Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About

Yehuda

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Ethiopia to construct four expressways connect with East Africa

BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED

The Ethiopian Herald June 1/2021

ADAMA
– In a bid to enhance intraregional trade and people-to-people relations, Ethiopia plans to construct four expressways that connect the capital Addis Ababa with neighboring countries in the coming ten years, the Ministry of Transport disclosed.

Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges made the above remark over the weekend whilst inaugurating the 1st phase of the Adama-Awash expressway project which was graced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD). Dagmawit said on the occasion that the master plan for the construction of four expressways that will run from Addis Ababa’s four gates is near to completion.

As to her, the expressways would have an important role to strengthen Ethiopia’s economic, social and political ties on a continental scale. The road connectivity would also increase flow of tourists to historical and natural tourist attraction sites in the East African region. Dagmawit further noted that the expressways would have a significant role in attracting foreign direct investment by availing standard road facilities for businesses.

It is to be recalled that Premier Abiy laid a foundation stone for the construction of the first phase of Adama-Awash expressway, Adama-KM 60, project which is part of Ethio-Djibouti transport corridor. The construction of the 60-km expressway is underway in 6.7 billion Birr that is secured from African Development Bank (AfDB).

Whilst the first project is set to be completed within four years, the bid for the second phase of Adama-Awash expressway project that covers 70 km is underway. In his remark at the inauguration, Abiy highlighted the economic significance of the road. Upon completion, the road would play paramount importance in connecting the business community, he remarked.

Ethiopia to construct four expressways connect with East Africa
 

Sinnerman

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I'm still perplexed at how some africans can suck off Kagame. Him and his rebels are literally responsible for igniting the April 94 genocide. We all know damn well it was them who shot down that plane. There was always going to be vengeance given what had been boiling up for decades. But he won in the end. his pr is god status.

I've met three or four Rwandans, who, when I brought Kagame up, completely shat on him
 

loyola llothta

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AfCFTA-graphic-for-Africa-Day-2021.jpg

2 June 2021
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire


This year the region is facing monumental challenges amid a pandemic and decline in economic growth



It has been 58 years since the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) the forerunner to today’s African Union (AU) which was inaugurated in 2002.


Since 1963, Africa has undergone tremendous social change and political re-awakenings where in 2021 there are 55 member-states within the AU with only one, the Western Sahara, lacking national independence.

Africa Day for this year was called under the theme “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.” The resurrection and enhancement of the African Personality is essential in the efforts to realize a better standard of living based upon the interests of the majority of workers, farmers, women and youth within the AU region.

Yet the AU region is by no means free of the clutches of imperialism. The current COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the 1.3 billion people on a continent which remains dependent upon former colonial and present neo-colonial powers that drain the economic resources found in such abundance.

Similar to the situations in the Caribbean, Central America, South America and large areas of the Asia-Pacific geo-political regions, the AU member-states along with Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), the provisional government of the Western Sahara which is recognized also by the United Nations, continues to struggle for genuine liberation and sovereignty. The Western Sahara was conceded to the Kingdom of Morocco in 1975 after the departure of colonial Spain.

In an article written about the stance of the SADR and its politico-military wing, the Polisario Front, in relationship to Africa liberation, it says:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) affirmed today that the ‘declaration of the leaders of independent African countries at the beginning of the sixties of the last century on the constitution of a continental organization has the objective of promoting and supporting the peoples of the continent who fight against colonialism and Apartheid ‘. In a statement made public on the occasion of the celebration of Africa Day, the Saharawi MF highlighted that ‘today we celebrate, like the other African peoples, the day on which Africa commemorates the 58th Anniversary of the founding of the Organization for African Unity, on May 25, 1963. The founding of this continental organization represented a strong reason that contributed to accelerating the independence processes in African countries and highlighted its unique character that framed its objectives and priorities in the fight for human rights, self-determination and independence’”.

Morocco and Spain are now involved in a diplomatic dispute due to the medical treatment of Polisario Front leader and President of the SADR, Brahim Ghali, for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital. Morocco has expressed its opposition through official diplomatic channels with Spain.

In response to the anger of Rabat, the government has allowed the outmigration of thousands of people seeking entry into the Spanish controlled territories off the coast of Morocco. Most of the migrants, who come from Africa and West Asia, have been returned to Morocco soon after arriving in Spanish controlled territory.

