May 9th in Djerba, Tunisia, a gendarme killed a colleague of his by stealing his weapons and ammunition, and then headed to the local synagogue where he opened fire on the police who were guarding it, killing four other people, before being killed in turn. Jeune Afrique reports the president’s statements Kais Saied in the aftermath of the massacre, according to which Tunisia remains a “safe” country. Words that reveal the fear that this event will damage the Tunisian tourist seasona vital sector for the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, as the investigation proceeds, the dynamics are reconstructed: in Le Monde some survivors claim that “could have been a massacre” if the police had not been present. And Jeune Afrique also underlines the promptness of the intervention of the security forces in limiting the damages of a “carefully prepared” attack.
Lastly, Jeune Afrique always remains in Tunisia but to talk about the commercial aims of the South Korea, on the occasion of the Tunisia-Korea-Africa Business Forum. For Seoul, Tunis would be the chosen gateway to African markets, a space for action with 1.8 billion inhabitants. A strategy that is described as “carefully thought out, but still stuttering”.
Political tensions in Mauritania and Senegal
1.8 million voters will be called to the polls on Sunday Mauritania for a round of legislative and local elections, which are a test for the president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani one year before the 2024 presidential elections. Le Monde underlines how the party with the presidential majority, El Insaf, does not run particular risks, being the only party to present its own candidates in all constituencies, including rural areas. A success could increase the chances of reappointment in the next presidential elections for President Ghazouani, whom La Libre Afrique defines as “one of the great artisans of Mauritania’s successes against jihadism since 2011, in his role as army chief”.
In Senegal instead, as reported by Le Point Afrique, tensions are growing due to the risk of ineligibility of the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Sonko was sentenced to six months in prison for defamation and insulting the Minister of Tourism, which could mean his removal from the electoral roll. The aspiring candidate has called for civil disobedience and resistance, declaring that he is “more than ever a candidate” for the elections scheduled for February 2024. Meanwhile, Le Point Afrique also takes stock of the coalition that should support Sonko: a set of more than 100 organizations who want to prevent a third term of the current president Macky Sall.
Record of displaced people, the call for an end to the war in Sudan and DR Congo
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center has released its annual report, highlighting how 2022 was a record year for displaced people in the world – writes Nigrizia. Globally they are registered 71 million of displaced persons, of which 31.7 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone. A figure that confirms a growth trend that has been going on for several years: last year, there were 59.1 million displaced persons in the world. The first African country in the ranking is the Democratic Republic of Congo, fourth globally, with nearly six million displaced. The top 10 also includes Ethiopia, Nigeria and Somalia, while Sudan is positioned a little further down, whose numbers, however, are destined to increase dramatically due to the conflict that broke out in April.
Finally, with regard to the conflict in Sudan, Africa24tv.com reports the words of Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the UN, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, president of the Commission of the African Union, who have appealed for the ceasefire in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These statements were made at the 11th Regional Monitoring Mechanism Summit of theAddis Ababa Framework Agreementsigned in 2013 by thirteen countries to end conflicts in eastern DRC: an agreement now jeopardized by a dangerous escalation with Rwanda.
Cover photo EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA