KEVIN J KELLEY

Kevin J. Kelley is a Nation Media Group correspondent based in New York City in the United States. Email: [email protected]

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

Thursday September 16 2021

Somalia's Prime Minister Hussein Roble and President Mohamed Farmaajo. PHOTO | AFP

Summary

Villa Somalia, Farmaajo’s official residence in Mogadishu, said the the suspension of these duties will remain in effect until after elections are held.
The suspension marked a new height in the differences between two of Somalia’s highest ranking leaders, which opposition leaders now fear could derail the electoral calendar.
Each minister in government will continue to perform his duties and will be responsible for the ministry’s actions until after elections.

By AGGREY MUTAMBO

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Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo on Thursday said he had suspended his Prime Minister Hussein Roble’s powers to hire and fire officials.

In a statement to the media, Villa Somalia, Farmaajo’s official residence in Mogadishu, said the the suspension of these duties will remain in effect until after elections are held.

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10, but there have been delays on crucial parliamentary polls, suggesting the schedule may drag on.

Villa Somalia said Mr Roble had “deviated” from the mandate of the government and violated provisions of the Provisional Constitution of Somalia.

Mr Roble will no longer head the government and will have no powers to suspend or dismiss ministers, Villa Somalia said.
Abdirashid M Hashi, President Farmaajo’s spokesman, said Roble had “not consulted with the President, and proceeded to issue decisions that were inconsistent with the laws and the constitution of the country,” which was now being considered as incompetence on the PM’s part.

He said the President had decided to act and save the country from a potential “political and security crisis”.
Each minister in government will continue to perform his duties and will be responsible for the ministry’s actions until after elections, he said.

“During this period, the various organs of the state shall continue to serve the people as necessary for the functioning of the government, in accordance with Article 102 of the Provisional Constitution.”

The suspension marked a new height in the differences between two of Somalia’s highest ranking leaders, which opposition leaders now fear could derail the electoral calendar.

Last month, Roble defied Farmaajo’s orders not to engage with foreign entities until after elections.
The two leaders also differed following events surrounding the disappearance of Ikran Tahlil, a spy agent who went missing on June 26.

The National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) says she was abducted and murdered by Shabaabs, but the militants denied the allegations.

Last week, PM Roble suspended NISA Director General Fahad Yasin, but hours later Farmaajo overruled him and reinstated the spy chief.

Roble ignored Farmaajo’s statement and was waiting to preside over a ceremony within three days for his NISA boss nominee General Bashir Mohamed Jama to take office.

Instead, just a day after his reinstatement, Yasin resigned from the post of NISA director, which Farmaajo readily accepted. The president then appointed Yasin Abdullahi Mohamud as the new head of NISA. Mohamud was the commander of NISA operations in Banadir region (Mogadishu and surrounding locations) before the new appointment.

Farmaajo’s appointee Mohamud wasted no time in taking over office while Fahad Yasin, who was in Turkey, joined the handover ceremony on Wednesday virtually and surrendered his powers.

That left General Jama, the man chosen by Roble to lead the spy agency, with no chance to go to NISA headquarters and take over the office.

Later, Roble sacked Internal Security Minister Hassan Hundubey, a decision Farmaajo nullified.

Both Farmaajo and Roble have cited articles in the provisional constitution in defending their actions.

The tiff has raised concerns among development partners and leaders of federal states.

Last week, Presidents Abdiaziz Hassan Laftagareen of South West state and Ahmed Abdi Karie Qoorqoor of Galmudug flew to the Somali capital Mogadishu in a peace-making role.

Their mediation failed, Somalia media reported, as the PM and president could not agree on how to investigate Ms Tahlil’s disappearance.

Mr Roble had assigned a military court to investigate, but Farmaajo appointed a five-member committee to do the same job. Roble rejected the committee, leaving the actual investigation in limbo.

Farmaajo said elections must go on as planned, in accordance with the agreement of September 17, 2020 and the procedures for resolving the concerns raised on May 27, 2021, and the conduct of the bicameral elections.

