Day: October 19, 2022

UNITED NATIONS— The top UN envoy for Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said that progress has been made in the transition and peace process in Mali, but he remains concerned about the security situation in the country.

Following the agreement reached in early July between Mali and the Economic Community of West African States on the transition timetable, notable progress has been made in the preparation for elections, he told the UN Security Council in a briefing on Tuesday.

Steps have been taken to establish a unique electoral management authority after the adoption of the electoral law in June, he said.

The mechanism to monitor the timetable of political and electoral reforms, which involves the Malian side and the multilateral partners concerned, is now operational at both the technical and political levels. Its political steering committee has so far met four times, he said.

“While this progress is commendable, the successful implementation of the electoral process will depend on a multitude of factors, including the availability of the necessary financial and logistical resources and the evolution of the security situation,” said Wane, the UN secretary-general’s special representative and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.

“Strengthening inclusiveness will also remain important,” he added.

In view of the constitutional referendum scheduled for March 2023, the Constitution Drafting Committee presented last week a preliminary constitution draft, and its adoption by the Council of Ministers is expected toward the end of November, he said.

MINUSMA and the UN Country Team in Mali are actively involved in supporting the electoral process, providing technical and logistical support, and participating in the monitoring mechanism. An integrated electoral support plan for the 2022-2024 electoral cycle is being finalized, he said.

Since August, the peace process has witnessed encouraging developments. In early August, the long-awaited high-level decision-making meeting was held and resulted in the approval of the government’s proposal to integrate up to 26,000 former combatants into the Malian defense and security forces and other state structures. The meeting also agreed on a way forward for the required institutional reforms, he said.

The positive developments are unfolding against the backdrop of a very challenging security, humanitarian, and human rights situation, with severe consequences for civilians across large parts of the country, cautioned Wane.

The security situation remains volatile in the central Mali and in the tri-border area between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, he said.

Since March, there has been a sharp increase in the activities of extremist elements affiliated with two terrorist groups in the Menaka and Gao regions in the northeast. These extremist groups are taking advantage of security voids, which the Malian forces are striving to fill, and are fighting for territorial control while targeting the Malian forces and MINUSMA alike, he said.

The prevailing insecurity in Menaka and Gao regions underscores the need for greater coordination between MINUSMA and Malian forces. Moreover, it also points to the urgency of completing the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process and deploying the reconstituted army, as this will significantly enhance the ability of the Malian state to address the current challenges, he said.

The security situation in central Mali also remains fragile. Extremist elements retain the capacity to conduct coordinated attacks against the Malian armed forces, sabotage infrastructure, and terrorize local communities through reprisal attacks, he said.

While the fight against terrorism necessarily includes a military and security component, it is obvious that no lasting results can be achieved if two basic conditions are not met: first, the need for these efforts to be complemented by the restoration of state authority and the rebuilding of trust with local communities; second, efforts to ensure that the government-led military operations are carried out in compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law and for perpetrators of violations and abuses to be held to account, said Wane.

The current security environment has compounded the humanitarian situation in the country. The number of internally displaced persons rose from 350,000 to more than 422,000 in the center and north of the country, while more than 175,000 Malian refugees were in neighboring countries, he said.

More than 1.8 million people face severe food insecurity. This figure could rise to 2.3 million by next month. More than 1.2 million children under the age of 5 are affected by acute malnutrition. As of May 2022, more than 1,950 schools in Mali were closed due to insecurity, which affected close to 587,000 children, mainly in the central region of Mopti. The efforts of humanitarian actors to meet these needs are hampered by the lack of adequate and sustainable funding. So far, only about 30 percent of the 686 million U.S. dollars requested for 2022 has been mobilized.

The situation in Mali continues to warrant sustained international attention and engagement. The people of Mali have demonstrated great resilience amid multiple challenges. They continue to forge ahead and harbor a strong desire for peace and stability. Their efforts deserve the full support of the international community, and it bears emphasizing that stabilizing Mali is a sine qua non for the stabilization of the entire region, said Wane.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The state-owned company that runs South Africa’s freight rail and port systems is a step closer to ending a strike that has idled imports and exports for nearly two weeks. The union that represents a majority of workers from Transnet has signed a three-year wage deal to end the work stoppage. Not everyone is happy about the move.

The agreement is aimed at ending the walkout which began October 6 and cost the country $44 million a day.

Cobus van Vuuren is the general secretary of the majority United National Transport Union, or UNTU, which signed the multi-year agreement with Transnet. He says the deal is binding on all workers since it represents more than half of the company’s 40,000 unionized workers.

Van Vuuren made his comments as the South African Trade and Allied Workers Union, or SATAWU, the minority union in the dispute, said it would still picket and has consulted lawyers. Vân Vuuren explained his group’s position.

“Unfortunately, we don’t always see eye-to-eye because our philosophies and values both differ. And our understanding of the impact of a protracted strike and the effect that that can have on the greater economy and potential job losses that the economy can suffer is maybe not necessarily shared by SATAWU,” he said.

