It’s wonderful to be here in Cabo Verde and the port of Praia.  We start this trip to Africa here in Cabo Verde because it is quite literally a gateway to Africa for countries around the world, including for the United States.  And a big part of that gateway is this port.  One of the things I’m very proud of is the fact that, thanks to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States was able to invest significantly in modernizing and upgrading this port so that its capacity was dramatically expanded in terms of the number of ships that it could bring in, the efficiency of the port also dramatically increased so that ships could be processed much more quickly, the storage capacity around the port also built up, and all of that has created an incredibly vibrant place and a much stronger gateway to Africa for us and for so many other countries.

We also see that in the fact that this expansion project has produced jobs right here in Cabo Verde.  And we’re also seeing Cabo Verde become increasingly a destination for tourism, for cruise ships, all of that thanks to work that was done in large part through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.  Cabo Verde is the only country in the world to have completed two Millennium Challenge Corporation compacts, and now it’s embarking on a third, but a third that will really focus on regional connectivity and on integration and strengthening ties economically among countries in West Africa.

So we couldn’t be more pleased and more proud for this partnership with Cabo Verde, and it seems like a very fitting place to start this trip to Africa that’ll take us now to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and on to Angola.  And it’s further evidence of the fact that, as President Biden said, the United States is all in with Africa.  We see Africa as an essential, critical, central part of our future.  The partnerships between the United States and Africa were a big focus of the work that we did at the Africa Leaders Summit in Washington and, most important, the work that we continue to do ever since that summit in following through on the commitments and the agreements that were made there.  This trip is a big part of that, and it really does focus on President Biden’s commitment and conviction that the United States and Africa are joined in partnership for the future.  So thanks very much and glad to be able to bring you to the port.

Source

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Toronto, Frankfurt (2/11 – 42)

World media are jumping all over the conflagration in Gaza following the 7 October attack, killing 1400 Israelis and kidnapping several hundred others – followed by an all-too-predictable retaliatory response from Israel, with indiscriminate bombardment and gunfire into Gaza. The number dead and injured in the Palestinian zone will likely never be known but it is currently estimated at over 5,000 – many of whom are women and children caught in the crossfire.

Is Hamas sorry about those who voted for them and support their cause being machine-gunned or trapped by crumbling concrete in a bombed building? Not at all – for them it’s just the cost of doing business.

What do the neighbors across the region say? As a matter of fact, the timing of the bloody 7 October attack was quite apt.

It was just three weeks ago that the “Abraham Accords”, an agreement  that would have “normalized” relations between Israel and several states of the Arabian Peninsula, complete with exchanges of ambassadors and new relations, were about to be signed. This landmark deal would have been followed by North African Islamic nations joining up. Precisely before the October 7 Hamas terror attack, normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel were set to go. That hopeful move is gone with the wind.

That declaration of co-existence must have deeply displeased Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS and the other murderous bandit gangs. They would clearly have been cut out of the deal. (Kindergarten Lesson One: “Follow the Money”)

Meanwhile, back in Tel Aviv, the fearsome Netanyahu was set to appear in court and face criminal charges that could have seen him in the cooler for quite a while. That trial has also been set aside. A survey shows that 80% of the Israeli public puts the blame for the surprise attack on him, particularly as his government pointedly ignored multiple urgent warnings from Egypt that an attack was being prepared. Convenient, no?

Netanyahu: “This is our 9/11 moment.” Truer words were never spoken. And just like the exceedingly suspicious collapse of two huge (and hugely unpopular) office buildings in downtown Manhattan, purportedly after being slammed into by jetliners, the 7 October attack is looking more and more like a false flag – something to give Israel the excuse the finish the job in Gaza.

Cut to the airport in Riyadh. A group is hurrying along.

A British reporter waylays a Saudi government minister. (You have to feel sorry for these guys – bodyguards blithely bump them out of the way … an expensive woman companion might give them a cat-scratch or snatch the microphone out of their hands … their target might just ignore them completely, or glower and growl “No comment, creep”)

Luckily for this journalist, the Saudi – young-looking for a Minister, and quite fluent in English – is eloquent and to the point.

Roving Reporter: “Can I just ask you… What is the first thing that has to happen, to achieve peace, in your view?”

Saudi Minister: “Right now we need a ceasefire.”

Roving Reporter: “Beyond that – “

Saudi Minister: “We have to restart the peace process.”

Roving Reporter: “Is that possible?”

