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The article discusses how Rwanda president Paul Kagame has transformed the country into a continental power, making him the West's favorite African ally. Topics discussed include Kagame's commitment to promote intercontinental trade and visa-free travel, his hosting of the nationally televised program "Umushyikirano" which relays criticisms of the performance and programs of politicians and public servants, and claims that Kagame suppresses domestic dissent and assassinates critics.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting Haiti to discuss the country's political transition and the ongoing violence caused by criminal gangs. He will meet with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille and members of the multinational security support missions authorized by the United Nations. Blinken will also address the need for elections, transparency, rule of law, and corruption allegations. The State Department's top diplomat for the region suggests that making the international mission a formal UN peacekeeping operation could ensure sustainable funding and administrative support. [Extracted from the article]

Kenyan police officers have been deployed to Haiti for a US-backed humanitarian mission, despite their own history of human rights abuses and violence against protesters in Kenya. This has raised concerns about the decision to fund foreign forces for peacekeeping missions, especially in countries where Western countries are unwilling to send their own troops. The mission in Haiti, which is not overseen by the UN, has also raised questions about accountability. Critics argue that the deployment is problematic and that the Kenyan police may not be the best choice for the mission. [Extracted from the article]

The United Nations peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has stated that it is premature to consider deploying international troops in Gaza. Lacroix emphasized that the post-war situation in Gaza is uncertain and any deployment would require agreement from Israel, which has been critical of the UN's work in Palestinian territories. Currently, the UN is calling for a humanitarian cease-fire, access to aid, and progress towards a two-state political solution. Lacroix also addressed the challenges faced by UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon due to the war in Gaza. The UN is facing an existential crisis as countries like Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo move towards ousting UN peacekeepers. African countries have argued for a greater role in addressing security challenges in the region, and the UN Security Council has agreed to a framework where the African Union would lead peace operations with UN funding. The UN and African Union officials are working on a plan to operationalize this framework. [Extracted from the article]

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to ongoing conflict in the country's eastern provinces. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo has reported that nearly a quarter of the country's population is facing food insecurity, and the number of displaced people has risen to 7.1 million. Humanitarian agencies are struggling with a lack of funds, particularly in the trading hub of Goma, where over 630,000 people have fled due to an offensive by the M23 rebel group. The conflict is fueled by disputes over land, resources, and ethnic and political representation, with multiple armed groups involved. [Extracted from the article]

A new international effort is being made to address the lawlessness in Haiti, but there are concerns that it may fail due to disagreements, limited contributions, and delays in deploying police forces. The multinational security force established by the United Nations Security Council has not yet been deployed due to domestic disputes in Kenya, which is leading the mission. Some countries that have supported Haiti in the past are reducing funding, while others are hesitant to send their forces into danger. However, there have been some positive developments, such as an agreement between Haiti and Kenya for the deployment of 1,000 police officers. The international community is not committing as much funding as it did after the 2010 earthquake. Deploying troops is politically sensitive, especially considering the failures of previous international efforts. The US is taking a leading-from-behind approach and has pledged $200 million to the mission. Brazil is willing to share its expertise but is reluctant to send more personnel. The violence in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise has worsened the already dire situation in the country. The UN estimates that half of the Haitian population is in need of humanitarian assistance. The organization has appealed for $675 million in donations for its aid programs in Haiti this year. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for more international support. [Extracted from the article]

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned that Israel will face dire consequences if it sends troops into the besieged Gazan city of Rafah. Olmert believes that the current leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, should focus on a plan that allows the Israeli army to leave Gaza and international forces to act as peacekeepers. He argues that an assault on Rafah would be intolerable to the international community and could lead to the revocation of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Olmert suggests that once Israel's army is out of Gaza, peace negotiations with the Palestinians should begin, eventually leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. [Extracted from the article]

