Ethiopia: Statement by worldwide Oromo Civic, Professional, Advocacy, Human Rights, and Community organizations regarding the establishment of a National Dialogue Commission (NDC) in Ethiopia (21.01.2022)

 

Niger: Communique du Cabinet du Depute-Maire, President du Conseil de Ville de Niamey (21.01.2022)

RDC: NKITA – Communique Officiel (21.01.2022)

Burkina Faso: Ministere de Genre, de la Solidarite Nationale, de la Famille et de l’Action Humanitaire – Communique (20.01.2022)

 

Organized confusion: The battle for MDC-T [Mwonzora vs. Khupe]

Thokozani Khupe and Douglas Mwonzora has this decided to compete over nothing on their own. They competing over the fictitious control over Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance (MDC-Alliance), which Mwonzora earlier in the month claimed he was the boss over. While later in the same month suspend Khupe from Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T). However, this sorts of political assassins isn’t anything new in the Republic.

As Mwonzora as the leader of the MDC-T did directly re-call and take away representatives from the MDC-Alliance in Parliament and Local Government claiming he was their dutiful leader. While containing the leadership of the MDC-T. Now, he tried to do the same trick internally and Khupe is aiming back.

Mwonzora and Khupe has been working on overtime to assault and take control of the MDC-Alliance. Every little piece of it and misusing their influence within POLAD and with the hired goons association with the crocodile. They feel supreme and above everyone else… and nothing is supposed to backfire.

However, Khupe is playing the game of Mwonzora now. She is returning a favour, after she lost internally the leadership battle of MDC-T. Now, she wants to use a technicality to takeover and ensure Mwonzora’s own demise. As he confidently called himself the MDC-Alliance leader in registration to the ZEC. While later deeming her unfit in the MDC-T. That’s why this is funny striking, as they are playing games with themselves…

While, everyone on the sideline knows that the real MDC-Alliance is Nelson Chamisa and their whole brigade of people. Not, the random blokes and fellowship of untrusty mercenaries, which resides in and around Mwonzora. It is not like Khupe is trustworthy either, she is a crusty individual herself and she thought her games was solid. Until, Douglas outsmarted her…

Now, she is aiming for revenge and whatever happens now… it will only damage both of them and they are just undressing themselves in-front of the general public. No matter what result or what outcome. Both of them are losers and proving why they had no official backing from the public to begin with.

What is funny here is that none of them will eventually win. Either of them get crowned the prince or princess of MDC-T, but they cannot be MDC-Alliance. Which we knew from the outset, as the rigged games are exposed by internal infighting. As Khupe stated: “she has never been MDC-Alliance”, which Mwonzora claims to run and reside in their HQ. That’s the sort of fella he is and what levels of foolishness that runs through his veins.

Mwonzora been lucky to this point. That his gambit and his schemes has given him some fruits for his labour. However, the gig is soon up and the chickens are coming home to roost. There will be no joys or rejoicing parade. Only abysmal reality check, which is that they both have been used and will not succeed. Since, no one will believe either of them and their true character has been showed for the whole world to see.

These aren’t trustworthy leaders of men, no these are back-stabbing son-of-a-bitches, who would sell their soul for a little advantage and a hope for a little life of luxury. However, that whole game play will only take you that far…

and sooner or later… the crocodile won’t neither them either and will ditch them in a no mans land. Peace.

African Union (AU): Communique of the 1057th meeting of the PSC held on 14 January 2022, on the situation in Mali (21.01.2022)

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1057th meeting held on 14 January 2022, on the situation in Mali;

The Peace and Security Council, 

Recalling its previous communiques and press statements on the situation in Mali and in the Sahel region, in particular Communique PSC/PR/COMM.1027(2021) adopted at its 127th meeting held on 02 September 2021; Communique PSC/PR/COMM. (1001(2021)) adopted at its 1001st meeting held on 01 June 2021; and Communique [PSC/PR/COMM. (M)] adopted at its 1000th meeting held on 25 May 2021; 

Also recalling the Communique of the Sixtieth Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, held on 12 December 2021, in Abuja, Nigeria and the Communique of the 4th Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government held on 9 January 2022 in Accra, Ghana;

Takes note of opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ghana to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for January 2022 and the presentation made by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; also taking note of the remarks made by the High Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission and Head of the AU Mission for the Sahel (MISAHEL), H.E. Ambassador Maman Sidikou and the statements made by the Representative of the Chair of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the Republic of Ghana, and H.E. Ambassador Salah Francis Elhamdi, Permanent Representative of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, in its capacity as a neighboring country, as well as the representative of the United Nations Office to the AU;

Mindful of the provisions of all relevant AU normative instruments, including the AU Constitutive Act; the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union; the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; and the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 36th Ordinary Session of the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Lomé, Togo, July 2000 (the Lomé Declaration);

Reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the AU to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali, as well as the AU’s solidarity with the people and Government of Mali.

