le terrorisme armé, le terrorisme médiatique (mensonges et fake news) “pour nous monter les uns contre les autres” et le terrorisme économique.”

 

Source : Sahel weather

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The beginning of June was marked by a visit to Guinea on June 4 by the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, as part of his African tour. He held talks with the President of the Transition, Colonel Mamadi Doumbia, and his counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This "express" visit consolidates the continuing good relations between the two countries.

Colonel Sadiba Koulibaly, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and former No. 2 in the ruling junta, died in detention on June 22 as a result of cardiac arrest due to psychological trauma, according to the results of the autopsy ordered by the military justice system. This death has raised many questions, notably among one of the deceased's lawyers, Me Lancinet Diabaté, who has denounced the grey areas surrounding his sudden death.

As a reminder, General Koulibaly was sentenced on June 14 to 5 years' imprisonment by the Conakry military court for "desertion of duty and illegal possession of weapons". Subsequently, the number 2 of the CNRD was demoted to the rank of colonel and disbarred from the Guinean army for "undermining state security, misconduct and desertion". A few days later, the arrest of a French journalist working for the France Médias Monde group highlighted the persistent challenges journalists face in exercising their profession in complete freedom. The journalist in question is Simon Désiré Aimé Martin of France 24. He was arrested with a senior member of the Association des Victimes du Camp Boiro (AVCB) on Sunday June 30. He held a permit issued by the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC) on June 28 for his report on the infamous Camp Boiro, nicknamed the Auschwitz of Guineans. The two were subsequently released after consultation of the appropriate authorization.

This arrest joins the chorus of restrictions on the press and media instituted by the ruling junta. For example, a French journalist, Thomas Dietrich, was arrested in January 2024, and last May, four radio stations and a private television channel were banned for "non-compliance with the content of the specifications".

Finally, in the face of these developments, the Guinean opposition is raising its voice and denouncing the failure to respect the transition timetable by the government, which had announced its desire to remain in power until 2025. Several opposition parties, including ANAD, have threatened to organize violent demonstrations to demand a return to constitutional order. Other parties, however, take the opposite view. This is the case of the Parti de l'Espoir pour le Développement National (PEDN), whose leader Lansana Kouyaté announced that: "We remain in a state of uncertainty, but we will never use force to say that if it's not done by December 31, 2024, we'll take to the streets".

Furthermore, the former Guinean Prime Minister, no less than one of the leading figures of the Guinean opposition, who is currently being prosecuted in connection with the Air Guinée case, believes that African politics has its own realities. Exile or prison are risks that every aspiring politician must consider at one time or another. His thoughts reflect a career marked by major political challenges. "The entire people feel betrayed by this decision to stay in power. Everyone knows that these are fanciful prosecutions. This privatization operation took place in 2002, and those who worked on it are covered by the statute of limitations. They have admitted that I played no role, but the junta is not interested, because the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF) has been used to prosecute me. Faced with this desire to neutralize political players, I've taken my time, but you can be sure that I'll be back.

Exile or prison is one of the risks when you decide to play politics in Africa," says Cellou Dalein Diallo.

Source : Météo Sahel juin 2024

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Le début du mois de Juin a été marqué en Guinée par la visite, le 4 juin, du chef de la diplomatie russe , Sergueï Lavrov dans le cadre de sa tournée africaine. Il s’est entretenu avec le président de la transition, le Colonel Mamadi Doumbia ainsi que son homologue, Ministre des Affaires étrangères. Cette visite “expresse” consolide la pérennité des bonnes relations entretenues par les deux pays.

Le Colonel  Sadiba Koulibaly , ancien chef d’état-major général des armées et ex numéro 2 de la junte au pouvoir, décède en détention le 22 Juin des suites d’un arrêt cardiaque imputable à un traumatisme psychologique selon les résultats de l’autopsie ordonnée par la justice militaire. Ce décès suscite moult interrogations, notamment chez l’un des avocats du défunt, en l’occurence Me Lancinet Diabaté, dénonçant des zones d’ombres autour de sa mort soudaine.