Saudi Minister: “It has to be possible. If we are not willing to overcome all the difficulties, all the challenges, all the history that is involved in this issue, then we will never have a real peace and security in the region, so we must restart the peace process. The Arabs have shown that they are serious, they are willing to engage. We hope that we can do it soon.”

Dear Reader – studying this historical tragedy, do you not get the sensation that the “Arab world”, such as it is, really finds the Palestinians a monumental annoyance, deranged relatives anxious to drag all of them into a no-win military confrontation? (Everybody has an eye on those 200 Israeli nuclear weapons tucked away in a Negev Desert “research facility”.)

Of course it is necessary to offer deep and sincere vocal support to Palestine, which was deeply wronged some 70 years ago. Who wronged them? Hmm, how about the same perfidious colonialists whose meddling wreaked tragedy in Nigeria, Malaysia, Kenya, India and on and on… Yes, John Bull did it. The Brits “set aside” a land for the persecuted Jews, land that happened to have been occupied for hundreds of years by farmers and herdsmen known as Palestinians. Just like Malaysia or Iraq or Pakistan: they bottled up enemy peoples in the same artificially-demarcated country, grab the resources and piss off. Thanks Olde Blighty.

Israel is a reality. Most countries in the world accept that as a fact. It may have been built on stolen land but so was the United States of America, Canada, Japan (ask the Ainu), People’s Republic of China (poor Tibetans), Australia (aborigines nod sorrowfully) and many others, if you reach far enough back into history. Israel, the reality, is not going away. Hamas, the troublemaking terror gang, may have picked up some neat tricks from the Israelis (BOOM goes the King David Hotel, brought down by future Israeli statesmen).

But times change. Nobody else wants this war. The Arabs are by and large interested in getting by in life, minding their own business and avoiding trouble. Even Iran, fingered as a troublemaker by Uncle Sam, doesn’t want war – especially nuclear war. Nobody wins then.

Hamas? Nuclear war? Bring it on. They are maniacs, as all the neighbors are fully aware. But this seems to be a festive age around the planet for such manias, even among the throngs of “useful idiots” parading through Europe, Australia and North America waving Palestinian flags. Ask those entitled kids whether they support the annihilation of Israel. Then they get coy and the weasel-words flow freely.

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Two former champions are showing their strength, as New Zealand and South Africa are through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup semifinals, at the expense of the two best teams in the world. New Zealand and South Africa – the pair ruining Ireland and France’s dreams of becoming a new champion in this tournament. Ireland and France tried their best, but the pedigree of New Zealand and South Africa as former champions could not be denied.

On Saturday at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, three-time champions New Zealand prolonged Ireland’s quarter-finals curse. Before this year’s tournament, Ireland had never been able to get through to the semifinals. Andy Farrell’s team looked unbeatable as they cruised past the pool stage with a total of 17 successive victories since last year. The world number one must be thinking that 2023 would be their year.

On the other hand, New Zealand suffered humiliation in their first pool stage match when they were defeated 13-27 by France. But, New Zealand regrouped after that defeat and they showed what they were made of. In the quarter-finals, The All Blacks withstood three comebacks from Ireland.

The Irish, always on the backfoot, trailed 0-13 and 10-18 in the first half, and by 17-25 in the second half, before a penalty try made it a one-point contest with a little more than 15 minutes left. The All Blacks held out for an astonishing 37 phases in defence in a thrilling finale to their victory. The game ended 28-24 with New Zealand’s triumph.

“This was a special day for us. I’ve lost my voice. I think the world’s been talking about these two quarter-finals for two years,” said New Zealand’s Coach Ian Foster, mentioning the clash of the titans between France and South Africa in the other quarter-finals.

“Sometimes the sweetest victories are those when your opponent tests you to the limit. What an incredible finish to a Test match. It’s pretty clear defence won us the Test match,” said New Zealand’s Captain Sam Cane.

In the semifinal on 20 October also at Saint-Denis, New Zealand will face Argentina, who eliminated Wales 29-17 in the other quarter-finals on Saturday.

On Sunday, another blockbuster match that was worthy of the Final itself was contested between the world number two France and defending champion South Africa. The hosts’ hopes of winning a maiden Rugby World Cup title were crushed as South Africa won 29-28, in a nail-biting and spectacular contest at the Stade de France. None of them deserved to get knocked out, given the breathtaking display of rugby.

The Springboks withstood a Paris storm and trailed 19-22 at half-time. They twice came from behind with a try by Eben Etzebeth, as a Handre Pollard penalty sealed the narrowest of wins for the title holders.

“It was a hard game. We knew how tough it was going to be with the French team at home and honestly, I just want to say well done to them for what they’ve achieved and how hard they’ve worked,” said The Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.

“Credit to the French. We knew it was going to be this tight. I think everybody knew it was going to be a big battle. Two good teams and unfortunately, or fortunately for us, we were on the right side of things,” added Jacques Nienaber, South Africa’s Head Coach. In the last four on 21 October at the Stade de France, The Springboks will meet another former champion, England. England through to the semifinals, after a 30-24 win over Fiji.

The post The Pedigree of Champions; New Zealand and South Africa Through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup Semifinals, with Blockbuster Performance appeared first on The Victoria Post.

“We are going to broadly attack Gaza City very soon,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a nationally broadcast address.

It was not clear how many Palestinians remained in north Gaza by Saturday afternoon, said Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. On Friday, Israel gave the population of the northern half of the Gaza Strip – about one million people – until Saturday morning to move south.

Hamas – the militant group that controls Gaza and that carried out a surprise attack in Israel on Oct. 7 that spurred Israel’s current response – has urged people to stay in their homes, calling the Israeli directions to leave “psychological warfare.”

Here is what you need to know this Saturday.

Palestinians flee northern Gaza

Egyptian officials had said the southern Rafah crossing where its border meets Gaza would open later Saturday for the first time in days to allow foreigners out. Joly said 160 Canadians and their relatives have been trying to secure safe passage.

Joly added she had authorization on the part of the Israeli foreign minister that Canadians would be able to leave Gaza. She said she was set to speak with her Egyptian counterpart later in the day.

Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with possessions crowded a main road heading away from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer the 40-kilometre-long territory. Supplies of food, fuel and drinking water have been running low because of a complete Israeli siege. The United Nations said Friday that evacuating everyone within 24 hours was “impossible.”

Joly also announced that Canada had struck a deal with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan for Canadians in the West Bank to be evacuated. Roughly 335 Canadians are in that area, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) officials said Friday.

Those evacuations would take place by bus, and Ottawa hopes to have them begin as early as Tuesday. Global Affairs Canada said Friday it is aware of more than 6,588 Canadians in Israel, with 3,369 having reached out to officials since Saturday. There are still 600 Canadians whose location is not clear and GAC is reaching out, they said. The agency continues to follow up on the cases of missing Canadians.

Israel said its troops have conducted temporary raids into Gaza to battle militants and hunted for traces of some 150 people – including men, women and children – who were abducted during Hamas’ assault on southern Israel.

It said Saturday it killed two Hamas commanders who were behind the deadly rampage. Israel has called up roughly 360,000 reserves and massed troops and tanks along the Gaza border.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that more than 2,200 people have been killed in the territory, including 724 children and 458 women. The Hamas assault killed more than 1,300 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, and roughly 1,500 Hamas militants were killed during the fighting, the Israeli government said. A fourth Canadian missing since the Hamas attack was also confirmed to have died, according to their family.

U.S. authorizes non-emergency staff to leave Israel

The U.S. State Department said Saturday it authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and the U.S. branch office in Tel Aviv “due to the unpredictable security situation in Israel.”

It is not clear if a similar authorization will be issued for Canada. Global News has reached out to GAC. Iran’s foreign minister also called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning conflict might expand to other parts of the Middle East if the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon joins the battle.

Israel estimates Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel. The group, which has thousands of battle-hardened fighters who participated in Syria’s 12-year conflict, also has different types of military drones.

Hezbollah fighters have been on full alert along Lebanon’s borders with Israel following Hamas’ attack. Hamas has received support from Iran, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said there is no “direct evidence” Iran was involved in the Hamas attack one week ago.

The possibility of a new front in Lebanon brings back bitter memories of a vicious month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 that ended in a stalemate and a tense detente between the two sides.

Trudeau convenes Incident Response Group

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the Incident Response Group – a body with ministers and senior officials – to discuss the conflict. According to a readout, they talked about Canadian consular support and the ongoing assisted departure of Canadian citizens, permanent residents and eligible family members from the region.

