Month: December 2024

One of Namibia’s opposition presidential candidates said Saturday that his party would reject the outcome of a general election marred by delays, logistical and technical failures.

Partial results showed Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) trailing Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) candidate.

Electoral authorities decided to prolong voting until Saturday after the original election day — Wednesday — was marred by logistical and technology failures that led to hours-long queues.

Itula who finished second in 2019 said extending voting over multiple days undermine’s the vote’s credibility.

He said that his party would seek the nullification of the outcome, suggesting a court petition would follow the declaration of results.

Elsie Nghikembua, chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, said many people had failed to cast their ballots due to “logistical” challenges.

Namibia’s electoral issues come as Mozambique is engulfed in violent unrest after the long-ruling Frelimo party was declared the winner of an election in October, prompting claims of vote rigging and sparking ongoing violent protests in southern African country.

The Syrian military rushed in reinforcements and struck Idlib city Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents from advancing farther after seizing Aleppo and surrounding strategic locations in an adjacent province in a surprise offensive.

The insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over most of Aleppo on Saturday and claimed to have entered the city of Hama. There was no independent confirmation of their claim.

The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar Assad and raises questions about his troops’ preparedness. It also comes at a time when Assad’s allies — Iran and groups it backs and Russia — are preoccupied with their own conflicts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travels to Syrian capital Damascus later Sunday. He told reporters that Tehran will back the Syrian government and army. Arab leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in calls with Assad expressed their solidarity with Damascus.

Turkey, a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop Syrian government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks. Turkish security officials said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks and allow civilians to return, but the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began to retreat from their positions.

The insurgency, led by Salafi jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and which includes Turkey-backed fighters, launched their offensive on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, before moving toward Hama province. In Aleppo province, they captured a strategic town that lies on the highway linking Aleppo with Damascus and the coast.

Rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said that despite the government counteroffensive, his fighters were making gains in Aleppo. He says they took control of Sheikh Najjar, also known as the Aleppo Industrial City, Aleppo’s military academy and the field artillery college.

Abdulghani said 65 Syrian troops were taken prisoner in eastern Aleppo.

Elsewhere, he said the insurgents advanced in the Idlib countryside, putting all of the province under their control.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria said the shock push by the rebels poses a risk to regional security and called on resuming diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

“I have repeatedly warned of the risks of escalation in Syria, of the dangers of mere conflict management rather than conflict resolution,” Geir Pedersen said in a statement. He said the reality is that no Syrian party or grouping of actors can resolve the conflict via military means.

Drone strikes by Mali’s military regime killed eight Tuareg rebel leaders in the town of Tinzaouatine in the north of the country, a rebel spokesman said Sunday. It was the first time since the start of the rebellion in 2012 that so many Taureg leaders have been killed in a single attack.

“Several synchronized drone strikes martyred some Azawad leaders on December 1, 2024, in Tinzaouatine, near the Algerian border,” spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said in a statement.

Azawad is the term used by the separatists for northern Mali. The statement from the separatists lists the names of eight Tuareg chiefs, the best known of whom is Fahad Ag Al Mahmoud, Secretary General of the Gatia, a Tuareg armed group.

Later Sunday evening, the General Staff of the Malian armed forces confirmed the deaths of the rebel leaders, whom it described as terrorists, “in a special operation.” The military statement was broadcast on the Malian national television channel ORTM.

“Clearly this is a major loss to northern Malian groups since among the victims there are key leaders who have been influential in their communities,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank. “However, it will further intensify the anti-sentiment toward Bamako, and the setback doesn’t mean the fight is over.”

He said “the junta has demonstrated with these airstrikes that it is not afraid to use the air assets (drones) it acquired anytime it can.”

The attack by Mali’s military regime comes a day after the armed groups in the north announced they were merging into a single political-military entity, now called the Azawad Liberation Front. The new group’s mission is “the total liberation of Azawad and the formation of the Azawad Authority”, said Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the groups, in a press release dated Nov. 30.

Fifty-six people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea, following clashes between fans, Guinea’s government said Monday.

Authorities are conducting an investigation to establish those responsible for the stampede on Sunday, Communications Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement read on national television.

The stampede erupted in the packed stadium as security forces attempted to control clashes among fans, local media reported. Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah addressed the tragedy on the platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Victims were recorded during the stampede.” While he did not specify the death toll, Bah assured that regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area.

The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy, a coalition of political parties, issued a statement confirming that the disaster resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.

This tragic event highlights ongoing challenges with crowd management and stadium safety in Guinea. Investigations are expected as families and the community mourn the loss of lives.

Local media reported that security forces tried to use teargas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.

“This (the disputed penalty) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” the local Media Guinea reported. It said several of those killed were children while some of the injured being treated at a regional hospital are in critical condition.

Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed a section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing before the clashes broke out as fans poured onto the field.

People were running as they tried to escape from the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence.

Videos also showed many people lying on the floor in what looked like a hospital as a crowd gathered nearby, some assisting the wounded.

The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy coalition called for an investigation. It said the tournament was organized to drum support for the “illegal and inappropriate” political ambition of the military leader.

The military has led Guinea since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule.

Doumbouya overran the president three years ago, saying he prevented the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised.