12 bodies recovered from Cameroon landslides

Yaounde, Cameroon — Workers have recovered 12 bodies following landslides that engulfed a road in the west of Cameroon, a regional official said Saturday, adding there is no hope of finding survivors.  

State television CRTV reported the comments by the governor of Ouest region, Augustine Awa Fonka.  

“In our opinion, there is no longer any possibility of finding survivors,” he told the station. 

Only 12 bodies had been recovered from the site of the disaster, the last of them on Saturday morning, he said.  

Dozens more people are still missing, and the search for bodies is still continuing, he added.  

Two landslides hit the Dschang cliff road Tuesday — the second as emergency workers were using heavy machinery to try to clear the road.  

Vehicles hit included three coaches with around 20 seats each, five six-seater vehicles, and several motorbikes said Awa Fonka in an earlier statement.  

Cameroon’s roads are notoriously dangerous, with almost 3,000 deaths each year in accidents, or more than 10 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, published in 2023.   

In early September, a tractor-trailer carrying passengers plunged off a cliff road into a ravine near the town of Dschang, killing eight people and injuring 62 others, including eight children. 

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With costs of living on everyone’s minds, Mauritius holds election

port louis — Mauritius holds a parliamentary election Sunday with incumbent Prime Minister and his main rivals all promising to tackle a cost-of-living crisis in the Indian Ocean archipelago. 

The country of about 1.3 million people markets itself as a link between Africa and Asia, deriving most of its revenues from a flourishing offshore financial sector, tourism and textiles. 

It has forecast 6.5% economic growth this year compared with 7.0% last year but many voters are not feeling the benefits. 

Jugnauth’s Alliance Lepep coalition has promised to raise minimum wages, increase pensions and reduce value added tax on some basic goods. 

It says it will use payments from the U.K. under an October agreement for Britain to cede the Chagos Islands while retaining the U.S.-U.K. Diego Garcia air base. 

Mauritius also receives aid from China. 

“The alliance led by the prime minister is selling the economic prosperity card, with promises of more money to different segments of the population,” said political analyst Subash Gobine. 

The opposition is also pledging to increase pensions as well as introduce free transport and internet services and reduce fuel prices. 

It is dominated by the Alliance du Changement coalition led by Navin Ramgoolam and two other parties running in the Linion Reform alliance whose leaders, Nando Bodha and Roshi Bhadain, plan to alternate as prime minister if they win. 

“It is the youths who will make the difference in these elections,” voter David Stafford, 36, said in the capital Port Louis, explaining that people were looking for economic innovation and job opportunities as much as fiscal changes. 

Just over 1 million people are expected to choose lawmakers for the islands’ 62 seats in parliament for the next five years from a list of 68 parties and five political alliances. 

Last week, Jugnauth’s government blocked social media platforms until a day after the election, when results are expected, citing national security concerns after conversations between public figures were leaked. It lifted the ban a day later after opposition parties criticized the move. 

Voting starts at 0300 GMT on Sunday and closes at 1400 GMT. Whichever party or coalition gets more than half the seats in parliament also wins the prime minister’s post. 

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Burkina wants to reinstate death penalty: government source

Abidjan, Ivory Coast — Burkina Faso’s military regime wants to reinstate the death penalty after the West African country abolished it in 2018, a government source told AFP on Saturday. 

The latest execution in Burkina Faso was in 1988, according to Amnesty International. 

Reintroducing capital punishment to the penal code “is being considered. It’s up to the government to discuss it, then make the proposal to the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) for adoption,” the source said, adding that the date had not been chosen. 

Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala said Friday — after parliament passed a bill introducing community service — that “the issue of death penalty, which is being discussed, will be implemented in the draft criminal code.” 

Bayala also said there could be further amendments to the criminal code, “to follow the vision and the guidelines given by the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traore,” who seized power in a September 2022 coup. 

The Burkinabe government in July passed a bill that included plans to ban homosexuality. 

Amnesty International has reported a surge in the use of the death penalty on the African continent, saying in a statement in October that “recorded executions more than tripled and recorded death sentences increased significantly by 66%.” 

On the other hand, the rights group noted that “24 countries across sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes while two additional countries have abolished it for ordinary crimes only.”  

“Kenya and Zimbabwe currently have bills tabled to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, while Gambia … has commenced a constitutional amendment process that will … effectively abolish the death penalty,” it said. 