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

Thursday September 16 2021

A bodaboda rider walks towards a barricade along Migori-Isebania highway during protests over increased fuel prices on September 16, 2021. PHOTO | IAN BYRON | NMG

Summary

Operations along the busy highway came to a standstill, with armed police officers watching helplessly as irate motorists packed their vehicles on Migori Town Bridge over river Migori, the only access point in the town.
The demonstration kicked off after a truck transporting sand and cement stalled at the Migori bridge.

By IAN BYRON

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Transport along the busy Migori-Isebania highway was paralysed Thursday as motorists staged demonstrations over increased fuel prices.

Operations along the busy highway came to a standstill, with armed police officers watching helplessly as irate motorists packed their vehicles on Migori Town Bridge over river Migori, the only access point in the town, and blocked other feeder roads, saying they had run out of fuel.

They also used boulders to block the highway connecting Kenya with Tanzania, while daring the police to shoot in the air and lob teargas canisters at them.

“We cannot operate in a country run with impunity. Our political leaders are letting the common mwananchi suffer despite tough economic times occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Joel Owino, a matatu driver said.

On Wednesday, the government, through the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) increased the cost of petrol prices past the Sh130 per liter mark, the highest ever, raising the cost by Sh7.58 per liter.

In Nairobi, a liter of petrol will now retail at Ksh134.72 (US $1.22) from Ksh127.14 (US $1.16), while diesel’s cost spiked to Ksh115.60 (US $1.05) from Ksh107.66 (US $0.98) and kerosene’s price to Ksh110.82 (US $1.01) from Ksh97.85 (US $0.89).

In Migori town, a liter of petrol now retails at Ksh137.12 from Ksh128.30 while diesel retails at Ksh117 (US $1.06) from Ksh110.20 (US $1) and kerosene at Ksh113.00 (US $1.03) a litre from Ksh97.15 (US $0.88).

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Motorists stage protests against hiked fuel prices on Migori-Isebania highway on September 16, 2021. IAN BYRON | NMG

“Our leaders have abandoned us. The cost of living has been going up. We will not relent until fuel prices are taken down,” Mr Enock Odongo, another driver, said.

The demonstration kicked off after a truck transporting sand and cement stalled at the Migori bridge.

“We increased the cost of sand to Ksh10,000 (US $90.87) from Ksh8,000 (US $72.69) following the increase in fuel prices. Our customer has since declined to take the sand, leaving us stranded,” a driver explained.

When police officers asked the driver to move the lorry to ease traffic, he declined, insisting he had no fuel. In a show of support, other motorists packed their vehicles.

“We have doubled the prices on our routes owing to the fuel hike. The cheapest price - Ksh30 - has been increased to Ksh60, which customers have refused to part with. I came here to stand in solidarity with other Kenyans,” Mr Gerald Ouma, a bodaboda rider, said.

They expressed shock at the government’s silence on the matter since the fuel prices were increased, with some accusing politicians of failing to address the issue.

“We are tired of dying and getting maimed on the streets during demonstrations called by politicians, especially after elections. The same politicians have left us on our own. These demonstrations are for us. It shall be teargas and bullets until the prices are reversed,” George Omondi, a resident said.

The high cost of fuel has been attributed to high landing costs and has caused the prices of basic commodities in Migori and other towns to shoot up.

“This country is going down the drain in the full glare of our politicians who should be representing us. We cannot withstand such a catastrophe. Should this trend continue, we risk plunging the country into chaos,” Mercy Akinyi, a resident said.

In the headlines

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

Questions raised over world’s oldest tools from Kenya in France

Thursday September 16 2021

Sammy Lokorodi discovered the trove of 3.3 million-year-old tools. PHOTO | COURTESY| West Turkana Archaeological Project

Summary

Dated at 3.3 million years old, they are the oldest man-made objects ever found in the world.
The tools were discovered in 2011 at Lomekwi on the western shore of Lake Turkana, by a team of Kenyan and French scientists in the West Turkana Archaeological Project.
Perhaps the Louvre or National Archaeology Museum in Paris would have been a more fitting place for these prehistoric objects, if at all it was necessary to send away scientific material.

By KARI MUTU

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In June 2021 a collection prehistoric stone tools from Kenya was displayed at a small museum in France. The collection is part of the Homo Faber (‘the one who manufactures’) exhibition going on until November 2021 at the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, southwestern France.

Dated at 3.3 million years old, they are the oldest man-made objects ever found in the world. Their public display in a foreign country raises questions about Kenya’s commitment to the preservation of culture and scientific heritage.

The tools were discovered in 2011 at Lomekwi on the western shore of Lake Turkana, by a team of Kenyan and French scientists in the West Turkana Archaeological Project. The collection consists of sharp-edged flakes, larger stone cores from which the flakes were chipped off, hammers and anvils, as well as bones from extinct carnivores, crocodile and hippo. The Lomekwi artefacts are the oldest cultural relics in the world.

The discovery was announced in July 2015 by the research team and Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, Director General of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), a trained archaeologist with a PhD in anthropology.

Over 200 pieces have been recovered from Lomekwi and never been exhibited until now. The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, Josephta Mukobe, told our sister publication, the Sunday Nation that the items were loaned to France and not permanently exported.

Raging custody debate

Nevertheless, the transfer to a French museum went against the advice of Kenyan and international specialists. “The fact that the collection was shown to the public in France and not shown here in Kenya is a form of neo-colonialism,” commented renowned Kenya palaeo-anthropologist, Dr Richard Leakey.

His organisation, the Turkana Basin Institute, wrote to NMK’s director general and the ministry opposing the move and requested them to send casts of the items instead but received no reply.

Debate continues to rage globally about the restitution of pilfered African art and heritage objects housed in Western museums and galleries.

It begs the question of why the NMK would lend out priceless, fragile items to a provincial museum in France.

Les Eyzies is a designated Unesco World Heritage site thanks to archaeologically important cave dwellings and ancient rock art sites in the area dated between 10,000 and 200,000 years old. Compare that with the millennia-old Turkana fossils and manmade tools crafted by the ancestors of all mankind.

Perhaps the Louvre or National Archaeology Museum in Paris would have been a more fitting place for these prehistoric objects, if at all it was necessary to send away scientific material.

Lending of items between museums is standard practice worldwide. But typically, high quality casts of the originals are displayed because the real items are exceptionally rare and prone to damage from handling and exposure.

The NMK’s casting department is highly experienced in creating top-notch models of fossils and archaeological pieces.

Modern CT scanning and 3-D printing technology now allow researchers to scan objects and create accurate replicas even when the fossils are covered in sediment or a protective plaster.

The digital models are easily transferred to others who can reproduce exact copies. Scanning and 3-D are also less invasive and destructive compared with traditional ways of handling extremely fragile fossils.

NMK has a decades-long policy of not releasing original artefacts for security reasons, except for scientific analysis if the facilities are not available locally.

“All those responsible for the abrogation of the longstanding policy, which protects our priceless scientific heritage should step aside immediately to allow for independent investigation” said palaeontologist Isaiah Nengo.

Even before 2021, the stone tools had already attracted interest in France. In April 2016, during an official visit by President Uhuru Kenyatta to France, the then Minister for Water and Irrigation, Eugene Wamalwa, presented four resin casts of the Lomekwi stone tools to the Museum of Mankind in Paris.

One would have expected greater public fanfare to accompany the Lomekwi tools on their 2021 journey to France, with the Culture ministers from both countries involved if not the heads of state. The first Kenyans knew of the confidential transaction was through in an article in the Sunday Nation in August.

It is difficult to put a value on an axe, hammer or anvil that is millions of years old, or fathom the risks involved in conveying such delicate pieces overseas.

“If the objects got lost or damaged, the world would be bearing down our heads. The whole international scientific community would rise up and ask, why did you allow this?” said Nengo.

