Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

Comoros police forces state that they have arrested Congolese and Chadian mercenaries in an attempted coup over the week-end. Linfo.re adds that [fr]:

Army commanders did not want to engage in an open conflict with the mercenaries. They believe that “any Comoran casualties over protecting an elite cast is itself a act of betrayal towards Comoros”.

Jacqueline Moudeina writes on Pambazuka.org about the inauguration of a special tribunal in Senegal, to bring Hissene Habre, former dictator of Chad, before the courts [fr]:

“Being a victim, is a condition in which we languish without the ability to recover, as long as justice has not been served. The suffering is endless and what occurs, is a loss of dignity. The legal battle, so that an authority may take charge and judge the crimes of the victims’ former torturers, was for them a long and painful road. Each new development, each new delay, every error and politico-judicial farce carried out by the former Senegalese government, was but a fresh wound for the victims. After 22 years, more than two decades after the fall of the Habre regime, it continues to rub salt in their wounds”.

Djamil Ahmat reports that Chadian president Déby named his son Mahamat Idriss Déby, 24, general of brigade [fr] along with 4 other officers. Tchadanthopus adds that his other son Zackaria Idriss Deby was allegedly offered to be vice-president [fr] with executive power when his father is out of the country.

 At this point, there is virtually no one left in president Bozize's cabinet. His religious advisors and his sons are the only left to help him in manage a storming crisis that might blow all of them away.

Centrafrique Press Info CPI reacts to the news that rebels are about to seize control of Bangui [fr], the capital city of Central African Republic. The USA have asked their citizens to leave the country [fr] while the UN is only keeping essential staff [fr] in the field.

Makaila ‘s blog published [fr] a petition cosigned by several human right organizations in Chad that bemoans the absence of investigation regarding war crimes. In addition, the petition notes [fr] that :

We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that the executive power mingling into the judicial power facilitates the use of justice as a mean of repression and/or score settling against opinion leaders that include union leaders, journalists and human rights activists.

Seven African nations of ECOWAS namely Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo have agreed with Malian government [fr] to send 3,300 soldiers a year to Northern Mali to take back control of northern Mali from Islamist fighters. Other nations outside the ECOWAS might also send in troops.

Blogger Malaika reports [fr] that the plane carrying Chad president Idriss Deby botched its landing in the Kalait region. No one was hurt in the accident. The president was to take part in a forum on development and peace in the region.

DJAMIL AHMAT in Chad reports that Jacqueline Moudeina, a lawyer, human rights activist  and winner of  an Alternative Nobel Prize Award  was attacked at her home (fr) last night (October 19). Moudeina is the legal representative of the victims of the Hissène Habré regime since 2000. Other HR activists were arrested earlier this month in Chad.

The RJDH-RCA (The Human Rights Journalists Network of the Central African Republic) reports that [fr] armed rebels claiming to be a faction of the CPJP (Convention of the Patriots for Justice and Peace) attacked the national army in the cities of Sibut and Damara in the North of the country. A speaker of the CPJP denies the implication of the CPJP and asserts that the attackers are rebels from Chad.

Ursula Soares reports that FPR Rebel Leader Abdel Kader Baba Laddé was transferred to Bangui [fr] Capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR) after he turned himself in on September 3. Baba Laddé is reportedly ill and wishes to quit fighting with the CAR authorities.

Victorien Ndakass from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that 5,000 new refugees from the Central African Republic have crossed over to Chad [fr] since June. This movement of population is due to the resurgence of the rebel movement lead by Abdoulaye Miskine [fr] in the North of the country.

Afrik.com reports that [fr]: ” because of the low harvest and an increase of 60 to 80 % in cereal pricing, 10 millions people across Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad will be affected by food security issues, including 1.6 million children.”

Commenting former Chad president Hissene Habré's extradition to his homeland, makaila.over-blog observes [fr]: “Many Senegalese analysts are already questionning whether this is just a diversion by the Senegalese embattled president. The opposition and civil society organizations were planning for a  massive gathering on July 9th”.  The rally was ultimately banned by the authorities.

In a post published on July 11th, leboytownshow.com blog states the following [fr] :”Senegalese authorities finally announced that they suspend the deportation order against Hissène Habré (editor's note:  Chad former president) “.

Paul O'Brien discusses his trip to Chad and how communities are rebuilding their lives: “The biggest challenge facing mothers in Chad is to feed their children and keep them healthy. The country has one of the highest rates of child deaths in the world. In the villages in which Concern is working in Goré, I interviewed members of a mothers’ self-help group. One mother tells me that she had nine children, but only four survived.”

Franseca writes about white gold in Chad: “Shea nuts are indigenous to southern Chad, and have been traditionally pressed into a black oil to add to foods. While nutritious, it has an odor that many find unpleasant. Processing the Shea nuts into a white butter gives it all kinds of household and commercial applications, opening up new income streams for local women.”

Boukari Ouédraogo wrote [Fr] on his blog: ” The 22^nd edition of the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou will take place in Ouagadougou from February 26th to March 5th. This year's theme is “African Cinema and Markets.”

On February 16th 2011, Makaila published [Fr]: “many opposition militants gathered in multiple districts around the  city of Moundou to protest against the results of the parliamentary elections [on February 13th].”

There are ten places one should visit in Chad: “Chad is one of the countries of the Saharan Africa. Chad is also a country that boasts of some wonderful places to visit, and here are some of them.”

A conference on the prevention of enrollment of child soldiers took place in Ndjamena (fr). Mak reports that there are between 7,000 to 10,000 child soldiers in Chad (fr).

Parti Liberal du Tchad calls for an “integral” solution to illegal migration from Africa to Europe and the establishment of a high commission to examine the problem.  “Without the flow of migrants, many European countries would not be where they are today.  So it is important to remember what these Africans have lived and continue to live today in order to better understand the origins of this migration.” [Fr]

White African discussing mobile reporting in Africa, “Netherland’s based AfricaNews has been a pioneer in this space, starting last year with their “Voices of Africa” section of their site. I’ve been continually impressed with how they find, train and equip their journalists all over Africa.”

This is an eyewitness account of violence in Chad: ““For over 7 hours we heard that battle rage. We felt afraid, wondered which part of the body to try to get under a 24 x 20 inch table. Was it more important to save the head or the chest? The legs? Did I want a bullet in any part of my body at all? Then, a grenade was lobbed into our yard but didn't go off. The soldiers cordoned off the area. People were running in the street trying to get away from the fighting but seemed to get blocked between the 2 factions.”

Le Pangolin writes about the extrajudiciary detention [Fr] of opposition politicians in Chad and France's conspicuous silence.

Fodé-Moussa Keita links to an article that presents sons of African presidents who are groomed to take over the presidency (fr).

Parti Liberal du Tchad posts their official response (Fr) to Idriss Deby's recent visit to France.

Prisma International writes that the Chadian government plans to discharge all child soldiers [Fr] currently serving in its army. A UNICEF investigation counted 400 children between the ages of eight and eleven among the ranks of Chad's armed forces.

African journalists working in France are calling on the two remaining French presidential candidates, Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal, to begin a new chapter in Franco-African relations (Fr), according to the blog of the Alliance for Democratic Progress. “We have to reconsider everything, make a fresh start, a sort of “big bang,” so that France stops treating us like children. Africa must be a partner.” (Fr)

Afroshangai Blog posts an article about Chinese interest in Africa, “China, unlike just about every other country in the world, has a clear African strategy which is being implemented with military precision. President Hu Jintao’s visit is the third by a senior Chinese leader in twelve months…”

The blog of CAR presidential candidate Olivier Gabirault points to a Liberation article stating (Fr): “In 1997, Paris, linked to its former colony by a defense accord, disengaged by closing its two military bases (Bangui and Bouar) for economic reasons. Ten years later, French soldiers are back to support President Francois Bozize … On the opposite team are partisans of ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse and soldiers who now oppose the one who deposed Patasse in March 2003: General Francois Bozize, elected president last year. But also Tchadians who are combatting the Idriss Deby regime.”