“The prime minister unequivocally condemned Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and reiterated Canada’s full support for Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law, noting that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people or their legitimate aspirations,” the readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“The prime minister and ministers considered the latest developments, shared their profound concern for the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian life, and underscored the importance of Canada’s close engagement with partners and allies in the international community, including those in the region. The prime minister also reinforced the importance of ensuring the safety of all Canadians.”

Source: Global News

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“If there is an alignment there, the process is such that it’s fairly straight forward but you have to be patient. The process is there to align your skills with what we need in Canada. Many Nigerians have taken this path,” he said, He said Canada has a population of roughly 40 million and is the second biggest country in the world in terms of land mass with six time zones.

“It’s a massive country. But to drive that economy, we need skill and unskilled labour, students, thinkers and doers of tomorrow. We are very deliberate on what we need and who we need,” he added. According to the commissioner, the country’s geography helps them to pick and choose the people coming into the country. “We have to do this to keep abreast of our own economic growth.”

Canada’s aging population and lower birth rate has been shrinking its labour force, forcing the country to intensify its efforts to attract large, young and vibrant immigrants by offering immigration-friendly policies. Last year, the Canadian federal government announced an aggressive plan to take in 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025, with almost 1.5 million new immigrants coming to the country over the next three years. In 2022, the country landed 437,120 Permanent Residents (PRs), a nearly eight percent increase from the total number of PRs in 2021.

In the first half of 2023, the number of Nigerians moving to Canada surged to the highest in nine years. Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows that it recorded 10,180 PRs from Nigeria in H1, a marginal increase of 0.74 percent from 10,105 in the same period of 2022. Higher education and work are the major principal conduits of permanent emigration. But Nigeria’s current realities such as high inflation, unemployment and fragile economic growth have now made it a major reason why its citizens emigrate to other countries for greener pastures.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country’s inflation, which measures the rate of increase of commodity prices, quickened to an 18-month high at 25.80 percent in August. Last year, the NBS put the number of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty at 133 million, compared to 82.9 million considered poor in 2019 by national standards.

Apart from PRs, India (175,021), Nigeria (43,482) the Philippines (21,902), China (14,975) and Nepal (12,776) were among the top five source countries of new international students coming to Canada in H1, according to IRCC.

“Education is a provincial mandate. It’s not a national or federal one. Our provinces manage their educational institutions. And sometimes, certain provinces provide programs or incentives that attract foreign students,” Christoff said.

“Many foreigners choose to stay in Canada after studies. And the reason why they stay is because they enjoyed their time while studying and most specifically, we offer a path to stay in the country,” he added.

He noted that the country is very distinct from their American and British counterparts which have been prime destinations for Nigerians. “But in Canada, there is a path to stay after graduation.”

Source: Business Day

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The French ambassador to Niger and other French diplomats “were actually held hostage in the French embassy” during the emergency following the military junta coup d’état that gave the boot to Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s elected president, on July 26. A violent confrontation loomed, as President Bazoum refused to give in to the military and step down. Soon after the coup, Niger’s military junta moved to expel the US, German, Nigerian and French ambassadors, amid suspicions of potential foreign pressure to impel a military intervention by The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Meanwhile, with a membership of 15 West African countries, ECOWAS has continued to press for President Bazoum to be allowed to resume his presidential post. (How often does that ever happen after a military coup d’état?)

ECOWAS countries historically share cultural and geopolitical ties and certain economic interests, many linked to Europe. Niger, a French colony for more than 50 years before becoming independent in the 1960s, is a key source of uranium for French nuclear reactors. 

The Niger military junta stated that it would expel the French ambassador in response to actions by the French government that were “contrary to Niger’s interests,” the junta said in a statement.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Côte D’Or region on Friday (15/9/2023), French President Emmanuel Macron said that “food deliveries are prohibited” to the Embassy in Niamey, capital of Niger, and that Ambassador Sylvain Itte “could not go out, is declared a persona non grata and is “eating military rations.” 

When asked whether he would seek to repatriate his ambassador, Macron emphasized the authority of Niger’s ousted President Bazoum, saying, “I will do whatever we agreed with President Bazoum, because he is the legitimate authority and I talk to him every day.”

The coup has prompted a significant hurt response from ECOWAS, which urged Niger’s military leaders to reassess their move, predicting a “very likely” possibility of violence. 

“Even now, it is not too late for the military to reconsider its actions and listen to reason, because regional leaders will not allow a coup,” ECOWAS commission president Omar Alieu Touray threatened, when addressing journalists in Abuja. “The real problem is the people’s determination to stop the coup spiral in the region,” he added. Inasmuch as ECOWAS is seen as a tool of NATO and European/American economic interests, Niger is naturally intent on rebuffing such threats. 

