




The Chairperson of the Commission urges all the political actors to demonstrate a spirit of responsibility and to refrain from any statements or acts likely to heighten tension.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 8, 2017 – The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, notes with satisfaction the publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the electoral calendar for the combined Presidential, Legislative and Provincial elections, now scheduled for 23 December 2018. He recalls that the African Union has consistently called for the timely publication of a credible and as consensual as possible electoral calendar, pursuant to the Political Agreement of 31 December 2016.
The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the duty and obligation of the institutions and stakeholders concerned, including the political parties, the civil society and religious leaders, to work together resolutely to ensure that this new calendar is scrupulously adhered to. He also underscores the need to do everything possible to ensure that the planned elections are organised in the requisite conditions of transparency, credibility and regularity, in conformity with the relevant instruments of the African Union, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and of Governance.
The Chairperson of the Commission urges all the political actors to demonstrate a spirit of responsibility and to refrain from any statements or acts likely to heighten tension. He recalls the importance of taking urgent measures to restore confidence between the actors involved and to defuse the political tension, within the spirit of the Political Agreement of 31 December 2016.
The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the commitment of the African Union, in close cooperation with the appropriate regional organisations, the United Nations and other partners, to accompany and support the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to help the Congo to successfully achieve this democratic milestone, in accordance with its Constitution. To this end, the AU will leave no stone unturned to mobilise the necessary resources from both the Member States and the international community as a whole.










“Another Vice President has lost their job as a result of a fall from GRACE” – Seretse Khama Ian Khama (President of Botswana, 7th November 2017).
We should know now that everything is prepared for succession of Grace Mugabe to become President, she is preparing through her allies within Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), though her alliance within the G-40 group, while trying to send the Team Lacoste out. This has now been done with the axing of VP Emmerson Mnangawa, but what they forget is the already tiredness of the Mugabe presidency and the eminent problems coming with elections and hyper-inflation. It is not like the rise of Grace Mugabe from Robert Mugabe will be smooth in anyways. This has even been reported in September 2017:
“First lady Grace Mugabe was on Friday told to her face that she is the leader of the G40 faction in Zanu PF as members of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Team Lacoste launched a spirited fight back during a tense central committee meeting, it has been revealed” (…) “Betty Mutero, a key Mnangagwa backer, is said to have thrown the cat among the pigeons when she claimed that G40 wanted to kill Mnangagwa and that Grace was the faction’s leader. “She said G40 wanted to kill Mnangagwa so that Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko would take over as acting VP and pass on power to Grace in the event that Mugabe is incapacitated,” a well-placed source said. “She said G40 kingpins will then wrest power from Grace. She said the president was being lied to that VP Mnangagwa wanted to take over power from him.” (The Standard, 2017).
So when this sort of stories are coming in the months before the sacking, the Lacoste Team and the G-40 was clearly barricaded against each other. As Grace wanted to get the throne from her husband and be excelled to VP. This is as the allies of Lacoste could be costly, as the meager support for G-40 have been proven, as the Zanu-PF rallies has been booed and not been a festivity of joy of late. Grace Mugabe has been more vocal and trying to prove her role within the administration. Therefore, the latest move of expelling the Lacoste members might be costly in the long-run, while the throne will be moved to the G-40.
As this was reported today:
“HARARE – Several allies of former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa have been fired by their respective provinces, with the decision now awaiting ratification by the Zanu PF politburo.
There was a complete whitewash of Mnangagwa’s acolytes in Manicaland, where a provincial coordinating committee (PCC) meeting held in the mountainous city of Mutare purged 38 of the former vice president’s allies. Zanu PF heavyweights, among them Cyber Security minister Patrick Chinamasa; Water and Climate minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri; Scholarships minister Chris Mushowe; deputy minister of Health and Child Care Win Mlambo; former Cabinet minister Hubert Nyanhongo; deputy minister of Local Government Christopher Chingosho and Buhera West legislator Oliver Mandipaka, were expelled from the party. “There was a resolution that vice president Mnangagwa should be recalled and that we should find his foot-soldiers and make resolutions for their expulsions,” said Zanu PF Manicaland provincial secretary for administration Kenneth Saruchera in announcing the expulsions. This comes as the provinces also stampeded to recommend the elevation of First lady Grace Mugabe, as Mnangagwa’s successor” (Zimbabwe Situation, 07.11.2017).
So clearly the will to consolidate all power around Grace Mugabe is happening as Robert Mugabe is altered by his wife. Grace is de-facto leader and playing the cards of the party, since she is behind the sackings and expelling of fellow Lacoste MPs and Cabinet Members, also the VP Mnangagwa. This will not go down soft. That is why the State Media has a story today like this for the former loyal ally and VP:
“Dismissed Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been accused by state media of plotting to seize power. No sources were quoted for this information” (…) “In its editorial on Tuesday, the state-owned Chronicle newspaper accused Mnangagwa of attempts to stampede Mr Mugabe, who has led the country for thirty-seven years. “The President had warned his deputy time and again to desist from having grand designs to seize power unconstitutionally,” the Bulawayo-based paper said. The paper accused the removed deputy president of fanning divisions in the Zanu-PF, despite the public knowledge of Generation 40, a pro Zanu PF group, advancing the course of first lady Grace Mugabe (News Africa, 2017).
So the state is already assuming the role of making Mnangagwa the fallen and the treasonous character, even if he has been loyal all along to the paradigm of Zanu-PF. This is done to make excuses and certainty that he cannot establish himself in his role and neither tak away the G-40 takeover of the Zanu-PF. So that Grace can take his role, because the former VP was wrong and trying to overpower Robert Mugabe.
So the G-40 and Grace are using all tricks, but the part of Zanu-PF who are loyal to Mnangagwa will clearly make noise at the Delegates Conference in December, when Grace will most likely become the new VP by the delegates. Even if the disgruntled War-Veterans who has walked away and also the Team Lacoste. All of this is proving the ruthless formation all in and around her. That will not create a better environment, but it would secure her in the short-con, but not for the long-con.
That this can be costly and create friction is clear, as the Zanu-PF cronyism and the sackings to consolidate power, gives Grace and President less people to pay-off, but also new enemies. Since they have thrown them out and expelled them. They will not follow commands and be there for the Presidency, as they are disgruntled former loyalists. In the short term, President Mugabe and wife as VP might be successful in a family takeover of Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe. Even get her to succeed the aging husband, who has advanced age already.
Still, the axing of VP Mnangagwa should be seen as a sign of how the Mugabe family and G-40 wants to take total control of the party, to another level even leaving all of Team Lacoste behind. Like they have done with others in the past. They are just the latest part of Zanu-PF who gotten disenfranchised by Robert Mugabe and his closest allies. Peace.
Reference:
News Africa – ‘ZIMBABWE: STATE MEDIA ACCUSES SACKED VICE PRESIDENT OF PLOTTING A COUP’ (07.11.2017) link: https://newsafricaonline.com/2017/11/07/zimbabwe-state-media-accuses-sacked-vice-president-of-plotting-a-coup/
The Standard – ‘Team Lacoste vs G40: ED ‘poisoning’ triggers vicious fight’ (10.09.2017) link: https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2017/09/10/team-lacoste-vs-g40-ed-poisoning-triggers-vicious-fight/



