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ECOWAS summit undermined by Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso forming confederation

ECOWAS summit undermined by Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso forming confederation

The military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso military have formed a new confederation, undermining the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government for validation summit is scheduled to take place in Abuja, Nigeria on Sunday.

However, the traditional regional bloc linked to Western countries is facing an unprecedented challenge.

The bloc had suspended Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali after their respective military takeovers, which occurred in July 2023, September 2022 and August 2021.

On January 27, 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their plan to withdraw from membership of ECOWAS after reconciliation efforts with the bloc failed to return the trio.

The three military-led West African nations blame ECOWAS for their withdrawal, saying the Western-led group is becoming a threat to its members, accusing former colonial powers France, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States of interference in their affairs

In an undermining move, the military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger held a joint summit in Niamey, the capital of Niger on Saturday.

The event marked the first joint summit between Niger’s General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore, and Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goita since the trio came to power in their countries in successive coups.

Speaking at the summit, Tchiani called the 50-year-old ECOWAS “a threat to our states”, declaring the formation of a new confederation of three Sahel states.

“We are going to create an AES of the peoples, instead of an ECOWAS whose directives and instructions are dictated to it by powers that are foreign to Africa,” Tchiani said.

Traore accused foreign powers of seeking to exploit African countries. The trio has regularly accused the West of meddling in ECOWAS.

“This summit marks a decisive step for the future of our common space. Together, we will consolidate the foundations of our true independence, a guarantee of true peace and sustainable development through the creation of the ‘Alliance of Sahel States’ Confederation,’” Traore wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The AES (Alliance of Sahel States) is full of enormous natural potential which, if properly exploited, will guarantee a better future for the people of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.”

The three countries, with a combined population of 72 million, are not only expected to form closer economic ties, but also, to cooperate on the security issues affecting them.

Source: Presstv

Cameroon in 2025: Biya regime warns against pre-election disorder

Cameroon in 2025: Biya regime warns against pre-election disorder

Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said on Thursday that the government will “not tolerate” any pre-election disorder in the country.

“Any act to destabilize the elections will not be tolerated. The political leader who tries to disrupt the elections will regret having joined the political game,” Nji told reporters at the end of a two-day conference which brought together governors of the 10 regions of the country to deliberate on how best to organize general elections scheduled for next year.

The warning came barely a month after opposition leader Maurice Kamto of Cameroon Renaissance Movement granted a press conference and threatened that “if people want the country to fall into violence, then it will fall into violence”.

Nji said such a declaration was “unacceptable” in a democratic country.

“These people in the opposition, you must be humble and speak in measured tones,” he said, adding that the 10 governors have been instructed to “stop” any pre-election disorder.

Legislative, municipal and council elections are scheduled to take place in Cameroon next year.

Source: Xinhuanet

New British Prime Minister poised to bring a low profile to 10 Downing Street

New British Prime Minister poised to bring a low profile to 10 Downing Street

The Labour Party won a landslide victory in the UK general election on Thursday, making Keir Starmer the country’s first Labour prime minister in 14 years. Starmer’s victory caps a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, first elected an MP in 2015.

Always neat in appearance, with his well-combed greying hair, stern expression and dispassionate voice, 61-year-old Starmer is an outlier in UK politics compared to his peers and Conservative predecessors.

Far removed from the antics of the likes of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage – whose careers have been peppered with controversy and scandal – the Labour Party leader stands out for his ability to keep a low profile.

So much so, in fact, that little is known about 10 Downing Street’s new occupant.

A knight with humble origins

Sir Keir – he rarely uses the honorific title himself – was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for his services to “law and criminal justice”.

Starmer comes from a modest background. Born to blue-collar parents in 1962, Starmer was named after Keir Hardie,  founder of the Labour Party of which his parents were staunch supporters, and grew up in a small town in Surrey.

“My dad was a toolmaker and worked in a factory all his life, and my mum was a nurse,” Starmer often noted in speeches.

