News Africa Extended

News Africa Extended

US slaps sanctions on two Congo men

Posted: 28 Sep 2016 11:40 PM PDT

The United States clamped sanctions on a Democratic Republic of Congo general and a former senior police official on Wednesday

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Washington - The United States clamped sanctions on a Democratic Republic of Congo general and a former senior police official on Wednesday in an apparent ratcheting up of pressure on President Joseph Kabila to hold an election for his successor in November.

The US Treasury Department action came a week after dozens of people died in clashes between Congolese security forces and protesters angered by what opposition groups charge are Kabila's plan to postpone the vote and retain power beyond his two-term limit.

Kabila denies the allegation about planning to retain power. His government has said that the November election must be postponed because of logistical problems.

Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba and John Numbi, a former senior police official, were placed on a list of "specially designated nationals," said a Treasury Department announcement.

Any financial assets they have in the United States are blocked and Americans are generally barred from engaging in financial transactions with them.

The decision to sanction the pair followed "increasing indications that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to suppress political opposition in the country, often through violent means," the Treasury said.

Amisi oversees security forces in four provinces, including Kinshasa. Units under his command "reportedly have engaged in violent repression of political demonstrations," including January 2015 protests in which at least 42 people died, the announcement said.

Numbi, the former national inspector of the country's police force, used "violent intimidation" to secure victories for pro-Kabila gubernatorial candidates in March 2016 provincial elections, it said.

While no longer a government official, Numbi "is reportedly an influential adviser to Kabila," the announcement added.

The United States imposed sanctions on Celestin Kanyama, police commissioner of the capital, Kinshasa, in June.

Ida Sawyer, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, praised the sanctions decision and called on the United States, the European Union and the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on other senior Congolese government, security and intelligence officials.

At the same time, the US Embassy in Kinshasa warned US citizens of continued insecurity in Congo and said it could only offer very limited emergency services to them.

The State Department ordered the departure of family members of US personnel and also authorized voluntary departure of non-emergency government personnel, it said in an email.

Reuters

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Kenyan police kill terror suspect in Mombasa

Posted: 28 Sep 2016 02:16 AM PDT

Kenyan anti-terror police on Tuesday killed a most wanted terror suspect, Ismael Shosi.

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Mombasa - Kenyan anti-terror police on Tuesday killed a most wanted terror suspect, Ismael Shosi.

Shosi is said to be behind a series of attacks targeting security officers in the coastal city of Mombasa.

Coast Regional Co-ordinator Nelson Marwa described Shosi as the mastermind of radicalisation, training and recruiting young people to join the Al-Shabaab group in Somalia who return to wage terrorist attacks in the country.

"Acting on intelligence reports our officers managed to kill Shosi in a shootout. It's a major breakthrough in the war on terror in the country. We urge other terror suspects to surrender to authorities," Marwa told journalists in Nairobi.

Marwa said Shosi was staying in a rented house owned by slain terror suspect Kassim Amollo who was killed in 2013 in Mombasa.

Police said Shoshi was known for carrying out attacks while dressed in a Muslim woman's veil to disguise himself.

Shosi alongside his late brother Ikrima Mohamed Shoshi were the main suspects behind the killing of Hashim Omar, an officer within the National Intelligence Service, while he was leaving a mosque near Kunze Mombasa in July, 2015.

The government had placed a US$20,000 bounty on Shosi's head over alleged links to terrorism activities in the coastal region.

Xinhua

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Kenya moves to replace election officials

Posted: 28 Sep 2016 12:48 AM PDT

Kenya's government is taking steps to replace all its electoral commissioners under a deal with the opposition to resolve a row that has led to protests and violence.

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Nairobi - Kenya's government said on Tuesday it was taking steps to replace all its electoral commissioners under a deal with the opposition to resolve a row that has led to protests and violence.

Rivals in parliament have held talks to end the dispute over the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which critics said was biased and not fit to oversee elections scheduled for August 2017.

A government statement said a committee representing several government agencies "will lead negotiations with the IEBC commissioners to facilitate the orderly and dignified exit of current commissioners and ensure a seamless transition".

Violence has often been a feature of Kenyan elections. After the 2007 vote, ethnic fighting left 1,200 people dead.

Opposition protests against the 10-strong commission erupted in April and led to a least four deaths when youths blocked roads and clashed with police.

The opposition Coalition for Reform and Democracy coalition led by Raila Odinga had tried but failed to overturn the result of a 2013 election won by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The opposition complained about the failure of electronic voter identification devices and other technical glitches, which they blamed on the shortcomings of the commission and corruption.

The commissioners earlier this year denied allegations of malpractice, rejected accusations of bias and vowed to stay on.

The government initially backed the commissioners, but in June agreed to a bipartisan parliamentary committee to resolve the dispute, a move that prompted the opposition to call off the protests.

The government statement did not give a date for when the electoral officials would leave office but said the government "recognises the urgency that accompanies the ongoing transition process."

Reuters

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Unrest an obstacle to SA’s competitiveness

Posted: 28 Sep 2016 12:08 AM PDT

SA is Africa’s second most competitive economy behind Mauritius, according to the Global Competitiveness Report.

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Johannesburg - South Africa is Africa’s second most competitive economy behind Mauritius, despite a weak education and health care system, low trust in public officials and labour unrest. This is according to the Global Competitiveness Report (GCP) released yesterday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Globally, South Africa is ranked 47th, a two-place gain from last year, the second consecutive year of improvement and the highest position since 2010.

The report assessed the factors driving productivity and prosperity in 138 countries. The role of stimulus packages such as quantitative easing, technology and innovation in emerging markets were also considered.

South Africa’s competitiveness is anchored on the country’s financial markets; it is ranked 11th in the world, helped by being ranked number one for financing through local equity market.

Other notable attributes of the country’s competitiveness are its anti-monopoly policies, which was ranked 7th, and stronger local competition, which came in 30th.

The report said South Africa had improved in two crucial areas over the past year: goods market efficiency, up 10 to 28th, and labour market efficiency, up 10 to 97th).

In the labour market “the country is doing much better at linking pay to productivity”, the report said. Business sophistication and innovation in South Africa had improved

The report noted that areas of concern that weakened South Africa’s competitiveness were the country’s inflexible labour market and low public opinion of politicians.

The country is ranked 138th for labour-employee relations and 109th in public trust in politicians. Health and primary education are ranked a low 123rd, while higher education came in at 77th.

Lack of openness

The report said the lack of openness in the countries surveyed was detrimental to competitiveness.

“Our data suggests that the degree to which economies are open to international trade in goods and service has been declining for 10 years. This could hurt prosperity in the future,” the WEF said.

Klaus Schwab, an executive chairman of WEF, said the lack of openness was a stumbling block to world leaders in having economic inclusivity.

“Declining openness in the global economy is harming competitiveness and making it harder for leaders to drive sustainable, inclusive growth,” said Schwab.

Among the Brics countries, South Africa came in fourth position with China being the highest ranked Brics country - it was ranked 28th.

The GCP said a number of factors may limit South Africa's competitiveness going forward, especially in the areas of infrastructure, building strong institutions and low business confidence.

Switzerland has the distinction of being the most competitive economy in the world.

BUSINESS REPORT

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