The problem of migration is not exclusively centered in Morocco. Other North African states such as Libya and Tunisia have the same difficulties of being largely forced to detain migrants fleeing from the horrendous conditions which have their origins in imperialist militarism.

Large scale migration has been utilized by right-wing politicians in Europe to form parties which call for a total ban on those in need of asylum.


This same atmosphere prevails as well in the U.S. when the political landscape became even more polarized with the advent of the previous administration of President Donald Trump and the failure of the current presidency of Joe Biden to take bold initiatives aimed at lessening racial oppression.

Imperialism and Militarism in 21st Century Africa

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was operationalized in February 2008 with its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. During 2007 and 2008, no African government was willing to accept offers by the then President George W. Bush to host the primary base of AFRICOM.

However, with the advent of Bush’s successor, President Barack Obama, AFRICOM was strengthened and enhanced. There is currently an operational base of AFRICOM in the strategically located Horn of Africa state of Djibouti which houses over 3,000 Pentagon troops.

An investigative report done by the South African-based Mail & Guardian in 2020 stated that:

“Although U.S. commandos operate on the African continent with the agreement of host governments, ordinary Africans are rarely told about the full extent of U.S. activities — nor offered a say in how and why Americans operate in their countries. Even basic information, like the sweep and scope of deployments by elite U.S. troops and clandestine combat by American commandos on the continent, is mostly unreported across Africa…. In 2019, U.S. Special Operations forces were deployed in 22 African countries: Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania and Tunisia.

This accounts for a significant proportion of U.S. Special Operations forces’ global activity: more than 14% of US commandos deployed overseas in 2019 were sent to Africa, the largest percentage of any region in the world except for the greater Middle East.”

Despite the interventions of AFRICOM for more than a decade, the security situation in many African states is far worse than in 2008. In Nigeria, an insurgency which began in 2009 in the northeast of Africa’s most populous state on the continent, has not been defeated. The current President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military general with ties to the U.S. Pentagon, has asked for the construction of an AFRICOM base in Nigeria.

Although Buhari declared while running for the presidency in 2015 that he would eliminate the threat of Boko Haram within six months, there are today other criminal groupings which have emerged causing instability through theft, murder, kidnappings for ransom and recruitment. During April, Buhari said he had requested from the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a virtual meeting that:

“I asked the U.S. to consider re-locating the AFRICOM HQ from Germany to Africa — near the Theatre of Operation; against the backdrop of growing security challenges in West & Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region & the Sahel,” Buhari said in a Twitter post after the meeting.” (See this)

Such a controversial request by a former military general now heading a government with, in excess, of 200 million residents, illustrates the degree to which neo-colonialism has penetrated the African continent. Nigeria due to police misconduct faced a national rebellion late last year where scores were killed and billions in property damages occurred. There was sharp criticism levelled against Buhari inside of Nigeria while many military experts in the U.S. believe that the relocation of AFRICOM headquarters to West Africa would be highly unlikely. Nonetheless, the desperation of U.S. imperialism in its competition with China and other rivals, cannot be ignored in its efforts to remain dominant militarily in Africa and internationally.

African Unification and Socialism Provides the Only Real Alternative to Neo-Colonialism

The present role of the national military structures in Africa has proved incapable of guaranteeing the material interests of the majority of working people, farmers, youth and women. These mass elements within African societies must be empowered before genuine development can be realized.

Development and regional security are inextricably linked. In Chad, Mali, Libya and other states, the military forces have been trained by the Pentagon, France, Great Britain and other NATO countries. Until there is a categorical break with these imperialist governments and their military institutions, genuine independence and sovereignty will remain elusive.

A continental-wide military high command is called for within the charter of the AU. However, the mandate for taking responsibility for the internal security of Africa is in essence a political question. This necessity will be achieved by a revolutionary movement that is region-wide and committed to the abolition of capitalism and imperialism along with the construction of socialism.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the architect of the modern state in Africa, spoke and wrote extensively against foreign economic and military intervention on the continent. One analyst of African affairs and the role of AFRICOM said of the Nkrumah legacy:

“Nkrumah addresses foreign military intervention directly and warns that ‘military aid … marks the last stage of neo-colonialism and its effect is self-destructive.’ Moreover, he argued that African unity would not be possible until the ‘defeat of neo-colonialism,’ and argued for an African High Command. While Nkrumah envisioned the African High Command to be led by Africans and directly oppose foreign meddling, at its core AFRICOM is American-devised and managed, leading us to believe that Nkrumah would in fact be vehemently opposed to the establishment of an AFRICOM headquarters in Accra, or anywhere on the continent.” (See this)