In fact, ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on Guinea, whose military also recently deposed its reviled leader. Alleging authoritarian rule instead of democratic representation, regional bloc leaders attending the UN General Assembly refused recognition of the newly-installed military government.

“Democracy in Africa” has become synonymous with kleptocracy, as ultra-corrupt African strongmen conspire with western bankers and corporate interests to amass huge fortunes, squired offshore. Last year’s military coup by mutinous soldiers, led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, a senior officer in the Guinean military, ousted corrupt former president Alpha Conde, who had fiddled with the Guinean constitution to allow him to run for a third term; this was illegal and set off a massive outcry. It reflects the same sorry story of desperate, hungry, ignored populations in run-down, broken countries with crumbling infrastructure, where cabals of big shots siphon off wealth and stash it in happy banks abroad.

While ECOWAS is demanding an immediate return to constitutional order, Niger’s military leaders have warned the bloc against any intervention, accusing it of preparing an occupying force in collaboration with foreign warriors.

Note that Guinea historically is a key economic partner, maintaining good relations with the Russian Federation, keen on its bauxite deposits; the day after the military takeover, current president Doumboya received a delegation from Russia in Conakry. Reserves of bauxite, the raw material for aluminum smelting, have shrunken dramatically across the globe in recent years.

African nations who sided with NATO on the Ukraine conflict, condemning Russia’s military operation as an “invasion” and imposing sanctions, now find themselves struggling with unprecedented inflation, shortages of oil and gas and food insecurity. Malawi is one such example. Europeans nod sadly, their sacrifice America’s gain.

Africa can plainly witness the energy crisis in Europe, as NATO, champion of  modern democracy, has incurred an acute credibility problem. Cracks are appearing between NATO & the EU: Total Energies, a French company, is going ahead with its oil pipeline project in Uganda, despite a EU resolution against it; a Financial Action Task Force is accusing France of “terror-funding”. Seeing its political and economic battle with Russia slipping, and legacy “client states” piling into BRICS++, the US is making desperate attempts to establish ties in Africa, including a proposal to lifting sanctions on Zimbabwe after almost two decades. 

The west has thus decided to gang up on Guinea, to teach others a lesson, and ensure that it does not conclude more trade deals with Russia. The People’s Republic of China is undoubtedly watching all this closely.

Former “democratically-elected” Guinea President Alpha Conde became notorious for killing peaceful protestors, imprisoning opposition activists and crushing dissent – before falling victim to a military coup. 

Meanwhile, NATO, the EU, the UN and its “client states” in Africa openly interfere in former colonies’ internal affairs, under the garb of establishing democracy and rule of law. 

What will become of Niger? Like other newly-independent African republics, it will be next to impossible to hold onto power and develop the nation without some kind of foreign support or alliance, whether linked with Western interests or Eastern ones. Its new leaders may have to hold their collective nose before concluding agreements with the “best of the bad” outsiders, as ordinary hungry Africans are unhappy about the lack of law and progress in their countries. At this point, with big-bellied children scrounging for food, democracy is of little interest to the masses.

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Derna is a second-tier city of roughly 100,000 people, situated in northeast Libya. Early dawn on Monday, September 11, two aging dams gave way, bursting and sending a seven-meter-high tsunami towards the city. Entire neighborhoods were washed into the sea. 

The dams failed after heavy rainfall hit the region, as Storm Daniel passed through. Before passing over Libya, a Storm Daniel landfall in Greece resulted in 15 fatalities, on September 4. The same storm also wreaked havoc in Turkey and even up in Bulgaria. At least five people were killed after a flash flood swept through their campsite in Turkey’s Kirklareli province. After passing through the Mediterranean Basin, Storm Daniel slammed into the northern coast of Libya on September 9.

Libyan authorities have sealed off the flood-devastated port city of Derna from civilians, to allow emergency aid workers to restore services, amid concern that standing water contamination could add to the already horrific death toll. The flooding left at least 11,000 dead, according to official projections.

Derna is historically prone to flooding, and inadequate dam reservoirs have resulted in five deadly floods since 1942, the latest of which was in 2011, according to a research paper published by Libya’s Sebha University last year.

The two dams that burst on Monday were built around half a century ago, between 1973 and 1977, by a Yugoslav construction company. The Derna dam was 75 meters high with a storage capacity of 18 million cubic meters. The second dam, Mansour, was 45 meters high, holding 1.5 million cubic meters. The dams have had no maintenance since 2002, the city’s deputy mayor Ahmed Madroud told Al Jazeera.

Experts explain how apart from the strong storm, the Derna catastrophe was greatly exacerbated by a lethal confluence of factors, including aging, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings and the impact of an accelerating climate crisis. Scientists believe that climate change is augmenting the intensity of extreme weather events like storms. 

Warmer oceans provide fuel for storms to grow, and a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, meaning more extreme rainfall. Storms are becoming more ferocious because of climate change, said Hannah Cloke, professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading in the UK.

Meanwhile, Liz Stephens, Professor in Climate Risks and Resilience at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, questioned the design standard of the dam and whether a risk of very extreme rainfall events had been taken into account. On the other hand, United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization Head Petteri Taalas expressed concern about the absence of alerts to warn citizens in Derna. Talaas added that the political instability in the country has impeded WMO efforts to work with the Libyan government to improve these systems.

This kind of catastrophe would have been much less likely during the Khaddafi regime, when huge sums of oil revenues were spent on modern infrastructure around the country. Libya was in the event too weak to resist the predations of NATO, eager to grab the oil, silver and gold that was to have backed a pan-African bank. Libya was the latest in a nation-smashing campaign that has brought misery to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Jordan. Today the country is broken into warlord-ruled territories, and a much-degraded standard of living for the average Libyan.

On the other side of the world, Hong Kong and cities across southern China are also battling flooding initiated by the heaviest rains in over 140 years, after Saola and Haikui, two full-force typhoons, hit southern China – and resulted in a citywide shutdown in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a red rainstorm warning on Friday evening, September 15, the second such alert in two days.

The post Storm and Bursting Dams Kill Thousands in Libya appeared first on The Victoria Post.

Elseddik Haftar, eldest son of eastern Libyan strong man Khalifa Haftar said on Monday he was open to a presidential bid, but cautioned that nationwide elections in the OPEC member could only occur if the country was stable and a new unified government was in place.

Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising and it split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions. Though major warfare paused after a 2020 ceasefire, there is little trust between the main factional leaders.

Many Libyans suspect their political leaders have little interest in a lasting settlement or elections that could oust them from positions of authority that they have held for years.

Elseddik, who unlike his 79-year-old father has no military responsibilities, has increasingly nurtured his public and social media image amid uncertainty over whether his father still intends to run for the presidency in the future.

Speaking in an interview, Elseddik, 43, defended his family’s role in the country and sought to portray himself as representing Libya’s younger generation.

“I think I have all the means to relieve and stabilise Libya, and put in place the cohesion and unity of Libyans,” he said in Paris speaking through an interpreter.

When asked whether he would be a candidate in any future presidential election, he said that it would all depend on conditions at the time, but wanted to be clear that if he did run he would represent all Libyans.

“If the Libyans see that I can add value, change things … then why not?”

Before presidential elections can take place, the United Nations is pushing for nationwide legislative elections. It indicated on Aug. 22 that before any such move there first need to be a unified government, agreed by all major players, to lead the country to elections.

Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, has not been accepted by the eastern-based parliament since early 2021 after a failed attempt to have national elections.

Haftar said he did not have a “personal” issue with the existing government, but there needed to be a new government of technocrats in place with a clear mission to prepare elections.

“We can’t have elections with the Dbeibah government. It’s impossible,” he said, adding that he didn’t oppose the current electoral laws waiting to be endorsed by parliament.

The dangers of Libya’s unresolved conflict were apparent last month when armed factions battled in Tripoli, killing 55 people in the worst fighting there in years.

Haftar said there could be no elections without the security situation being stabilised across the country.

“If there is no stability, elections will not be free,” he said.

Source

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An objective appraisal of representative democracy around the planet would conclude that it is in rather a poor condition – at least when held up and compared to an ideal. Singapore has been ruled in a mildly authoritarian manner by the same party since independence in 1965, while Japan’s one-party parliamentary democracy has endured since the end of Occupation in the early 1950s, with intervals out of power.

Europe, Australia and the USA are similarly beset with fossilized political parties that while holding a tight grip on power receive dismal approval ratings from the electorate. 