 

 

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Endorses the Communique of the 4th Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government which took place on 9th January 2022 in Accra, Ghana, which among others, imposed additional economic and financial sanctions against Mali; further endorses Communique of the Sixtieth Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority, held on 12 December 2021, in Abuja, Nigeria, which reiterated the need for the Transition Authorities in Mali to respect the deadline of the elections without which additional sanctions would be imposed accordingly;

2. Expresses full support to all efforts aimed at creating the necessary conditions to foster a return to constitutional order in Mali, including the efforts of ECOWAS and the ECOWAS mediator, former Nigerian President Goodluck Johnathan;

3. Takes note of the Conclusions of the Assises Nationales de la Refondation which outlined important recommendations on political, institutional and security measures vital for the peace and stability of Mali; and calls for restraint and the need for all Malian stakeholders to engage in dialogue and to continue to work together within the framework of the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Mali, which emanated from the Algiers process, as the only means to ensure an inclusive approach to address challenges facing Mali which are fundamentally structural and security related;

4. Expresses regret over the failure of the Malian Transition Authorities to abide by the originally stipulated 18 months’ transitional period in line with the commitment set out in the Transitional Charter and organize free, fair and credible democratic elections on 27 February 2022 as called for by the PSC at its 1001st meeting held on 1 June 2021;

5. Strongly rejects the calendar submitted to the ECOWAS Mediator by the Malian Transition Authorities scheduling to conduct the presidential elections by end of December 2025, setting the duration of the transition for a period of five and half years which is undue elongation of the transition process in Mali; and stresses that this deems unconstitutional, impermissible, inappropriate and a grave obstruction to democratic processes in the country;

6. Calls on the Malian Transition Authorities to respect the Transition Charter and the decisions of the PSC and ECOWAS and organize free, fair and credible elections within a reasonable time to be agreed by all stakeholders; and underscores the imperative of early restoration to civilian led constitutional and democratic order, which is the fundamental roadmap to sustainable stability and development in Mali and the broader Sahel region;

7. Welcomes the proposal made by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to accompany the Republic of Mali and the ECOWAS on the salutary path of mutual understanding, and appeals to the Transitional Authorities in Mali and ECOWAS to engage together in this initiative in order to address the outstanding areas of difference with a view for facilitating the return of Mali to constitutional order within an appropriate and feasible period of time, not exceeding sixteen (16) months;

8. In this context, indicates that the implementation of the pertinent provisions of the aforementioned ECOWAS communiques will be considered by the PSC in conjunction with the outcome of the efforts to be deployed by Algeria, in accordance with paragraph 7 above;

9. In this connection, reiterates its strong condemnation on any form of Unconstitutional Change of Government in line with the cardinal AU normative frameworks including the Lomé Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa (2000), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and reaffirms the urgency for Malian transition authorities to swiftly move towards the return to democratic dispensation;

10. Expresses its grave concern on deteriorating security situation and absence of state authority in Central Mali and calls upon all actors to ensure restoration of security and stability in the area; takes note of the meeting of the Follow-up Committee on the implementation of the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Mali, which emanated from the Algiers process and reiterates the need for a decision-making meeting among Malian signatories to be held, to enable progress, notably on global disarmament, demobilization and reintegration based on the Government’s concrete offer to integrate 26,000 combatants in the next two to three years;

11. Expresses deep concern at the increased violation of human rights and lack of effective mechanisms for the protection of civilians including women and children, urgently calls on the Government to put in place reliable and efficient mechanisms to ensure civilian protection especially within the regions;

12. Condemns the continued arrest and unlawful imprisonment of Malian Political Personalities and former leaders by the Transition Authorities and demands their unconditional release, protection of their unalienable human rights and whenever needed to undertake judicial process for those facing allegations of offenses according to the laws of the country;

13. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to swiftly and directly engage with the Malian Transition Authorities and all stakeholders, inclusive of ECOWAS, with a view to finalizing a more practical election timetable that will be acceptable to all Malian stakeholders and which will culminate to a swift return to civilian-led government; also requests the AU Commission to immediately conduct consultations among the direct neighboring countries of Mali and to subsequently present a report on the outcome of the consultations; further requests the Chairperson of the Commission to deploy a technical assessment mission to engage with the Transition Authorities with a view to identify areas which need support in order to expedite early restoration of constitutional order;

14. Commends the United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and pays tribute to peacekeepers who lost their lives promoting peace, security and stability in Mali, while reiterating AU’s readiness to actively collaborate with the UN in maintaining peace, stability and security in Mali;

15. Appeals to the United Nations Security Council to equally support the implementation of the ECOWAS Summit decisions and ensure adequate compliance by its institutions, and further calls on all AU Member States to support the efforts of ECOWAS until the restoration of constitutional order in Mali;

16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Bahamas: The Free National Movement – St. Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright calls for Stronger Stance on Crime by Government (20.01.2022)

Ethiopia: A fresh OCHA Report states the continued blockade of humanitarian assistance to the Tigray region

Northern Ethiopia – Access Map of January 2022

The humanitarian preparedness and response operations in Northern Ethiopia continue to be significantly restricted by several factors, including conflict and bureaucratic impediments such as the inability to bring sufficient supplies, fuel, and cash to Tigray, the high number of people in need, limited access to people in hard-to-reach areas due to insecurity, limited presence of partners on the ground, especially in Afar, and lack of funding” (OCHA, 20.01.2022).

No surprise here after months upon end with little to no efforts from the state to patch the hurt or the damages done in the northern Ethiopia. This is deliberate actions of the Prime Minister and his Tripartite Alliance, as they are punishing a whole region and nearby areas in the conflict started in November 2020. The weaponized famine and starvation is clearly tabled by the authorities and their allies, as they are pinning all blame on the victims, as they are doing it.

The OCHA report of 20 January 2022 is as dark and grim as these has been. There is little to no movement and it isn’t becoming better. Just a few statements from the OCHA report shows the efforts and what is achieved by the state in this region. They are only allowing certain humanitarian assistance to get to Amhara and Afar regions, but not to reach the battle-torn Tigray region. Therefore, the “unity” of Ethiopia is half-assed or not a legit concern of those in power at this point. As it seems the rest of Ethiopia is their citizens, but the Tigray can suffer, because they have the ability to harm them as whole.

OCHA further states: “UNHAS continues to operate two flights per week between Addis Ababa and Mekelle in Tigray. No humanitarian workers were cleared to travel by road from Semera to Mekelle since 28 October. A limited amount of operational cash was transferred on UNHAS flights, but this remains below the amount of cash needed to support operations and programs and provide a meaningful response at the required scale. The limit of ETB 2 million per agency per week remains in effect. Between 6-12 January, about 10,500 people were reached with food assistance in Adet and Naeder woredas in Tigray under the current food distribution cycle. Cumulatively, partners have assisted about 495,000 people in Tigray in the last three months (from mid-October-12 January) under the current round, whereas 870,000 people need to be reached every week so that the 5.2 million people targeted receive food during the six weeks food distribution cycle” (OCHA, 20.01.2022).

It also states: “The transport of humanitarian supplies into Tigray, via the Semera-Abala-Mekelle corridor, remain on halt since 14 December due to the ongoing fighting in Abala. Meanwhile, 68 trucks of humanitarian supplies are in the dry port in Semera waiting to proceed to Mekelle. This includes more than 2,400 metric tons (MT) of food, nutrition, WASH, NFI, health, and protection items such as dignity kits for women and adolescent girls. Trucks are offloaded in the warehouse in Semera until convoys’ movement resumes. Overall, 1,338 trucks have entered the region since 12 July, which represents less than 10 per cent of the required supplies needed to meet the vast scale of humanitarian needs of 5.2 million people, or 90 per cent of the population in Tigray. Four tankers carrying more than 155,000 liters of fuel are also awaiting approvals in Semera. No fuel for humanitarian operations has been allowed into Tigray since 2 August, except for two WFP trucks. As partners are unable to receive sufficient fuel loans locally, they have no choice but to reduce, postpone or cancel critical distributions such as food, medicine, and nutrition interventions. Consequently, the scale of food distributions has reached an all-time low in Tigray as food stocks and fuel have almost been entirely exhausted. Food assistance partners are facing severe fuel shortages with less than 5,000 litres of fuel (excluding contingency stock) available as of 18 January. Partners who had been forced to suspend dispatch more than a month ago were only able to resume on 15 January with some limited amount of fuel they received locally. Other partners have suspended food dispatch as their transporters could no longer access fuel locally. As of 18 January, partners reported around 1,200 MT of food commodities available within Tigray, out of which, there is only enough stock to feed around 28,400 people with a complete three-commodity common food basket for one round. WFP reported that stocks of nutritionally fortified food for the treatment of malnourished children and women are now exhausted, while the last cereals, pulses and oil are distributed” (OCHA, 20.01.2022).