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After election, Kenya-born legislator heads to Minnesota capitol

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley made history November 5 by becoming the first Kenyan-born immigrant elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She describes her victory as a testament to resilience, determination and the realization of the American dream.

Standing in the State Capitol for the first time on the morning of her orientation, Hiltsley told VOA she was overwhelmed with emotions and eager to start her journey as an elected official.

“I am super excited,” Hiltsley said. “Today is orientation day for new legislators, and to be standing in this Capitol as an African immigrant woman is a tremendous honor. I’m just overexcited right now.”

She said this milestone did not come easily. Her path to the Minnesota State Capitol was marked by struggles, including a fight against an immigration system that nearly led to her family’s deportation. She credits much of her success to the community support and the intervention of the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, whose advocacy she said ultimately secured her family’s green cards and, later, citizenship.

“Getting to this moment honestly is just a testament to the struggles that my family has gone through to be in this country,” she said.

There has been a media frenzy surrounding Hiltsley’s victory and it has captured the attention of Kenyan media, with celebrations taking place in her hometown, Nyamemiso village, which is eight hours from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Despite the attention, Hiltsley said she remains humble. 

“I’m that little girl from that little village somewhere in the middle of Kenya, and now I’m in the spotlight of this media frenzy. And so, I’m still trying to really appreciate the magnitude of the moment,” she said.

Hiltsley said she has a desire to inspire others, particularly young girls in Kenya and the United States.

“It is still surreal,” she said, adding that “if I can make it to this point, I can be a role model to somebody to remind them that it is possible that our wildest dreams are possible. And that would be something that I would look back and say, wow, I’ve made a difference in somebody’s life.”

Her legislative priorities

Looking ahead, Hiltsley said she is committed to championing issues that matter to her constituents in Minnesota’s Legislative District 38A. Her priorities include community-centered public safety policies, affordable housing options, workers’ rights and support for small businesses — many of which are run by African immigrants.

“The resources are out here,” she said, promising to empower her community.

“It is my job to go back to my community and tell them, hey, there are resources here. This is how this system works. Let’s work together to mobilize and make sure that we are also taking a piece of the pie,” she said.

As the first Kenyan American woman in Minnesota’s Legislature, Hiltsley said she recognizes the weight and responsibility of her position.

She described it as “an honor that I don’t take lightly.”

“I don’t want to be the last,” she, adding that she hopes “this moment right here is a testimony that you can come to this country, work hard, take care of business, know your craft, stick to it, be consistent and get to where you want to.”

Her message to those who have yet to succeed in their political campaigns is clear: Perseverance is key.

“Be consistent. Keep going. There’s enough space in this Legislature for more people of color, especially immigrants, because that’s the voice that is missing,” Hiltsley said.

Changing political scene

Hiltsley shared her thoughts on the changing political landscape in Washington, particularly with the coming administration under President-elect Donald Trump. While acknowledging the challenges, she said she will stay focused on serving her constituents in Minnesota, regardless of politics.

“We are here to serve the people, and it doesn’t matter if you are Democrat or Republican,” she said. “We are here as legislators to serve the people of Minnesota.”

Hiltsley also shared her heartfelt message to fellow Kenyans who have been celebrating her historic achievement.

“This is a historical moment, and I’m honored to be a Kenyan American,” she said. “Let’s continue celebrating this victory, but after that, we have work to do.”

She said her eyes are set on not just her role in Minnesota, but also finding ways to collaborate with Kenya’s leaders to address issues facing the country, including corruption and a lack of strong leadership.

“Kenya has unlimited potential,” she said. “It’s up to our leaders to do right by the people.”

Hiltsley will officially take her seat in the Minnesota State House of Representatives and be sworn in on January 7. Representatives are elected to serve two-year terms.

This story originated in VOA’s Swahili Service. Salem Solomon contributed to the report from Washington.

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Boeing to face civil trial over 2019 MAX crash

NEW YORK — Beleaguered aviation giant Boeing is set to confront another hurdle next week when it faces a civil trial over the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people.

The trial, scheduled for federal court in Chicago, originally included six plaintiffs, but “all but one” have settled, a person close to the litigation told AFP this week.

Barring an accord, the case will be Boeing’s first civil trial over the MAX crashes.

A settlement, which would need court approval, is still possible, even after the proceedings start.

But the source told AFP the case is expected to go to trial, a view held by a second legal source.