In the “greatest country in the world” a feeble, out-of-touch gerontocracy leaves the heavy lifting of practical politics to unelected Deep State operatives. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley caustically referred to the US Senate as “the most privileged nursing home in the country”, after the Republican leader in the Senate, 81-year-old Mitch McConnell, suffered a second brain-freeze before the cameras in a month, while speaking to reporters in Kentucky.

Russian democracy is more or less fixed in place by you-know-who, and countries like Malaysia struggle to appear democratic, while appeasing wealthy, influential, powerful religious, financial and military interests. And of course money talks. And talks and talks – money politics a problem everywhere.

The “Potemkin Village” democracy is apparently enough for disgusted militaries in Africa: there have been eight coups in the last three years, including the recent ouster of Gabon’s president by soldiers.

Why indeed are military takeovers, surprisingly popular with the citizenry at large, becoming prominent in Africa?

One explanation is that compromised governments are spectacularly failing to raise the welfare of the public at large – those who voted them in. Take Gabon, swimming in a sea of easily-accessible oil: just last week, military officers seized power after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had “won” a third term in office; this spelt an end to his spectacularly corrupt family’s 56-year hold on power. Bongo’s late father was known for shifting US$ 100 million here, US$ 100 million there, greeted happily by bankers in the EU and the USA. Meanwhile, the average family lives in desperate poverty: while on paper Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, its reliance on resource extraction industries see profits floating to France, the Bongo family and its cronies. 40% of the Gabonese population is said to live under a poverty threshold.

Compare that to Libya, which under the dictatorial rule of Col. Moammar Khaddafi, enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in Africa. After the 1969 Revolution, and the forced exit of King Idris, Khaddafi’s government initiated a process of directing funds toward education, health care and housing for all. Public education in the country became free and primary education compulsory for both sexes. Medical care became available to the public at no cost, while providing housing for all was an unfinished task. Under Gaddafi, per capita income in the country rose to more than US$11,000, the 5th highest in Africa. All without the “theater” of a parliament and a president. 

Not everyone was pleased with the expulsion from power of the sartorial Bongo clan. The “African Union Peace and Security Council” met on Thursday, 25 August, announcing the immediate suspension of Gabon from “all activities of the AU, its organs and institutions” until the country restores constitutional order. They shouldn’t hold their collective breath. 

In Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Chad, coup leaders are still in control, despite widespread condemnation and sanctions. Former colonial masters, now clad in sheep’s clothing, are still vitally concerned about the loss of sweet deals, in cahoots with comprador regimes. France has long been a force to contend with in Niger, with particular concern for its uranium deposits. With others, it’s cobalt and other resources never touched by legacy inhabitants. 

One current theory is that the USA, instigator of various “Arab Spring” upheavals, is behind at least some of the coups, considering that most of the African military leaders springing coups have had training there: between 1999 and 2016, across 34 different programs, the USA hosted some 2,395,272 trainees from virtually every country in the world, peaking at 292,753 in 2008. Could the Americans, displeased with President Macron making google-eyes at the PRC, be punishing him, and rebellious France, through a squeeze on his African resources? 

Foreign players have never given up on meddling in Africa. At the moment the People’s Republic of China is the most prominent meddler, and through “soft power” and plenty of baksheesh as well as meaningful infrastructure investment gained fresh new friends. 

Russia, on the other hand, can offer muscle: the ambitious mercenaries of Wagner Group have already connected with coup leaders, offering counsel and protection; the late Mr. Prigozhin had consulted with the freshly-installed leaders in Niger before his recent “accident”. Assuming, of course, that he is dead.

What is curious and interesting about the foreign sanctions imposed on countries where coups have occurred is that ordinary citizens are suffering the most (just like the US sanctions on Iraq – remember that one?) Such attempts at punishment have only hardened local resistance to outside interference and bolstered popular support for the various juntas. 

Is a return to an era of coups a “new norm”?

So what are the basic reasons why the military carries out coups, considering how such power grabs threaten a reversal of African democratization, slowly making progress over the past two decades?

Remi Adekoya, a political analyst and associate lecturer at York University, noted that “In the early postcolonial decades when coups were rampant, Africa’s coup leaders virtually always offered the same reasons for toppling governments: corruption, mismanagement, poverty.”

“While well-worn, these justifications still resonate with many Africans today, because they continue accurately depicting their countries’ reality. Furthermore, in many countries, people feel these problems are worsening,” he added.

