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• U.S. worried over Togo's excessive use of force on protesters

  Oct 26, 2017 by Admin / 325 Views

  

  The United States says it is concerned about the increasingly deteriorating political situation in Togo. The use of excessive force by security forces on protesters was of particular concern.

  A statement issued by a U.S. Department of State spokesperson, Heather Nauert, said violence and restrictions on rights of people were of concern to the U.S.

  The Embassy in the Togolese capital, Lome, issues a security message over the last two days of opposition protest – November 18 and 19. A number of deaths have been recorded since protests started in August this year. The government has reported of mass arrests of protesters and banned weekday protests.

  We are particularly troubled by reports of excessive use of force by security forces and reports that Government-sponsored vigilantes are using force and the threat of force to disrupt protests and intimidate civilians.

  The U.S. also commented on the arrest of an Imam in the town of Sokode, which incident resulted in demonstrations, the torching of buildings and clashes between security forces and protesters.

  The full statement read as follows:

  “The United States is deeply concerned about rising levels of violence and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly in Togo related to protests over proposed constitutional reforms.

  “We are particularly troubled by reports of excessive use of force by security forces and reports that Government-sponsored vigilantes are using force and the threat of force to disrupt protests and intimidate civilians.

  “The United States is also concerned with the Government of Togo’s decision to restrict demonstrations during the workweek and to arrest a prominent imam in the city of Sokode.

  “We call on the Government of Togo to uphold its citizens’ human rights, notably their freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and internet freedom and to ensure that all those arrested during demonstrations are afforded the right to due process.

  “The United States deplores the violence that has claimed the lives of protesters and security forces alike. We urge all parties to renounce violence. We encourage the Government and opposition to engage in dialogue without preconditions, which is the only solution to the current impasse.”

   

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• Trump tries to quell Republican revolt

  Oct 26, 2017 by Admin / 476 Views

  

  President Donald Trump hit back at critics within his own party Wednesday, painting them as outliers in what is otherwise a "love fest" between him and Republican lawmakers.

  A day after Republican senators Jeff Flake and Bob Corker described Trump as having a "flagrant disregard" for truth and decency and of "debasing" the nation, the combative president shot back.

  Trying to forestall a broader party backlash, Trump tweeted that Flake and Corker were resigning because they had "zero chance of being elected," and insisted his meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill a day earlier had been a resounding success.

  "The meeting with Republican Senators yesterday, outside of Flake and Corker, was a love fest with standing ovations and great ideas for USA!" he continued.

  Trump's allies cheered Flake's departure as an unbridled victory for their effort to take over the party and a "monumental win for the entire Trump movement."

  It "should serve as another warning shot to the failed Republican establishment that backed Flake and others like them that their time is up," said Andy Surabian, a former Trump White House advisor.

  Still, while the departure of the two senators may ultimately play to Trump's advantage, both will remain in Congress for more than a year and will be less likely to fall in line behind the White House on key votes.

  - No room for defections -

  Trump had already faced a difficult task of mustering 51 votes to pass tax cuts, an effort that appears to be the glue holding the party together.

  There are currently 52 Republican senators, so more than one defection would hamper reform efforts, unless Democrats can be brought on board.

  It is also far from clear that more hardline Republican candidates can beat Democrats in places like Flake's native Arizona, where Trump campaigned hard in 2016 yet won by less than four percentage points.

  GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / Ralph FresoArizona Republican Jeff Flake unleashed a fierce broadside at President Donald Trump as he delivered a resignation speech on the Senate floor
  

  Many Republicans see Trump's presidency as the best way to enact long-standing goals like tax reform and cutting the size of government, and the White House has worked hard to keep the rank and file focused on those targets amid rolling scandals and failed attempts to pass legislation.

  "Working hard on the biggest tax cut in U.S. history. Great support from so many sides. Big winners will be the middle class, business & JOBS," Trump also tweeted Wednesday.

  "I'll tell you what, honestly, the Republicans are very, very well united," he said.

  The White House points to the president's solid approval ratings among Republican voters as evidence that his brand of politics should dominate the party.

  According to an Economist/YouGov Poll, 84 percent of Republican voters approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president.

  - 'Not a watershed' -

  Against that backdrop many Republicans privately express grave misgivings about Trump's behavior in office, but remain publicly supportive.

  "Parties always have their disagreements. Look no further than Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party. That's just part of party politics," Senator Steve Daines told AFP.

  GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / WIN MCNAMEESenator Bob Corker has publicly aired disagreements with Trump, a fellow Republican, but the feud has reached a new level

  Political science professor Larry Sabato said Flake's attack on Trump was a "beating" for the president, but is "not going to be a watershed."

  "I always tell people JFK's book 'Profiles in Courage' was a very slim volume."

  Yet there is no doubt that Flake and Corker's comments have exposed a simmering battle for the soul of the Republican party.

  Establishment conservatives -- who have managed since 2007 to co-opt waves of populist and nationalist party insurgents -- have struggled to retain control since Trump's election.

  Senator Marco Rubio admitted the party "is going through a moment of realignment internally."

  He cited "an internal debate about what the party is going to be about, what it's going to represent in the years to come. So is the Democratic Party. And by the way, so is every institution in America."

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• Kenya's Odinga urges voters to stay home for disputed poll

  Oct 26, 2017 by Admin / 476 Views

  

  Kenyan opposition chief Raila Odinga urged his supporters to stay at home on Thursday as the country forges ahead with a disputed presidential poll that could threaten the stability of the east African powerhouse.

  In a move likely to ease fears of election-day violence, Odinga on Wednesday called on followers to "hold vigils and prayers away from polling stations or just stay at home".

  The election is the chaotic climax of a two-months political drama that began when the Supreme Court overturned the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in the August 8 elections.

  It cited "irregularities" and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

  The repeat election is going ahead after clearing myriad legal and political hurdles, but anxiety remains high over the unpredictable consequences of a vote that will take place without Odinga.

  Opposition protests have resulted in at least 40 people being killed, mostly at the hands of police and in poor opposition strongholds, according to rights groups.

  Odinga said supporters should stay away for the "bloodthirsty regime is planning to use every excuse to massacre our people."

  In Odinga's western stronghold of Kisumu, one protester was shot in the hip on Wednesday, according to an AFP photographer, as demonstrators engaged in running battles with police.

  Protester Gordon Oyeke vowed to stay at home for the election.

  "We don't want elections, we will stay at home. Why fight for something we don't want and risk getting hit by bullets by the criminal police," he told AFP.

  Kenyatta called for peace on election day, and said this chance for a fresh election would help the country cement its democracy.

  "Tomorrow (Thursday) we have yet another opportunity to show the world that we are a free, modern state preoccupied by striving for unity, shared progress, peace and shared prosperity," he said in a televised address.

  - Final legal hurdle fails -

  Election chief Wafula Chebukati -- who said last week he could not guarantee a credible election -- appeared to soften his stance on Wednesday after "assurances" from security officials and authorities and "progress" within his divided commission.

  "The election as scheduled will go ahead tomorrow, the 26th of October," he said.

  The final legal hurdle came in the form of a last-minute Supreme Court petition to delay the election.

  But the hearing was unable to go ahead after only two of seven judges showed up in court. At least five judges are needed to form a quorum.

  Chief Justice David Maraga said one judge was ill and out of the country, one could not get a flight to Nairobi and two were "not able to come to court," he said.

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• Kenya's disputed election still on after delay bid fails

  Oct 25, 2017 by Admin / 488 Views

  

  Kenya's repeat presidential election looked set to go ahead after a last-ditch bid to delay the highly contentious vote failed on Wednesday when the Supreme Court was unable to reach a quorum.

  The dramatic hearing on the eve of Thursday's poll had stoked opposition hopes of delaying the vote boycotted by their leader Raila Odinga.

  With political tensions soaring ahead of the vote, even the country's top election official has said he cannot guarantee a free, fair and credible election, prompting concerns at home and abroad about the risks of holding another flawed election.

  Chief Justice David Maraga, who overturned the August 8 victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta, was forced to ditch the planned hearing, as only two of seven judges were present in court.

  At least five judges are needed to form a quorum.

  "This matter cannot be heard this morning," Maraga said.

  Maraga said his deputy, Philomena Mwilu, could not attend after her bodyguard was shot on Tuesday evening.

  She was not in her car at the time but the incident fuelled anxiety in a country still reeling from the torture and murder of an IT official at the election commission before August's vote.

  Another judge was ill and out of the country, one could not get a flight to Nairobi and two were "not able to come to court," he said.

  The hearing was one of dozens of legal battles that have gripped the court system since Maraga's September 1 decision to cancel the result of the first election due to "irregularities" in the electronic transmission of results, and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

  Also Wednesday, the High Court said the appointment of 290 constituency returning officers, who scrutinise the ballot, had not been done in accordance with the constitution.

  But the judge said quashing their appointment would create a "crisis of unimaginable magnitude", so the decision is unlikely to impact Thursday's election.

  It will, however, open the way for further legal battles over the outcome.

  - Odinga to announce next move -

  The election was meant to pit Odinga, 72, and Kenyatta, 56, against each other for the third time, in a dynastic political rivalry that began with their fathers following independence from Britain.

  But while Odinga secured a rare victory in having the August ballot overturned, he has refused to take part in the rerun.

  He accuses the IEBC of failing to make sufficient reforms to ensure it is free, fair and credible

  Although he initially called for mass protests on election day, on Tuesday in an interview with the BBC he denied doing that, urging supporters to "stay away".

  However on Twitter, his National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition insisted the protests were still on.

  Odinga has vowed to announce his final decision on the election at a rally in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon, where several hundred supporters have already begun gathering.

  Nairobi city officials have already branded the gathering "illegal", saying the opposition had not followed proper procedures to hold the meeting at Uhuru Park.

  Meanwhile, in Odinga's western stronghold of Kisumu, hundreds of opposition supporters marched towards the IEBC's offices.

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• Gambia orders govt appointees to fly economy class for cost saving

  Oct 23, 2017 by Admin / 421 Views

  

  As part of cost cutting in government expenditure, a category of Gambian civil servants have been instructed to fly economy class, the Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo has disclosed.

  According to him, the decision was part of the outcome of a cabinet meeting that was held on Monday. The affected appointees are Permanent Secretaries and persons holding the post of Director-General.

  The said meeting chaired by President Adama Barrow, also dealt with issues such as continental trade negotiations and the drive to resolve the country’s energy challenges by next year.

  He also gave updates of how the finance minister was working on a budgetary framework to deal with controls on governance expenditure. Whiles looking to cut cost, the cabinet he added was also looking to boost resource mobilization in the West African country.

  The country, known as the ‘Smiling Coast’ of Africa experienced a tense political climate late 2016 into early 2017 when long serving leader, Yahya Jammeh, attempted to overturn an election defeat. He was beaten by President Adama Barrow – then an opposition coalition candidate.

  The Adama Barrow government has severally accused Jammeh of looting state resources before leaving the country. Several probes are underway to recover monies and properties belonging to Jammeh who is currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

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