It is unclear whether the Board of the NMK, of which Dr Kibunjia is a member, was aware of this transaction.

NMK is mandated to preserve, study and document past and present natural and cultural heritage. Between March and May 2021, the Nairobi National Museum hosted the Invisible Inventories exhibition to raise public awareness about thousands of cultural objects at foreign institutions. Thirty two thousand ‘invisible’ pieces are listed by Kenyan and European scholars under the International Inventories Programme, removed mostly by colonialists.

Among them are two prehistoric relics: the fossil of a hominid ancestor called Orrorin tugenensis found in the Tugen Hills in Kenya in 2000, and the head of Koitalel Arap Samoei, spiritual and political leader of the Nandi people who was killed by British colonialists in 1905.

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

How site-specific fertiliser boosts yields, cuts waste

Thursday September 16 2021

On average, farmers’ average profit increased by $140 per hectare, which was achieved with about 18kg less nitrogen fertiliser per hectare. PHOTO | FILE

Summary

In the study, researchers said they compared the two fertiliser management practises for maize, rice and wheat.
On average, yield gains were 0.6 tonne per hectare (12 percent).
On average, farmers’ average profit increased by $140 per hectare.

By PAULINE KAIRU

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In what they described as “the first comprehensive systematic review comparing the site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) approach to farmers’ practise within smallholder cereal crop production systems in Africa and Asia,” the team of scientists said they had found that using this method “generated 12 percent higher yield and 15 percent greater profitability compared with traditional farmer practise.”

In the study titled, "Co-benefits of nutrient management tailored to smallholder agriculture," published in the September Global Food Security-Elsevier journal, the researchers said they compared the two fertiliser management practises for maize, rice and wheat. Farmers used on average 10 percent less fertiliser nitrogen, thereby improving nitrogen use efficiency and reducing losses to volatilisation, leaching and runoff, which lead to nitrogen pollution to the environment.

“Key results drawn from the study show that SSNM produced these benefits while saving an average of 18 kg N/ha, which is equivalent to a 10 percent reduction in the amount of nitrogen fertiliser. This reduced the risk of nitrogen loss to the surrounding environment,” said the researchers, adding, “Achieving triple-wins of high yields and profit in combination with lowering nutrient losses.”

On average, yield gains were 0.6 tonne per hectare (12 percent). Gross return increased by 12 percent, whereas gross return above fertiliser cost was 15 percent higher with SSNM compared with farmers' fertilisation practise (FFP).

On average, farmers’ average profit increased by $140 per hectare. This was achieved with about 18kg less nitrogen fertiliser per hectare. Besides field-specific tailoring of n amounts, the increased nitrogen use efficiency in SSNM was also due to differences in frequencies and timing of fertiliser application.

“We know of no other agronomic intervention that has increased crop yield, profitability, and nitrogen use efficiency across these cereal crops and geographies in such a robust manner,” said the researchers.

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

Airlines and social media not doing enough to stop illegal wildlife trade

Thursday September 16 2021

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers guard illegal stockpiles of burning elephant tusks, ivory figurines and rhino horns at Nairobi National Park in 2016. There is growing alarm over accelerating extinction of endangered animal and plant species. PHOTO | AFP

Summary

Many of the animals captured and kept in cruel conditions, are threatened with extinction.
The report confirms the enormity of the trade in wild animals from Africa for the exotic pet industry, transported in inhumane containers by airlines.
The global wildlife trade is considered a leading cause of ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss, and poses a huge biosecurity risks.

By RUPI MANGAT

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Buyers are being offered more than 200 species of animals threatened with extinction or declining population on social media platforms by illegal wildlife traders. The animals are then transported by air out of Africa and in some instance, by boat.

According to a report a September report by the World Animal Protection titled Cargo of Cruelty, species ranging from African grey parrots to bats, the big cats to bush babies, the great apes to nocturnal owls, and majestic eagles to little-known chameleons and tortoises are being advertised on social media on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Many of the animals captured and kept in cruel conditions, are threatened with extinction or have unknown or declining wild population trends. Once captured, they are left stressed and vulnerable to infection or death.