The first among four siblings to receive higher education, Starmer attended the University of Leeds from where he graduated with honours and a law degree before heading to Oxford for postgraduate studies.

Starmer then became a barrister in 1987, specialising in human rights law and represented death row inmates in Africa and the Caribbean.

Often providing legal advice for free, Starmer also worked on several high profile cases including the defence of environmental activists against McDonald’s and Shell.

Nicknamed “lefty lawyer” by opponents, Starmer took legal action against human rights violations in the context of the Northern Ireland conflict and helped set up the Northern Ireland Police Board following the Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.

In 2008, Starmer was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions where he oversaw the prosecution of MPs charged with embezzlement and journalists accused of phone hacking.

A late start in politics

Starmer’s entry into politics came fairly late in life, at the age of 52.

He was first elected to parliament in 2015, serving as the member for his London constituency where he lived with his wife and their two children.

Quickly climbing the ranks of the Labour Party, Starmer soon became shadow Home Office minister before quitting the role in protest of former party head Jeremy Corbyn’s lack of leadership during the Brexit campaign.

Starmer went on to become the party’s spokesman on Brexit-related issues and eventually took over the party’s leadership when Corbyn stood down following Labour’s crushing defeat in the 2019 general elections against Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.

‘Conspiracy of silence’: Why Brexit has been largely absent from UK election campaign

It was from that point on that Starmer firmly established himself as a politician, said Thibaud Harrois, lecturer in contemporary British civilisation at Sorbonne-Nouvelle University.

“Keir Starmer made it his mission to turn the page on Jeremy Corbyn,” Harrois said, adding that “he started by dismissing all those accused of anti-Semitism from within the party, including Jeremy Corbyn himself.”

In May, Starmer expelled Corbyn from the party after suspending him over a row on anti-Semitism.

Intent on winning the popular vote, Starmer also started aligning Labour’s policies with the centre by preventing left-wing candidates from standing for the party.

Recentering Labour

“He really reshaped the then very left-leaning Labour Party in an attempt to appeal to a more centrist, even centre-right electorate,” Harrois said.

Politically, Starmer favours economic interventionism and social policies, while remaining firm on immigration and security, he said.

“But he always remains measured, refusing to make big promises and constantly reminds people that the state coffers are empty”, he added.

Harrois also highlighted Starmer’s “cautious” posture, often denounced by Tories and the hard left as “lacking in courage” and “prevents people from seeing his true position”.

While he has promised to repeal laws restricting the right to strike, he has backpeddled on his proposal to increase welfare benefits.

Starmer also watered down what was seen as his flagship policy: investing up to 28 billion pounds (€33 billion) a year in renewable energies.

Despite attracting criticism from both ends of the political spectrum for his ideas, Starmer sought to court the public’s favour by calling attention to his modest upbringing.

“Unlike Tony Blair, for example, Keir Starmer is well aware that he is not charismatic,” said Harrois. “By emphasising his background, he plays on the image of a man who is above all serious, straightforward and methodical,” he said, adding that Starmer’s cultivated image has become an asset “after years of scandals” in UK politics.

But Starmer’s arrival at number 10 is mostly “contextual”, driven by “the population’s desire for change”, Harrois said.

“In the current political landscape and in this particular context, he has succeeded in establishing himself as the serious alternative”, he said.

A position perfectly illustrated by Starmer’s campaign slogan, chanted at every meeting: “It’s time for change”.

Source: France 24

France: Macron vows to stay in office until his second term ends in May 2027

France: Macron vows to stay in office until his second term ends in May 2027

French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday he would “act until May 2027”, the end of his second term, regardless of who wins the snap parliamentary elections he called.

“The incoming government, which will necessarily reflect your vote, will I hope resemble the various republicans who will have shown the courage to oppose the extremes,” Macron added in an open letter published in French media.

Polls suggest that the far-right National Rally will come out on top of the snap vote whose first round is set for June 30,

Marine Le Pen, the party’s figurehead, has said Macron’s resignation could be the only solution to avoid a hung parliament for the remaining three years of his term.

