Africa Political Monitor No. 37

HARSH JUSTICE FOLLOWING FAILED CONGO COUP
Thirty-seven people, including three Americans, have been sentenced to death in the Congo after a recent coup attempt. The open-air military court in the country’s capital, Kinshasa, convicted the 37 suspects and inflicted “the harshest penalty, that of death” in a decision announced by the presiding judge. Among the 37 individuals involved, three others are also foreign nationals, including a Briton, a Belgian, and a Canadian. The six non-residents have five days to appeal the verdict. Their lawyer has indicated plans to challenge the ruling during the appeals process. The failed coup attempt in May, spearheaded by little-known opposition leader Christian Malanga, targeted President Felix Tshisekedi's close friend and the presidential palace, resulting in the death of six people. Shortly thereafter, Malanga was shot and killed by the Congolese army while he was resisting detention. (Associated Press, September 14, 2024)

ISLAMIST VIOLENCE FLARES IN BAMAKO…
Attackers from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) killed over 70 people and injured more than 250 in a recent attack in Bamako, Mali. The attack, which occurred at a police training academy and nearby airport, impacted one of the planes being used by the World Food Programme (WFP) to transport emergency humanitarian aid to remote areas of the West African country. The incident is part of a surge of Islamist violence that has taken place across the Sahel in recent years, and contradicts the localmilitary's assertions of local stability following the recent withdrawal of French forces from the region. Experts believe the attack may have been intended to demonstrate JNIM’s power, as well as to draw government forces out of rural areas where the groups have established themselves and into more populated areas. (Al Jazeera, September 20, 2024)

…AS U.S. SPECIAL FORCES MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO CHAD
The U.S. military has announced a new agreement with Chadian authorities permitting American special forces to reenter the country, from which they withdrew ahead of Chad’s presidential election back in May. A return of American forces to the Sahel comes at a crucial moment, as Washington explores how to maintain its regional footprint and the extent of its counter-terrorism operations in the area in the wake of being ousted by several regional states, including Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. According to Marine Corps General Michael Langley, the head of USAFRICOM, the United States is in the process of attempting to renew its security partnership with African states. (AllAfrica, September 20, 2024)

NIGERIA’S APC EKES OUT A POLITICAL WIN
The All Progressive Congress (APC), Nigeria's ruling party, has successfully passed its first major electoral challenge since Bola Tinubu became the president last year. In southern Edo state, once controlled by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC’s candidate, Monday Okpebholo, triumphed over his PDP rival. The election results represent something of a surprise, given Nigeria’s current economic crisis and massive inflation – which, at 34%, is at its highest in three decades.

The APC, however, is not out of the political woods yet. Another significant test for Nigeria’s ruling party will take place in November, when local elections will be held for the governorship of the southwestern Ondo state.Moreover, signs of political irregularity abound. The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), which supervised the poll, accused both the PDP and APC of vote-buying and also alleged electionofficials had been harassed in some regions. (BBC, September 23, 2024)

IN BURKINA FASO, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES SURGE…
A recent report from Human Rights Watch has documented a growing number of Islamist attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso. These include door-to-door killings, the slitting of throats, and the targeting of Christian worshippers. The report finds that in just the first eight months of this year, over 6,000 deaths (1,000 of them civilians) have been perpetrated in West Africa by Islamist insurgents, with most of them carried out against communities who have refused to join the ranks of the jihadists. The HRW report also asserts that BurkinaFaso’s own army has carried out atrocities against civilians as part of their fight against jihadist elements. By some estimates, the Burkinabe military is responsible for 223 civilian deaths this year alone. (BBC, September 18, 2024)

…AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUND
Burkina Faso's ruling military junta recently issued a statement claiming that it had uncovered an international plot to overthrow its regime. The junta asserts that opposition groups from countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria, are working with both Western intelligence and European mercenaries to destabilize their regime. The junta has proffered no evidence for these accusations, and many have contended that they are designed to mask the junta’s own failures in stemming surging jihadist violence in the country. The statement follows the most recent such attack, which took place on August 24th, in which hundreds of civilians were killed by an al-Qaeda affiliated group while performing work for the junta. The country’s current security minister, Mahamadou Sana, never took responsibility for that attack, instead claiming that it was part of a larger plan to disrupt the government and allow terrorists to infiltrate Ouagadougou. However, the incident – and others besides – have highlighted the larger issue at hand: the ruling Burkanabe junta's inability to protect its citizens from Islamist insurgents. (Reuters, September 24, 2024)

CLEARING THE POLITICAL DECKS IN TANZANIA
Several members of CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, were arrested by police in Dar es Salaam in late September after defying a ban on anti-government protests. The three activists included CHADEMA’schairman, Freeman Mbowe, his deputy, and a senior staff official. All three were later released. Three journalists covering the protests were also arrested, with no apparent explanation from police, but were likewise later set free. The detentions appear to be political in nature; observers contend that Tanzania’s current president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, is working to sideline political opponents upcoming upcoming elections in December. (Reuters, September 23, 2024)