ECommerce platforms

The report confirms the enormity of the trade in wild animals from Africa for the exotic pet industry, transported in inhumane containers by airlines.

“Based on what I have seen during my online research into illegal wildlife advertisements, animals are being flown out of almost every country in Africa, Asia and Latin America by many different airlines,” said Patricia Tricorache, the Illegal Wildlife Trade expert based at the Colorado State University.

Ms Tricorache began tackling illegal trade in wildlife when alerted to two cheetah cubs held illegally at a restaurant in Ethiopia in November 2005, when working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund. At the time, little was known about the magnitude of this illegal trade. She began collecting data on illegal cheetah trafficking, which she later expanded with her research into cyber-commerce, where animals like cheetahs are advertised for sale on Instagram, Facebook and others.

“During my research into cheetah advertisements on social media and eCommerce platforms, I’ve come across many animals from all over Africa, including species listed on this report. Most of these were offered for sale in the Gulf States. This suggests that some of the most logical routes for these animals from Africa into the Middle East are Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey or Saudi Arabia. Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airways, and Egypt Air ply routes in Africa so are all likely candidates for smuggling.”

The global supply of exotic pets is largely undocumented, and regulation is insufficient. The report documented animals such as tortoises, packed so tightly they struggle to fully extend their head and neck during the journey.

It’s not only the airlines smuggling live animals out. Ms Tricorache’s research reveals cheetah cubs out of Djibouti or Somalia/Somaliland are mostly transported by boat into the Middle East. Now, there are even unconfirmed reports of private jets out of Tanzania and Somaliland transporting cheetahs.

Spreading viruses

The global wildlife trade is considered a leading cause of ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss, and poses a huge biosecurity risks. More than 70 percent of zoonotic emerging infectious diseases are thought to originate from wild animals, with poor welfare conditions and proximity to people creating the ideal situation for viruses to mutate and spillover to humans like the coronavirus.

“People continue to be subjected to travel restrictions to stop the spread of disease. Hence, it’s shocking that wild animals of high biosecurity risk are being flown around the world, under the radar. We could have a Trojan horse situation as wild animals are known to pose disease risks. We need to stop pathogens spreading, and the most effective way is to stop them being placed on an aeroplane in the first place. The luxury exotic pet trade is a good place to start,” Dr Patrick Muinde, WAP’s wildlife campaigns manager said.

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the five most lucrative global crimes that include arms, drugs, laundering money and human trafficking. It’s valued between $50 billion-$150 billion per year, according to United for Wildlife.

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

End of 'Merkron': EU's power couple prepares to bow out

Thursday September 16 2021

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in southwestern France on October 16, 2019. PHOTO | POOL | AFP

Summary

The most significant moment in the Macron-Merkel era came at a gruelling EU summit in July last year when the bloc agreed for the first time to borrow money collectively -- a major step that Germany had long resisted.
Recognising the damage wrought by Covid-19 on the EU economy, Merkel and Macron were the architects of a deal that will see the EU raise 800 billion euros ($950 billion) to be spent around the bloc on infrastructure and new technology.

By AFP

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French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Angela Merkel in Paris on Thursday for the last time before the German chancellor stands down, which will spell the end of a partnership at the heart of the European Union for the last four years.

Merkel is to relinquish power after German elections on September 26, bringing an end to her 16 years in office that has seen her work with four different French leaders starting with Jacques Chirac.

Macron, 24 years her junior, has never hidden his admiration for Merkel's longevity, but his sometimes abrasive style and pro-European activism has contrasted with the more cautious approach of his German partner.

In 2019, during a rough patch in ties, Merkel admitted the pair "wrestle with each other" and had "differences in mentality", leading Macron to declare that he believed in "productive confrontation".

"They have very different styles," said Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano, an expert on Germany at the French think-tank the Montaigne Institute.

"The chancellor is someone who takes her time, is always looking for compromises, whereas the president is a disruptor, who is prepared to make bold statements about problems he feels are being ignored," he said.

But in the view of many EU watchers, the two have managed to bridge their gap in age and temperament, forming an ultimately effective version of the fabled "Franco-German" locomotive that drives the 27-nation European Union.

"Despite their big differences, their cooperation has worked well," Pawel Tokarski from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin told AFP.

Wrangling

During their time together, the "Merkron" tandem managed historic crises from Britain's departure from the European Union, Donald Trump's norm-shredding US presidency, to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were differences and friction along the way -- over EU economic policy, Russian gas, Brexit and arms sales -- which were thrashed out in regular phone calls and meetings, often ahead of EU summits.

"They are very different, but they both have a methodical character and a way of working that is not that far removed, which has created confidence," Europe Minister Clement Beaune, who has witnessed the pair up close since 2017, told AFP.

Along with behind-the-scenes wrangling, they also shared moments of genuine public affection, including at the 2018 ceremony to mark 100 years since the armistice that ended World War I, where they held each other in a symbolic embrace.

Their last dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris will likely see them turn their attention to the diplomatic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as well as pressing EU issues such as rising tensions with Poland.

EU success

All Franco-German partnerships in Europe are judged by the standards of their illustrious forerunners, from Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in the post-war era to Francois Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl in the 1980s.

The most significant moment in the Macron-Merkel era came at a gruelling EU summit in July last year when the bloc agreed for the first time to borrow money collectively -- a major step that Germany had long resisted.

Recognising the damage wrought by Covid-19 on the EU economy, Merkel and Macron were the architects of a deal that will see the EU raise 800 billion euros ($950 billion) to be spent around the bloc on infrastructure and new technology.

After years of frustration in Paris at Merkel either dragging her feet or watering down Macron's proposals for the EU, French officials were jubilant that the pair had succeeded in advancing further than most observers thought possible.

"It was the big European moment of the start of this century," commented Robinet-Borgomano.

He believes the two have "laid the first stones" for a truly sovereign Europe, one capable of -- at some point in the future -- taking care of its own security and acting independently from the United States.

A host of anti-EU politicians and many disillusioned voters across Europe are working for the opposite, however, willing a return to nation states and an end to 75 years of building an ever-closer European Union.

"There are still unresolved problems, like those for the eurozone for example, which is far from being stable," Tokarski said. "This is a legacy that Merkel leaves for her successor."

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

Burundi rights abuses worsening, UN says

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

Burundi rights abuses worsening under new government: UN

Thursday September 16 2021

Despite Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye's pledges to end repression, the human rights situation in the country has "deteriorated", UN says. PHOTO | FILE | AFP

Summary

UN Commission says that although the authorities appeared to have eased some restrictions, conditions had actually worsened for opposition parties, journalists and NGOs, which are facing a renewed crackdown.
UN investigators said Burundian security forces were still committing violations.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders ranks Burundi 147th out of 180 countries in its press freedom index.

By AFP

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Despite Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye's pledges to end repression, the human rights situation in the East African country has "deteriorated" in the 15 months since he took office, United Nations investigators said Thursday.

Ndayishimiye's election last year had raised hopes of a more open political environment emerging after many years of violence and severe rights violations in the troubled nation.

But in a report released Thursday, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said that although the authorities appeared to have eased some restrictions, conditions had actually worsened for opposition parties, journalists and NGOs, which are facing a renewed crackdown.

"Since President Ndayishimiye's inauguration 15 months ago, not only have grave human rights violations continued to occur, but in some respects the situation has deteriorated," commission chairman Doudou Diene said in a statement.

"Members of opposition parties... are still regularly targeted by abusive restrictions and are subject to grave human rights violations such as disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions and torture," the UN statement said.

Observers had hoped that Ndayishimiye's government would help the country turn a corner and improve its human rights record, but UN investigators said Burundian security forces were still committing violations.