Plaintiffs in the case are relatives of Indian-born Manisha Nukavarapu, who was in her second year of medical school, specializing in endocrinology at East Tennessee State University.

Nukavarapu, who was single and without children, boarded a 737 MAX on March 10, 2019, in Addis Ababa in a flight bound for Nairobi to visit her sister, who had just given birth, according to a complaint.

But the jet, which had been delivered in November 2018, crashed just six minutes after taking off, killing everyone on board.

More trials expected

Relatives of 155 victims were deposed by the court between April 2019 and March 2021 in cases of wrongful death due to negligence, according to legal filings.

“As of today, there are 30 cases pending on behalf of 29 decedents,” a third legal source told AFP on October 22.

The cases have been split into groups, with the next trial scheduled for April 2025 unless all the suits are settled.

Boeing has “accepted responsibility for the MAX crashes publicly and in civil litigation because the design of the MCAS … contributed to these events,” an attorney for Boeing said at an October 11 court hearing.

The MCAS was a flight stabilizing system that malfunctioned in the Ethiopian Airlines crash and in the October 2018 Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people.

The MAX entered commercial service in May 2017. The worldwide fleet was grounded for 20 months following the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

According to Boeing, more than 90% of the cases stemming from the crashes have been settled. The company has not disclosed the overall financial hit from these cases.

“Boeing has paid billions of dollars to the crash families and their lawyers in connection with civil litigation,” a Boeing attorney said at the October 11 hearing, which took place in Texas and involves a Department of Justice criminal case over the MAX.

Dozens of plaintiffs have been deposed in civil litigation over the Lion Air crash, with 46 represented by Seattle law firm Herrmann.

The Texas litigation concerns a new deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice after the DOJ concluded Boeing flouted a $2.5 billion January 2021 criminal settlement over fraud charges related to the MAX certification.

In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to fraud as part of the latest DPA, but the accord has yet to be accepted by a federal judge.

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Why Mozambique’s election has sparked weeks of protests, violent crackdown by police

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Thousands protested in Mozambique’s capital on Thursday and security forces responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, as weeks of post-election unrest continued in the southern African country.

The protests were sparked by a vote last month that will keep the ruling party in power for more than a half-century amid allegations of rigging.

Opposition parties and many citizens have rejected the results of the October 9 presidential election as fraudulent and growing protests in the capital, Maputo, and other cities have been met by deadly force from police. Thursday’s protest was the biggest yet.

International rights groups say at least 20 people have been killed by police since the unrest began nearly a month ago, while local groups say the death toll is more than 50. Authorities are threatening to deploy the army as protesters set fires on the streets and burn ruling party offices.

The internet is being restricted and social media sites have been blocked, according to Human Rights Watch. Neighboring South Africa has shut its border post with Mozambique and heightened security around it.

What happened in the election?

The candidate for the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, was declared the winner of the presidential election on October 24. That keeps the party that has governed Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975 in power for another five years.

Even before the results were announced, opposition parties claimed fraud, accusing the ruling party, known as Frelimo, of ballot stuffing, manipulating voter lists and staffing polling stations with officials loyal to it. Frelimo has long been accused of rigging elections in the country of around 34 million.

The European Union’s observer team said there were irregularities in the election, including the altering of some results. Mozambican media has reported that the Constitutional Council, the supreme body for election law, has asked the commission that ran the election to explain discrepancies.

Senior opposition figures killed

Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, who was second behind Chapo in the official results, has led criticism of the vote. He called for a national strike and for people to stay at home in the days after the election in protest at the alleged tampering. But the mood changed when two senior opposition figures were killed in their car in a late-night shooting by unidentified gunmen on October 18.

The men who were killed were the lawyer for Mondlane and the official spokesperson for the political party that supported Mondlane in the election. Mondlane said they were assassinated and he and opposition supporters gathered near the site of the killings the day after to protest. Police fired tear gas canisters at Mondlane, his aides and journalists who were interviewing him, forcing them to flee.

Growing protests

Since then, there have been waves of protests across the country. In one city, protesters toppled and cut the head off a statue of current President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving a maximum two terms.

Mondlane said on social media that he had gone into exile in fear for his life after the killing of his lawyer. His whereabouts are unknown, but he has called on social media for more protests “so that we can then be freed from these shackles that have held us up for 50 years.”

