Djibouti News Gazette

South Africa’s Defense Minister Thandi Modise has arrived in Russia for a Moscow-hosted conference on international security. The visit comes amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and as Russian forces there are occupying Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. It also comes just days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Africa in part to try to win more African support against Russia’s invasion.

Despite South Africa repeatedly proclaiming its neutrality in the Russia/Ukraine war, several analysts say Modise’s attendance at the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security shows the country is siding with Russia.

“We have not seen any condemnation of Russia, despite the dire impact of the war on the supply of goods and services in South Africa, said Ralph Mathekga, a political analyst at Geopolitical Intelligence Services. “And, also, when you look at attending a defense-kind of a forum in a moment such as this, I mean I cannot imagine any stronger indication of support of Russia,” he said.

Mathekga believes it’s a blow to South African-U.S. relations, considering U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Africa just last week.

“It actually says that South Africa is nailing its colors to the mast.,” he said. “I think it was a frustrating visit for the secretary of state because South Africa did not hold back on their indication that they are not going to pick sides on this, they are not going to be bullied by global powers in their continued cold war as it’s being called.”

Mathekga warns that while South Africa may be willing to rely on its bigger partners in the BRICS alliance, namely China and India, to help it through these turbulent economic times, it should not ignore the reality that the European Union and America are two of its biggest trading partners.

Sipho Mantula, a researcher at the Thabo Mbeki African School on Public and International Affairs, says it’s likely South Africa couldn’t ignore the invitation because of its status as a member of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.

He says Russia also has a close relationship with many African states whose freedom fighters it helped train during the 1960s and 1970s.

“The conflict of Russia and Ukraine is absent from this official program. The key issues that will come out will be around dealing with international global terrorism, the issues of the Middle East and North Africa,” he said.

However, he conceded that while South Africa may call for peaceful negotiations to end the Russian/Ukraine war, the gathering in Moscow may be a sign of a potential military alliance.

“One will assume so because Russia is trying by all means to galvanize its support politically, economically, militarily. So one would assume that they are trying by all means because this is a very high-level technical meeting that is taking place. And one will assume yes, it is part of mobilizing allies, mobilize those who can say they are friendly states towards Russia,” he said.

Defense Minister Modise is due to address the Moscow security conference Tuesday.

Source: Voice of America

A female journalist who was arrested in South Sudan’s capital earlier this month while covering a protest over high food prices has been released from detention.

Diing Magot, a freelance correspondent for the Voice of America, was arrested Aug. 7 at Konyo-konyo market along with six protesters for working without an identification document.

Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Juba demanded that Magot be released “immediately,” and stated that journalists have the right to do their work without interference or harm.

According to Magot’s lawyer, Seven Wani, Magot was released Monday on bail, pending further investigations into her case.

“The bail does not mean that this case has been dismissed,” her lawyer said. “Once the investigation is done, the matter will be transferred to court. This is to say that the case is still ongoing and all the accused … will be summoned to court if the matter is transferred to court.”

The release of the journalist brought much relief to her family.

“Ever since her arrest, as a family we have been trying to knock on doors, even doors of government officials, so that they are able to give an ear to her case and speedily remove her from detention,” said Diing Magot’s sister Ayen.

South Sudan is ranked 139th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. The index says journalists in South Sudan have faced harassment, arbitrary detention, torture, and even death in instances where they did not practice self-censorship.

Ayen Magot discussed the repercussions of journalist arrests in South Sudan, which she believes will dissuade young people from pursuing careers as journalists.

“This is a noble profession and there are young people out there who have dreams to become journalists,” she said. “What happens to them in such situations? They are looking, they are watching, they will be told, no, don’t enter, don’t enter this profession because it is risky.”

Oyet Patrick Charles, president of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan, confirmed the release of Diing Magot. He noted that she was detained beyond the hours permitted by the constitution, on the grounds that the state attorney requested more time to consider her case.

VOA’s public relations office on Monday said it was “elated” at the release of Magot and thanked the South Sudan Union of Journalists, Magot’s colleagues and others in Juba who “worked tirelessly for her release.”

Source: Voice of America

NAIROBI- Additional riot police were deployed inside Kenya’s national election tallying center overnight, after a crowd of men scuffled in the early hours of Sunday and a party official shouted accusations into the microphone.

The fracas underscored fraying tempers and high tensions within the national counting hall as the country waits for official results from last Tuesday’s election. There were wry digs online over the melee from citizens pointing out that the rest of the nation is waiting patiently.

In the presidential race, results so far show a tight race between left-leaning opposition leader Raila Odinga and self-made businessman Deputy President William Ruto.

But confusion over vote tallying by the media and a slow pace by the electoral commission have fed anxiety in Kenya, which is East Africa’s richest and most stable nation but which has a history of violence following disputed elections.

Reuters was unable to get access to the official running vote tally for the presidential race on Sunday. A live feed displaying the results at the national tallying center had disappeared hours ago.

When asked about the tally, a spokeswoman for the commission referred Reuters to the live feed. Other electoral officials said they were unable to provide the information.

Officially verified results on Saturday with just over 26% of votes counted put Odinga in the lead with 54% of the vote, while Ruto had 45%.

The winner must get 50% of votes plus one. The commission has seven days from the vote to declare the winners.

A Reuters tally of 255 out of 291 preliminary constituency-level results at 0900 GMT on Sunday showed Ruto in the lead with 52% and Odinga at just over 47%. Two minor candidates shared less than 1% between them.

Reuters did not include 19 forms in the count because they lacked signatures, totals, were illegible or had other problems.

The preliminary tally is based on forms that are subject to revision if any discrepancies are discovered during the official verification process.

The many checks and balances are designed to try to prevent the kind of allegations of rigging that provoked violence in 2007, when more than 1,200 people were killed, and in 2017, when more than 100 people were killed.

Chaos at the counting hall

Odinga and Ruto are vying to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has served his two-term limit. Kenyatta fell out with Ruto after the last election and has endorsed Odinga for president.

Kenyatta leaves power having laden Kenya with debt for expensive infrastructure projects and without having tackled the endemic corruption that has hollowed out all levels of government. The next president will also take on rapidly rising food and fuel costs.

Ruto’s strong showing reflects widespread discontent with Kenyatta’s legacy — even in parts of the country where the president has previously swept the vote.

Large numbers of Kenyans also did not vote, saying neither candidate inspired them.

On Sunday, Ruto’s party member Johnson Sakaja won the governorship of the capital Nairobi, the wealthiest and most populous of the 47 counties.

Tensions at tallying center

As the tight race continued, party agents have grown increasingly agitated at the tallying center, known as Bomas.

Late on Saturday, Raila Odinga’s chief agent Saitabao ole Kanchory grabbed a microphone and announced “Bomas of Kenya is a scene of crime,” before officials switched off his microphone.

Party agents scuffled with each other, with police and with election officials, at one point trying to drag one official outside.

The scenes, broadcast on national news, were met with bemusement by Kenyans, who urged their leaders to grow up.

“The reckless behavior at Bomas by so-called leaders, which can fast ignite the country, must be called out,” tweeted Alamin Kimathi, a human rights activist. “Let the drama end. Let the process continue.”

Source: Voice of America