The president surprised the country by dissolving parliament after the far right trounced his centrist party in EU Parliament elections earlier this month.

“You can trust me to act until May 2027 as your president, protector at every moment of our republic, our values, respectful of pluralism and your choices, at your service and that of the nation,” Macron said in the letter.

He insisted that the coming vote, with a second round on July 7, was “neither a presidential election, nor a vote of confidence in the president of the republic” but a response to “a single question: who should govern France?”

Opinion polls suggest the RN is set to achieve its best-ever score in the legislative vote, potentially giving it a shot at naming a prime minister, most likely its telegenic young party chief Jordan Bardella.

Macron acknowledged that his decision to call the snap polls had generated for some voters “anger that has turned against me.

“The goal cannot be to just continue as things were. I have heard that you want change,” he added, noting in particular his administration’s “much stronger and firmer responses” on “insecurity and impunity”.

Source: AFP

Israel’s Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet

Israel’s Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential War Cabinet that has overseen the fighting in Gaza, a government spokesperson said Monday, days after a key member of the body bolted from the government over frustration with the Israeli leader’s handling of the war.

The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, a centrist former military chief. Gantz’s absence from the government increases Netanyahu’s dependence on his ultra-nationalist allies, who oppose a cease-fire. That could pose an additional challenge to the already fragile negotiations to end the eight-month war in Gaza.

Government officials said Netanyahu would hold smaller forums for sensitive war issues, including with his Security Cabinet, which includes far-right governing partners who oppose cease-fire deals and have voiced support for reoccupying Gaza.

The War Cabinet was formed in the early days of the war, when Gantz, then an opposition party leader and Netanyahu rival, joined the coalition in a show of unity following the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas. He demanded that a small decision-making body steer the war, in a bid to sideline far-right members of Netanyahu’s government. It was made up of three members — Gantz, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The move to scrap the War Cabinet comes as Israel faces more pivotal decisions.

Israel and Hamas are weighing the latest proposal for a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack. Israeli troops are still bogged down in the Gaza Strip, fighting in the southern city of Rafah and against pockets of Hamas resurgence elsewhere, in addition to a dramatic escalation last week on the northern border with Lebanon.

After launching hundreds of rockets and drones toward Israel in some of the most intense barrages in the conflict, Hezbollah sharply reduced the number of projectiles fired toward northern Israel on Sunday and Monday.

The lull continued even after Israeli military officials said they killed a key operative in Hezbollah’s rocket and missile department, Mohammed Ayoub, in a drone attack on Monday morning. The Israeli military said it tracked just two missiles fired Monday from Lebanon, and they did not enter Israeli territory. In the past 48 hours, there were just six launches, down from more than 200 on Thursday.

The lull could be due to the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha that began Sunday morning, as well as a visit from Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden. Hochstein is in Israel to discuss the volatile situation along the Lebanon-Israel border. He is scheduled to be in Beirut on Tuesday.

The U.S. has been trying to ease tensions along the frontier, and Hochstein made several trips to the region in recent months. Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the Israel-Hamas war erupted, and daily exchanges of fire have been commonplace since then. In recent weeks, the exchanges have intensified, with fires breaking out on both sides of the border.

Netanyahu has played a balancing act throughout the war, weighing pressure from Israel’s top ally, the U.S., and growing global opposition to the fighting, as well as from his government partners, chief among them Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Both have threatened to topple the government should Israel move ahead on a cease-fire deal. The latest proposal is part of the Biden administration’s most concentrated push to help wind down the war. For now, progress on a deal appears to be stalled.

Critics say Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making has been influenced by the ultra-nationalists in his government and by his desire to remain in power. Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he has the country’s best interests in mind.

Gantz’s departure, while not posing a direct threat to Netanyahu’s rule, rocked Israeli politics at a sensitive time. The popular former military chief was seen as a statesman who boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners at a time when Israel finds itself at its most isolated. Gantz is now an opposition party leader in parliament.

Gantz’s decision also prompted another resignation. Former army chief and fellow party member Gadi Eisenkot left the War Cabinet, where he had observer status.