Authorities have said little other than the protests have been violent and needed to be quelled. They have not given information on the number of people killed or injured in the protests.

Rights groups accused the police of shooting at peaceful protests in the days after the election and said children were among the victims. Anger among opposition supporters has swelled. The presidential palace is under heavy guard.

A history of civil war and violence

Mozambique is still in the shadow of a bloody 15-year civil war the leftist Frelimo fought against rebel group Renamo after independence. The country only held its first elections in 1994 and this was the first vote where there were no armed groups connected to political parties after a process to disarm militias.

The country, which has rich natural resources including large, newly discovered natural gas fields, was already struggling with a yearslong insurgency by an Islamic State-affiliated group in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Mondlane, who broke away from Renamo, has support among Mozambique’s disaffected youth and he and the new Podesa party that is backing him have become the biggest challenge to Frelimo’s long rule. 

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In Morocco, politics limited sermons, including about war in Middle East

rabat, morocco — Politicians and activists in Morocco are questioning limitations imposed on preachers regarding what they may say about war in the Middle East during sermons.

During a meeting at the country’s parliament this week, socialist lawmaker Nabila Mounib bemoaned the way that imams were curtailed in how they can speak about the plight of Palestinians and call for religious struggle to support their cause.

“No imam can speak about the Palestinian issue,” Mounib claimed on Tuesday. “Today no one is demanding jihad for our brothers in Palestine.”

In Morocco, imams are employed by the state and their sermons cannot be overtly political.

Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said discussion of the Israel-Hamas war is permitted. Yet activists are still worried about de facto limits placed on preaching about Palestinians.

The question first arose in October 2023 after a document circulated on social media claiming to outline such limits. Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement that preaching about the suffering of Palestinians was authorized and that the document was fake.

In an interview with Moroccan news website Anfas Press on Friday, Mounib said she had intended to denounce efforts to prevent imams from preaching about Palestinians but had not said imams should call for jihad from their pulpits.

“Jihad,” which means struggle or effort in Arabic, can denote striving to live in accordance with the path of God, either through internally finding one’s faith or externally fighting for Islamic principles like justice. However, it can be interpreted in more militant terms as “holy war” and has been used by some as a religious concept to recruit volunteers to fight since the Soviet-Afghanistan war began in 1979.

The debate centers on whether imams should be allowed to invoke jihad in regard to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq has denied Mounib’s claim that preachers cannot broach the Israel-Hamas war, but he acknowledged and defended the prohibition on calls for jihad.

“Any imam who talks about barbarism and injustice and denounces them is welcome, but calling for jihad is something else,” he said.

Explaining the prohibition this week, Toufiq cautioned that there were different interpretations of jihad.

Yet to some pro-Palestinian activists in Morocco, the limitations are less about jihad and more about the tensions between state and society that have simmered since the war began.

“Imams have a right to take a stand and, in Islam, even have a duty,” Ahmed Wehman of the Moroccan Observatory for Anti-Normalization told The Associated Press. “The government has nothing to do with Moroccan public opinion. They do not represent Morocco and Moroccans.”

Morocco has one of the region’s most historically significant Jewish communities and was one of four Arab states to normalize ties with Israel in 2020. But tens of thousands of protesters have regularly taken to the streets of its major cities throughout the 14-month war, protesting Israel’s actions and demanding Morocco cut diplomatic ties.

Many governments dictate what preachers can say from the pulpit in Muslim-majority countries, including Morocco, which has long worked to describe its brand of Islam to the world as a moderating force. Doing so is among authorities’ strategies to curb extremism but can at times push believers to look for spiritual guidance outside the government-controlled religious sphere.

Francesco Cavatorta, a political science professor at Université Laval in Quebec, said countries like Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Syria have historically exerted control over imams to control the narrative of religion and ensure sermons don’t undermine national stability.

In Morocco, he said, the regulation is “part of an effort to be seen as a country that is a Muslim country but a tolerant country and a welcoming country.”

Morocco has this year suspended preachers who veer from directives. Its Ministry of Islamic Affairs publishes guidance for imams on Wednesdays, two days before Friday prayers.

The content of sermons has in the past pitted the government against activists.

In 2017, when anti-government protests were sweeping Morocco’s north, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs directed preachers to reproach activists for promoting division among Muslims, the online news outlet Le Desk reported. Nasser Zefzafi, the country’s most famous political prisoner, was arrested later that year after interrupting a sermon about the protests, shouting a question about whether mosques served God or the monarchy.

Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.

Imams throughout the Middle East and North Africa have regularly referenced the war since October 2023, including in countries where the government oversees their sermons.

“The way to eliminate oppression and evil, no matter where it is in the world, is through the unity and solidarity of Muslims,” Ali Erbas, the head of the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs, said in a Friday sermon delivered in Azerbaijan. “When Muslims act together with the consciousness of brotherhood and the spirit of solidarity, all people will find peace.”

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Chad says airstrikes kill scores of Boko Haram fighters

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chadian military airstrikes killed scores of Boko Haram fighters and injured several dozen more in the Lake Chad Basin, President Mahamat Idriss Deby said Friday.

Chad planned the operation against the Islamist militant group after Boko Haram fighters killed 40 Chadian soldiers in an attack on a military garrison last month.

About 700 Chadian soldiers celebrated as air force fliers returned to Kaiga Kindira, an island in the Lake Chad Basin near the border with Nigeria. Top military officials and Deby were there to greet them.

Deby said he was happy because Haskinite, an operation he launched to search for and eliminate Boko Haram members hiding in the Lake Chad Basin, had begun successfully with the strikes carried out Thursday night into Friday.

Military officials said the air attacks targeted five Boko Haram hideouts but did not identify locations.

Deby said he also has ordered close to 1,000 infantry and navy troops to eliminate Boko Haram fighters and protect civilians, who are constantly harassed, raped, maimed and killed by militants in the Lake Chad area.

Military officials said soldiers have seized many weapons and destroyed boats used by Boko Haram fighters to attack civilians and government troops.

Deby said the attacks on Boko Haram will continue until the group is eradicated.

Deby, who spoke on state TV, has been in areas of the Lake Chad Basin — shared by Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — since October 28, when Boko Haram fighters attacked a military garrison, killing 40 soldiers and injuring scores of others, on the island of Bakaram, near the border with Nigeria.

Chad’s government called on its citizens to support the ongoing operation by reporting strangers to soldiers, government officials and traditional rulers.

Passale Kanabe Marcellin, Chad’s water and sanitation minister, told officials at the Lake Chad Basin Commission meeting in N’djamena on Friday he is happy villagers who live in fear of Boko Haram are assisting government troops by contributing food, water, first aid equipment and money.

He said Deby wants all countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to assist Chadian troops fighting Boko Haram by allowing soldiers to cross into Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger in pursuit of the militants.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency against the Nigerian government in 2009. Fighting spread into Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where the militants established bases and hideouts. The United Nations says the fighting has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over 3 million.

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11 Somali soldiers killed in clash with al-Shabab militants

At least 11 Somali regional and federal government forces were killed in fierce fighting on Wednesday in the south of the country, officials said.

The fighting occurred in the vicinity of Wayaanta, about 60 kilometers southwest of Kismayo, Jubaland state, after the government forces attacked a suspected gathering spot for the militants.

Three officials with direct knowledge of the fighting who requested not to be identified because they are not allowed to speak with media told VOA Horn of Africa that 11 regional and government soldiers were killed, and more than 20 others injured.

One of the officials claimed more than 20 al-Shabab militants also were killed in the encounter.

An operation by the Somali forces last year in the same vicinity killed an al-Shabab commander who was said to be a deputy emir of the area, according to the regional officials.

During last year’s operation, the U.S. military conducted a “collective self-defense” airstrike against al-Shabab militants in the Wayaanta area, killing three fighters.

Al-Shabab has been fighting successive Somali governments since 2006. The group controls large countryside areas in south-central Somalia. After the president of Somalia came to power in May 2022, self-organized local fighters supported by federal forces removed al-Shabab from vast areas in the central regions.

Somalia’s intelligence and security agency last Sunday reported that as many as 27 al-Shabab militants were killed during a 12-hour-long operation in the vicinity of Yaaqle, about 50 kilometers north of Mogadishu in the Middle Shabelle region.

In a statement, the agency said the targeted operation was carried out at a time when the militants were preparing to harm the public. Vehicles and other equipment also were destroyed during the “successful” operation, the statement said.

Despite the losses of men and territory, the group remains a threat to Somali and African Union forces, carrying out deadly raids.

On the day Somalia intelligence reported the operation, two African Union soldiers were killed and a third was injured by an al-Shabab mortar attack Sunday on their base inside the perimeters of Mogadishu’s international airport.