A survey by Afrobarometer, a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network, confirmed that popular perceptions of increased corruption levels are quite widespread in African countries, as average citizens disgustedly declare that their governments are doing little to fight corruption – or are themselves on the take.

“And in a bad sign for activists working to engage citizens on this issue, most Africans say they risk retaliation should they report corruption cases to the authorities,” Afrobarometer commented.

Such despicable conditions create a fertile environment for coups, as increasingly desperate young Africans lose patience with their corrupt leaders and welcome the military as salvation, promising radical change to a miserable status quo.

On Friday, videos on social media showed some elated Gabonese kissing and hugging soldiers following the military takeover of leadership in the oil-rich central African country.

Niger: On July 26, 2023, the military overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.

Burkina Faso: In January 2022, Burkina Faso’s army removed President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. In September of that year, there was a second coup by army Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who forcibly deposed Paul Henri-Damiba.

Guinea: In September 2021, special forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Conde. A year earlier, Conde had changed the constitution to circumvent limits that would have prevented him from standing for a third term, triggering widespread rioting.

Chad: In April 2021, Chad’s army took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north.

Mali: In August 2020, a group of Malian colonels removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The coup followed anti-government protests over deteriorating security, contested legislative elections and allegations of corruption. Nine months later, a countercoup happened, with Assimi Goita, named vice president after the first one, leading the second and becoming head of state.

Sudan: In October 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a military takeover in Khartoum, dissolving a ruling council in which the army and civilians had shared power and throwing the country’s democratic transition into turmoil.

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Finland’s minister for economic affairs resigned on Friday, a little more than a week after taking office, amid a flurry of scandals linking him to neo-Nazi ideology.  

Vilhelm Junnila, of the far-right Finns Party, quit amid a new furore over comments he made in parliament where he said a solution for the climate crisis is to give more abortions to African women. 

He called the concept “climate abortions”. 

Junnila made the speech in parliament in 2019 when he was a freshman MP. 

“It would be justified for Finland to shoulder its responsibility by promoting climate abortions. Climate abortion would be a small step for a person, but a giant leap for humanity,” he said at the time. 

When the parliament documents re-surfaced, Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen — who has become a cause celebre for the Evangelical right-wing over her uncompromising stance on abortion and LGBTQ issues — also criticised Junnila. 

“The concept of climate abortion is eco-fascist anyway without the racist connection. And eco-fascism is also an extremist movement,” said Räsänen, a former interior minister.

Junnila said he was resigning to spare Finland’s reputation, “despite the trust of the party and my parliamentary group.” 

Current education minister, and leader of the Swedish People’s Party, Anna-Maja Henriksson, said it was a “wise decision” that Junnila quit his post.  

On Friday, Finland’s public broadcaster Yle revealed in an investigation that Junnila had never taken any political science classes at university, despite claiming to be studying the subject. 

Yle also found no proof of Junnila’s claim that he started, then sold, a tech company in Poland.

The new minister also appeared to have lost the confidence of Finnish President Sauli Niinistö who said during a Friday morning interview the situation was “very embarrassing, to say the least.”

What were Vilhelm Junnila’s other controversies?

Last week Euronews highlighted how Junnila had given a speech at an event in the southwestern city of Turku in 2019.

The event was organised by the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement.

Experts say the event Junnila attended was a “who’s who of neo-Nazis in Finland”, with members of these shadowy extreme right-wing organisations seen in photographs standing behind Junnila as he spoke, albeit on the opposite riverbank.

The revelations caused an outcry in Finland, prompting Junnila to issue an apology for attending the event.

He also apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections.

For neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

He described his actions as “stupid and childish”, and said, “I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.”

New issues come to light

On Wednesday, Junnila survived a vote of confidence in parliament even as new and problematic issues about him were being raised on an almost-daily basis. 

Earlier this week social media posts from Junnila to his parliamentary assistant were unearthed, which included a picture of a snowman taken from the internet which resembled a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose, with the comment “I made a snowman according to your instructions.”

There was also a birthday video message featuring Adolf Hitler sent in 2013, and in 2014 he posted a picture of a gate with a swastika, writing how much he liked the design.

Junnila’s election campaign has also featured the word “get gassed” which is the same wording as Germany’s far-right AfD had used in a previous campaign.

Analysts say it sends an innocuous message on the surface to potential voters, but gives another, darker, meaning to other far-right supporters about Junnila’s thoughts on the Holocaust.

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