Mali's army has recaptured the northern town of Kidal, which has been a stronghold for separatist rebels for the past decade. The military leader, Assimi Goita, announced the seizure of Kidal after weeks of assault on the city. The army, supported by the Wagner Group, has been fighting Tuareg separatist rebels since the departure of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Many civilians have fled the area as the army advanced. Goita, who came to power in a 2021 coup, has criticized the UN mission and French counter-insurgency force for not effectively addressing the country's security challenges. The conflict in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali has resulted in approximately 12,000 deaths in the first 10 months of this year. The UN Security Council has voted to withdraw peacekeepers from Mali, leaving the army and a smaller force of Russian mercenaries to combat militant groups. [Extracted from the article]

Mali's army has recaptured the northern town of Kidal, which has been a stronghold for separatist rebels for the past decade. The military leader, Assimi Goita, announced the seizure of Kidal after weeks of assault on the city. The army, supported by the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, has been fighting Tuareg separatist rebels in an effort to retake Kidal since the departure of a United Nations peacekeeping mission last month. The conflict in Mali, along with insurgent attacks in Niger and Burkina Faso, has resulted in approximately 12,000 deaths this year. [Extracted from the article]

Under the deal, Kenya will lead a Multinational Security Support mission for a year as backup for the Caribbean nation's out-gunned and overwhelmed police force. (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations Security Council on Monday greenlit an international force for Haiti to rein in powerful gangs and clear the way for long-delayed elections. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The United Nations Security Council on Monday greenlit an international force for Haiti to rein in powerful gangs and clear the way for long-delayed elections. Read More: US Wants UN Approval for Kenya-Led Haiti Force Next Week The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the force would pave the way for long-term stability in Haiti. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The United Nations Security Council approved sending an international police force to Haiti in hopes of quashing rampant gang violence and clearing the way for long-delayed general elections. Under the deal, Kenya will lead a Multinational Security Support mission to back the nation's overstretched police force. [Extracted from the article]

"The idea of a Wagner-like entity, which is to say a private military company that allowed Russia to have unofficial but very impactful results on the continent is too valuable to just have it go away", said Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa Program and a former CIA analyst. (Bloomberg) -- The day before his private plane crashed near Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin released a recruitment video for the Wagner Group. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The US, UK and France condemned assaults against United Nation peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriots within the buffer zone that divides the two sides of Cyprus. The assaults were made against British and Slovak members of the UN pecekeeping force, according to Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The US, UK and France condemned assaults against United Nation peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriots within the buffer zone that divides the two sides of Cyprus. Threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, UNFICYP said in a statement. [Extracted from the article]

Days after General Abdourahamane Tiani declared himself Niger's new leader, a picture is emerging of the little-known presidential guard commander who overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum last week. Tiani is from the northwestern Tillaberi region near Niger's border with Mali, which has been at the heart of Islamic State-linked violence for years. [Extracted from the article]

A day after General Abdourahamane Tiani declared himself Niger's new leader, a picture is emerging of a presidential guard commander who is little known to the public but has long been a key inside player in the nation's military. Tiani is from the northwestern Tillaberi region near Niger's border with Mali, which has been at the heart of Islamic State-linked violence for years. Despite Tiani's role thwarting a coup attempt that would have stopped Bazoum taking office, relations between the two later soured to the extent that Bazoum was expected to imminently introduce reforms that would reduce or remove his dependence on Tiani, Nana Adu Ampofo, a joint managing partner at Songhai Advisory, said by email. [Extracted from the article]

Tiani is "very discreet" and "very close to Issoufou", former Agadez mayor Rhissa Ag Feltou said by phone. Tiani is from the northwestern Tillaberi region near Niger's border with Mali, which has been at the heart of Islamic State-linked violence for years. A day after General Abdourahamane Tiani declared himself Niger's new leader, a picture is emerging of the little known presidential guard commander whose forces overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum this week. [Extracted from the article]