The group fired four rounds of a 107mm rocket during daylight.

This story originated in VOA’s Horn of Africa Service.

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Amnesty International calls for end to crackdown on protesters in Mozambique

Nairobi — Amnesty International is calling on the Mozambican government to stop its crackdown on protesters challenging the results of last month’s elections. At least 20 people have been killed in post-election violence, according to human rights groups.

Demonstrators rallied again on Thursday, burning tires and blocking streets. Police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters in the capital, Maputo.

Cidia Chissungo, who works with Amnesty International, said tensions are high in Mozambique.

“There are cases of people that have already been shot. We cannot confirm how many died this morning. We still have to analyze all the evidence we are receiving,” Chissungo said. “There are dozens of people being arrested not only in Maputo but also in Nyambane province. We have cases of police using rubber bullets, as well. So, there is massive tension today, and nobody knows how this will end.”

The October 9 vote extended the rule of the Frelimo Party, which has led the southern African country for 50 years. Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo was declared the winner of the presidential election with more than 70% of the vote.

Opposition parties, civil society groups and electoral observers said the election was unfair and rigged in favor of Frelimo — allegations that Frelimo denies.

Chissungo said security forces must halt violent crackdowns against demonstrators and address their grievances.

“Police should respect people’s right to protest. There are cases of people just standing on the streets, and police decided to take them, and there are hundreds who have been arrested,” Chissungo said. “If people are demanding and are criticizing the government, and they are saying they need clarification over the election, it is for the authorities to listen and respect people’s rights to speak out if they think there is something wrong, and not shoot at protesters.”

Human Rights Watch has called for the government to lift internet restrictions, which have further fueled a perception that authorities are trying to stifle the protests.

Allan Ngari, HRW’s Africa advocacy director, said lack of internet access and social media networks hinders people’s rights.

“Sometimes it is working, sometimes it is not working. So, it is not an entire shutdown, but it is, rather, restrictions. And we [are] of the view that this violates multiple rights, including rights to freedom of speech, peaceful protests and from access to information,” Ngari said. “But also, the internet has become a source of employment, business for people, and those who are impacted then by this restriction cannot make a living anymore.”

Mozambique’s internet was working Thursday, to the surprise of many after days of interruptions.

But as tensions rise, South Africa closed its main border crossing with Mozambique on Wednesday for security reasons. The South African government also warned its citizens not to travel to Mozambique.

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Mpox spread slows slightly in Africa

KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — The spread of mpox has slowed down slightly across Africa, but the epidemic is not over, the African Union’s health watchdog said Thursday.

Fifteen countries across Africa recorded 11,453 mpox cases in the last four weeks, compared with 12,802 in the four weeks prior, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said during an online briefing.

But the head of the Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, warned the epidemic was not over.

“We are still in the acute phase of the outbreak that is pushing us to double our effort to control mpox in Africa,” Kaseya said.

“Unfortunately, we are still losing a number of people,” he said.

Since the start of the year, authorities have recorded 50,840 mpox cases and 1,083 deaths across Africa.

Central Africa accounts for more than 85% of cases and almost all deaths.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which has recorded more than 39,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths since the start of the year, launched a vaccination campaign last month that is still “limited,” according to the Africa CDC.

Some 51,649 people have been vaccinated in six provinces, the Africa CDC said.

“We hope that with these vaccines we can continue to support countries to stop this outbreak,” Kaseya said.

Health agencies across the world have allocated just under 900,000 vaccine doses for nine African countries “hard hit by the current mpox surge,” the Africa CDC said in a statement Tuesday.

The countries include the DRC, Kenya and Uganda.

“The largest number of doses — 85% of the allocation — will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the most affected country, reporting four out of every five laboratory confirmed cases in Africa this year,” the statement said.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.

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19,000 tons of Ukrainian grain arrives in drought-hit Malawi

Malawi, with help from the World Food Program, has received its first shipment of more than 19,000 tons of maize from Ukraine. The food aid will help feed millions of Malawians currently dealing with food shortages exacerbated by El Nino-induced drought. Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre.

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Vaccine doses allocated for 9 African countries hardest hit by mpox

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for nine countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge, the WHO and other health organizations said on Wednesday.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade Ib, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.