These ideas are just as relevant if not more so in the 21st century as when Nkrumah articulated them during the period from the conclusion of World War II up until the time of his death in 1972. The AU member-states are at a critical juncture and the decisions made in the current period will determine the outcome of the struggle for the control of Africa, its people and resources.

link:
Africa Day 2021: The Need for a Continental Response to the Global Crisis | News Ghana
 

loyola llothta

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Russia is preparing to create a naval logistics point in Sudan - in the Red Sea. Russia won’t pay Sudan for using its territory, but rather strengthen their defenses. Base capacity: 300 personnel, 4 warships (including nuclear)-Sudan is currently reviewing the written agreement.
12:18 AM · Jun 2, 2021

 

loyola llothta

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Moscow Says Sudan Has Not Pulled out of Agreement on Russian Navy

Friday, 4 June, 2021 - 16:45


russian_navys_missile_corvette_dmitrovgrad_sails_past_the_dvortsoviy_bridge_over_the_neva_river_in_saint_petersburg_july_26_2020._reuters.jpg

The Russian Navy's missile corvette Dmitrovgrad sails past the Dvortsoviy Bridge over the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, July 26, 2020. (Reuters)
Asharq Al-Awsat

Sudan has not pulled out of an agreement with Russia to set up a Russian naval facility in the country, Interfax news agency reported, citing deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

"I think a compromise can always be found," Interfax quoted Bogdanov as saying on Friday.


"They have not denounced the agreement, have not withdrawn their signature, they said some questions have emerged," he said.


Sudan said earlier this week it was reviewing an agreement to host a Russian naval base on its Red Sea coast, which was reached by President Omar al-Bashir before he was toppled by a popular uprising in 2019.

link: Moscow Says Sudan Has Not Pulled out of Agreement on Russian Navy
 

loyola llothta

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Egypt, Sudan Conclude War Games Amid Ethiopia’s Dam Dispute


By SAMY MAGDY

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt and Sudan on Monday concluded joint war games that involved ground, air and naval units. The six-day drill meant to showcase deepening security ties between the two neighboring countries and present a show of force amid mounting tensions with Ethiopia.

The dispute stems from Ethiopia’s controversial, unfinished dam on the Nile River’s main tributary. Monday’s part of the drill, at a military base near Khartoum, was attended by the two countries’ chiefs of staff, Sudan’s Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Farid.

The exercises aimed at “strengthening bilateral relations and unifying methods on dealing with threats that both countries are expected to face,” said a statement from Khartoum.

Sudan and Egypt have deepened ties since the ouster of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 amid a public uprising against his nearly three-decade of rule. The growing Cairo-Khartoum rapprochement has caused concerns in Ethiopia.

Talks over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam stalled in April.

The two countries want an international agreement to govern how much water Ethiopia releases downstream, especially in a multi-year drought, fearing their critical water shares might be affected.

International and regional efforts have since tried to revive the negotiations as Ethiopia plans to add 13.5 billion cubic meters of water in 2021 to the dam’s reservoir — even without a deal on the dam’s operation and filling.

In March, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned that his country’s share of the Nile waters was “untouchable” and that there would be “instability that no one can imagine” in the region if Ethiopia fills the reservoir without an agreement.

Egypt and Sudan have called for the U.S., U.N, and the European Union to help reach a legally binding deal. The agreement would spell out how the dam is operated and filled, based on international law and norms governing cross-border rivers.

The Blue Nile meets the White Nile in Khartoum, before winding northward through Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea.

link:
Pan-African News Wire
 

loyola llothta

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7 June 2021
AFRICOM Military’s Exercise: The Art of Creating New Pretexts for Propagating US Interests
By Pavan Kulkarni




Phoenix Express 2021, the AFRICOM-sponsored military exercise involving 13 countries in the Mediterranean Sea region, concluded last week. While its stated aim was to combat “irregular migration” and trafficking, the US record in the region indicates more nefarious interests


Phoenix Express 2021 (PE21), a 12-day US-Africa Command (AFRICOM)-sponsored military exercise involving 13 states in the Mediterranean Sea, concluded on Friday, May 28. It had kicked off from the naval base in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 16. The drills in this exercise covered naval maneuvers across the stretch of the Mediterranean Sea, including on the territorial waters of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania.