He added that SATAWU has the right to continue with the industrial action but their strike is now unprotected and they are exposing their members to disciplinary action, which could include dismissal.

Anele Kiet, the deputy secretary-general of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, says the majority union betrayed them.

“Even during the last negotiations, they left SATAWU and went to sign an agreement behind our back,” he said.

SATAWU has been holding out for an inflation-related increase. In July, South Africa’s inflation rate was at 7.8%, the highest in 13 years. UNTU settled for 6% as well as medical and housing allowance increases.

SATAWU also says it wants a no retrenchment (reduction) clause in the wage agreement.

UNTU’s van Vuuren says his union decided not to insist on that because Transnet gave guarantees that it will follow the legal procedures for retrenching (reducing) staff – should it be necessary.

He shed light on how Transnet, which like most state-owned enterprises in South Africa is battling financially, can afford the increases.

“So as far as what we have been informed,” he said. “Their customers especially in the ports has [sic] come on board. They have offered Transnet assistance through a [sic] extra charge which they are willing to pay on every container that is off-loaded or dealt with or processed. And the number that we have been told is R148 [$8.00] per container and taking into consideration that there’s millions of containers that is [sic] off-loaded during the year, you times that by R148, it does come to a substantial amount.”

He also says his union is concerned about intimidation of workers.

“Thus far for today we have not had any reports or any incidents that have been reported with regards to intimidation and violence,” he said. “We have however expressed our concern to Transnet with regards to this potential existing and we trust that Transnet will do anything in their power to make sure that our members can report to work safely… so that productivity can continue to resolve the backlog that exists currently.”

Meanwhile, South African politician Michael Bagraim, the labor spokesperson in parliament for the main opposition Democratic Alliance, praised UNTU and says he hopes the other union will come around.

“It is an enormous relief in that if this carried on for another few weeks, it would’ve crippled the entire economy,” he said.

Lumkile Mondi, economist and lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, acknowledges that a big part of the work force is still missing.

“The challenge is that they won’t be as efficient given the SATAWU workers that are absent,” he said.

SATAWU’s Kiet said the leadership of the union was heading to the country’s main port in Durban for talks with other members Wednesday on the legal opinion they have received. He said for now, they remain on strike.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged all parties to act in the best interest of the country.

Source: Voice of America

At least 21 people were killed in two separate bombings in the central Hirshabelle state of Somalia, officials said.

A powerful car bomb exploded in Jalalaqsi town when soldiers operating a security checkpoint intercepted a vehicle. The checkpoint is near local government buildings and a military base belonging to African Union peacekeepers from Djibouti.

“At around 2:30 p.m., a vehicle arrived at the checkpoint, one of the soldiers collecting taxation pointed a gun and stopped it,” said Mire Hussein Siyad, deputy district commissioner of Jalalaqsi.

“When the gun was pointed at [it], the vehicle exploded,” Siyad told VOA Somali.

He said Wednesday’s explosion killed at least 15 people, including the town’s two civilian leaders, Mayor Adan Mohamed Isse and Mohamed Nur Agajof Dabaashe, the district commissioner. Dabaashe was recently replaced as Jalalaqsi commissioner, but he had not handed over responsibility yet, Siyad said.

Other victims included soldiers at the checkpoints and civilians including street vendors. The explosion destroyed a building near the checkpoint where the local officials were based. Siyad said two AU peacekeepers were injured in the attack.

Siyad said the target was the town’s main bridge.

Meanwhile, six other people including four civilians were killed a separate explosion, when a three-wheeled motorcycle with explosives attached, struck the Bulobarde town bridge. The important bridge links Somalia’s south and central regions. Pictures taken by the witnesses show the explosion partially damaged the bridge.

The district commissioner of Bulobarde, Ahmed Mahad Nur, told VOA Somali that two men riding the motorcycle drove it onto the bridge. He said one of the men jumped off before the explosion while the second one detonated the explosive-laden motorcycle and died in the blast.

Nur said the man who jumped was shot and killed by security forces. He said troops seized two other motorcycles laden with explosives.

The officials said the two explosions were coordinated and intended to destroy the two bridges.

“They wanted to bring down the two bridges at the same time,” Siyad said.

“It’s the most crucial bridge between the central and southern regions,” said Nur.

Nur vowed the local government will rebuild the damaged bridge.

The al-Shabab militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the two attacks.

Bulobarde and Jalalaqsi in the Hiran region (Hirshabelle state) have been the focal point of efforts to mobilize the local population against al-Shabab.

Somali army spokesperson General Abdullahi Ali Anod on Tuesday reported that government forces and local fighters are completing preparations for new operations against al-Shabab in Hirshabelle, and in Southwest, Galmudug and Jubaland states. He said the operations could start within a “week or weeks.”

Al-Shabab has threatened clans mobilizing against them with violence.

Source: Voice of America