Netanyahu’s government is Israel’s most religious and nationalist ever. In Israel’s fractious parliamentary system, Netanyahu relies on a group of small parties to help keep his government afloat. Without the support of Gantz’s party, Netanyahu is expected to be more beholden to far-right allies.

Source: AP

South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected president

South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected president

South Africa’s parliament has re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the country’s president following a landmark coalition deal between the governing African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties.

The new government of national unity combines Mr Ramaphosa’s ANC, the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) and smaller parties.

In his victory speech, Mr Ramaphosa hailed the new coalition, and said voters expected the leaders to “to act and to work together for the good of everyone in our country”.

The agreement was hashed out on a day of high political drama, which saw the National Assembly sitting late into the evening for votes to confirm who would hold power in the new administration.

Earlier, a deal was struck following weeks of speculation about whom the ANC would partner with after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years in last month’s elections.

It got 40% of the vote, while the DA came second with 22%.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called the coalition deal a “remarkable step”.

It meant Mr Ramaphosa – who replaced Jacob Zuma as both president and ANC leader following a bitter power struggle in 2018 – was able to retain power.

The next step is for Mr Ramaphosa to allocate cabinet positions, which will include members of the DA.

The multi-party deal does not involve two ANC breakaway parties, and they will probably benefit if it fails to deliver economic improvements demanding by voters.

But opinion polls suggest many South Africans want this unprecedented grand coalition to succeed.

The ANC had always polled above 50% since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, which saw Nelson Mandela become president.

However, support for the party has been dropping significantly because of anger over high levels of corruption, unemployment and crime.

Addressing South Africa’s parliament after his confirmation, Mr Ramaphosa called back to his party’s first presidential victory 30 years ago.

“We have been here before, we were here in 1994, when we sought to unite our country and to effect reconciliation – and we are here now,” he said.

An alliance between the centre-right DA and the ANC is unprecedented as the two parties have been rivals for decades.

Under Nelson Mandela, the ANC led the campaign against the racist system of apartheid and won the country’s first democratic elections.

The DA’s critics have accused it of trying to protect the economic privileges the country’s white minority built up during apartheid – a charge the party denies.

Addressing lawmakers late on Friday in Cape Town, John Steenhuisen, the leader of the DA, said: “Today is a historic day for our country, and I think it is the start of a new chapter.”

The National Assembly also swore in a speaker from the ANC, while the post of deputy speaker went to the DA.

Among the party leaders speaking after the agreement was reached on Friday was Julius Malema, head of the Economic Freedom Fighters – the party he founded after leaving the ANC in 2013.

He said while his party accepted “the results and the voice of the people of South Africa”, he criticised the agreement, saying: “We do not agree to this marriage of convenience, to consolidate the white monopoly power over the economy and the means of production in South Africa.”

Source: BBC

Unprecedented Fracas: Macron calls snap legislative elections in France

Unprecedented Fracas: Macron calls snap legislative elections in France

French President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election after his party suffered calamitous results in EU elections – while in Belgium, poor general election results have led to its prime minister pledging his resignation.

Marine Le Pen’s hard right National Rally party won about 32% of the European Parliament vote in France – a 10 point increase on the last election in 2019.

It is more than double the less than 15% taken by Mr Macron’s centrist, pro-European Renaissance party, according to exit polls.

Mr Macron said he could not “pretend nothing had happened” and admitted the EU election was “no good” for his government.

The “rise of nationalists” is a danger to France and to Europe, he said.

Mr Macron is a “weakened president” said Jordan Bardella, National Rally’s lead candidate.

Across the border in Belgium, Alexander De Croo’s liberal party took less than 7% of the vote in the general election.

“This is a very difficult evening for us – we have lost,” Mr De Croo said yesterday.

“From tomorrow I will be the outgoing prime minister. But we liberals are strong, and we will be back.”

Mr Macron said France ‘needs a clear majority’ as he announced the snap election. Pic: Reuters

Meanwhile in Germany, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats were also dealt a blow by voters as the scandal-hit Alternative for Germany party (AfD) leap-frogged them into second place.

Speaking at the Elysee Palace, Mr Macron said: “I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote.

“I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly.”

There will be two rounds of voting on 30 June and 7 July, he added.

“I have heard your message, your concerns, and I will not leave them unanswered,” Mr Macron said.

“France needs a clear majority in order to act with serenity and harmony.”

Source: Skynews

UN General Assembly elects Philémon Yang president of Seventy-Ninth Session

UN General Assembly elects Philémon Yang president of Seventy-Ninth Session

Pakistan, Somalia, Panama, Denmark, Greece Elected Non-Permanent Members of Security Council for 2025-2026 Term

In a series of elections today, delegates in the General Assembly chose its President for the seventy-ninth session, the Bureaus of the six Main Committees, as well the five non-permanent members of the Security Council for the next two-year term.

Philémon Yang (Cameroon), who was elected by acclamation to serve as the Assembly’s next President, announced the theme of his presidency:  “Unity and diversity for advancing peace, sustainable development and human dignity, everywhere and for all.”

Thanking his predecessors, including the current President, for the “art and science” that each of them deployed during their term’s complex deliberations, he expressed appreciation to all Member States.  Highlighting the solidarity of the African Group, he said the African Union spared no effort to achieve the choice of a single continental candidate, while the Central African States endorsed Cameroon very early on at the Economic Community of Central African States Summit.  Further, the election is an honour for his country, he said, paying tribute to the wisdom of its President, Paul Biya.

“We are living in very difficult times marked by very striking contrast,” he said, noting conflicts around the world and the unbearable toll on civilians and refugees, “whose numbers are currently reaching a dizzying peak”, including in Gaza and Ukraine.  Artificial intelligence is magnifying opportunities and challenges so quickly to the point that “even the most convinced followers of digitalization are calling for rigorous regulation,” he observed.  Climate disruptions are posing “a real question of survival”, while the revitalization of the General Assembly and Security Council reform are either halted or moving forward too slowly.  And despite global consensus, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other agreements on which much hope had been placed are “limping dangerously”, he added.

“In short, the tools at our disposal to promote the well-being of present and future generations are under-utilized while those oriented towards war are over-exploited,” he said.  Calling for renewed multilateralism, he highlighted the special role of the Assembly, as the “highest chamber of representation”.  It is the most appropriate forum where delegates can express their concerns and aspirations, “the challenges and hopes of the nations of the world”, he said.  Exhorting all nations “big and small, rich and poor,” to work together on their common goals, he said sustainable development, shared prosperity and harmony with nature are possible if countries of the world set aside their differences.

Congratulating the President-elect, Assembly President Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago) said Mr. Yang’s “remarkable” career in public life “is testament to a depth of experience and a breadth of vision that are truly exceptional”.  As Prime Minister of Cameroon, Chairperson of the African Union’s Panel of Eminent Africans and at the United Nations, Mr. Yang demonstrated “unwavering dedication to the principles of peace, sustainable development and human dignity”, he said. The President-elect’s leadership has also been characterized, he noted, “by a consistent commitment to dialogue, cooperation and inclusivity — principles that are absolutely essential for guiding the General Assembly’s work”.

Underscoring that the Assembly remains a “preeminent and necessary global forum” as the international community navigates multiple complex challenges, he stressed that upholding the principles of multilateralism and international cooperation has never been more vital.  “We must work together — and much harder — in solidarity and partnership to address the pressing issues of our time and to ensure that no one is left behind,” he said.  Turning to the remaining months of the seventy-eighth session, he urged finalization of the Summit of the Future — “a landmark event that holds the promise of transformative change”.  Its success, he added, depends on the active engagement and commitment of all Member States to a genuine effort to find consensus.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, also offered his congratulations to the President-elect, noting that he arrives at a challenging moment for humanity, amid raging conflicts, deepening climate catastrophe, rife poverty and inequality, and growing mistrust and division. With the Sustainable Development Goals “dramatically off-track”, developing countries are left without the support they need.  “A proud African dedicated to the future of his continent,”, Mr. Yang has a wealth of experience representing his country at the highest levels.  African countries like Cameroon are bursting with potential, he said, calling on the international community to rally around them and support developing countries worldwide.