The regimes in these countries, which cover the entire northern and northwestern coastline of Africa, participated in the drill – one of the three regional maritime exercises conducted by the US Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF). Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain were the European states that participated in the drill.

Among the heavyweights deployed in the exercises was the US navy’s USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4). The 784-feet-long warship is a mobile military base which “provides for accommodations for up to 250 personnel, a 52,000-square-foot flight deck.. and supports MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters with an option to support MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft,” according to the Woody Williams Foundation. “The platform has an aviation hangar and flight deck that include four operating spots capable of landing MV-22 and MH-53E equivalent helicopters.”

When the warship entered into its maiden service with the US navy in 2017, Capt. Scot Searles, strategic and theater sealift program manager at the Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships, said, “The delivery of this ship marks an enhancement in the Navy’s forward presence and ability to execute a variety of expeditionary warfare missions.

The Algerian National Navy frigate El Moudamir (F911), Egyptian Navy frigate Toushka (F906) and Royal Moroccan Navy multi-mission frigate Sultan Moulay Ismail (FF 614) were also part of PE21, bringing with them a range weapon systems including surface-to-surface and surface to air missiles, torpedo launchers, heavy naval guns and naval radars.

According to a press release by the US navy, the purpose of this exercise was to test the ability of the participants “to respond to irregular migration and combat illicit trafficking and the movement of illegal goods and materials.”

Smugglers moving goods across the border also illicitly traffic migrants fleeing war or economic crisis in their home countries. AFRICOM has on multiple occasions acknowledged that instability in Libya is the driving force behind the migration crisis.

Who is destabilizing the region?

While ‘Russian intervention’ is blamed for the instability in Libya, AFRICOM played a key military role in the Libyan war in 2012, deposing Muammar Gaddafi, who was a staunch opponent of expanding US military footprint in the region, with the help of radical Islamist organizations.


With the exception of Algeria, all the other north African states which participated in PE21 had supported this war in Libya, which has led to mass distress migration.

Many Islamist organizations which emerged amid the anarchy caused by the war were also used by the US and its allies in the Syrian war in a bid to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad, triggering another major wave of destabilization and migration.

Noting that “Syrians.. have (also) entered Libya from neighboring Arab states seeking onward transit to refuge in Europe and beyond,” a US Congressional Research Service report states: “The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that nearly 654,000 migrants are in Libya, alongside more than 401,000 internally displaced persons and more than 48,000 refugees and asylum seekers from other countries identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).”

The report in 2020 acknowledged that with “human trafficking and migrant smuggling.. trade has all but collapsed compared with the pre-2018 period.”

This migration wave, caused in no small part by AFRICOM-coordinated military interventions in Libya, has since been purported as a reason for further militarization of the region through such exercises as PE21 sponsored by AFRICOM.

The hysteria surrounding migration whipped up by right-wing parties has provided politically fertile ground for the US to mobilize state militaries for such drills. This is despite a fall in undocumented migration.

The need to respond to ‘irregular migration’ with warships is one of the official pretexts which, like the ‘war on terror’, has been used to further the militarization of Africa through AFRICOM since it was established in 2007.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the fact that the main cause behind the explosion of terrorist organizations in the region was the 2011 Libyan war in which AFRICOM itself was an aggressor, it continues to be portrayed as a bulwark against terrorist organizations. Its operations in Africa over the last decade, including hundreds of drone strikes, correlate with a 500%spike in incidents of violence attributed to Islamist terrorist organizations.

militant-islamic-groups-2020-update-02-11-full.png


Credit: Africa Center for Strategic Studies, US Department of Defense.

The Chinese boogeyman

Another justification given by the US for AFRICOM is the perception of a growing Chinese influence. “Chinese are outmaneuvering the U.S. in select countries in Africa,” General Stephen Townsend, commander of AFRICOM, told Associated Press late in April, less than three weeks before the start of PE21.

He went on to claim that the Chinese are “looking for a place where they can rearm and repair warships. That becomes militarily useful in conflict. They’re a long way toward establishing that in Djibouti. Now they’re casting their gaze to the Atlantic coast and wanting to get such a base there.”