"They continue to enjoy widespread impunity for their actions, as has been the case since 2015," the statement said.

Burundi has been in crisis since 2015, when then president Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term and was re-elected in polls boycotted by most of the opposition.

At least 1,200 people were killed and more than 400,000 forced into exile as a result of violence which the UN says was mostly carried out by state security forces.

Nkurunziza remained in power until elections in May 2020 handed the presidency to his handpicked successor Ndayishimiye, and died soon after the vote.

The commission was created by the UN Human Rights Council five years ago to investigate abuses.

Although there have been some signs of easing, the overall picture remains grim, the UN statement said.

"While lifting some sanctions imposed on civil society and the media and releasing some human rights defenders and journalists, the government took measures, in parallel, to tighten its control on the work of international NGOs and regularly manifests hostility towards independent journalism."

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders ranks Burundi 147th out of 180 countries in its press freedom index.

In the headlines

Motorists block Kenya-Tanzania link road over hiked fuel prices

The protesting motorists said the government is only keen on inflating fuel prices, not on their welfare.

Somalia President withdraws PM Roble’s powers to hire and fire

According to the electoral calendar, elections will be conducted until October 10.

UN withdraws Gabon troops from CAR over sex abuse claims

Covid-19: Tanzania sets tough rules for travellers

UN urges Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume Nile dam talks

Suluhu defends state of democracy under her rule

UN withdraws Gabon peacekeepers from CAR over sex abuse claims

Thursday September 16 2021

UN peacekeepers from Gabon patrol in the Central African Republic town of Bria on June 12, 2017. The UN has sent home all 450 Gabonese troops from its peacekeeping mission in CAR and opened an investigation after allegations of the sexual abuse. PHOTO | AFP

Summary

MINUSCA's former head, Babacar Gaye, resigned in 2015 amid sexual abuse allegations against peacekeepers, fresh cases of which emerged in 2016.
Allegations of sexual abuse have dogged the UN mission over the years.

By REUTERS

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Dakar,

The United Nations has sent home all 450 Gabonese troops from its peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic and opened an investigation after allegations of the sexual abuse of five girls, it said on Wednesday.

The mission, known as MINUSCA, said the allegations related to unidentified Gabonese peacekeepers operating in the centre of the country.

Gabon's Defence ministry said it has also opened an inquiry.

"If the allegations are proven to be true, the instigators will be put in front of a tribunal and judged with extreme rigor," the ministry said.

Central African Republic, rich in diamonds, timber and gold, has struggled to find stability since a 2013 rebellion ousted former president Francois Bozize.

Violence has flared since a December election saw President Faustin-Archange Touadera win another term, an outcome disputed by a coalition of militias.

Allegations of sexual abuse have dogged the UN mission over the years.

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Timeless Turkana now in flux

Thursday September 16 2021

Elephant herd near my tent at Lion King tented camp by Ewaso Nyiro in Samburu. PHOTO | RUPI MANGAT

Summary

Turkana is the oldest landscape in the world, with the discovery of hominids that lived here four and a half million years ago.
It’s little wonder that this once-remote lake boasts another listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In the small village of Layeni, 10 kilometers north of Loyiangalani, doum-palm huts form a cluster on bare volcanic rubble on the lake shore.

By RUPI MANGAT

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I’ve found my perfect balance on the doum-palm raft. Sitting with my legs dangling in the water, nothing could be more elemental than this: A spotless blue sky over a jade green lake in the longest rift on earth, heated under the ceaseless sun. Looming on its southern horizon is Mount Kulal with its moisture-fed sky forest that is a biosphere reserve. Around us is a desert sprawled with ancient black lava earth including an island that’s pure lava rubble.

There are more superlatives to add: It’s the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea.

This is Lake Turkana or the Empasso Narok that the Samburu knew as the great black lake. Turkana is also the oldest landscape in the world, with the discovery of hominids that lived here four and a half million years ago. In modern times, the oldest known fossil of the Homo sapien (modern man) is from the region from 200,000 years ago. Hence, the popular cliché: Turkana is the cradle of humankind.