In September, after facing criticism on moving too slowly on vaccines, the World Health Organization cleared Bavarian Nordic’s BAVA.CO vaccine for mpox and said it was considering LC16, made by Japan’s KM Biologics as a potential vaccine option.

The WHO also set up a scheme to help bring mpox vaccines, tests and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, similar to efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global health agency said on Wednesday the newly allocated vaccines will go to the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

The largest number of doses – 85% of the allocated vaccines – will go to the Democratic Republic of Congo as the most affected country, the WHO said.

The allocated vaccines are from European countries, the United States, Canada and Gavi, a public-private alliance that co-funds vaccine purchases for low-income countries.

According to the latest WHO figures, there have been more than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mpox in Africa this year, and more than 1,000 deaths in the continent due to the viral illness.

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What to expect on immigration under a new Trump administration

washington — President-elect Donald Trump put immigration at the front of his campaign agenda, pledging to bring what he calls “unprecedented order” to the southern border and launch the nation’s largest mass deportation operation of undocumented immigrants on his first day in office.

Throughout his campaign, Trump called immigration a crisis and vowed to move swiftly to implement a series of controversial policies to clamp down on illegal immigration and curb new arrivals.

“We are going to fix our borders. … We want people to come back in, but we have to let them come back in. They have to come in legally,” Trump said during his victory speech in Florida on Tuesday.

However, managing the re-entry of possibly millions of people presents formidable legal and logistical challenges.

“There’s this belief that there’s a line and people should stand in line. Oftentimes, there’s not a line,” Mark Hetfield, CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, told VOA.

A Migration Policy Institute report makes the same point, saying there are multiple visa pathways, each with distinct backlogs and wait times, governing how long individuals wait for permanent residency.

Annual limits and country quotas create extensive delays, with some applicants facing waits lasting decades.

Many undocumented immigrants may have no way to join these lines because of restrictive re-entry policies.

The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act blocks re-entry for immigrants with a history of “unlawful presence” in the U.S. If they leave and want to re-enter legally, those with more than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence face a three-year re-entry ban. Those with more than one year of unlawful presence face a 10-year ban.

Unlawful presence generally includes overstaying or entering without inspection.

Largest deportation campaign in US history

Trump has vowed to surpass deportation numbers from his first term.

With plans to use the National Guard to round up undocumented immigrants, Trump has also invoked the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law that allows the president to deport noncitizens from nations deemed hostile to the United States.

Trump aims to drastically reduce the undocumented population, something his supporters see as a step toward restoring order, though opponents argue it will lead to legal battles and logistical hurdles.

Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council, wrote in an email to VOA that should any president choose to pursue mass deportation, it would come at an extraordinary cost to the government while also devastating the economy.

“It’s critical that policymakers and the American public understand what this would involve: tens of billions of taxpayer dollars, already-strained industries devastated, millions of people locked up in detention, and thousands of families torn apart causing widespread terror and chaos in communities across the country,” Robbins wrote.

Travel ban, birthright citizenship and more

The Remain in Mexico program, a program initiated in the first Trump administration, is expected to be renewed. The policy forces migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed. Also expected to be renewed is a policy to quickly expel migrants and curb immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Another central promise Trump made during his presidential campaign is to roll back initiatives under the Biden administration that have allowed specific groups of migrants to enter the U.S. legally.

Under Biden, up to 30,000 migrants per month from four countries — Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — were allowed to come to the U.S. legally if they met certain conditions. Trump has pledged to end these pathways.

In an effort to intensify scrutiny of those entering the U.S., Trump has promised to renew and expand travel bans aimed at a broader list of countries and introduce an “ideological screening” to bar individuals whom Trump describes as “dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots and maniacs.”

Trump’s campaign says this measure will enhance national security, though it has sparked concerns over discrimination and civil liberties.

Trump also said he plans to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally. This would require a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment and is expected to face intense legal challenges.

While Trump’s immigration plans have the support of his base, they face steep opposition from advocacy groups and legal experts, who argue that mass deportations and travel bans could lead to human rights violations and extensive court challenges.

Hetfield of HIAS told VOA that advocates are concerned about what a new Trump administration will do to legal immigration.

“We will likely litigate if he tries to close down the [refugee] program and oversteps. … But the bottom line is, the president has a lot of discretion when it comes to the refugee program. … And for asylum, [he’s] going to make it impossible to apply at the border as he did with Title 42 and his Remain in Mexico policies,” Hetfield said.