The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June.
JUBA, South Sudan, November 6, 2017 – The current harvest season in South Sudan will not end the hunger crisis as conflict persists in most of the country and hyperinflation puts food out of reach for many, according to the updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released today by the Government of South Sudan, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian partners.
The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June. However, the 4.8 million who are severely food insecure are 1.4 million more than at the same time last year, and much of this growth has been in the Emergency category (step 4 on the IPC’s 5-step scale).
“The harvest season has not brought much relief to the millions of people in South Sudan who don’t have enough food. The country’s greenbelt has been ravaged by fighting, and finding a peaceful solution to this man-made tragedy should be the top priority or the situation will get even worse next year,” said Serge Tissot, FAO’s Representative in South Sudan.
The food security situation is projected to deteriorate at the start of 2018 and the ‘hungry season’ – when households typically run out of food before the next harvest – is forecast to start three months earlier than usual. Many people have few means of coping with the stresses of the lean season, and the situation is forecast to become increasingly fragile.
“A massive humanitarian response helped stop famine in parts of the country this year. But even in the current harvest period, millions of people need sustained assistance to survive,” said Adnan Khan, WFP Representative in South Sudan. “It is chilling to see that in a worst-case scenario, similar conditions could appear in multiple places in the lean season in 2018.”
The teams who conducted the analysis identified two counties, Wau and Ayod, where a total of 25,000 people are facing catastrophic conditions according to the IPC scale. Of greatest concern is Greater Baggari, a sub-area of former Wau, where 10 per cent of the population is facing famine-like conditions because insecurity has heavily constrained livelihood activities and humanitarian assistance.
There is an urgent need for a humanitarian corridor from Wau to Greater Baggari area to allow agencies to provide comprehensive assistance.
Critical levels of malnutrition
Malnutrition has also worsened compared to the same period last year, with surveys showing malnutrition rates in most communities well above the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15 percent, and with more than 30 percent of the population malnourished in several counties.
More than 1.1 million children under the age of five are forecast to be malnourished in 2018, including nearly 300,000 severely malnourished and at a heightened risk of death.
“Too many children are going hungry in South Sudan. More than one in five of those struggling to feed themselves is a child under five years of age,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “This has created a malnutrition crisis that is putting many lives at risk.”
Food prices soar
Insecurity continues to hamper food production and disrupt markets. Coupled with a failing economy, this has led to extremely high food prices. Large sacks of staples such as sorghum, maize, and wheat flour have increased in price by up to 281% compared to last year, and were as high as 560% during May, the peak of the lean season.
In Juba, a 100kg bag of sorghum costs 11 285 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), compared to 4 314 SSP a year ago, and is vastly beyond what most families can afford.
Nationally, millions of people are surviving on humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, and if security conditions further threaten organizations’ operations the situation will rapidly worsen.
The report warns that continued conflict coupled with further access constraints on aid agencies and economic instability will likely result in the deterioration of already dire conditions in multiple locations across South Sudan in 2018.
Rapid response
Humanitarian teams are facing enormous logistical and security challenges to reach communities in need.
FAO has provided fishing, crop- and vegetable-growing kits to more than 4.2 million people, many in difficult to reach or conflict-affected areas, to support them to grow or catch their own food. FAO has also vaccinated more than 4.8 million livestock, to protect these livelihood assets for vulnerable families.
UNICEF, together with its partners, has treated more than 160,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) so far this year. It has a target for the year of reaching 207,000 malnourished children across the country. As part of its multi-sectoral approach to addressing the issue, UNICEF has also provided over 750,000 people with safe drinking water and a further 230,000 people with access to sanitation facilities.
WFP and its partners have has assisted 4.6 million people in South Sudan so far in 2017 with cash or food, including nutrition support for children under the age of five years. Emergency mobile teams usually travelling by helicopter on over 135 missions to areas isolated by conflict have supported 1.8 million people this year.