Stretching 250 kilometres from the southern border of Ethiopia and 44 kilometres at its widest, the lake has three magnificent islands, with hotspots such as the fossil-rich Koobi Fora in Sibiloi National Park and its petrified forest. It’s little wonder that this once-remote lake boasts another listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Present Day

My first sight of the lake is almost biblical. A herd of camels walking over the black lava rubble juxtaposed against a shimmering blue-green lake stretching to the horizon. There is no human or building in sight till we reach the lakeshore.

It’s an image that is set to change in the future. Standing on the ridge, braving the constant wind that is unrelenting and strong, we have driven through the now completed Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, (LTWP) the stretch of road guarded by the LTWP with a barrier at each end, ostensibly to protect its 365 wind turbines with their imposing massive blades that are to provide Kenya with clean energy as envisioned in the country’s Vision2030, the country’s development blue print.

But the fact that the windmills are placed where the wind is strongest, also means that it is the fly path of millions of migratory birds that have used this route time immemorial.

Ironically, Loiyangalani, the town nearest to the wind farm, still relies on solar lamps and diesel-fed generators for electricity.

“The wind farm has brought us no benefit,” says Lokitir Katiya, our Turkana guide. “We get no electricity from it and we were lied to.” The wind farm started operating in 2018.

According to Katiya, the wind farm is located on the best pasture for livestock. The community was asked to move out and was to be compensated. But few received compensation to date.

Like in so many large-scale development projects happening in Kenya and across the continent, the communities that live around Lake Turkana feel that they were not fully consulted nor have they benefitted beyond the menial jobs offered as security guards and gate keepers.

Struggling to Survive: The El Molo

In the small village of Layeni, 10 kilometers north of Loyiangalani, doum-palm huts form a cluster on bare volcanic rubble on the lake shore.

Across is the sacred island of Lorian with its four shrines representing the four clans of the El Molo.

On sacred island Lorian, on Lake Turkana, the world's largest permanent lake in a desert. PHOTO | RUPI MANGAT

Traditionally the El Molo men were the lake’s hunters who fished and hunted crocodile and hippo.

Using harpoons while standing astride on the doum-palm raft, the men speared their quarry. “Today, very few men know how to hunt with the harpoon,” Bellamy Lewau from Layeni tells us. On the sacred island of Layeni the fishermen repair their nets to set sail in the afternoon. The nets are left overnight in the water and retrieved in the morning. Drying in the sun is an assortment of fish: Catfish, Tilapia and Nile Perch.

It’s been a tough year for them since the Covid-19 pandemic. The fish is mostly transported to Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria – because as Philp Louwa the fishermen said, “they find our fish tastier.” On average, the fishermen make Ksh900 a month.

Fish drying on sacred island Lorian. PHOTO | RUPI MANGAT

Some modernity has crept in. The village now boasts a primary school for the children and a polytechnic in Loiyangalani. The elders hope their children will be equipped to handle a modern future.

Driving out of the village, a cluster of doum palms are half submerged in the water since the lake started to rise in 2013, like the rest of Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes.

Ceaseless Change

An environment report says that the River Omo which is a trans-boundary river and the source of 90 per cent of Lake Turkana’s freshwater, is undergoing dramatic man-made changes due to hydropower and irrigation development, with oil exploration in progress. ‘The filling of dam reservoirs will cause temporary drops in the water levels of Lake Turkana and, once in operation, the dams will permanently regulate river flows, changing the hydrological cycle.’

Ultimately, the lake could shrink into two small separate lakes, the northern one fed by the Omo and the southern one by the Kerio and Turkwel rivers on the Kenyan side.

But a report released in 2021 by the United Nations Environment Programme titled Support to Sustainable Development in Lake Turkana and its River Basins - Results of Modelling of Future Scenarios of Lake Turkana and its River Basins shows a wet future for Lake Turkana – which could affect the almost one million people who live on its shores.

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