Pour rappel, le Général Koulibaly a été condamné le 14 Juin à 5 ans de prison ferme par le tribunal militaire de Conakry pour : “désertion de poste et détention illégale d’armes ”. Subséquemment, le numéro 2 du CNRD a été rétrogradé au grade de colonel puis radié de l’armée guinéenne pour “atteinte à la sûreté de l'État, inconduite et désertion”. Quelques jours plus tard, l’arrestation d’un journaliste français du groupe France Médias Monde met en lumière les défis persistants auxquels les journalistes font face dans l’exercice de leur métier en toute liberté . Il s’agit de Simon Désiré Aimé Martin, journaliste à France 24. Il a été arrêté avec un haut cadre de l’Association des Victimes du Camp Boiro (AVCB), le dimanche 30 Juin. Il détient une autorisation délivrée par la Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC), le 28 Juin dans le cadre de son reportage sur le tristement célèbre camp Boiro, surnommé l'Auschwitz des guinéens. Les deux interpellés ont par la suite été libérés après consultation de l’autorisation de reportage conforme.

Cette arrestation est venue s’adjoindre au concert de restrictions à l’encontre de la presse et des médias institués par la junte régente. En illustration, Un journaliste français, Thomas Dietrich a été arrêté en janvier 2024, et en mai dernier, quatre radios et une télévision privée ont été interdites pour “non-respect du contenu du cahier des charges”.

Enfin, face à ces développements, l’opposition Guinéenne hausse le ton et dénonce le non-respect du calendrier de la transition par le gouvernement qui avait annoncé son désir de se maintenir au pouvoir jusqu’en 2025. Plusieurs partis de l’opposition dont l’ANAD ont menacé d’organiser de vives manifestations pour le retour effectif à l’ordre constitutionnel. D’autres partis sont nonobstant d’un avis contraire. C’est le cas du Parti de l’espoir pour le Développement National (PEDN) qui, par la voix de son leader Lansana Kouyaté, annonce que : “Nous restons dans un état d’incertitude mais nous n’employerons jamais la force pour dire que si c’est pas fait le 31 décembre 2024, on va descendre dans la rue”.

En outre, l'ancien Premier ministre guinéen, non moins l’une des figures de proue de l’opposition guinéenne, actuellement poursuivi dans le cadre du dossier Air Guinée, estime que la politique africaine a des réalités qui lui sont propres. L’exil ou la prison sont des risques auxquels tout aspirant à la politique doit songer un moment ou un autre. Sa pensée reflète son parcours marqué par des défis politiques majeurs. « Le peuple tout entier se sent trahi face à cette décision assumée de vouloir se maintenir au pouvoir. Tout le monde sait que ce sont des poursuites fantaisistes. Cette opération de privatisation a eu lieu en 2002 et ceux qui y ont travaillé sont couverts par la prescription. Ces derniers ont reconnu que je n’avais joué aucun rôle, mais cela n’intéresse pas la junte, car la Cour de Répression des Infractions Économiques et Financières (CRIEF) a été instrumentalisée pour me poursuivre. Face à cette volonté de neutraliser les acteurs politiques, j’ai pris mon temps, mais soyez certains que je vais rentrer. L’exil ou la prison, cela fait partie des risques lorsque l’on décide de faire de la politique en Afrique », a laissé entendre Cellou Dalein Diallo.

 

Source : Sahel weather

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Despite the election campaign, Mauritania's president is very concerned about the security situation in the region. In an interview with AFP, he called on West African countries to form a bloc against jihadism, saying: "The region needs a common political will to fight insecurity". In his view, the security situation is deteriorating by the day, making it necessary to forge an alliance to block the path of the terrorists. It should be noted that Ghazouani has just won the Mauritanian elections with 56% of the vote, according to the provisional results of the CENI. For many observers, this defeat of the opposition is due to the dispersal of candidates within the opposition. This means that opposition candidates would do well to pool their forces in order to gain more votes and increase their chances of winning. It should be noted that part of the opposition rejected these results.

During the election campaign, the outgoing president had focused his campaign on security and employment to charm the young electorate and hope for the support of the international community. For this second term, he marked the campaign with the slogan "Ready for your support, in gratitude and loyalty", focusing on stability in the region and "creating opportunities for Mauritania's youth". 

Mauritania presents itself as a stable country in this unstable sub-regional space. Its territory is the only one of the former G5 Sahel countries not to have experienced major terrorism since 2011. With the discovery of significant quantities of gas that the country is exploiting with Senegal, the country would benefit from working harder to stabilize its area. According to Abdellahi Ewah, a professor at the University of Nouakchott and supporter of the outgoing president, the country has become "very important for Europe's energy security, as it will become a gas producer and is very promising in terms of green hydrogen, an energy destined to replace fossil fuels". The challenge is enormous, and calls for all levels of society to be aware of the issues at stake.

The former Mauritanian Foreign Minister advocated "better control of gold resources and more transparent regulation of the sector by States", including all levels of society for an inclusive and participatory approach. He also raised the issue of the link between the circulation of gold and the financing of terrorism in the Sahel.