In a statement on state broadcaster Tele Sahel, Tiani decried widespread corruption, poor governance and the management of Niger's security. (Bloomberg) -- Niger's presidential guard chief General Abdourahamane Tiani named himself as the country's new leader, two days after his forces detained President Mohamed Bazoum. [Extracted from the article]

In a statement on state broadcaster Tele Sahel, Tiani decried widespread corruption, poor governance and the management of Niger's security. (Bloomberg) -- Niger's presidential guard chief General Abdourahamane Tiani named himself as the new leader of the country, two days after a coup that left President Mohamed Bazoum detained. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The UN Security Council voted to end a 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission in Mali, leaving the poorly equipped army and a smaller force of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries to contend with militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The council voted unanimously in favor of a French-sponsored resolution to end the mission by January 2024 after Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop demanded the peacekeepers leave. [Extracted from the article]

Violence is rising between Codeco, which says it's protecting the rights of the Lendu people, and a group called Zaire, which says it represents the Hema community, the UN experts said. (Bloomberg) -- Surging violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and ongoing tensions with neighboring Rwanda could further destabilize the resource-rich country as it prepares for elections in December, a United Nations group of experts said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- France will withdraw its military from Burkina Faso within a month following a request from the West African country's governing junta. Both countries have ejected UN officials, French diplomats, and finally, the French military, all while forging closer ties to Russia. [Extracted from the article]

Most power resides in the government, headed by Prime Minister Fiala, who endorsed Pavel. A former NATO general pledging unwavering support for Ukraine will become the next Czech president after securing a convincing victory over a combative former billionaire prime minister. Pavel will succeed President Milos Zeman, a polarizing figure who antagonized EU allies with support for Vladimir Putin - until he invaded Ukraine - and China. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- A Malian court on Friday sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment over an alleged coup attempt, defying warnings of sanctions from West African leaders. A UN spokesman, who confirmed the soldiers were in Mali to assist the mission, was expelled by Mali. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Germany is returning 20 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria more than a century after they were looted by British colonists, a step described by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as long overdue. Nigeria is still a major CO2 emitter and exporter of fossil fuels, Baerbock noted, and Germany wants to work closely with the country on the global challenge of containing the climate crisis. [Extracted from the article]

Congo's government has declined to negotiate with the M23 while it occupies parts of the country and the rebels aren't participating in peace talks that are set to resume in Congo in January led by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. (Bloomberg) -- M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians and raped more than 27 women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, the UN said, detailing the scale of reprisal attacks by the militant group. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians and raped more than 27 women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, the UN said, detailing the scale of reprisal attacks by the militant group. Congo's government, UN experts and US officials have accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting the group, which Rwanda denies. M23 and Congo's army have been fighting since last year, with the rebels saying they're protecting the rights of ethnic Congolese Tutsis and other Kinyarwanda speakers in the country. [Extracted from the article]

UN Group of Experts Say Rwanda Is Backing Rebels Fighting Congo M23's communications unit didn't respond to two emailed messages Wednesday requesting comment on the Monusco statement. (Bloomberg) -- M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians and raped more than 22 women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, the UN said, detailing the scale of reprisal attacks by the militant group. [Extracted from the article]

Germany had 575 soldiers and 32 staff officers serving in the Mali mission, known as Minusma, as of Sept. 30, according to UN data. (Bloomberg) -- Germany will withdraw its troops from the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali by May 2024. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Germany is considering withdrawing from the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, where its troops are the biggest Western contingent, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a newspaper interview. Mali grounded German military reconnaissance drones on Oct. 11 and the government in Berlin will decide by the end of 2022 "whether and how we will be involved in Mali and the entire Sahel", Lambrecht told Rheinische Post. [Extracted from the article]

Violence is causing a "mass exodus" which is impacting the US as well as Haiti's other neighbors, Ambassador Bocchit Edmond said in a phone interview. (Bloomberg) -- The US should play a leading role in taking on gangs in Haiti as the troubled Caribbean nation calls for foreign troops to restore order, the nation's ambassador to Washington said. [Extracted from the article]

The appointment of General Chauhan, whose career spans four decades, comes at a time when India's military is undergoing its biggest transformation since independence in 1947. (Bloomberg) -- India appointed retired general Anil Chauhan as its next defense chief on Wednesday, as the country grapples with two unstable borders and growing questions about how to secure military supplies from Russia, a key supplier. [Extracted from the article]

A UN spokesman, who confirmed the soldiers were in Mali to assist the mission, was expelled by Mali. (Bloomberg) -- Ivory Coast called for an emergency summit of regional leaders to push neighboring Mali's military leadership to release 46 of its soldiers accused by Bamako of being mercenaries. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans from Ethiopia who served in a United Nations peacekeeping force have joined a battle for a strategic town in the northwest of the country, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest twist in an internal conflict that erupted in late 2020. The ex-peacekeepers, including hundreds of officer-level soldiers who were part of the Ethiopian army before joining the UN force, initially conducted operations inside Sudan and have recently moved close to Humera in western Tigray, two of the people said. [Extracted from the article]

Mali, sub-Saharan Africa's third-biggest gold producer, has been governed by a military junta since August 2020. (Bloomberg) -- Germany's foreign minister warned that Russian interference in Mali threatens to exacerbate instability in one of Africa's top gold producers. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Germany's military suspended all reconnaissance and transport operations in Mali after a planned personnel rotation was blocked. Read: France Pushes EU Toward Mali Exit Over Junta's Russia Ties ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Mali's military leadership ordered a temporary halt to all United Nations troop rotations, days after arresting 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast who were supporting the UN's peacekeeping mission. Ivory Coast's government and a UN spokesman said the troops arrived in Mali to provide logistical and security support in line with a contract signed in 2019. [Extracted from the article]

RDJZTMT1UM0W (Bloomberg) -- East African nations will deploy a regional force to the conflict-ridden eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, where renewed fighting is threatening to engulf neighboring countries. Keywords: 45441Z; AFRICA; ALLTOP; GEN; GOV; POL; WORLD EN 45441Z AFRICA ALLTOP GEN GOV POL WORLD East African nations will deploy a regional force to the conflict-ridden eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, where renewed fighting is threatening to engulf neighboring countries. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali voiced concern Saturday over reported violence against civilians, hours after the military said it killed over 200 terrorists in a week-long raid in the country's center. UN Probes Allegations of Russian Mercenary Rights Abuses in Mali The UN mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, in a tweet Saturday said it's "very concerned about the allegations of violence against civilians" following last month's military operation. [Extracted from the article]

Mali, which shares a 828-kilometer (520 miles) land border with Niger, has been a linchpin of international efforts to fight an Islamist insurgency, which began in the northern part of the country in 2012 before spreading to other nations. Niger seeks to prevent Islamist insurgents from further destabilizing the country by allowing in a European military force after its planned exit from neighboring Mali. [Extracted from the article]

The force, which helped curb the spread of terrorist groups in Mali and neighboring countries, will cease to work with the Malian army and instead support soldiers in Niger. Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum seeks to prevent Islamist insurgents from further destabilizing his country after the withdrawal of European troops from neighboring Mali. [Extracted from the article]

French, European and Canadian troops are planning a "coordinated withdrawal" from the country given "multiple obstructions by Mali's transitional authorities", the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Thursday. Keywords: 223727Z@FP; AFRICA; ALLTOP; CANADA; EUROPE; FRA; GEN; GENTOP; GOV; NORTHAM; TERROR; WORLD; WWTOP; WWTOPEU EN 223727Z@FP AFRICA ALLTOP CANADA EUROPE FRA GEN GENTOP GOV NORTHAM TERROR WORLD WWTOP WWTOPEU (Bloomberg) -- France and its allies agreed to withdraw their forces from Mali after relations with the West African nation's government deteriorated following a military coup. [Extracted from the article]