When you read those texts from OCHA and their reports. The efforts, the thwarted transports and the hurdles made by the state is very obvious. This is done in such a speed and lack of concern. That people are dying and the humanitarian assistance isn’t reaching. The levels of assistance and transports cannot even contain the bare minimum. That shows the sinister and brutal side of the Federal Government of Ethiopia. They want people to die and not feed the citizens of the Tigray region. This is the message it sends and this should be made war-crimes cases for. As innocent civilians in need dies, because of bureaucratic hurdles created by the Addis Ababa elite. That is the truth here and millions are pawns in a political gambit of one warlord and Prime Minister.

They are stopping people from eating and getting treatment… and that is done for months on end. This is an reaction to the besieged region and war-torn Tigray region, which is drone-and air-strikes on the daily too. The state is never giving it peace or ability to heal. They are not even letting petrol or any other basic commodities enter there too. We know the PM hates “wheat-aid” and he clearly wants to punish anyone who doesn’t have blind loyalty to him. That’s why his punishing the Tigray region…

That’s how I read this deliberate act of the state and it’s disgrace… it should be illegal and be internationally sanctioned to do this to the ones in need. There should be mechanisms, which not only charge, but punish leaders who does this out of spite and acts with such evil against own civilians. Peace.

Ethiopia: Security and Justice for Tigrayans (SJT) – Weaponized famine used as a tool of war is creating hell in Tigray, Ethiopia (18.01.2022)

Sudan: Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) – A call for solidarity (20.01.2022)

To all medical organizations, human rights organizations, unions, citizens of the free world:

Since last October, the Sudanese people have been peacefully demonstrating in the streets with extraordinary courage against yet another totalitarian military regime that seeks to replace their predecessor Albashir (a wanted criminal who ruled Sudan for 30 years) and take over the country.

The Sudanese people have been resisting by all available peaceful means, losing many innocent lives while pursuing democracy, freedom, peace, and justice. We are fighting against violent and ruthless forces, that did not hesitate in using military-grade weaponry against armless protestors in an attempt to suppress their dreams and hopes.

From the 25th of October till now, we lost 72 souls, and had more than 2000 wounded, while participating in pro-democracy protests across Sudan. The majority were killed from sustained direct gunshot wounds to their heads, necks, or chests. The militias of the military coup have committed egregious human rights violations, including rape, hindering emergency medical services to those in need, attacking hospitals with tear gas and stun grenades, attacking medical workers while performing their duties, and arresting the wounded and injured from their hospital beds. They tried to isolate the Sudanese people from the world by limiting press access and interrupting internet services repeatedly since the coup.

We call on all humans worldwide to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people, their hopes and dreams in this fight. We ask you to stand in solidarity with our peaceful fight for Freedom, Peace, and Justice. We ask that you reach out to your governments and representatives, pressure them to use their influence and political power against this coup. We call for regional, global, political and economic sanctions against those responsible for the coup, and not to give the coup regime any sort of legitimacy or international recognition.

Our people will continue their peaceful uphill battle towards democracy, a path that started in 2018, unwavering from its peaceful means despite the coup gang attempts of dragging us to violence through shock and awe, and constant provocation.

The Sudanese people have learned from their past experiences, and the lessons of the neighboring countries. Today, it’s a fight for existence and dignity. The continuation of the coup gang threatens the peace and security of the Sudanese people and the entire region. Our people will remain strong and united, for our victory is inevitable.

20 January 2022