Calling out the lack of credibility of this claim, Eric Olander, a veteran journalist and co-founder of The China-Africa Project, wrote: “The Chinese are looking for a base but he doesn’t provide any specifics or any evidence to back up the claim. Again, we’ve heard this before… for years in fact. For all we know the general doesn’t have any more refined intelligence than the same speculation that’s been floating around African social media all these years about a new Chinese base in Namibia or was it Kenya or maybe Angola?”

Townsend also pointed to the Chinese investments in several development projects in Africa. “Port projects, economic endeavors, infrastructure and their agreements and contracts will lead to greater access in the future. They are hedging their bets and making big bets on Africa,” he claimed.

This has been disputed by Deborah Bräutigam, director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, who concluded that China’s economic engagements in Africa are not of a predatory nature.

Bräutigam argues that Chinese economic engagements on the continent are very much in line with the economic interests of these African states, providing jobs to locals and improving public infrastructure.

Neither the concocted threat of Chinese domination of Africa, nor terrorism and irregular migration add up to the raison d’etre of AFRICOM. As former AFRICOM commander Thomas Waldhauser explained to the House Armed Services Committee in 2018, the purpose of AFRICOM is to enable military intervention to propagate “US interests” across the continent, “without creating the optic that U. S. Africa Command is militarizing Africa.” However, the 5,000 US military personnel and 1,000 odd Pentagon employees deployed across a network of 29 bases of AFRICOM in north, east, west and central Africa present a different picture.

AFRICOM has its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, which sponsored PE21. While this exercise was still underway, preparations for African Lion 21, Africa’s largest military exercise, had already begun.

link:
AFRICOM military's exercise: The art of creating new pretexts for propagating US interests : Peoples Dispatch
 

loyola llothta

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Very... Egypt definitely trying to position itself as the major power on the continent.

already knew the euro's deal when it came to that Africa free trade agreement
I think that’s really the main reason for the issue with the Ethiopia dam. Egypt don’t want Ethiopia to get that powerful
 

loyola llothta

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8 June 2021

The US Army’s “African Lion”: Hunting for A New Prey
The Art of War
By Manlio Dinucci

The African Lion, the largest military exercise on the African Continent planned and led by the US Army, has begun. It includes land, air, and naval maneuvers in Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, and adjacent seas – from North Africa to West Africa, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. 8,000 soldiers are taking part in it, half of them are American, with about 200 tanks, self-propelled guns, planes, and warships. African Lion 21 is expected to cost $ 24 million, and has implications that make it particularly important.

This political move was fundamentally decided in Washington: the African exercise is taking place this year for the first time in Western Sahara, i.e. in the territory of the Sahrawi Republic, recognized by over 80 UN States, whose existence Morocco denied and fought by any means. Rabat declared that in this way “Washington recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara” and invites Algeria and Spain to abandon “their hostility towards the territorial integrity of Morocco“. Spain, who was accused by Morocco of supporting the Polisario (Western Sahara Liberation Front), is not participating in the African Lion this year. Washington reaffirmed its full support to Morocco, calling it “major non-NATO ally and partner of the United States”.



The African exercise takes place this year for the first time within the framework of a new US Command structure.


Last November, the US Army Europe and the US Army Africa were consolidated into a single command: the US Army Europe and Africa. General Chris Cavoli, who heads it, explained the reason for this decision:

The regional security issues of Europe and Africa are inextricably linked and can quickly spread from one area to another if left unchecked.”

Hence the decision of the US Army to consolidate the European Command and the African Command, so as to “dynamically move forces from one theater to another, from one continent to another, improving our regional contingency response times”.

In this context, African Lion 21 was consolidated with Defender-Europe 21, which employs 28,000 soldiers and over 2,000 heavy vehicles. It basically is a single series of coordinated military maneuvers that are taking place from Northern Europe to West Africa, planned and commanded by the US Army Europe and Africa. The official purpose is to counter an unspecified “malign activity in North Africa and Southern Europe and to defend the theater from adversary military aggression“, with clear reference to Russia and China.

Italy participates in African Lion 21, as well as in Defender-Europe 21, not only with its own forces but as a strategic base. The exercise in Africa is directed from Vicenza by the US Army Southern Europe Task Force and the participating forces are supplied through the Port of Livorno with war materials coming from Camp Darby, the neighboring US Army logistics base. The participation in African Lion 21 is part of the growing Italian military commitment in Africa.