Macron has been drawing up plans to withdraw French forces from Mali, amid deteriorating ties with the local junta, and has been pushing EU allies to do the same. Keywords: 223727Z@FP; AFRICA; ALLTOP; ELECT; EUROPE; FRA; GEN; GOV; POL; WORLD EN 223727Z@FP AFRICA ALLTOP ELECT EUROPE FRA GEN GOV POL WORLD (Bloomberg) - Emmanuel Macron is hosting a dinner on Wednesday for the leaders of several West African countries in Paris, where he'll discuss his pitch to shift the focus of European forces battling an insurgency from Mali to another nation. [Extracted from the article]

In Somalia, a 15-year-old military task force called AMISOM has been transformed into a new structure called the AU Transition Mission, which seeks to wind down peacekeeping operations and transfer security responsibilities to the Somali government. The African Union is urging its international partners to overhaul the way they finance peace and security operations to help the continent counter the growing scourges of terrorism, extremism and coups more effectively. [Extracted from the article]

The pre-trial hearing of a top Central African Republic rebel leader got under way at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, a precursor to a possible first attempt of its kind to hold the perpetrators of widespread atrocities in the nation accountable. "For the ICC to deliver meaningful justice, it will need to pursue higher-level suspects", the U.S.-based watchdog said in a statement on its website on Tuesday. [Extracted from the article]

The AU deployed its Amisom peacekeeping force to Somalia in 2007 to fight the insurgents, known as al-Shabab, a task it hoped would be taken over by the Somali security forces. Keywords: AFRICA; ALLTOP; ASIA; BUSINESS; COS; GEN; GOV; TERROR; WORLD EN AFRICA ALLTOP ASIA BUSINESS COS GEN GOV TERROR WORLD Most African Union member states are urging the United Nations to help bolster its peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, which is contending with an insurgency being waged by an al-Qaeda affiliate, a call spurred by the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. [Extracted from the article]

He's spent the last seven years running the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory, or TAHMO, a network of weather stations scattered across Africa that provides data to about 300 scientific organizations, including the WMO. That's one of Africa's biggest problems when it comes to tackling climate change, according to the WMO's inaugural State of the Climate report released last year. (Bloomberg) -- Weather station 61223 had been faithfully recording data on the temperature, wind and rainfall in the legendary city of Timbuktu for 115 years before March 30, 2012. [Extracted from the article]

The IMF could release about $217 million -- the first ofseven tranches -- almost immediately, as the governmentfights a third wave of Covid-19 infections, Gabriel Leost,the lender's representative in Congo, said in an interview. (Bloomberg) -- The International Monetary Fund boardapproved a three-year, $1.5 billion loan for the DemocraticRepublic of Congo to help boost social spending, modernizethe central bank and improve governance in theimpoverished, mineral-rich nation. [Extracted from the article]

QTV2FPT0AFBC (Bloomberg) -- Islamic State could be reinforced in one of its last strongholds in Africa as a result of vigilante groups fueling local grievances, a crisis-prevention organization warned. Niger should learn from neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali where the emergence of local militias has pushed civilians to join either jihadists or self-defense groups, the nonprofit said in a report Friday. Keywords: %USD; 7655799Z; AFRICA; BASIC; BUSINESS; CANADA; CMD; COS; EUROPE; FRA; GEN; GER; GOV; INDUSTRIES; LAW; MARKETS; METMNG; NORTHAM; US; WORLD EN %USD 7655799Z AFRICA BASIC BUSINESS CANADA CMD COS EUROPE FRA GEN GER GOV INDUSTRIES LAW MARKETS METMNG NORTHAM US WORLD Islamic State could be reinforced in one of its last strongholds in Africa as a result of vigilante groups fueling local grievances, a crisis-prevention organization warned. [Extracted from the article]