Michelle Ming, political director at United We Dream, the nation’s largest immigrant youth-led organization, said they will be ready to “protect” immigrant families.

Ming anticipates a significant amount of “know your rights” events throughout Trump’s second term in the White House.

“Once Trump takes office, we’re going to remind him that we are here to fight back against any kind of policy that he tries to implement to hurt our communities,” Ming said.

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African presidents congratulate Trump on US election victory

Johannesburg — Donald Trump’s victory over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris dominated the news cycle across Africa on Wednesday, with coverage reflecting the anxiety being felt by some on the continent. 

In South Africa, the newspaper Business Day ran an opinion column headlined “Trump’s comeback heralds harder U.S. approach to Africa,” while another local newspaper, The Sunday Times, was running a poll for readers asking: “Are you worried about Donald Trump being elected U.S. president?” 

A cartoon by renowned South African political cartoonist Zapiro in the Daily Maverick newspaper depicted a frightened looking globe watching TV as U.S. election results came in. 

The markets were also affected, with South Africa’s currency, the rand, dropping almost 3% on the news in the early hours of trading. 

Trump inspires mixed views on the continent, having riled some by calling African countries a derogatory name in his first term, and being viewed positively by others as a kind of “strongman” leader. 

Steven Gruzd, a political analyst with the South African Institute of International Affairs, told VOA that Trump did not pay much attention to Africa in his first term and he doesn’t expect that to change. 

“Africa is not going to be a priority for the second Trump administration by any measure, and I don’t think we should expect too much,” he said. “I think we’re also going to see a world that has a very different USA in operation, and African countries will have to decide how they deal with that.” 

Asanda Ngoasheng, an independent analyst in Cape Town, said she believes a Trump presidency will affect Africa in terms of trade, with South Africa possibly seeing its exports to the U.S. reduced. 

Ngoasheng said public health funding for Africa could also be affected under the incoming Republican administration, particularly for reproductive health. Likewise, any reduction in U.S. contributions to the United Nations could have negative effects on the continent, she said. 

“Donald Trump has been very clear that his administration will be an America-first administration. … This is going to have implications for Africa,” Ngoasheng said. 

As is diplomatic custom, leaders around the world congratulated the U.S. election winner. 

Kenyan President William Ruto, who recently paid a state visit to the U.S. at President Joe Biden’s invitation, praised what he called Trump’s “visionary, bold and innovative leadership.” 

Nigerian leader Bola Tinubu said he hoped Trump’s presidency would usher in an era of “beneficial and reciprocal economic and development partnerships” between Africa and the U.S. 

And South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa said he looked forward to continuing a “mutually beneficial partnership” between the two countries. 

The statements come as African governments are hoping the U.S. will renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, next year. The preferential trade policy gives some countries duty-free access to the U.S. market. 

However, the president of the Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, had other concerns about what a second Trump presidency could mean for his Indian Ocean island nation, which is under particular threat from climate change and rising sea levels. 

“We are going through a climate crisis, so will the U.S. once again pull out of the Paris Agreement? … What will be the pronouncement of President Trump?” Ramkalawan asked.

Ramkalawan, speaking at a press event in Johannesburg, was referring to the fact that in his first term Trump withdrew the U.S. from a major international agreement to limit global warming. The U.S. rejoined the pact under President Biden. 

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Nigerian president says army chief is dead

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigerian army chief Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has died, according to a statement Wednesday from the country’s president.

On the social media platform X, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced Lagbaja’s death and expressed condolences to his family and Nigeria’s armed forces.

Lagbaja, 56, died in Lagos on Tuesday night after a period of illness, authorities said. They did not elaborate on his illness.

Two weeks ago, Nigerian defense authorities denied rumors suggesting the army chief had died after his prolonged absence from the public and active duty.

The Nigerian army has been fighting various adversaries across the country, including bandits and the Boko Haram insurgents.

Lagbaja is not the first Nigerian army chief to die while on active duty in recent years. In 2021, Ibrahim Attahiru died in a military air crash along with 10 other high-ranking officials.

Tinubu appointed Lagbaja in June 2023, shortly after taking office. Lagbaja launched a campaign seeking to repair the reputation of the military, which is often accused of mistreating civilians and extrajudicial killings.

Last week, Tinubu appointed Olufemi Oluyede as acting army chief and, on Tuesday, promoted him to the rank of lieutenant general.

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