“I look forward to working closely with him,” the Secretary-General said, “as he unites Member States around collaborative solutions that can deliver justice to Africa and the developing world.”  He also praised Mr. Francis for his diplomatic skill, stewardship and dedication over the past year.  “He brought the needs of small island developing States to this Assembly — and so much more,” he said, expressing appreciation for his leadership, including in advancing preparations for the Summit of the Future this September.  “At every step, he championed solidarity and brought this Assembly together at a deeply divided and troubled moment in our history,” he said.

The representative of Cameroon, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said it is confident that Mr. Yang — through his academic and professional training, as well as diplomatic and political wisdom — will successfully lead the work of the Assembly’s seventy-ninth session.  Above all, his leadership will shine in “debates and decisive actions aiming to improve the destiny of countries in conflict or special situations, many of which are in our planet’s southern hemisphere, especially in Africa,” he added.  These countries need unfailing support for the transformation enshrined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063.  He urged Member States to support Mr. Yang in achieving his objectives.

Also congratulating the President-elect were the representatives of Yemen on behalf of the Asia-Pacific States, Austria on behalf of the Western European and Other States, and the United States as the host country.

In accordance with tradition, the Secretary-General drew lots to determine which delegation would occupy the first seat in the Assembly Hall during the seventy-eighth session, with all other countries following in English alphabetical order.  Yemen was picked for the first seat and this seating order will be observed in the Main Committees.

The Assembly then elected the following Vice-Presidents of its plenary:  Algeria, Angola, Austria, Barbados, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Moldova, Senegal, Thailand, Tonga, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.  Those elected join the five permanent members of the Security Council — China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States — which serve annually as Assembly Vice-Presidents.

The representative of the United States dissociated from the election of Venezuela as Vice-President.

Following the meeting, consecutive meetings of the Assembly’s six Main Committees were held to elect their respective Bureaus by acclamation.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) elected Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica) as Chair; El Hadj Lehbib Mohamedou (Mauritania), Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Al-Thani (Qatar) and Vivica Munkner (Germany) as Vice-Chairs; and Pēteris Filipsons (Latvia) as Rapporteur.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) elected Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes (Latvia) as Chair; Sheikh Jassim Abdulaziz J. A. Al-Thani (Qatar), Carmen Rosa Rios (Bolivia) and Hussein Hirji (Canada) as Vice-Chairs; and Makarabo Moloeli (Lesotho) as Rapporteur.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) elected Muhammad Abdul Muhith (Bangladesh) as Chair; David Anyaegbu (Nigeria), Ivana Vejic (Croatia) and Gudrun Thorbjoernsdottir (Iceland) as Vice-Chairs; and Stefany Romero Veiga (Uruguay) as Rapporteur.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) elected Zéphyrin Maniratanga (Burundi) as Chair; Nur Azura Abd Karim (Malaysia), Ekaterine Lortkipanidze (Georgia) and Mayra Lisseth Sorto Rosales (El Salvador) as Vice-Chairs; and Mark Reichwein (Netherlands) as Rapporteur.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) elected Egriselda Aracely González López (El Salvador) as Chair; Surat Suwannikkha (Thailand), Szymon Mateusz Pekala (Poland) and Johanna Bischof (Austria) as Vice-Chairs; and Elaye-Djibril Yacin Abdillahi (Djibouti) as Rapporteur.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) elected Rui Vinhas (Portugal) as Chair; Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed (Sudan), Matúš Košuth (Slovakia) and Ligia Lorena Flores Soto (El Salvador) as Vice-Chairs; and Yong-Ern Nathaniel Khng (Singapore) as Rapporteur.