The mission in Niger is emblematic, formally “as part of a joint European and US effort to stabilize the area and to combat illegal trafficking and threats to security“, actually for the control of one of the richest areas in strategic raw materials (oil, uranium, coltan, and others) exploited by US and European multinationals, whose oligopoly is endangered by the Chinese economic presence and other factors.

Hence the recourse to the traditional colonial strategy: guaranteeing one’s interests by military means, including support for local elites who base their power on their armed forces, behind the contrasting jihadist militias smokescreen. In reality, military interventions aggravate the living conditions of populations, reinforcing the mechanisms of exploitation and subjugation, with the result that forced migrations and consequent human tragedies increase.

link:

Leone Africano a caccia di nuove prede | il manifesto
 

Secure Da Bag

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Pan-African Parliament: Punches, kicks and death threats

Founded with the noble ambition of uniting the continent, a session of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) recently descended into farce with some members fighting and threatening to kill each other.

The ugly scenes came amid sharp divisions over who the next president of the 235-member parliament should be, with southern African delegates insisting that their candidate should be chosen to end the dominance of other regions.

"I will kill you," said South African MP Julius Malema, pointing his finger at a rival MP in an outburst that was caught on camera.

He later defended his comments, saying he had been threatened.

During another sitting, there were chants of: "No rotation. No voting. No election. Simple!" while members jostled for ballot boxes.

As the chaos continued, some of the politicians exchanged blows, while someone could be heard shouting: "Please call the police, it is urgent."

In a BBC interview, Zimbabwean MP Barbara Rwodzi said she was injured on her left arm - which had to be bandaged - during the "battle" that took place at the parliamentary session held on the edge of the Gallagher Estate convention complex in South Africa's economic heartland of Gauteng.

To critics, it was an embarrassing spectacle.

"We are more divided as a continent than we ever have been - that's the reality. We parade this false solidarity in the face of great injustice. We have 'sit-tight presidents' and 'presidents for life'," Professor Lesiba Teefu, a political analyst attached to the University of South Africa, was quoted by Africa News Agency as saying.

"We don't criticise each other. We have been experimenting with liberation for almost 60 years now and we are no closer to unity."

'Glorified talk shop'
The formation of the parliament 17 years ago was part of a grand plan forged by some of Africa's then-leaders, including Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, to unite a continent made up of more than 50 states.

They envisaged that the African Union (AU) would spearhead the formation of a single government, with the parliament serving as its legislative arm.

But, when it is not a boxing ring, the parliament is - as the South African Institute for Security Studies think-tank puts it - nothing more than a "glorified talk shop".

Senegalese MP Toussaint Manga told the BBC that a large part of the problem was the fact that only 11 of the AU's 54 member-states had ratified a 2014 agreement - known as the Malabo protocol - to give the parliament legislative power. At least 28 countries are needed.

"If we really want to move this parliament forward, the countries need to ratify and grant the parliament full powers," he said.

But for now, many MPs remain focused on who will secure the plum job of parliamentary president - which comes with many perks, including upmarket accommodation in South Africa - with the AU footing the bill.

The contest will resume at a session scheduled for October, after last month's session was abruptly halted because of the fighting.


"The eastern, western and central regions have hijacked the leadership for three terms," Namibian MP McHenry Venaani told the BBC.

Outnumbered in voting, the southern African bloc wants the post to be given to a Zimbabwean, Chief Fortune Charumbira, the current acting leader, in a deal that would see the presidency rotate between the different regions.

Rather than risk its candidate losing in a three-way contest with a candidate from Mali and South Sudan, some MPs from southern Africa disrupted proceedings, justifying their actions by pointing to the instability in the two states.

"Mali is a country that has had two coups and has been suspended by its own regional parliament and subsequently by the African Union.

"The other candidate is from South Sudan. It is well known that currently their parliament is not operational, one wonders where this candidate is coming from - he's not even been sworn in by the parliament of his own country," Ms Rwodzi said.

"Our candidate wants to rebuild PAP's reputation, focus on financial transparency and also look after members' affairs," she added.

Critics, however, question whether Zimbabwe, where Zanu-PF has been in power since independence in 1980, is best-placed to champion democracy and accountability.

But the international editor of South Africa's public broadcaster SABC said she sensed a yearning for change among younger members of the Pan-African Parliament.

"They want the leaders to implement the Malabo protocol and ensure that PAP's [former] president is also held to account because there have been allegations of corruption," Sophie Mokoena added.

 
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