In the morning, the Assembly in one round of voting elected five non-permanent Council members for two-year terms to replace members whose terms expire on 31 December 2024.  They included Pakistan and Somalia to the two seats open for African and Asia-Pacific States; Panama to the single seat open for Latin American and Caribbean States; and Denmark and Greece to two seats open for Western European and other States.  Their two-year terms will end on 1 January 2027.

Culled from the UN

Pan-Africanism: Senegal’s Faye makes first visit to Mali and Burkina Faso

Pan-Africanism: Senegal’s Faye makes first visit to Mali and Burkina Faso

Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Thursday began his first visit to Mali and Burkina Faso to strengthen ties with these two states which have quit regional bloc ECOWAS.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are all under productive military rule following coups.

In January, the trio announced they were quitting The Economic Community of West African States, which they said was under French influence, to create their own regional grouping — the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Faye landed in the Malian capital on Thursday and headed to the presidential palace where he is due to hold talks with junta head Colonel Assimi Goita, a Malian presidential source said.

“These visits are part of a drive to strengthen the historic ties of good neighbourliness, fraternal friendship, solidarity and multifaceted cooperation,” the Senegalese presidency said in a statement.

Faye has made several trips across West Africa since being sworn in as the continent’s youngest elected president in early April.

Thursday’s trip marks his tenth visit to an African state since assuming the presidency.

The choice of destinations within the continent “speaks volumes about the importance of strengthening pan-Africanism and reinvigorating sub-regional integration in his diplomatic priorities,” a Senegalese government statement said.

Faye, 44, was elected on a promise of radical change and has said he wants to bring Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger back into ECOWAS.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged Faye to use his goodwill within the bloc to help resolve disputes with the three states.

Faye travelled to Guinea on Saturday where he met with General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a September 2021 coup.

Source: AFP

Biden welcomes Kenya’s leader as US under pressure in Africa

Biden welcomes Kenya’s leader as US under pressure in Africa

Kenyan President William Ruto will become the first African leader in more than 15 years to make an official state visit to the US.

This is an opportunity for President Joe Biden to demonstrate commitment to Africa at a time when Washington appears to be playing catch-up in its engagement with the continent.

But relations with other African allies are under strain, as strategic rivals including Russia and China challenge traditional areas of Western influence.

At one time Mr Ruto would have been an unlikely candidate to be feted at the White House with the pomp and ceremony granted to only a handful of close allies a year.

The International Criminal Court charged him with crimes against humanity related to the violence that followed Kenya’s 2007 election. But the case collapsed and Mr Ruto has since reinvented himself as an indispensable partner to the US.

Lingering suspicions about his democratic credentials are not the reason that congress decided against inviting him to address a joint session, says US ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman. As far as she knows, it is a scheduling issue.

Ms Whitman, a former CEO of companies such as eBay and Hewlett Packard Enterprises, is a champion of Kenya and its investment potential as a tech hub, the so-called Silicon Savannah.

“If you really want to lean into Africa, then who would be the right choice to come to a state dinner?” she asks.

“Kenya has been a long-standing 60-year ally of the United States. It is certainly the most stable democracy in East Africa. President Ruto has stepped up and he’s a real leader.”

Under Mr Ruto Kenya has developed its role as the region’s diplomatic and business centre, an “anchor state” for the US in a tough neighbourhood.

Although domestically he has faced protests over his handling of the struggling economy, globally he has become an advocate for Africa on issues related to climate change and debt relief.

Kenya is also an important security partner in East Africa, and has pleased Washington by pledging to send Kenyan police to Haiti.

The only phone call President Biden made to a leader in sub-Saharan Africa last year was to Mr Ruto, about Nairobi’s promise to lead a multinational force to the troubled country.

Analysts suspect the state visit is partly meant to compensate for the fact that Mr Biden has failed to keep his own promise to visit Africa.

He made the pledge at a grand summit of African leaders in Washington two years ago, in which he assured his guests he was “all in” for the continent. But since then, he has been distracted by crises elsewhere, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Source: BBC

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